Alexandria Seeking Massive Redevelopment of S. Beauregard Street Between Seminary Road and King Street

Hi Yupette,

You may have heard about the controversy surrounding the development of the Alexandria waterfront. If you read the Alexandria weekly newspapers you'll also see that the City of Alexandria wants to re-develop what it calls the "West End", specifically South Beauregard Street between Seminary Road and King Street. This stretch of South Beauregard Street includes Southern Towers, a number of older garden apartment complexes, and the old hospital site and strip shopping plazas on King Street. The pitch by the out-of-state REITs is lots of BRAC employees at Mark Center will want to live in new mixed-use mega-development in the South Beauregard Corridor.

I live in Fairlington and any redevelopment of King Street would seriously impact us.

Kristine.

Zimmerman to Boost Arlington Chamber in Return for Sun Gazette Boosting Dem Candidates

Hello Yupette,

In case you wondered why Sun Gazette editor and Arlington Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee member Scott McCaffrey won't provide any information about Green Party candidate for County Board Audrey Clement it's because he's made a deal with County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman whereby Zimmerman will hold a series of exclusive meetings with Arlington Chamber of Commerce members (the first two are June 10th and June 20th) in return for McCaffrey boosting Arlington's Democratic candidates and ignoring their challengers. It's unclear what additional "comps" Boss Zimmerman and Sarasota Scotty will receive from this arrangement. Aren't we paying Zimmerman $55,000 a year to represent everyone's interests as an elected public official?

Green Businessperson

Where's the Concern About Traffic, Noise, Air Quality?

Hello, Yupette,

It's nice the County Board debated for 4 hours about the noise from live entertainment at Westover Market.

Where is the concern about noise from Rolling Thunder and other events?

Where is the concern about air quality? Several large schools are located near interstate highway corridors.

Where is the concern about traffic? The County Board is set to approve thousands more parking spaces in East Falls Church, Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Columbia Pike.

I did not move to Arlington from D.C. to live in an urban area where the supposedly progressive local government is destroying the environment, when they are not playing environmental charades at scripted events.

Linda - 22205

Nada Tejada Tiene Mucho Dinero en El Salvador

Hello, Yupette,

I have heard Walter Tejada's life history, how he grew up poor and had "nada" when he arrived in the USA at 13.

That isn't true today. "Nada" Tejada is a wealthy guy, with many investments in El Salvador that aren't reported anywhere except perhaps on his IRS form 1040. Only Jay Fi$tte is wealthier. I have got to wonder how much of his sister cities travel, especially to El Salvador, has anything to do with the sister cities program.

According to several Salvadoran immigrants, Walter Tejada is the "go to guy" for anyone from El Salvador who wants something "facilitated". For which he is well-compensated in various ways.

I have no intention of voting for someone who spends all his time on the County Board looking after his investments, pet people, and pet special interests.

I would be happy to help circulate a petition calling for the creation of an independent inspector general office in Arlington.

22204

County Board Loves Neighborhoods...Like Foxes Love Chickens

Hey, Yupette,

Time for a reality check regarding 'Neighborhood Day' and our residential neighborhoods - 'Neighborhood Day' is a PR charade to give the impression that County Government and the County Board are concerned about neighborhoods, when what our residential communities really are are their 'redevelopment opportunities' and recreation and entertainment zones for in-fill redevelopment. East Falls Church should be a big wake up - County Government is committed to massive urbanization of Arlington.

Westover

Fisette Energy Plan - Gift to Fossil Fuel Industry

Hello Yupette,

So the County Board passsed a resolution accepting Jay Fi$$ette's 'community' energy plan last night? Same County Board that also voted to fund $15 million of capital projects without any on-site renewable energy? Same County Board that voted to proceed with Longbridge Park redevelopment where the aquatic center and sports arena will be heated by natural gas? The fossil fuel corporations must be very happy this morning.

KarenS

Arlington Republicans Will Run Candidate(s) for County Board

Hello Yupette,

Thanks for your blog. Heard from an Arlington County Republican Party committeeperson that the Repigs are going to run one or two candidates for County Board this year and that an announcement is forthcoming. There is a short list of potential candidates. The Young Repigs are all fired up, as they were last year for the Moran-Murray campaign. Many on the ACRC committee didn't want to run anyone for County Board this year but were pushed by the Chamber of Commerce and local Repig-leaning media. As far as I know there's no plan to run any Republican candidates for House of Delegates.

Joan22207

Clement - County Board Receives Failing Grades for Recycling

Hello Yupette:

Green Party candidate for County Board Audrey Clement criticized the Arlington County Board yesterday for Arlington County's badly lagging recycling program. Despite the County Board talking about a "Green" Arlington for more than 15 years Arlington is recycling at the same rate as the rest of Virginia. Moreover, there is lax enforcement of Arlington's recycling code for commercial establishments and the County's own recycling rate is an abysmal 10%.

Audrey's analysis of the County Board's recycling failures was so comprehensive all the County Board could do was to agree with her - and promise to do better. You can view Saturday's County Board meeting online at arlingtonva.us - County Board Meetings.

Time for a Change

Kevin Chisholm Will Run for U.S. Senate

Hello,

Arlington resident Kevin Chisholm, the Arlington Green Party's candidate for County Board last year, is expected to announce today that he will be the Green Party's candidate for United States Senate in 2012.

Mr. Chisholm is an environmental engineer and a 30-year resident of Arlington. He was employed as an environmental consultant for the Arlington Public School System for 6 years and was also employed as an environmental consultant by a number of non-profit and for-profit organizations and several government agencies. Kevin is an environmental engineering graduate of Rensselaer Polythecnic University.

Kevin is a resident of South Arlington. He has been active as a volunteer for a number of community organizations.

For information about Kevin's campaign, please visit his campaign's Web site: chisholmforsenate.com

Susan

Arlington's Bikeshare Program - Another Artisphere

Hi, Yupette,

Take a look at Agenda Items 24 and 26 on the County Board's Agenda for this Saturday's meeting. They involve a big increase in funding of Arlington's Bikeshare program. It's going to be like the Artisphere, County Board will reward its non-profit and for-profit friends and campaign contributors with funding for their biker organizations.

And there's even $300,000 for a "Driver, Pedestrian, and Bicyclist Safety Program". About time.

How about people who won't, or can't, ride bicycles? Well, you're out of luck. Don't want to ride a bicycle in the winter? Don't like bicycles? Think Arlington streets are too dangerous to ride bicycles? Too old to ride a bicycle? Too disabled to ride a bicycle? Too bad.

Oh, this is the same County Board that approved the construction of 30,000 new parking spaces in Arlington between 2000 and 2010 and is on-track to approve the construction of 20,000-30,000 more this decade.

No More Artispheres

Arlington County Needs a Comprehensive Bicycle, Pedestrian, Motorist Safety Program, ASAP

Hello, Yupette,

I live in Douglas Park and I was not surprised by the bicyclist-motor vehicle accident at the intersection of South Walter Reed Drive and South Four Mile that resulted in the bicyclist being killed after he ran into a car on Four Mile Run Access Road coming off South Walter Red Drive hill.

Reckless behavior by bicyclists and pedestrians is epidemic in this area.

County Government must IMMEDIATELY begin a comprehensive county-wide pedestrian, motorist, and bicycle safety program, before there are more fatalities. The next fatality or fatalities will be bicyclists hitting a pedestrian or pedestrians at high speed.

I will not vote for incumbents running for political office who allowed this situation to develop. Arlington County Government is totally reactive and this accident is proof.

Douglas Park

Time for County Board to Reveal Federal Income Tax Data

Hello, Yupette,

What do County Board members actually do in the County board offices, besides play politics, meet with the gimme groups to discuss how many tax dollars will be allocated to buy votes, and meet with developers?

One thing Walter Tejada and Jay Fisette do is use their tenures on the County Board to enrich themselves. Jay Fisette steers corporations that want to do business with or in Arlington County to his domestic partner's consulting corporation. Walter Tejada has a number of 'consulting ventures' facilitated by his de facto position as Arlington's Roving Sister Cities Ambassador.

None of that shows up on their annual financial disclosure forms. So, it's time that Jay and Walter, and the other County Board members, disclosed their federal 1040s. Also, Jay's domestic partner's personal and corporate federal tax data. Of course that would lead to immediate calls for resignation(s). And it would be also be obvious to everyone that Jay and his domestic partner could write personal checks to cover the Artisphere's annual deficits.

2100

County Board's 5 Year Plan: Massive Urbanization + Massive Borrowing = Massive Vanity Projects

Hello, Yupette,

The County Board is preparing to implement its new and unofficial 5-year plan for Arlington. County Board's plan calls for massive urbanization to put as much new luxury real estate on the assessment rolls as possible. No matter what the consequences for our quality-of-life. Increased tax assessment will be used to leverage borrowing to fund the County Board's massive vanity recreation, transportation, and entertainment projects. The most expensive will be the $300 million Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar systems (two additional $150 million streetcar routes are being discussed). Not far behind streetcar spending will be the $265 million Long Bridge Aquatic Center, Field House, and Sports Arena. If enough parents complain the County Board is prepared to spend $150 million to construct brick-and-mortar classrooms to handle the projected increased student population, otherwise students will have to learn in leased trailer classrooms.

Other Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources funding will be for a $20 million boathouse on the Potomac, and at least two $20 million more live theaters. The County Board will also spend extravagantly for a greatly expanded Sister Cities and Cultural Exchange Program.

Bottom line, if you are living in affordable housing today, you can be assured that it will be re-developed into luxury housing tomorrow to pay for the County Board's extravagances.

2100

Funds Diverted from Street Paving to Expensive Walter Reed 'Traffic Calming'

Hello Yupette,

Many streets and roads near the intersection of Walter Reed Drive and South Four Mile Run needed to repaved like 3 years ago. So where is the money for repaving going? To an extravagant and expensive 'traffic calming' project for South Walter Reed hill (between S. Four Mile Run Drive and South Pollard Street). As described during an April 27th 'community meeting' (which nearby communities only learned about from local blogs) between $600,000 and $2 million (depending on which transportation staff member you spoke with) will be spent to narrow South Walter Reed Drive with planted medians and nubs. The project will also paint bicycle lanes on South Walter Reed Drive hill (which does not need repaving).

What is really appalling - presently one small speed limit sign is visible going up Walter hill and there are no speed limit signs on the downhill lanes.

Transportation Planning Director Dennis Leach dismissed residents' concerns about traffic from Columbia Pike redevelopment and from BRAC in Alexandria. Several residents are greatly concerned about the effect of street narrowing upon the response time for fire and EMS vehicles from Fire Station 9.

Members of nearby communities who expressed their concerns were ignored, except for representatives from Arlington's bicycle organizations.

The laundry list of streets and roads in South Arlington within a mile of South Walter Reed and South Four Mile Run Drive that need repaving includes portions of S. 16th Street and South Quincy Street in the Douglas Park neighborhood where County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman lives.

S. Quincy Resident