January 2017 Newsletter

[Original PDF here]

All Aurora Highlands residents are invited and encouraged to come to our monthly meetings where we meet neighbors, discuss topics of interest, and share information. MEETING – Wednesday, January 11 at 7 p.m. Aurora Hills Library, Back Room 735 18th St. S. *** Note change in meeting space ***

Aurora Highlands Civic Association Newsletter – January 2017

Meeting Agenda

Introductions

For Discussion

• Captain Tiffany Wesley of the Aurora Highlands Fire Station (No. 5) will introduce herself, give seasonal safety tips, and answer questions.
• County Site at 31^st and S. Eads. Come hear the County’s short- and long-term plans for this County-owned site, located across from the County Water Pollution Control Plant. Part of the site has been used for parking, construction laydown area, etc. Short term, the County is planning to re-gravel the exiting area and install a few temporary lights for personal vehicle parking. The long-term plan includes clearing the trees so the whole site can be used for similar purposes.
•  Implementation of Approved Neighborhood Conservation Project for Nelly Custis Park. We will be talking about implementation of the approved Neighborhood Conservation project for Nelly Custis Park.  Representatives from the County’s Parks Department and Neighborhood Conservation Program will be there to talk about implementation steps and strategies for community participation. This is an informational presentation on the path forward – we will not be voting on anything, and we will not be talking any design specifics.  Actual design work with community participation will not begin until spring.
   
  The Parks Department has issued the following apology to the community regarding its handling of the process leading up to approval of the Nelly Custis project::

  On behalf of the County Manager’s Office and the Department of Parks and Recreation, regarding the Neighborhood Conservation project at Nelly Custis Park we’d like to apologize to the community for a process that did not meet Arlington’s vision to be a diverse and inclusive community where people unite to form a caring, learning, participating, sustainable community in which each person is important. County staff made statements that were inappropriate and inconsiderate. The engagement within the community was not at the level that Arlington County expects to deliver to their residents. We are sorry. We are especially sorry to those residents who participated actively and voiced concerns and input, but felt left out of the process. We will strive to ensure that all members of the community are a critical part of the project moving forward.

Community Updates

• Precinct and Polling Place Changes. The County Board voted to create a new precinct, 053 Met Park, with a polling place at The Bartlett, 520 12th Street S. This shifts some voters out of the very populous 021 Virginia Highlands Precinct. Those remaining in Virginia Highlands will vote at the Aurora Hills Library instead of the Recreation Center.
•  Car Sharing. The County Board authorized amendment of the County Code to make car-sharing programs a permanent part of the transportation mix. This will establish both (1) free-floating carsharing– where trips start and end in different locations (e.g., car2go) and reserved-space carsharing – where trips start and end in locations reserved exclusively for car-sharing (e.g., Zipcar and Enterprise Carshare). However, the Board also voted to extend car2go’s demonstration study for up to 12 months to allow staff to study car2go’s performance data and community feedback. For more info visit the County Board meeting page, https://countyboard.arlingtonva.us/meetings/. Scroll down to item 20 on the agenda for the Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016 Recessed County Board Meeting and read the staff and board reports.
•  Short-term Rentals. At its meeting on Dec. 10, 2016, the County Board adopted new zoning regulations that define short-term residential rentals through online services such as Airbnb, Craigslist, and VRBO and creates standards for this use. Starting Dec. 31, 2016, homeowners can apply for a  permit to host overnight guests for stays less than 30 days in dwellings that they both own and reside in as their primary residence. The Board and Planning Commission will consider additional amendments in January.

Important Websites

Please sign up with the Aurora Highlands group on Nextdoor to stay informed about happenings in the hood, including AHCA-related issues. We also encourage people to use Nextdoor as a way to spread the word about events or other items of interest to the whole 22202 community.

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