February 2020 Newsletter

[View the printed-format newsletter here]

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

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DON’T MISS THESE AHCA EVENTS!

February – Join us at the next AHCA meeting on the 12th for an engaging discussion on climate change and energy use and what you can do about it. We also have Arlington County Board Member Matt de Ferranti returning to share his perspective on our community’s Livability vision and discuss outstanding traffic issues.

March – Our March meeting should also be of great interest to the community, with feedback from our first workshop on housing affordability, a presentation of the County’s Missing Middle Housing Study, and discussion with County Board Member Katie Cristol.

Workshops – The 3 civic associations of 22202 are organizing a series of workshops to develop a community vision to address several of our priorities under the recently developed Livability Framework. We will be refining specific policies we might bring to the County Board, developers, business community, and other entities and provide input to the County’s budget process (the CIP). The first Housing Affordability workshop on January 26 was very successful with broad participation.

The following workshops are in the planning stages, so stay tuned for more details or inquire now by mailing info@livability22202.org:

• February 22: Open Space (see inside for more details)
• March 7: 2nd Housing Affordability workshop
• March 28: Future of the Underground / Community Facilities
• April 18: Route 1 / East-West Connectivity

DUES DUE. THANK YOU!

Please show your support for AHCA and our community by sending in your dues for the year. Dues are only $20 per household and help support this monthly newsletter, community events, and other neighborhood building activities, and also lets you vote at meetings.

Use the envelope distributed with this newsletter, see the treasurer at a meeting, or visit aurorahighlands.org and click the “Donate” button to pay by PayPal.

Dues submissions have been light over the past few years, covering only a portion of our annual expenses. We have been frugal and worked hard to supplement that with advertising and sponsorships, but every paying member makes a big difference. Thank you!

Community Updates & Resources

Pentagon City PDSP Update / Transportation Study

The County is undertaking an update of the Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan (PDSP) that guides development of the blocks around the Pentagon City metro. The plan was initially developed in 1976 and has been amended several times since, but the envisioned density will be essentially used up with the addition of the new Amazon HQ2 buildings. So the Plan is being reviewed over the next year to identify if and how future development could be accommodated. The County is currently soliciting proposals for the PDSP Update work, and has included our Livability 22202 Action Plan in the requests to contractors with the expectation that any work will incorporate this community input. This is a significant accomplishment that demonstrates the value of the proactive planning our community has undertaken in the past year.

An essential piece of this work is assessing the capacity of the transportation network and other local infrastructure and community facilities necessary to support future growth. As such, a comprehensive Transportation Study has already been initiated.

This promises to deliver a much more comprehensive and dynamic model of movement in the entire “National Landing” area. The lack of this overall view has been a major concern of all three area civic associations, so this is a very promising development. It is not yet clear if the Transportation Study and modeling will be extended to cover the entirety of 22202, however. This remains a concern AHCA will be pushing to address.

https://arlingtonva.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/01/Jan_22_2020_LRPC_Update.pdf

(Some) Pentagon City Development on Pause

In related news, Brookfield Properties has suspended plans to launch a major redevelopment of the TSA headquarters in Pentagon City at 12th & Hayes once the federal agency moves to its new home in Springfield in mid- to late 2020. It’s a reflection of the new reality that Amazon’s HQ2 has created in the neighborhood – the county is overworked, and changes to the Pentagon City PDSP being evaluated this year are necessary to allow additional building density.

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2020/01/22/brookfield-hits-pause-on-pentagon-city.html

Upcoming Met Park Public Space Open House

Part of the Amazon HQ2 proposal involves expansion and a complete $14 million redesign of Metropolitan Park. The first public meeting kicking off this process is set for Thursday, February 20 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the JBG Marketing Center (241 18th St., first floor).

Learn about the current conditions, discover opportunities for new and exciting features and share your input regarding how the space can best be used. Your thoughts and ideas will help shape the Master Plan and design guidelines for this wonderful community park.

https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/metropolitan-park-public-space-project/

Public Hearing on Columbia Pike Realignment

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is working with Arlington Cemetery on realigning Columbia Pike to expand the Cemetery, which will modify the Joyce Street and Washington Boulevard (Route 27) intersections and include various multi-modal additions.

There is a Design Public Hearing this Tuesday, Feb. 11th, 6:30-8:30P at Sheraton Pentagon City, 900 S. Orme Street where you can to view displays and learn more about this project, its preliminary design, and its tentative construction schedule. FHWA is requesting public comment on its intent to proceed with the final design and construction of the project improvements.

https://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/projects/va/vastanc-1/

31st St Water Treatment Plant Parking Area Survey

A County Survey Team will be performing topography survey work this month on areas around the 31st street site between Eads and Fern serving as a gravel parking lot for county employees. The County will be coming to the March AHCA meeting to present the plan for the site.

Open Space Workshop – YOU are Invited!

We all know that 22202 is a great place to live. But for many of us, the only backyard we have is our neighborhood. With all the new proposed development, we have an opportunity to reshape what our backyard looks like. What do we love? What’s missing? What’s not working? Could our open spaces be greener or more attractive? More inviting or accessible?

We are inviting you to attend a workshop to share your experience, learn about existing and planned open spaces, and help develop a community vision for Open Space in 22202.

The workshop will focus on discussing ideas for four topics, with walking tours in the morning and afternoon:

1. Developing a holistic approach to planning Crystal City Parks
2. Re-envisioning Virginia Highlands Park as the backyard for the Pentagon City community
3. Connecting residents to the natural world and enhancing biodiversity throughout 22202 green spaces
4. Exploring the possibility for a publicly accessible greenway from Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary along the railroad tracks to the southern end of Crystal City

The workshop is scheduled for February 22, from 9am to 3pm, at the Crystal City Marriott, 1999 Richmond Hwy (the corner of 20th and Clark Bell). An informal lunch is included. It will be interactive, with opportunities to hear from fellow residents who have different experiences and needs for Open Space.

Space is limited so sign up soon at http://bit.ly/2H3KSxq or via livability22202.org. Please indicate which of the four workshop topics you are most interested in, and we will do our best to include you in the group you prefer. But in any of the groups, you will bring your experience to the table and learn from others!

Livability 22202 Update

Thank you to everyone that turned out for the joint civic association meeting on Livability on January 14th. It was a terrific event with over 200 people in attendance and sent a strong message to the developers, County staff, and the two County board members in attendance that residents expect to be equal partners in shaping the way our area develops.

Since then, civic association leaders have met with the County Manager Mark Schwartz and with the County Planning Director Bob Duffy and other county department heads. The reception has been very good, with a great deal of respect being conveyed at the quality of work that has been done. Time will tell how well the work being done is actually integrated into County plans and processes.

State Legislation Aims at Shopping Cart Chaos

If state Sen. Scott Surovell’s (D-36) bill passes the Virginia legislature, businesses in Arlington could be on the line for recovering shopping carts people have taken but not returned. Senate Bill 631 would make it so that the cost of removal, including disposal, of an abandoned shopping cart will be charged to the cart’s owner. The ordinance originally covered Fairfax, but Arlington and Alexandria asked to be included as well.

https://www.arlnow.com/2020/01/22/new-bill-would-compel-arlington-businesses-to-collect-abandoned-shopping-carts/

Spate of Armed Robbery Incidents

Arlington County Police are investigating four recent armed robbery incidents that occurred in garages in Pentagon City. During three of the incidents, the victims’ vehicle was stolen and two of the vehicles have subsequently been recovered in D.C. All cases remain ongoing investigations and police are actively working to determine if the cases are related and if there are any links to cases reported in the region. The Department is conducting extra patrols in the garages and the public can expect to see an increased visible law enforcement presence throughout the Pentagon City area.

https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/police-investigating-armed-robbery-incidents-in-pentagon-city-garages/

Glass recycling exceeding expectations

With a cleaner source, recycling is more feasible. Fairfax County said this month that the glass coming from dedicated collection bins in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County and elsewhere in Northern Virginia has been of sufficiently high quality that, in addition to being crushed and used as construction materials, some is now going to a processing facility and is being recycled into new glass products, like bottles and fiberglass. Arlington residents dropped off more than 1 million pounds of glass at the bins in 2019, according to the county. You can drop off your glass in the purple bin behind the Aurora Hills Library.

https://www.arlnow.com/2020/01/23/some-of-arlingtons-glass-is-now-being-recycled-into-new-glass-products/

Join Neighbors in a Rewarding Volunteer Opportunity

Be part of MusicMends, a volunteer program that connects musicians with those on the mend in our community. Over 100 musicians have volunteered & continue to bring the healing power of music to those in need. We can always use more musicians and also need volunteers to help assist with this community-based program. Check out the video on the web site to see just how much this program touches our community residents. More information at MusicMends.org or email Andrea Kelly @ musicmendsDCVA@gmail.com

Foxes & Deer, Oh My!

Lots of us have been seeing foxes in the neighborhood, trotting down sidewalks or crossing silently through neighbors’ yards. Mid-January is the beginning of their mating season, which may account for the increased sightings. And just a few weeks ago a few deer were spotted near Fort Scott Park.

One goal of the Livability 22202 work is providing better natural connectivity to support our wild residents. But anybody interested in encouraging song birds and other wildlife in their yards can contribute; the simplest way is to transform your lawns and plant native trees. Backyard habitat even on small lots can be essential for populations of songbirds and the insect food they depend on. Residents have reported close to 60 species of birds in their backyards. Contact info@aurorahighlands.org for help getting in touch with other resources.

Native Seedling Sale

The Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation district’s annual seedling sale is happy to offer two packages this year – “Super Shrubs & Tiny Trees” and “Space Savers”! Both seedling packages this year feature 8 shrub/small tree seedlings for $15. Trees and shrubs help cleanse water, prevent soil erosion, provide habitat, cool our climate and clean our air. Consider adding more native trees and shrubs to our community today. I bet the foxes above will thank you!

https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/native-seedling-sale

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