Arlandria: When A Plan Comes Together

With all eyes either gazing in adoration or glazing over in rage at the waterfront plan, a small, community-spurred plan to bring about changes in a struggling, but hopeful neighborhood has finally come to fruition.

The Long Road

The Vision from the 1998 Plan.

The Arlandria community has been planning for change longer than any other neighborhood in Alexandria. We are now a decade into implementation of the Arlandria Revitalization Plan, the result of the City and community-supported 5-year planning effort from 1998 to 2003. Broadly stated, the goal of the Plan was to build on the strength of Arlandria as a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use place through the redevelopment of underutilized sites. Re-development of the "oppurtunity sites" was the anticipated catalyst for the proposed revitalization.

Absent that outside investment, the City pursued modest improvements, but the opportunity to make a significant impact in a densely poor community was limited. Resources were put into an interim marketing strategy to strengthen existing businesses and community members worked to establish facade improvement guidelines for individual storefronts. But the efforts proved to be futile since many shopowners were barely breaking even. In the decade since the plan, shops were closing and turning over at an increasingly alarming rate. The shopowners that remained were barely holding on.

Redevelopment proposal compared to Arlandria Plan illustration

A 2008 follow-up feasibility study, publicly unveiled 3 years ago, ultimately confirmed that conditions in Arlandria made development unfeasible. Paraphrased, "Arlandria was not worth the investment." The study pointed to an on-going perception of crime, a poor built environment, and lack of economic diversity as the three major impediments to economic development.

Grass-Roots Community For All

The City attributed the stagnant plan implementation to a lack of community involvement. That comment and the implication of the feasibility study became the catalyst for the community led, city-supported grassroots efforts that followed. Within the parameters of maintaining the ethnic and economic diversity that define Arlandria, achieving sustainability became the overarching goal. Without outside investment, a group of volunteers took on the challenge of what remains a higher standard of fostering a supportive environment. Working hand-in-hand with neighbors and social service providers, community residents created a small business incubator in the farmers and artisans market. The Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market is the sole market - in both Alexandria and Northern Virginia - to welcome SNAP (food stamps), a labor of love which took market organizers countless extra hours to establish and staff weekly. And the community has banded together to improve streetscapes and parks and maintained a presence at service provider and quality of life meetings to ensure every resident and visitor feels safe in our community.

Along with the City, the neighborhood paved the way by working with our Community Oriented Police (COPS), ARHA, Community Lodgings, Wesley Housing, the Community Services Board, the Chirilagua Coop and most recently Arlington Housing Corporation to preserve existing housing and conditions for the city's most vulnerable citizens, and have strongly supported the inclusion of workforce housing to create upward mobility for hard-working residents - who would otherwise have to leave the City to improve their circumstance. According to Census, Arlandria's population is still highly transient (30% turnover per year, 90% every 5 years). The city and grassroots organizations have aimed to create an environment that allows more residents to make Alexandria into a long-term home by providing a wide range of housing. That solution requires something more than very low rent and very high cost properties. Economic diversity and livability are key to a sustainable community.

Finally...

The long-awaited plan to re-develop the Arlandria Shopping Center (Mount Vernon Village Center) overcomes the challenges presented in the feasibility study from 3 years ago. After years of painstaking, frustrating and sometimes seemingly futile efforts, one of our community partners has proposed the first step towards fulfillment of a decade-old promise to realize Arlandria as the proud waterside gateway into our wonderful city. In a constrained-resource environment, Arlandria Center, LLC has created a design that addresses the key issues in our neighborhood. It leads the way by making a positive change to the built environment and addresses the perception of crime by adding eyes on the street - where increased vitality becomes a deterrent to crime.

This current development application addresses many of the design goals of the Arlandria plan, proposing a mixed used property consisting of two multi-family residential buildings that maintain the 50,000 sq. ft. of retail along Mt Vernon Avenue (maintaining approximately the same amount of retail). Parking would be underground or buried within the building at grade. The plan includes streetscape improvements to Mt Vernon Avenue and Bruce Street, which include street trees, new bus shelters, and sidewalk widening. The high quality, contemporary design is in compliance with new green building standards and incorporates new affordable housing units for households earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income. The property also improves access to and increases visibility of Four Mile Run Park.

The Mt. Vernon Village Center proposal for 450+ housing units is a first step on a long road to alleviate an impending housing crunch. The median age of housing stock within one mile of the project is 55 years old; within 5 miles: 44 years old.

The development would also provide the city-code required 940 underground parking spaces. The project remains open to utilizing some parking spaces for other subsequent developments if the opportunity presents itself.

And the proposal includes a phased approach, retaining as much existing retail as possible during construction. MOM's and CVS, for instance, could continue to operate if they choose on the northern portion of site while the southern portion is built.

Community Benefits

The plan fulfills the Arlandria Plan requirement for 10-15% open space: 10% of the property space would be reserved for public open space and another 5% would be for resident use. The building would be set back back 40 feet from Mt Vernon Avenue for pedestrian plaza space and will be pulled back 5 additional feet on Bruce Street to create better access to Four Mile Run Park and better vehicular access to stores and residences. The project would also fund up to $200,000 for new tennis/basketball courts, which would be relocated per the 4MR Park master plan. 7,000 square feet of the property along the park would be reserved for a pedestrian promenade with the potential for a future road should the City desire at some point. The development would also improve the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff from the site.

The primary entrance to the residential portion of the parking garage would be through the center courtyard aligned across from Russell Road and the developer would rebuild that intersection and the southern entrance to the property for better automobile access than exists today.

The development conforms to all of the standards set out in terms of bulk, set back and open space, but needs to be 7 additional feet taller in the center of the building to achieve the scale need to accommodate 28 units of affordable housing throughout the property. This housing which would be open to holders of housing vouchers and others who make less than 60% of Area Median Income.

The residential portion of the property would be built to LEED green building standards, and the commercial portion would be build to LEED Silver standards.

The project also includes $51,000+ in today's dollars (adjusted for inflation) annually for transportation management to keep single occupancy vehicle trips from the development to less than 40% of total trips. To help accomplish that, the developer would additionally install new bus shelters with real-time bus arrival data and would also install on-site bicycle amenities, including a Capital Bikeshare station. The developer would also provide a 20% employee transit subsidy. In the future, the development would be required to partner with other property owners to create a Transportation Management District to make further improvements to transit.

A little mentioned project attribute is that it also meets the design guidelines from the Four Mile Run Restoration Plan. This plan was created by the community over several years as joint effort between the City and Arlington County working through the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. See examples of suggested architecture and building massing in the following excerpts:

Challenges and Opportunities

"Neighborhoods that mix land uses, make walking safe and convenient, and are near other development allow residents and workers to drive significantly less if they choose. In fact, research has found that in the most centrally located, well-designed neighborhoods, residents drive as little as half as much as residents of outlying areas. Along with these benefits, mixed-use development can improve communities in other important ways, including supporting affordable housing by lowering transportation costs. Studies have also shown that mixed-use development, especially in concert with other smart growth strategies, provides significantly higher returns to local governments through property and sales taxes while requiring lower per unit infrastructure and public-service costs." (EPA)

The majority of road issues in our area are rush hour bottlenecks further on down the line, such as where West Glebe and South Glebe come together and where those roads hit Route 1. There is the need for targeted solutions for those bottleneck areas as well as better transit and bike options to allow people to switch modes away from single occupancy vehicle driving. Mt. Vernon Avenue in Arlandria is not a highway, nor even a high capacity road. At its best, it could be an urban boulevard with wide sidewalks, easy pedestrian crossing places, and slow moving traffic. The Arlandria Plan vision of pedestrian-oriented, transit-oriented development is the antidote to the bottlenecks problems created by sprawl induced cut-through traffic. 

Post rush hour traffic on Mt Vernon Avenue
9:15 on a Friday morning.

The small area plan is about making a pedestrian friendly community that brings current and future residents out on foot to enjoy the neighborhood. Right now, we are bathed in a sea of empty parking lots and people-second design. Bus routes connect the Avenue to points south and north, the Metro stations and the Pentagon. "Circulator" routes from a future Potomac Yard Metro and to the future transit line along Route 1 are in the works, but this will only work if complimented with sufficient density.

In order to maintain our diversity, we have made a conscious decision that we would prefer to add the density of economic diversity that mitigates the negative impact of being the most impoverished community in the city. The development proposed by the Mt. Vernon Village Center helps us realize our long-awaited goal of becoming a safe, walkable, sustainable and inclusive community. We are proud of our multicultural environment, we have immigrants from around the world, but without the proposed development, the opportunity to fulfill Arlandria's potential will likely slip by and drive our neighborhood back to it's 'unfeasable' state. What we have learned through our journey is that every resident has a stake in making their own neighborhood the best it can be. All of us have a responsibility to step forward with an investment of the time it takes at least pay attention to the opportunities presented in their area. Whether it's the city or a developer considering making a change, make your voice heard. We feel strongly that this is the best opportunity to make Arlandria one of the City's greatest success stories. If you believe that too, now is the time to step forward, write a letter, show up, or even join in. Everyone's welcome - it's Arlandria!
___________________________________________
Submitted by Kevin Beekman, Melissa Garcia and Nick Partee

Local Planner Discusses Arlandria Planning and Implementation

Brandi fields questions

Since 2009, the Arlandria Action Plan Advisory Group has been helping guide implementation of the 2003 Action Plan (large PDF).  One of the leaders of the effort on the City staff side has been City Planning and Zoning Urban Planner Brandi Collins.  Last week, she was invited to speak at a Coalition for Smarter Growth event with a couple of other young planners at their "Young Planner Showcase".  The event was held at the National Capital Planning Commission.

Here are her slides (PDF), which are displayed during the video.  See below for the video of her presentation, or use this link to view on YouTube if the embedded video isn't working for you.  Brandi's section starts at about the 06:20 mark and runs about 20-25 minutes, including a Q and A session.  She does a great job promoting what we're doing as a community, and we are appreciative of the efforts so far.  Keep up the focus and great work on Arlandria!

New Designs on Four Mile Run Park Expansion

Architects Anonymous strike again.

The intrepid group of area architects has combined forces once more to unleash yet another great set of plans to revive the dormant goal to expand Four Mile Run Park along Mt. Vernon Avenue.

You may recall Architects Anonymous from their last Arlandria effort, where they developed a very promising and award winning plan for the parcels of newly acquired open space (4109 Mt. Vernon Ave).  Those became the inspiration first for the Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market, and then for saving the old Duron Paint store building for community use, which is set to begin construction this month.

The group continued to refine plans based on community input to create a dynamic outdoor space that acts as a gateway to the City. The architects and City staff have diligently reached out to the community over the months, vetting the plans during a design charrette, then with the Arlandria Plan Implementation Group, the Four Mile Run Restoration Task Force and the City's Parks and Rec Commission. The plans have met with universal support, and feedback has been incorporated into all that's going forward.

As conceived, the now vacant lots along Mt Vernon Avenue will be transformed into an vibrant community space. As part of the plan, the Four Mile Run Farmers' Market will continue to occupy approximately the same footprint, with opportunities to expand northward on the site as it grows.  The plans incorporate rain gardens, new landscaping, and a number of dynamic elements that can be cheaply and easily altered over time, such as painted pavement and colorful banners.

A portion of the funds to complete the work are now available thanks to a February 17th vote by the Arlandria Plan Implementation Group. The vote allocated the $200,000 left over from the Arlandria Plan Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget towards the first of two phases to complete the park expansion.  The CIP funds come from the long idle plan to bring streetscape improvements and amenities to Mt Vernon Avenue, but which remained unspent since most improvements were deemed infeasible without redevelopment of the large properties. Looking to get the best bang for the buck on a low hanging fruit project, the community rallied behind funding what they could. The $200,000 will cover at least the hard scaping portion of the park expansion plan, which should be underway by this Summer. Phase two largely consists of landscaping, plantings, and other volunteer labor accessible and less costly amenities. With further volunteer and community support (that means you, readers!) and the sweat equity demonstrated with the rehab of the old Duron building and at the 4MRMarket site, phase two could be accomplished by the end of the year

Architects Anonymous has put a lot into this project on the basis that they see with community support so much could be done for so little.  They have really drawn inspiration for specific elements of other nearby projects to turn these empty parking lots into a real park. Simple installations, such as banners and temporary shade structures, as seen in Rosslyn, have instantly revived vacant lots into usable and inviting space.  Here are a few of the ideas they hope to bring in:

To manage run-off and utilize current site topography, a rain garden would be installed in the low lying area between the pavement and the soccer field.

Existing berms can be augmented with rock outcroppings to create viewing areas for soccer games and other community events.

Painted pavement will help turn boring asphalt into a colorful and engaging space.

Banners will bring color but can also reflect community diversity, events, and define the space.

It's an exciting time in Arlandria and around Four Mile Run. There's plenty more news from over the winter about all of the revitalization efforts. Watch this space.

The Arlandrian News Round-up "On the Homefront" Edition

Arlandria Forum at the Birchmere

Watch the video, take the survey
The Arlandria Action Plan Advisory Group heard from a panel of development experts at an event at the Birchmere. Watch the video of the event and take survey to tell the City about your thoughts on Arlandria, before passing it on to your friends and neighbors.

The 4MR Center

Repurposed with a purpose
The Special Use Permit to allow the former Duron building to be used as a community use (as outlined here) passed Planning Commission unanimously last week.  The only concern expressed about the plan was that the City wasn't spending enough to get the much needed community amenity up to par. Next up, the proposal is before City Council this Saturday, June 12th (docket report).  Meanwhile, a team of community heroes has been busy cleaning up the site.

Still cooking
The environmental designed chicken rotisserie restaurant approved for 3401 Mount Vernon Avenue is still progressing.  Word is that everything is still on schedule with construction set to commence in the Fall.  Meanwhile, chicken fans, Popeyes is back in business across the street at 3402.

Alexandria Crossing

Now receiving
Alexandria Crossing, formerly know as Glebe Park, has opened another phase of newly constructed affordable units on Old Dominion Boulevard, while the adjacent -- and sold-out -- market rate homes receive their final touches.  The yet-to-be-completed workforce condos at the site still have a few units on the market, but have otherwise pre-sold well. The affordable apartments on West Glebe Road are due to be completed in July.

Run Restoring
Next Wednesday, June 16th, the next meeting of Four Mile Run Restoration Joint Task Force will offer an early opportunity to review and comment on the engineering designs of the in-stream restoration of the tidal portion of the stream between Route 1 and Mount Vernon Avenue. The in-stream design is on schedule to be completed by the end of the year. The design is at a point where it is ripe for citizen input.

The Task Force will also be reviewing the three stimulating presentations by the finalists in the bridge design competition. The presentations came from three highly qualified design teams. But with money to design the bridge and no money to build the bridge, the Joint Task Force is looking for  ideas about ways to pay for the bridge construction. Getting the bridge built is a key component in the Master Plan. It will set a design standard and serve as a catalyst for future amenities in the corridor. Wednesday's 4MR meeting will be held at the Fairlington Community Center.

The news from Lynhaven
The Lynhaven Courier, the newsletter of Lynhaven Civic Association just out this week, has updates on the Arlandria-Chirilagua Festival coming to Four Mile Run Park (at Commonwealth Avenue) this Sunday June 13th and the recent Ruby Tucker day, honoring the memory of the late local civic activist and dear friend to us all.

“A new day for Arlandria”

Authored by Melissa Garcia

The panel on the Birchmere stage.

Arlandria Action Plan organizers Maya Contreras and Brandi Collins partnered with the Alexandria Economic Development Partners (AEDP) to host the Arlandria Developers Forum at the Birchmere. The group gathered on Monday May 17th to discuss challenges and opportunities to redevelopment in Arlandria. (Video of the forum is available on the City of Alexandria website here).

A ‘been there, done that’ skepticism gave way to enthusiasm as the panel of developers -- experts involved in well regarded projects throughout the DC metro area -- discussed ways to synergize community involvement and City commitment to leverage what they consistently referred to as a vibrant, affordable area.

Longtime business owner Gary Oelze of the Birchmere, who hosted the event, challenged the group to execute change in the area. “I’ve been here for a long time.  I started the Birchmere 44 years and brought it Arlandria rather than Shirlington or Clarendon. I've seen 4 or 5 of these planning committees before. We would LOVE to see something happen and to be a part of it."

Val Hawkins, President of AEDP jump-started the meeting with his response, “It’s a new day for Arlandria.”

The developers shared their vision of Arlandria reaching its potential. Developer Jair Lynch, from Jair Lynch Development Partners felt the close proximity of the Birchmere and Four Mile Run Park could spawn an artist community and would be conducive for free concerts. “It is good to find a neighborhood right on the edge, trying to define itself.” Cameron Pratt of Fouglar-Pratt thought restaurants featuring live musicians would do well in the neighborhood. “This (the Birchmere) is one of the top music venues in the nation.”

The lack of transportation infrastructure was seen as a major hindrance by both the panel and the audience. Connie Ring, representing the recently redeveloped Alexandria Crossing said, “The key is to find solutions to the transportation issue. The best environment for public housing residents is to be in a vibrant community with access to transit.” Pratt felt obstacles to accessibility imposed limitations on development “Transportation and infrastructure keep it from being a Shirlington or Clarendon. “ Lynch concurred. “If we had a cut through, that would be a game-changer.”

Mayor Bill Euille, felt the group should provide for sustained diversity as property owners, the city, and developers come up with something that can be implemented. “We want something positive to happen – it’s been a long time in the making.”

Predictably, representatives from Tenants and Workers United balked at the prospect of development, asserting low income residents would be priced out of the neighborhood.

Census bureau statistics contradict that fear: turnover rates in Arlandria are the highest in the city (35% of Arlandrians move year). And with only 10% of the Arlandria population remaining for 5 or more years, more than 90% of the current renters will no longer live here by the time redevelopment occurs. Additionally, there is a long standing commitment to support the many, various subsidized housing projects throughout Arlandria and to create new affordable units in any new development. And since Arlandria residents have the longest commute time in the City, bringing businesses and jobs to the community could go a long way toward stabilizing the neighborhood. The collective impression of the panel was positive - that the small improvements and development would improve the livability of the neighborhood while maintaining the diversity that gives Arlandria its character.

The group was left with a thought-provoking question from the panel: “What do YOU want Arlandria to be?”

“What we learned and discussed were existing hindrances to redevelopment, existing opportunities and assets, and strategies that can strengthen the ‘sense of place’ in Arlandria and encourage appropriate redevelopment. Our panelists re-affirmed that selecting and implementing these strategies will require the collaboration and partnership of the community, property owners, developers, and the City,” said Contreras.

Vision from the Arlandria Plan, 2003

The organizers and expert panelists were all clear that without community involvement, Arlandria revitalization could continue to stall. If you are interested in seeing the vision of ‘”A new day for Arlandria” become a reality, please start by watching the video, taking this survey, and passing it on to your friends and neighbors. Please share your comments and ideas here in the comments section of the Arlandrian. If you would like to be involved in executing some grass-roots initiatives locally or representing Arlandria at upcoming council meetings, contact Melissa, Kevin or Nick here on the Arlandrian blog or at: info@arlandria.org.

The 411 on Arlandria Redevelopment Potential

Vision from 2003 Arlandria Small Area Plan

Next Monday, May 17th, Alexandria is holding a developers forum to discuss possibilities for the future of Arlandria barriers to redevelopment.  It's open to the public, and if you have any interest in the future of the business district in our community, this forum is for you.  Please come out as this has been a long time coming.  It's very important to show public interest.  Here's the City's press release:

************************

The City of Alexandria Planning & Zoning is pleased to announce the Arlandria Developer Forum on Monday, May 17th, 2010, at the Birchmere (3701 Mt Vernon Ave), planned in coordination with Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP). The goal of the forum is to promote discussion about Arlandria's present and its future vision.

Doors will open at 6:30.  We will begin promptly at 7PM and will wrap the discussion up by 9PM.

We have the following  confirmed as panelists:

• Steve Moore, Washington Economic Development Partnership
• Cameron Pratt, Foulger-Pratt
• Jair Lynch, Jair Lynch Development Partners
• Stewart Bartley, Y-12 Investments
• Danny Abramson, Abramson Properties

This forum is open to the public, so please pass along the information to anyone who may be interested.

Questions? Contact Brandi Collins (brandi.collins@alexandriava.gov; 703.746.3854) or Maya Contreras (maya.contreras@alexandriava.gov; 703.746.3816)

Please visit the website for more information (www.alexandriava.gov/arlandria) and sign up for the City's E-news service to receive future meeting notices.

Arlandria Residents Embrace Change

Vision for re-purposed Duron building

Birchmere Owner Jimmy Matthews calls for a holistic look at the 45-acre Arlandria neighborhood. He envisions his storied music hall as part of a sustainable urban community. One where people walk, take transit, or drive to arrive at his doorstep; where there is the palpable buzz of "Shirlington meets Adams Morgan". He envisions a diverse, mixed-income community where people live, work, and play close to home. But he fears that one of the 4 large landowners in Arlandria will tire of the obstacles in Alexandria's Planning and Zoning and redevelop in isolation -- forever ending any opportunity to build a vibrant community across the whole neighborhood. Mr. Matthews worries that if the City doesn't lead, follow, or get out of the way, one of the most underdeveloped and potentially valuable communities adjacent to DC will be disjointed and will never reach its potential.

Last Wednesday night saw the City's first Arlandria Action Plan Implementation Group (AG) meeting (agenda). There were at least 30 people in attendance, nearly all of whom seemed to want to see something accomplished... a rarity in Alexandria. While mainly an introductory meeting, City staff reviewed the beginnings of some exciting changes, starting with the redesigns of the intersections where Mount Vernon Avenue meets West Glebe Road and Reed Avenue and the results of a sophisticated pro-bono architectural brainstorming session on the Four Mile Run Park Expansion.

Indeed, the most intriguing presentation concerned the Four Mile Run Park (4MR) expansion. An informal group of small-firm architects from the area, referring to themselves collectively as "Architects Anonymous," used some of their 'free' time develop a breathtaking vision for 4MR. While this deserves a separate posting that will follow, we'll provide a preview.

The architects envision inexpensively re-purposing the old Duron building at 4109 Mount Vernon Avenue into the focal point of a series of 'outdoor rooms' for community use. The building itself would be open-air and primarily for daytime, fair weather use unless significant funds become available in the future (the costly HVAC system needs replacement for indoor uses). Their vision, based on the 4MR Restoration Master Plan, got nearly everyone in attendance excited. One attendee said that in her 30 years living in the Arlandria area, this was one of the most exciting projects she's ever seen presented.

Architects Anonymous think with a phased approach, they can get the space in some usable form as soon as this year. Alexandria's Parks & Rec Department will begin planning meetings for park expansion by mid-March. (See below for a few extracts from their presentation, and check back soon for a full write-up on the subject.)

Vision for public plaza as part of 4MR Park Expansion

But the plan was not without its detractors. Tenants and Workers United (TWU) representative Elsa Rivera suggested that the Duron building be re-purposed for a health clinic, a proposal that would require costly renovations, including the aforementioned HVAC system. Open Space Coordinator Laura Durham said she believes they are legally obligated to maintain it as a public park amenity since it was acquired through open space funds and is zoned as parkland. Some suggested they could hold vaccination clinics or the like a few times per year in the space.

Kevin Beekman also requested an impromptu update on the 4MR Restoration Project:

• The engineering phase of the pilot project (between Mount Vernon Avenue & Route 1) is at 30% completion. NVRC plans to have engineering phase completed this summer.
• The funding for the actual work on the pilot project is confirmed and construction is anticipated to commence next year.
• The design competition for the Commonwealth Avenue-Eads Street pedestrian bridge has received 160 entries from around the world. Judges are narrowing entries down to the top 3 to present to the public in the near future.

The most contentious portion of the meeting came during the open discussion session. This session brought Jimmy Matthews above comments about re-evaluating the vision for Arlandria holistically. TWU representative Jon Liss responded to this and other positive comments by saying there are "5,000-7,000" people in the Arlandria community that are not represented at the meeting. He said as soon as developers can figure out how to preserve "2,000-3,000 working poor households", he would be on-board.

His comments could only be theatrics as there are fewer than 3,000 households in all of Arlandria (2000 Census shows a total of 6,000 households for the entire zip code, which includes numerous neighborhoods besides Arlandria.). Furthermore, TWU, a representative of the working poor, had multiple representatives in attendance. His comments brought sharp criticism from several attendees, including property owners. One attendee said that Mr. Liss had been acting as an obstructionist for years, resisting projects that would provide opportunities for many area residents.

At one point during the meeting, Alexandria Bike-Pedestrian Planner Yon Lambert gave a short presentation on the West Glebe Road/Reed Avenue/Mount Vernon Avenue intersections. While the plans include only minor changes from those presented in September, the cost for completing both intersections has increased by about $100K, and the schedule for completion has been pushed back some, as well. The project will take at least another 9 months, AFTER approval (original schedule estimate put completion in summer 2010). One piece of good news, however: Arlandria actually has $700K in CIP for streetscape improvements to work with instead of just $500K. Neighborhood Planning Director Kathleen Beeton said there was an additional $200K that was allocated but not used. The only substantial or noticeable change to the design from September is that the cross-walk at Reed Avenue has been moved to the north side of the intersection. Engineering work continues.

Park planning meetings will start very soon, and the next Arlandria meeting will be a developer forum in April to try and establish what the City can do to encourage developer interest. The next full AG meeting will be in June, but there will likely be other related meetings between now and then.

Keep checking in with us for more info.

The Arlandrian Weekly News Round-Up

City Council Approves Arlandria Implementation Advisory Group
At Tuesday's regular meeting, City Council adopted the resolution to create a group to help remove disincentives to redevelopment, provide input on efforts to expand Four Mile Run Park, and advise on local priorities for improving Mt. Vernon Ave streetscape, among other things (Action Docket #28). To get everyone's streetscape improvement juices flowing, here's a good article from last summer that discusses the importance of street design (Planetizen).

Decision on Co-op Deferred Until April
City Council is still deliberating on whether or not to forgive a $232K loan provided to help establish the Arlandria Chirilagua Housing Cooperative (ACHC). At Tuesday's legislative meeting, the decision was deferred until April, giving the newly elected Co-Op board a chance to work on some of the problems. Rob Krupicka noted, "We have all been made aware of facility issues and these need to be addressed."  Of course, patching up problems once when up against a wall does not a successful housing cooperative make... does it? (Alexandria News, halfway down page under "Co-Op Loan Forgiveness Decision Deferred")

Alexandria Among Nation's Worst in Traffic
D.C. area drivers have more need than most to pick a car that's comfortable to sit in, as they'll need to contend with traffic rivaling the country's worst in jurisdictions across the region. Alexandria, Va., was 9th (Wash Examiner)

Will Alexandria Waterfront Plans Get Stuck in Park?
Alexandria officials are closing in on the final details of an ambitious plan to reinvent the historic city's long-neglected waterfront. But their efforts face hazards from residents worried about turning their beloved city into a tacky tourist trap, a swanky boat club at the heart of the development, and decades-old federal litigation over ownership of the Potomac's banks. (Wash Examiner)

Arlington Lifts Advisory for Four Mile Run
Stream conditions are back to normal. Advisory lifted for Four Mile Run stream access at Shirlington Canine Community Area. The County recommends taking normal stream precautions. (Click to read release)

Donley, Hughes, Euille Declare 300 Hours Is Too Much Staff Time For Arlandria

Active copy of the Implementation Schedule – Last Update 2006?!

On Oct 13th, City Council discussed (and deferred action on) the creation of an Arlandria Action Plan Advisory Group (AAPAG).

As proposed, the AAPAG would be charged with, among other things, helping decide how to spend the $500K of Capital Improvement Planning funds that are allocated for Arlandria Streetscape revitalization (more on $500K in CIP here). It would also keep the City on task with actually implementing the vision of the 2003 Arlandria Plan. The AAPAG would be comprised of representatives from Arlandria and the North End neighborhoods: businesses, service organizations, civic associations, etc. The City's Department of Planning and Zoning (P&Z) estimates the need for about 300 hours of their staff time to help facilitate the meetings. Here is the full resolution as it appeared on the docket: (small PDF).

We had already provided Deputy Director of P&Z Karl Moritz with feedback about the draft AAPAG resolution. The only important suggestion we made was to clarify the charge of the new group. We suggested that the group should focus on "removing disincentives to economic development," but that did not make it into the copy that went forward to Council. Because of this, we requested that the vote on the resolution be deferred. This 6-minute video (below) shows discussion of deferral. But in addition, Vice Mayor Kerry Donley questions the purpose of the group and he, Councilwoman Alicia Hughes, and Mayor Bill Euille doubt whether we should spend 300 hours of staff time on Arlandria. (Video is also available here.)


Vice Mayor Donley is worried that Arlandria area stakeholders might ask for money if given an official voice. But, as Councilman Krupicka rightly stated, the entire reason the group is being formed is to jump-start the long stalled plan, and, in the current fiscal climate, to figure out how to do more with less.

Community organizing, volunteerism, and policy changes could go a long way towards making the community better for current residents and businesses and more appealing for redevelopment. There is energy in the community towards improving things, even if it means chasing down donations from garden centers, mentoring an area youth, or just fighting to clear a perceived zoning hurdle. These actions all make a difference and are virtually free to the City, and are things neighbors have demonstrated the willingness and ability to do.

Then there's the little issue of spending the $500K in CIP in a way that maximizes its impact. And quite frankly, who cares if we do request funding for a project that Council may not have known about? Isn't it the job of Council to determine priorities? If we get out the pitchforks and march down to City Hall, they can still say, "No, these other projects are more important." They should not preclude us from asking and fighting for every scrap we can get.

The North End neighborhoods in the Arlandria area have been largely ignored by the City for years, and now the mere idea of spending 300 hours of staff time causes Vice Mayor Donley, Councilwoman Hughes, and Mayor Euille to balk about needing the staff resources elsewhere. Assuming that P&Z employs roughly 45 people (at about 2,000 hours per person per year), that means 300 hours equates to 0.33% of available P&Z staff time. Implementation of the Arlandria Plan was listed as one of the top priorities for P&Z staff time this fiscal year by last City Council (#5 on the list). Do some new members of Council want to retroactively change any other established decisions? Or have they just not retained information about the City's forgotten neighborhoods on the North End? When Donley and Hughes talk of other priorities, they seemingly haven't read the list of P&Z priorities for this year.

I've asked people to e-mail the Mayor and City Council before about issues that affect neighborhoods near us. This time, though, an e-mail to the Mayor and City Council will affect our ability to have a say. P&Z isn't suggesting 300 hours towards this project because they have so much time to throw around. Those 300 hours are needed to let staff help the AAPAG understand the costs of various projects, administer the group, and research and answer questions about City ordinances, policies and available incentives. City Council must enthusiastically retain the commitment to 300 hours of staff time for AAPAG... if for no other reason than just to show they understand Alexandria is bigger than Old Town and Del Ray. There is a tremendous opportunity to revitalize a community. Please ask for the support of the whole Council.