Cherrydale Fire Station Fiasco Proves: Time for an IG in Arlington Government

Hello Yupette:

So the new Cherrydale Fire Station will be dedicated tomorrow. After 20 years and $18.2 million dollars spent for a building that cost $5.2 million to construct. This project should be a textbook case study in how NOT to plan and build public infrastructure.

It's appalling that the County Board and County Government are going to celebrate this fiasco tomorrow and Saturday. (How much will the celebrations cost)?

The Cherrydale fiasco proves to me that it's time for an independent Inspector General in Arlington County Government. An independent IG could save Arlington's taxpayers tens of millions every year. I'm not alone. The Civic Federation's Revenues and Expenditures Committee recommended in April that an independent IG's office be established. First thing I would ask an IG to audit would be Zimmerman's stupid streetcar system.

Kathy 22201

Stamos Sucks - Here's Why: Racist + Elitist

Hi Yupette,

I'm not surprised that the Sun Gazette (controlled by Dallas and Leesburg NeoCons) endorsed Theo Stamos for Commonwealth's Attorney, to succeed Arlington's premier racist and elitist, Richard Trodden. Theo Stamos is one of the main reasons Arlington's Latinos and Latinas are afraid to attend civic functions, to participate in politics, to even shop in her own neighborhood - Westover.

Theo Stamos is the 'Bryd Machine 2000' pick to succeed Dick Trodden, who never saw a poor minority or homeless person or nonconforming parent he didn't want to prosecute and lock up for about 20 years.

Dick and Theo have conspired to keep the professional staff of the Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney's Office lily white for more than 20 years.

Theo's opponent, Dave Deane, is 10 times the lawyer Theo Stamos will ever be, but that doesn't count because Arlington is run by and for a bunch of Republicrat racists and elitists who are only interested in bringing back the good old days of racial segregation.

Kevin - GMU Law School Grad

Tejada Demanding Campaign Contributions in Return for "Facilitation"

Hello,

Thank you for your blog.

I'm a 2nd-Generation Arlington Latino and Walter Tejada is a disgrace to Arlington's Latino and Latina community. This guy is a big nada, does nothing for us as a community or individually. Did you see what happened to the Casa Blanca bakery and coffee shop on the Pike? It went out of business. What Nada Tejada is really good at doing, besides traveling around the USA and the World at taxpayers' expense, is demanding 'contributions' for facilitating use permit renewals for restaurants and also for grant applications that come before the County Board. These are not restaurants like Casa Blanca, they are night clubs and have lots of problems. Almost all the organizations that are looking for grants from the County are worthless, except they pay their leadership big salaries. If you are one of these groups you have to make a 'contribution' to Senor Tejada to have your use permit or grant or whatever 'facilitated' by the County Board.

Just wanted to give you a perspective about what is occurring in the Latino and Latina community.

Tomas

County Board to Taxpayer-Fund Stormwater Management for New Site Plans

Hello, Yupette,

After meeting for weeks behind closed doors Arlington's non-resident managers, non-resident planning staff, non-resident developers, non-resident REITs, and their non-resident attorneys have agreed to allow developers to continue submitting site plans that evade the EPA's 2014 standards for stormwater treatment and management.

Key players in the decision making were County Attorney Steve McIssac and County Manager Barbara Donnellan, who are residents of Fairfax County, and several out-of-state REITS who stand to gain tens of millions in 'corporate welfare' if on-site stormwater is treated at the County's wastewater treatment plant, paid for by taxpayers. Assertions by several County residents that they are being asked to pay for new infill development stormwater management and treatment under new EPA regulations when no stormwater from their homes is entering the County's stormwater system are being ignored by County planning staff.

2100

County Board to Continue Pushing Gentrification Agenda

Hello, Yupette,

Thanks for covering the County Board's environmental hijinks at the July 12th meeting. But you should also check out the video of Jay Fisette's presentation of 2010 Census demographic data compiled by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Jay (and Chris Zimmerman and Mary Hynes) were actually gloating about the removal of Latinos, Latinas, and other minorities from Arlington into the outer suburbs and the gentrification of the "core areas" in and around D.C.

What was surprising about Jay's presentation is the household size in Arlington averages 2.09 persons and 41% of Arlington's households are occupied by one person. So why the push to tear down small homes and replace them with McMansions?

Of course Jay's never let an opportunity go by to build upscale housing and demolish affordable housing. What affordable housing that does get built is only affordable if you earn 60% of area median income.

Oh, Jay wants to hold a "community meeting" to discuss the import of the County Board's 15-year gentrification program. Minorities need not bother to attend.

Check it out at arlingtonva.us, 3 PM session of the July 12th meeting.

Terri

Favola, County Board, County Staff Were Briefed About New EPA Stormwater Regs Before Pike Charades

Hello, Yupette,

I was told that County Staff and the County Board were briefed about the new and hugely expensive EPA stormwater regulations for the Bay weeks before the Dover, Kohl Pike Charades began (on June 24th). There was a high-level EPA briefing on June 16th. Not only is Barbara Favola serving on a COG environmental committee but her husband is a career EPA employee.

Arlington taxpayers paid at least $550,000 for Pike infill planning during FY 2011, including $250,000 for the Pike Charades from June 24-30. But the County Board, County Staff and planners knew that managing and treating stormwater from a massive increase in Pike corridor density was going to be very expensive. Nevertheless, the County Board went ahead with the Pike Charades and is going to be considering major in-fill site plans in September with (apparently) no heed paid to the EPA's 2014 stormwater treatment and management regulations.

How's that for 'governance'?

Kathy

Favola - Stormwater Upgrades May Cost $500 Million

Hello, Yupette,

Did you hear Barbara Favola's statement about the cost of stormwater management and treatment at Tuesday's County Board meeting? It's going to be very expensive. Barbara stated that stormwater management and treatment upgrdes mandated by the federal government and State of Virginia may cost more than $500 million.

So why is she and the County Board promoting higher density along the Pike and elsewhere that will generate large amounts of additional stormwater?

Ken

Political Parties Tell County Board to Fix Artisphere's Problems

Hello Yupette,

I am happy to see representatives of the Democratic, Republican, and Green parties were all exasperated with the management and operation of the Artisphere and spoke out at last evening's County Board meeting.

Republican Robert Atkins denounced the waste of tax dollars used to subsidize the Artisphere. Green Party Candidate for County Board Audrey Clement asked County Government to provide financial data to indicate when the Artisphere would become self-sustaining. Democrat Peter Owen criticized the Artisphere's lease agreement as censoring performing arts groups.

Response from the County Board was "Don't worry, be happy, we'll work it out, etc."

So even when all three political parties speak to the County Board on an issue, the County Board doesn't listen. Typical of every County Board meeting. It's obviously time for all the County Board incumbents to retire.

Joan

County Board to 'Shirlington' Bergmann Cleaners Site, Neighborhood

Hello, Yupette,

Another older neighborhood off a major arterial, another major redevelopment to 'Shirlington' the area. Latest is Bergmann's Cleaners on Lee Highway and the neighborhood around Bergmanns.

Proposal by the same County Planning Staff responsible for Shirlington and same law firm responsible for Shirlington is...yet another Shirlington. Did I mention none of them live in Arlington?

This followed many closed-door meetings among non-resident Economic Development staff, non-resident CPHD staff, non-resident development attorneys, and an out-of-state REIT. The North Highlands neighborhood was targeted for gentrification after the usual Arlington County 2-step process - do nothing to help middle class neighborhoods along arterials revitalize, then point to the neighborhoods as 'deteriorated' and in need of massive mixed-use redevelopment.

In fact the County Board and County Planning Staff want to exactly duplicate the 12 story Shirlington hotel-apartments-supermarket-parking complex on and around the Lee Highway Bergmann's site. Even Dover, Kohl, the County Board's pet planners, stated that Shirlington was 'poorly planned'. How much more dumb growth are they going to cram into Arlington?

K.B.
Lyon Village

Christmas in July: County Board Funds Vanity Projects Over Human Needs

Hi Yupette,

County Board did it again. Cut human services funding and appropriated $800,000 for beautifying the wastewater treatment plant. Also gave the wealthy $ignature-$ynetic theater group an $89,000 stipend. Also arranged a couple of land swaps with (apparently) no independent appraisal of the value of the land being swapped.

Stay tuned for Tuesday's continuation meeting where major land use plan (gentrification) changes for the Bergmann's site and surrounding neighborhood on Lee Hwy may or may not be on the agenda.

Ted

Alexandria Pushing for Dedicated Bus Rapid Transit in Beauregard Corridor

Hello Yupette,

I attended tonight's Alexandria transportation forum about a dedicated transit corridor on South Beauregard Street.

Appears as though Alexandria Transportation Staff wants a dedicated bus rapid transit system rather than a shared-street streetcar system like what's planned for Columbia Pike. Alexandria Transportation Staff maintains that a dedicated bus transit system is the only way to finally get people out of their SOVs and into buses. They believe a dedicated BRT system would be fast, flexible, and significantly less expensive than a streetcar system.

What's sad about the inside the Beltway transportation planning process is how little people from different jurisdictions know about what's being planned for areas a mile or two from where they live but in another locality.

Alex.

Barcroft, Douglas Park Brace for National Guard Readiness Center Expansion

Hello, Yupette,

I'm not only worried about the massive in-fill planned for Columbia Pike, I'm also worried about the opening of the massive addition to the National Guard Readiness Center on George Mason Drive this month. We are getting the usual 'don't worry, be happy' from the Army, Jim Moran and Chris Zimmerman. Fact is there will be a lot more traffic of all kinds in and out of the Readiness Center and cutting through our quiet residential streets.

Our suburban neighborhoods, Barcroft and Douglas Park, were never, never, designed for this kind of infill. And the Readiness Center expansion was never mentioned during the Dover, Kohl design charettes last week.

The people who make these decisions don't live anywhere near the affected neighborhoods. Or, if they do, they live in 'protected enclaves'. Like Chris Zimmerman, who lives across from a wilderness area. Don't believe it? Here's a photo of Douglas Park across from his home.

Linda
Douglas Park

Dover, Kohl Close to Final Plans for Douglas Park Renovation

Hello, Yupette,

I became friendly over the past week with several of Dover, Kohl's planning staff.

So they've let me take a look at the two final plans for the renovation of Douglas Park, opposite Chairman Zimmerman's home. Funding is buried in the 2012 Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources budget.

Let me know which you like. We are taking an informal poll of Chris's friends.

C U at the next Plenary meeting in September.

Terri