The Arlandrian News Round-Up: Transportation, more Transportation... and Other News

Cry, or shed a tier... The City approved the first tier of a special tax district, a $0.20 per $100 assessed value tax on Potomac Yard properties, that will help fund the in-fill Potomac Yard Metro station.  A second tier on the nearby Potomac Greens neighborhood is also part of the overall funding plan (though not approved).  This 2nd tier is highly contentious, and other, more diffuse options are being considered.  Vice Mayor Kerry Donley makes the case (Alex Times) that we must to be willing to pay for the modernization of our transportation infrastructure if we don't want to be left behind in the region.  He also opines, correctly, I think, that we the taxpayers will get a nice return on investment.

Roads are for all modes  At the last Transportation Planning Commission meeting, City staff fought the idea of taking a Complete Streets zoning ordinance amendment to City Council in favor of a less binding Resolution.  They worry a zoning ordinance amendment would not be flexible enough for some of Alexandria's narrow streets.  You would think a well-written ordinance would take different factors, like available right-of-way, into account.  If the City desires complete streets, they should make that policy binding, not just a general guideline. See more, as local blogger "Froggie" has a great write-up.  (Froggie's Blog)

BRT for you and me? I haven't seen a great write-up of this, but Alexandria received money as part of the stimulus package to install separated BRT (and hopefully eventual streetcar) lanes in the Route 1 Transportation Corridor. (NBC Washington)

Batter Up!  Georgetown Baseball and Softball is looking for a new place to play, and Pat Malone and Frank Fannon could be close to making our very own 4 Mile Run Park their new home plate as soon as 2014.  Whether or not you worry about losing public playing fields, you have to admit that it could be very good for Alexandria's biggest... and most neglected park.  (Del Ray Patch, Washington Post)

What's Up With Stream Restoration  The Four Mile Run Joint Task Force has a meeting and open house this Wednesday, Jan 26.  Located at the Fairlington Community Center (map).  See more details about the meeting here, though there's not too much info.  Head over and find out how 4 Mile Run stream restoration work is going!

The Arlandrian Weekly News Round-Up

Sorry for the delayed version. I've been overrun with holiday preparations...

NSP organizers, new homeowners, and Mayor Euille at key hand-over ceremony

Neighborhood Stabalization Program Delivers First Fixed Up Home in Hume Springs
We got some new neighbors in Arlandria when the Neighborhood Stabilization Program delivered its first fixed up home on Edison St. The project originally aimed to curb the vacant property rate due to major foreclosure rates in Hume Springs, but since many of the homes have been snatched up by homeowners that identified a bargain in this up and coming area, the program is meeting its secondary goal of providing affordable home ownership opportunities to local home seekers. (AlexandriaNews Article)

A Tangled Web... er Streetcar Network Being Woven?
Greater Greater Washington consolidates the DC streetcar network now under construction on a map with the fledgling plans in Northern Virginia. This includes 3 transit corridors in Alexandria that were identified in the Alexandria Transportation Master Plan: Route 1 , Beauregard, and Duke St. See what the network might look like in years to come. (GGW)

Moran Gets Some Money for Four Mile Run (4MR)
The House Omnibus bill passed last week, then was approved by the Senate this week. All that remains is Obama's John Hancock and the various allocations for Four Mile Run should be approved. AlexandriaNews.org said $250K were appropriated "to complete a pedestrian bridge across Four Mile Run." I've heard the actual cost of a bridge to be in the millions, so I beleive they meant 'to complete design work for a pedestrian bridge." (AlexandriaNews Article) Here are the three 4MR appropriations Congressman Moran was attempeting to get in the bill... which of these made it in, I have no idea:

• 4MR Pedestrian Bridge Design
• 4MR Master Plan Completion
  
• 4MR Flood Channel Flow Study

Tram-sportation For Alexandria

Update: Time of event is 7pm, not 6:30. There were two different times listed in various places. I double-checked this with NVSC.

Streetcars, aka trams, are a hot topic in the news recently. They helped form the communities that we now think of as some of the most livable, walkable areas in the Washington, DC area. Some 70 years ago, they fell out of fashion through very questionable actions by the automobile, electrical, and oil industries. It seems they are coming back to the area, so why not here?

The Columbia Pike streetcar project is moving along. Alexandria, Arlington, and parts of Fairfax county make perfect sense as future phases of an eventual Northern Virginia streetcar network.

The newly formed Northern Virginia Streetcar Coalition (NVSC) wants to build momentum for this resurgent form of transit that can get you from Metro or VRE to your doorstep (facebook group).

NVSC is holding a kickoff meeting this Wednesday, Nov 18 @ 7pm in Room 158 of Northern Virginia Community College's Bisdorf Building (map). Speakers will include Chris Zimmerman from the Arlington County Board and Stewart Schwartz, the Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

To whet your appetite and catch you up a bit, here is a roundup of recent news and information about streetcars. You can also find lots of links on NVSC's facebook group page, linked above.

• What is a streetcar vs. light rail vs. bus rapid transit? Here's a discussion on the Greater Greater Washington blog about the benefits of different modes. Also, here's the Wikipedia entry on Light Rail, which contains a comparison between various transit forms, and the Wikipedia entry on streetcars.
  
• Here's a link to Alexandria's Comprehensive Transportation Master Plan. Section One includes mention of Light Rail, Street Car, or Bus Rapid Transit as eventual forms of transit for the 3 identified transit corridors.
• DC recently released the most comprehensive streetcar plan in the area (BeyondDC).
  
• AlexandriaNews.org posted a letter to the editor from former Alexandria City Councilmen Tim Lovain and Lois Walker about the new NVSC and general streetcar info. Here's a key point from the letter:

Done right, streetcars induce mixed-use “transit-oriented development” that accommodates growth while enhancing livability and reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Streetcars can promote street life, define neighborhoods, reinforce retail, and fit easily into built environments with little disruption to existing businesses, residents and traffic. They help create places where people want to be.

Simulated Photo from www.piketransit.com

So if you'd like to get involved with this group, just show up November 18th. You can RSVP to NOVAStreetcar@aol.com, though nothing says an RSVP is required.