June 2021 Newsletter
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JUNE NEWSLETTER
June meeting Join us for our next monthly meeting on June 9th from 7-9!
- Community updates
- Update on Route 1: VDOT’s proposal, reactions at 1st community meeting, BPAC meeting, etc. Next steps.
- Fern St.: A little history of AHCA efforts to address cut-through traffic and a possible resident proposal.
- Supportive housing as an option for the old substation lot on Ives.
- Other business
Register now at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApceisqDsuGtVLoYW7pckUfO1tN8NHzbWz
Virginia Highlands Dog Run is nearing completion
If you haven’t noticed, there are some happy doggos in the neighborhood that have started to utilize the new temporary dog runs at Virginia Highlands Park. There are 2 dog runs; one for dogs under 20 pounds and one for larger dogs. The site is not yet complete, so please take caution if you choose to use it before all of its elements are installed and secured properly. AHCA thanks the Pentagon City Dog volunteers for helping to make this happen. Moving forward, Pentagon City Dogs will need volunteers to help organize clean up days, fundraise, maintain dog bags, and help report any maintenance issues. So please sign up to volunteer to make this the nicest dog run in Arlington for humans and dogs! Visit: www.PentagonCityDogs.org
Happy doggos!
Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center Opening Soon
Years in the making, the much-anticipated aquatics center will open sometime this summer. It features a pool for competitive swimming and a family pool, a center with fitness equipment, and spaces for classes, parties and events.
At the recent Crystal City Civic Association (CCCA) meeting, County staff gave an excellent and informative update on the Long Bridge Park expansion; see meeting video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDTa6UXpMqw Staff plan a “soft opening” this summer and a grand opening this fall. Check out the park website and links to see illustrations of the new facilities and ground and the proposed fee schedules: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/long-bridge-park-aquatics-fitness-center-park-expansion/
New farmers market opens at Met Park
The National Landing Farmers Market is open Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon, at 1400 Fair St. Vendors will showcase a wide variety of food and specialty items from meat & eggs, to produce, pickles and hot breakfast sandwiches. The Crystal city farmers market is open Tuesdays till Thanksgiving, 3-7 pm.
Don’t Forget to Vote by Tuesday, June 8!
Tuesday June 8 is the Democratic primary for competitive Commonwealth-level and County Board positions. You can drop off your completed absentee ballot at the Aurora Hills Community Center secure drop box until 7PM on Tuesday. All County polling places will be open for in-person voting from 6PM until 7PM on Tuesday, June 8. Know before you go – Find your sample ballot, your polling place, IDs needed, and other voting information through the County voting website: https://vote.arlingtonva.us/Home
COVID-19 Vaccination Update:
Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine: More than 132,000 people in Arlington — and over 4.5 million Virginians — have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine! Anyone 12 and older is eligible for their FREE vaccine, so join the club this week at one of the Public Health clinics!
See the full list of dates and times to find a clinic that works best for you or your child!
The ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber are now providing free rides to anyone to and from vaccination appointments! Get details and more info at the Lyft and Uber websites.
Already vaccinated? Please share this information with friends and family members in Arlington who needs a first dose!
Cicadas – Going, Going, Gone (Soon)?
The abundance of cicadas seems to be waning, and they will probably all be gone by the end of June. Enjoy them with your friends and family while you can, until they return again in 2038! Walk around our neighborhood. Listen to them – how many different sounds do you hear? Look at them – how many different variations in patterns and colors do you see? Read about them, e.g. this lovely article on the County DPR website: https://parks.arlingtonva.us/brood-x-the-cicadas-are-back/ More County resources are here: https://parks.arlingtonva.us/cicada-101/ Check out the Cicada Mania website and report your findings through Cicada Safari: https://cicadasafari.org/
Blind Birds
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington wants you to report deceased blind birds here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_cfR4P1EmAGLQdWI1JWWVw-xk7M8BVv6f2asqhlzaoTWPZg/viewform. If you find an injured or deceased bird on public playgrounds, parks, and fields, please call Arlington County Animal Control promptly at 703-931-9241. Read more about this situation here:
Support Cavalry’s “Stuff the Truck” charity drive
Development/Planning in Our Neighborhood
Pentagon City Planning Study – AHCA Community Position
The focus group placed a high priority on pedestrian improvements and movement as well as open space, especially green, unstructured space, though plaza’s are desired too. The group decided that moving current parks to what is essentially open space now is not acceptable The group also expressed a strong preference for new density to be loaded north and west, and much less so east and south. During the meeting, there was a concern that transportation tradeoffs may increase traffic, and a desire to avoid narrowing Hayes and Joyce. There was sentiment in favor of the Green Ribbon concept, and a desire for it to connect through Arlington Ridge as well as for pedestrian passage through the mall and for pedestrian improvements focused at the 15th St exit of the mall parking lot. The group’s discussion focused on the need for as many bike/micro-mobility lanes as possible, connecting both north/south and east/west and it recommended that the PDSP clearly set up processes for a VHP master plan and process to determine where schools are located in the area. Finally, the group indicated that the County needs to spend the summer receiving significant and representative community reaction to the proposed preferred option.
Here are some initial points reflecting on the direction of AHCA respondents to the jotform survey about the PDSP posted on our social media, as well as the intersection of long held AHCA priorities.
- Pedestrian Improvements – It is clear, and the PDSP process has reflected this, that there is a strong desire to improve pedestrian movements through Pentagon City. This is a high priority for neighborhood residents, and is reflected in strong support for the green ribbon concept. We hope to see clear and detailed proposals for pedestrian improvements of all types, how they will be accomplished and an expected timeline (understanding this is a long term policy document) for achieving them. We also hope the pedestrian improvements will not just focus on Pentagon City itself and the proposed pathway of the ribbon, but identify areas where connections between areas such as Arlington Ridge and Crystal City can be greatly improved.
- New and Better Open Space – There is also a desire for both new open space and improving existing open space. Casual space, public plazas and areas of public seating are particularly desired. We are interested in seeing a proposal that creates real new improved open spaces, especially reflecting those priorities. We do want to emphasize that new open space would not be considered such if it replaces existing open space and allows development on other space instead. Specifically, the proposal to move Grace Murray Hopper Park to the south, where there is existing green space, and allow building on the existing park, would appear to lead to a net reduction in open space. Similarly, improving the open space near the Nordstrom is desirable, such as a public plaza, given its poor use now, but would be an improvement rather than an addition of space. We are interested in seeing both new and improved open space.
- Locating Density Strategically – There is support for density in strategic areas, specifically north and east in Pentagon City. This means we are more comfortable with density and height at sites like TSA/DEA buildings and near the Macy’s. New density at River House or around the Nordstrom should be more modest, reflecting their adjacency to the lower density parts of the neighborhood.
- Avoid Traffic Congestion –There is concern about tradeoffs that could increase traffic, such as narrowing Joyce and Hayes. While it’s appreciated that the process is evaluating how much more traffic flow could be accommodated under existing conditions and ideas about changing the mode shift, we would appreciate more details and analysis about how and why specifically modes are expected to shift with different improvements and what steps will be taken to ensure neighbors do not experience car congestion.
- Improve Bike Access –There is a clear need for improved bike and micro-mobility facilities, especially protected bike lanes, as much as possible through Pentagon City, including through a stronger East/West connection than has been shown in current proposals. We also want to ensure that there is consideration for avoiding bike and pedestrian conflicts by accounting for both modes as improvements are made.
- Improve Transit Access- Public transit is important to our neighborhood. Improving access to buses and metro, such as a second entrance to the Pentagon City station, would be good inclusions in a PDSP.
- Biophilia and Beyond –There is support for greening the neighborhood, such as adding biophilic elements throughout key areas, especially more tree canopy and other living plants or moving water. However, we also encourage incorporation of other green elements, such as sustainable building design, into the document.
- Address Housing – We want to make sure that new development addresses access to affordable and attainable housing.
- Mall Pedestrian Connection Support –There is strong support for creating a pedestrian connection through the Fashion Centre mall. This would be especially important for new development at River House to ensure access to public transit is as easy as possible.
- 15th St/Mall Exit Pedestrian Improvements – There is also strong support for pedestrian improvements at the 15th St exit of the mall and the lack of sidewalk facilities on the east side of Pentagon Row.
- Set Up Immediate Additional Planning Efforts – While we understand that the PDSP should be a flexible document with long term vision, we also think it needs to explicitly set up processes in the very near term to address priorities raised even further by the additional density. Specifically, the PDSP should call for a park master planning process for Virginia Highlands Park and identify that we need a school and a process for achieving it.
VDOT Route 1 Multimodal Improvements Feasibility Study Update
Don’t miss these important upcoming community meetings on Route 1:
- BAC-PAC Joint Meeting, Monday, June 7 at 7PM: The County’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee invite you to participate in their joint meeting on Monday, June 7. The BAC website has logon instructions for joining the meeting. The PAC website will also include the meeting agenda. The Route 1 presentation is scheduled to start at 7:30, but please logon by 7. Preregistration is not required. The meeting will be recorded.
- VDOT Third Public Information Meeting, Wednesday, June 16, 6:30 PM: Meeting information is here: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northern_virginia/route_1_multimodal_improvements_study-third_virtual_public_information_meeting.asp Use this link to preregister to attend the VDOT meeting: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4639365539122339852
Background Resources:
- VDOT Route 1 Multimodal Improvements Feasibility Study: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northernvirginia/route_1_multimodal_improvements_study.asp
- Livability 22202 Route 1 Working Group: https://livability22202.org/route-1-working-group/
- National Landing BID: Reimagine Route 1: https://nationallanding.org/get-around/route1
- VDOT Report on Route 1 to County Board, Part of Regional Reports, Tuesday, May 18: Video recording is here (VDOT presentation starts at 37 minutes) http://arlington.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=3917
- NACTO: City Limits: https://nacto.org/safespeeds/
- Smart Growth America: Dangerous by Design
- Congress for the New Urbanism: Highways to Boulevards: https://www.cnu.org/our-projects/highways-boulevards Check out their 4 principles: https://www.cnu.org/our-projects/highways-boulevards/principles
Crystal City Bike Network Public Meeting, rescheduled to June 15
The second public meeting for the Crystal City Bike Network was postponed until June 15 because of changes to transportation plans for the new Clark-Bell and other feedback on the plan. Please plan to attend this important meeting June 15, 7-8:30 p.m. for our regional bike network – even if you don’t bike! Details on the project and upcoming meeting are available through this link: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/types/crystal-city-bike-network/
JBGS plans for National Landing
Look at the slides then watch this JBGS promotional video to learn how JBGS hopes to transform the National Landing area:
Proposed HQ2 ‘Helix’ Tower Is Too Tall
“Amazon.com Inc. may need to lop off the tip of its proposed drill-bit-like structure, the Helix, at its PenPlace development to ensure the safety of flights coming into and out of Reagan National Airport. Engineers working for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority determined the 15-story building is roughly 13 feet taller than the maximum allowable height for structures that close to the airport.” [Washington Business Journal, WJLA]
Article posted on ARLNow Morning Notes: https://www.arlnow.com/2021/05/17/morning-notes-2653/
Amazon HQ2/PenPlace LRPC Meeting
The County held a second LRPC meeting for PenPlace on May 12. View the meeting recording and staff and applicant slide decks for this meeting through the project website: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/pen-place-2021/ This is a huge project with many remaining unresolved issues, including transportation, open space planning, and building heights, design, and massing. Watch for details on the next meeting – according to the website, it will be the first SPRC meeting for the site.
Pentagon City Planning Study Update
PCPS staff, consultants, and stakeholders are finishing up Phase 3 of the study and preparing for Phase 4, a final report, due later this summer. Staff held two meetings recently, a general public engagement on land use and community benefits and on April 26 and a stakeholder meeting on May 27 on multimodal analysis. Review meeting materials and reports through the project website links: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/plans-studies/crystal-city-building-heights-study/documents/ We’re still waiting for promised transportation projections.
Crystal City Building Heights Study
Staff held the fourth LRPC meeting for the Crystal City Building Heights Study on May 17. You can find the meeting recording and materials through this link: https://projects.arlingtonva.us/plans-studies/crystal-city-building-heights-study/documents/ General information on the study is found here:
https://projects.arlingtonva.us/plans-studies/crystal-city-building-heights-study/ Meeting participants are still disagreeing on whether density is critically linked to building height and therefore needs to be included in the study analysis. This study is important to our neighborhood because parts of our neighborhood are included in the CCSP – the focus area of this study. How high would you like Crystal House to be? What type of skyline would you like to see?
Watch for more development projects soon! JBGS resubmission of plans for residential buildings on Block M in Crystal City and the Brookfield/TSA site in Pentagon City.
PenPlace Park Master Plan Amendment
The proposed Amazon PenPlace site, between Fern & Eads and 12th & Army-Navy Drive, will have significant publicly-accessible open space on it. Peruse the video and slide deck from the first engagement to acquaint yourself with the planned open space. Although the first public engagement opportunity just closed, watch out for additional opportunities. Participate in discussions of open space at the PenPlace planning meetings as well.
“Tear Drop” Park (or the Park with No Name)
Public engagement for the “tear drop” park -East of Eads between Army-Navy Drive and 12th-– is now over. The draft PMP and design guidelines are currently undergoing Commission review before going to the County Board this month. It’s a small park, with lots of features added to it.
Example of possible supportive housing in our neighborhood?
We’d like to raise awareness of a project outside our community, but one that we might like to see more of here, perhaps for the county property at the corner of Ives St and 18th St.
The County-owned property located on S. Irving St (https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/1212-south-irving-street/) is a detached three-level single family home that is approximately 3,800 square feet. This existing residence is aged and in deteriorating condition and will be demolished and replaced with a new two-story family home of approximately 3,000 sf.
The new home will provide a permanent residence to Arlington adults (approximately 6 individuals) with developmental disabilities. It will be staffed 24 hours a day with Daily Support Professionals (DSPs) who will assist each resident with activities of daily living and care. The DSPs will be supervised by a House Manager and Program Manager.
Per the objective of the County’s Facility Sustainability Policy, the new home shall be designed and constructed to be energy efficient with excellent indoor air quality and will achieve Net Zero Energy ready certification. To achieve this objective, the new home will be well-insulated with energy efficient windows, energy recovery ventilation, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and other energy and water efficient building components.
Summary of upcoming development projects
Check out projects impacting 22202 for their public engagement period!
Pentagon City Crystal City New Park VDOT Crystal City Bicycle Dominion Substation
Here are more specific projects within 22202
2000/2001 S. Clark Street 12th Street S. Eads Street
PenPlace 18th Street Army Navy Drive
Potomac Yard Land Bay C-East 23rd Street Transitway
Complete Streets Contact
Alistair Watson, Secretary of the Civic Association, was accepted to the Complete Streets Commission and can be reached at alistair.watson.2000@gmail.com for any comments, questions, or concerns. Complete Streets means making roads accessible and safe to all!
Community Events
Music in the Park Series Continues for Summer 2021
AHCA is fortunate enough to be able to continue with the very popular Live Music in the Park Series at the Hearts Field, Virginia Highlands Park every Saturday from 6:30pm-8pm, starting on June 5th until July 24th with the possibility of extending it. We have a talented group of bands and solo musicians performing and will be a great time for all ages! The event is FREE but we kindly ask that you consider a $5+ tip for the musicians. You can find all their information on www.aurorahighlands.org/music
Picture-Perfect Park — Volunteers needed
If you’re enjoying Virginia Highlands Park Hearts Field (15th/Joyce St), the chairs, events and games, please make sure to put things away after you’re finished. If you’re on your way to the restaurants or the new dog park, please consider lending a hand for just a few minutes and help tidy up the park. Games left on the ground can blow away, gobbled up by the lawnmower or chewed on by a puppy. This is all 100% community funded and organized. So if we lose things we may not be able to replace them.
We need helpers to keep chairs upright and unstacked and the games and their accessories should be in their bins near the side of the fence. Just a few minutes of time, cleaning up after you use things or as you pass by, will be very appreciated and will help make the place enjoyable for everyone!
Highlands Urban Garden video by Sustainable Scoop
Miriam Gennari’s team of teen video producers made this great video of our Livability22202 Open Space HUG project with FOUA (Friends of Urban Agriculture). Watch it here: https://youtu.be/UrViqetjhxE
Other County plans
Post-Covid virtual meetings?
Will we still have virtual meetings post-Covid? Check out this ARLNow story to see what the County is planning:
County Fair Returns August 18-22!
According to this ARLNow story (https://www.arlnow.com/2021/06/01/after-pandemic-hiatus-arlington-county-fair-returns/?mc_cid=96fa30c427&mc_eid=a9d68b8162) the County plans to hole its annual County Fair Aug. 18-22. The annual event will feature goat yoga and a beer garden — both of which debuted at the 2019 fair — as well as carnival rides, vendors, exhibits, music, and fair food. It will return to the Thomas Jefferson Community Center and grounds, at 3501 2nd Street S.
Aurora Highlands Community Yard Sale Day
Mark your calendars! The Aurora Highlands Community Yard Sale Day will be Saturday June 19, 2021, from 8AM – 2PM. Get ready for summer, and give your items a new life instead of the trash heap! This is a fun day to walk around the neighborhood and meet your neighbors. Spread the word! More information here: https://www.colonneselab.org/yard-sale
If you plan to host a sale and would like your location/street intersection to be listed on the AHCA website, please send email to lolajenga@gmail.com.
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