June 2016 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, June 8 at 7 p.m. Aurora Hills Community Center Come early for refreshments and socializing! Doors open at 6:30 Let Natasha know ASAP if you need childcare

Aurora Highlands Civic Association Newsletter – June 2016

Meeting Agenda

Introductions
Community Updates (see below)
For Discussion:

• Crystal House: Vornado is requesting approval from the County for architectural rooftop lighting along the edge of the existing trellises that are installed on the roof decks of both Crystal House apartment buildings. A representative will be at the meeting to discuss the proposal.
• ART bus depot update: Jeremy Jenkins, construction manager for the facility, will give us an update and answer questions.
• Neighborhood Conservation process for street improvement projects. At the May AHCA membership meeting, a representative of the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Commission (NCAC) presented changes under consideration for the street improvement project approval process. NCAC is seeking feedback from the civic associations. Please go to https://aurorahighlands.org/ to see details and supporting documents. At the meeting we will discuss a process for getting feedback on these changes from neighborhood residents.

Boo-Ha-Ha. If you want to continue our great Boo-Ha-Ha tradition in the fall, now is the time to start planning. It won’t happen without a lot of advance work and significant help from others. Please email Cheryl Mendonsa at cmendonsa@verizon.net.

Pentagon Row. TJ Maxx will be moving into the Hudson Trail Outfitters space on Pentagon Row.

Pentagon City Metro/Mall Traffic Problems. The police department will be paying more attention to traffic violations in front of the mall, including blocking of the bike lanes, idling of buses, etc. The department is also asking Mall management to work with the tour bus companies to get them to comply with restrictions.

Whole Foods, located in the Bartlett building at 12th and Eads, will be opening on June 29. Also opening at this location in the fall will be Commonwealth Joe, an independent coffee roaster that also operates Java Shack in North Arlington. You can buy their coffee now at the Crystal City Tuesday farmers market.

MetPark 6. This proposed building on S. Eads is going through site plan review. One last meeting has been scheduled for June 16. Anyone can attend as an observer. http://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/metropolitan-park-6/

Primary Election June 14. The Democratic Primary for County Board will be on June 14. Contenders are current board chair Libby Garvey and planning commissioner Erik Gutshall. Voting will be at your usual polling place.

Pentagon Centre. Redevelopment of the site is underway with construction of the parking garage by Costco. The garage will have irrigated planter boxes consisting of species that would maintain color during the winter months. The concept is similar to the parking garage at National Airport. The next building will be Building A, a residential building with ground-floor retail and the tallest building, at the corner of 12th and Hayes. Construction of Building A is likely to begin at the end of the year. This will also involve construction of the new Grant St. through the site, along with a small (9,000 sq. ft.) open space.

Solar Co-op Forming. Interested in putting solar panels on your house? Find out how you can save up to 20% by joining a solar co-op. Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE), Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy (AIRE), and VA SUN are the co-op sponsors. The group will host an information meeting 7–8 p.m. on June 8 at the Navy League Building (2300 Wilson Blvd.). Visit http://www.vasun.org/potomac/ where you can sign up to have your house assessed for solar. Once the group has enough participants, VA SUN will help the co-op solicit competitive bids from area solar installers.

Haiti Meals Project. June 11, 9 a.m. to noon, Harris Hall, Calvary Methodist Church. Join neighbors to pack 12,000 meals. No expertise needed and families are welcome. RSVP to Marcia Grenell at mmgrenell@aol.com or 703-521-3168 by June 3.

Street Trees. The County has been planting trees along our streets. If you have a new tree in front of your house, please water when it goes in and throughout the summer if possible.

New Stop Sign at 18th and Joyce. After years of trying to get the County to take safety at this intersection more seriously, we finally have a four-way stop.

Budget Priorities. AHCA has supported Boo-Ha-Ha, Miracle on 23rd St, Oakridge Spring Fling, youth soccer club, Wakefield Senior cruise, the holiday potluck, Tween Nights, and other activities. Do you have thoughts on these expenditures? New ideas? Email Natasha.

Next AHCA Social, June 22, 7–9 p.m. We are back at Siné Irish Pub at Pentagon Row. Join us for a pint or a bite, or just for a chance to meet some of your neighbors.

Important Websites

AHCA Bank Account Balance (required by by-laws): $5,521.11 as of May 31, 2016

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.

Category: Community Events