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!

Start Car-Sharing for free?

If enough folks in our area became ZipCar members, we'd have a ZipCar nearby. But even so, I've found this useful even though the closest cars are in Shirlington and Crystal City.

Zipcar DC Deal of the Day | Groupon Washington DC

For $30, today's Groupon gets you a one-year Zipcar membership and a $30 driving credit (a $115 total value). Urbanites who ordinarily hoof it, use public transit, or ride on the backs of men bred for transportation purposes can't resist the convenience of wheels-at-will without the hassles of car ownership.

Reserve an SUV with a ski-rack for a winter outing, a truck for heavy hauling, a hybrid for whale saving, or a coupe for couping; there are tons of models you can choose to drive. View vehicle availability online, and then reserve the car; Zipcars live in dozens of locations all over the city. The reservation includes driver's insurance and a gas card to fill up the tank. Reservations are billable by the hour or by the day, starting at $7 per hour and $69 per day, and reservations include 180 free miles per day. This Groupon covers the $25 membership sign-up fee in addition to your year’s membership (a $60 value) and a $30 driving credit. Click here to see complete rate info.

Signing up is easy; your Groupon will include simple instructions for redeeming on Zipcar's website. Anyone who doesn't meet Zipcar safe-driver requirements will not be eligible for membership but will receive a complete refund in one to two weeks. You must activate your Groupon within the next month—please note that your membership will automatically renew at the end of your year if you do not cancel it.

This Groupon is for new Zipcar clients only.

Lynhaven’s Neighborhood Pizza and Sub Shop is About to Go Prime Time

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Marino’s Pizza and Subs, the carryout Italian food restaurant located on Jefferson Davis Highway at what would be Wesmond Drive, has applied for a special use permit to expand their footprint into a new, two-story sit-down restaurant attached and adjacent to the current location. Two members of the City’s urban planning staff, Jim Roberts and Katye Parker attended the January meeting of the Lynhaven Citizens Association to describe the project and hear feedback from the neighborhood.

Jim and Katye explained that the new restaurant is proposed to have 72 seats which requires a minimum of 18 parking spaces. Marino’s, with some modifications of their current parking lot will provide 13 parking spaces, one of which the city requires for deliveries. The owners have entered into an agreement with Inturias Auto across Wesmond for six additional parking spaces to be used in the evening. The carryout combined with the restaurant will have a total of six employees and continue the same hours of the current establishment: open until 1:00 a.m. on weeknights and 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Toward the end of the conversation, the engineer on the project introduced himself and clarified that the new sit-down restaurant will operate like a buffet rather than with table service and menus.

This elicited strong feelings from a packed Association meeting. The three main concerns were:

• Trash: There are already concerns about trash in the neighborhood generated by patrons of Marino’s. Many were concerned that with an expanded restaurant, trash would become worse.
• Hours of operation: Although the current carryout operation is open late at night, there were concerns among many present that the new format of the sit-down restaurant should not be allowed to operate until 1:00 and 2:00 a.m.
• Parking: The largest concern was about parking. Many were concerned that the city-mandated 18 spaces did not seem like enough to support both the carryout and sit-down restaurant. The agreement with the neighboring auto repair shop is a good effort to minimize the parking impact on Lynhaven streets, but many were worried about the sustainability and permanence of that agreement. Finally, there was concern that the restaurant hasn’t considered that their six employees will need to park somewhere and the most likely place will be in our neighborhood.

Not all the comments were negative. Some suggested that the new sit-down format will lead to less trash in the neighborhood because people will be more likely to dispose of their trash there then to take it with them. And following the meeting, some wrote to express support of Marino’s as a small business looking to expand in tough economic times.

As a result of the conversation, Marino’s agreed to postpone their Development SUP application one month to allow for some time to further talk to the neighborhood (here is the March 1 Planning Docket showing this item). They and the city staff will attend the February meeting of the Lynhaven Citizens Association, scheduled for Monday, February 7th at 7:00 p.m. at Cora Kelly Rec Center. Comments can be sent to Joe Bondi, LCA President at joebondi@gwu.edu, or to the city urban planners on the project, Jim Roberts (James.Roberts@alexandriava.gov) and Katye Parker (Katye.Parker@alexandriava.gov).

Write-up by Lynhaven Citizens Association President Joe Bondi

How Alexandria City Bureaucracy Didn’t Steal Christmas.

Yes, Arlandria, there is a Christmas Tree.

Sometimes it seems the only folks with skills finely-honed enough to tap into City administered programs reside in Old Town. But that’s okay, we weren’t looking for a program or a handout… just some guidance.

All we really needed was for the lights to light.

The existing landscaping at Le Bosquet at Sunnyside Park is comprised of rocks, shrubs and two park benches. I’d always thought a Christmas tree here might lift the spirits of neighboring residents in this predominantly poor community. Census reports and nap-worthy waits behind school busses in the morning both support my assertion that the largest density of Alexandria’s children live in Arlandria – so how hard could setting up a little tree lighting for the local kids be?

I’d been inspired by past efforts of neighbors like Jack and Lois Stevens, who maintained this park for years under the adopt-a-park program. And by my friend Tom Fitzgerald, who’d spent the better part of a year chasing down the right people to get unattended neighborhood street lights turned back on.

So, my tale began this past summer when a neighbor donated a holly bush that looked like a tree (but couldn't be called a tree because of tree regulations) . We planted it near a lamppost with the help of Santos Flores, a local landscaper who donated his time, equipment, staff and sons Alex, 15 and Darwin, 2. When, sadly, it succumbed to the heat, Santos and I waited until September and headed to the garden center to give it another shot. The result was a scrappy little bush with more ‘sparse’ than actual leaves – but we love it, and it’s been a big hit with the neighborhood dogs.

Community Lodgings, a local non-profit, offered to have the neighborhood kids who attend their after school program make decorations, and folks from the city were standing by to attend the big lighting ceremony. But in the spirit of grinchiness, we discovered there was no way to light the tree without a host of further permissions.

To everyone’s credit, there were valiant attempts. Our friends in Del Ray, who invented DIY, shared how they coordinate with local business owners to do their lightings, but ours is a residential neighborhood. Arlandrian poster Kevin Beekman tested solar lights, which he had strung up at another sadly overlooked park on Reed Avenue, but admitted they really didn’t put off much light. Living across the street from Le Bosquet Park made running an extension cord ill-advised.

There were e-mail exchanges about a lighting fund we were too late for, and a junction box costing an exorbitant amount I may never know (referred to only as “$$$”). And a former council member (who has my vote if he would PLEASE run again) tried unsuccessfully to contact Dominion Power. We even hoped the adopt-a-park funds the Stevens had raised could be used to install an outlet on the lamppost, but the funds too were long forgotten.

Adding to my growing despair, Community Lodgings called to say the kids had made decorations they wanted to hang on the tree, “when would be a good time to have the tree lighting?”

I admitted it wasn’t looking good.

With Christmas a week away, our hopes were whittled down to the flavor of the month: eel-powered Christmas lights.

In the end, I’m sorry to say I gave up.

Which is why, three days before Christmas, I was surprised to see the little tree… bush… at Le Bosquet Park, festively adorned in ornaments - not a sparse spot to be found.

And the decorations were really nice. Pine cones and glittery popsicle-stick stars stars - not the usual construction paper decorations you love because it was your kid who made them. These were different… special.

So, in the real end, I realized it wasn’t my tree to give up on. It had become what it was meant to be – a community tree. Alex, who was there for the planting, led the decorating project at Community Lodgings. Afterwards, the kids went outside to hang them.

No fanfare, just Christmas spirit.

Turns out we didn’t need lights after all.

(But maybe next year.)

Merry 4MRMarket!!

4MRMarket-featured artist Aaron Lee sends out this ukulele Christmas greeting.

A farmers' market is all about community and forging relationships with food and craft producers, so whether you miss the fresh and creative products available from the Four Mile Run Farmers' Market or are just looking for something special for the upcoming holidays, remember it's still possible to continue to support your favorite 4MRMarket vendor. 

Many of these producers are still active and busy throughout the year, even with the market being shuttered for the season.  So, check out their links at the www.4MRMarket.org to contact them directly.  

And note, that Stiffler Beef (aka What's for Dinner Now, LLC) are scheduled to make a deliveries this Saturday, December 18th. Orders (for now and for upcoming deliveries next month) can be placed by sending us an email at beef@whatsfordinnernow.com. See: www.whatsfordinnernow.com.

And don't forget to support the artists. MP3's make great (virtual) stocking-stuffers. (Hear more of Aaron Lee at The Ukulele Project).

Enjoy the holidays!