Saturday, February 12, 2011

County Board Members Lobby for Big Salary Increases

Hey, Yupette,

Majority of the County Board is lobbying for a big salary increase, $25,000. Majority of the County Board (not the same Board members) is also Yupscale and they doen't need anymore income.

Linda 22201

Arlington Mill 'Affordable' Housing - Resegregation Through Gentrification

Hello Yupette,

Anyone who doesn't believe that Chris Zimmerman's agenda for the Pike isn't to drive out all the minorities and middle class non-minorities should visit the County's Web site and see the extravagant plans for the so-called 'affordable' housing to be constructed on the County-owned Arlington Mill site. No wonder you will have to earn $50,000 or so to be 'qualified' to become a tenant. Just right for a recent college grad who's working for a non-profit. Plenty of parking for a pre-owwned or Mom's hand-me-down BMW - zooom. And if one of your Yuptard buds has a problem with controlled substances, there's going to be a recovery center on-site. Mr. Zimmerman thought of everything. Yupeee.

Tiffany

Friday, February 11, 2011

County Board Set to Hit Businesses Hard With FY 2012 Taxes and Fees

Hello Yupette,

A majority of County Board members decided to spare residential property owners another big tax increase on top of assessment increases. However the County Board (including 'business-friendly' Chairman Zimmerman) has decided to hit businesses with big tax increases based on a commercial property assessment increase of over 12%. You can check it out on the County's Web site arlingtonva.us, agenda items 29 A through K on Saturday's agenda (Item 29 will be heard by the County Board on Tuesday, February 15th).

2100

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Residents Slam 'Planners' Over EFC Redevelopment

Hello, Yupette,

In a sometimes contentious meeting held on Wednesday evening East Falls Church area residents expressed their dismay regarding County Government's mega-development plans for the area around the East Falls Church Metro Station.

Responding to 'don't worry, be happy' entreaties by Arlington Planning Division Director Robert Brosnan and Transportation Director Dennis Leach, residents expressed their unhappiness, skepticism, and anger over the scope of the EFC mega-development and and their fears that East Falls Church will become 'another Shirlington".

EFC area residents were especially unhappy about building height and density, traffic volumes on Washington Boulevard, Lee Highway, and I-66; and the capacity of Metrorail to absorb over 100,000 additional commuters at rush hours.

Under harsh questioning by Arlington Green Party activists, Mr. Leach admitted that, despite the Transportation Division's optimistic projections, vehicular traffic has significantly increased on Arlington's major arterials. He could not counter the Green Party's assertions that the Orange Line is already running at capacity and the 2-track Orange-Blue Line (narrowed to one track under the Potomac River) will be overwhelmed by inbound and outbound rush hour commuters.

Westover

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Mr. Zimmerman, East Falls Church is a Residential Neighborhood, Not a 'Redevelopment Opportunity'

Mr. Zimmerman:

We were disheartened to hear your comments at last Tuesday's Civic Federation meeting regarding the economic and population growth of Arlington County. Our neighborhoods in state highway corridors are not 'redevelopment opportunities' for out-of-state developers recruited by county staff who don't live in Arlington and facilitated by 'community leaders' recruited by you. Although HOT Lanes and BRAC development should be a lesson and a warning you refuse to answer critical questions regarding future school overcrowding, overcrowding of Metrorail by future Silver Line commuters, overcrowded parks and playgrounds, and a significant increase in traffic caused by increased parking and increased density.

Many of us moved to single family homes in East Falls Church, Westover, and Williamsburg because we wanted to escape your 'vision' for Arlington County: a County totally urbanized and totally redeveloped into luxury housing with a few 'affordable' apartments. The latest manifestation of your 'vision' is your proposed redevelopment of the entire Columbia Pike corridor to demolish rental housing and replace rental units with luxury in-fill condominiums.

We do not need or want another Shirlington Village at the EFC Metro station. Shirlington Village and the surrounding area is becoming a traffic nightmare, thanks to the County Board creating massive commercial and residential infill, a huge number of parking spaces, almost no affordable housing, and a workforce that typically drives 20-50 miles to work.

If you cannot serve the interests of the citizens who elected you we ask you to retire from the County Board and move on. The interests of residents who live in the area around the EFC Metro Station are not served by 'smart growth' redevelopment along the lines of Shirlington.

East Falls Church Homeowner

Monday, February 7, 2011

No More EFC 'Planning' Until Basics Are Addressed

Hello, Yupette,

I share Anne's concerns about East Falls Church 'planning'. I was very disheartened to hear about Chris Zimmerman's statements at last week's Civic Federation meeting. There is no concern by Mr. Zimmerman, or anyone else on the County Board, about overcrowded schools, overcrowded parks, massive congestion at the EFC Metro station, and major traffic problems arising from megadevelopment of EFC. And they want to turn our parks and playgrounds into another team sports complex. Now we are hearing that Mr. Zimmerman will bring one of Congressman Moran's out-of-state developer friends and a big-time Democratic campaign contributor in to coordinate all the development on both sides of the Arlington-Falls Church border. However, there is a big local developer that pays taxes in Falls Church located down the street from the EFC Metro station. And the local newspapers, the News-Press and the Sun Gazette, are endorsing this.

The so-called Planning Commission is a group of hand-picked pro-development facilitators who will rubber stamp anything Mr. Zimmerman puts in front of them no matter what the consequences for communities like ours.

It's time we said 'enough' to Mr. Zimmerman, whose 'vision' for Arlington is nothing short of the total urbanization of Arlington with tax revenues arising from that to be used to pay for $500 million of the County Board's pet vanity projects.

Kim, East Falls Church