Hi Yupette.
Our family moved from an apartment in South Arlington to a single-family home in East Falls Church fifteen years ago. My family needed more room. So we purchased a single-family home on a medium size lot in East Falls Church and we've made modest improvements. We live on a quiet street. We have two children and lead a comfortable, but not extravagant, lifestyle.
I completely oppose the "Shirlingtonization" of East Falls Church. I am also appalled by the hypocrisy that Chris Zimmerman and the County Board have exhibited regarding EFC re-development. They spent over $1.5 million suing VDOT to protect Shirlington, Fairlington, Claremont, etc. from HOT Lanes. And they are going to spend tens of millions more protecting South Arlington from BRAC traffic.
How about East Falls Church? How have we become a "re-development opportunity" for Chris Zimmerman, the County Board, the REITs and the developers? Zimmerman stated at the last County Board Meeting that the EFC community contacted Zimmerman about redevelopment. Not true. Zimmerman contacted his pet Democrats in EFC and had them make an issue about the "deteriorated" state of Lee Highway at the Arlington-Falls Church border. Before Zimmerman got going on his latest arterial mega-development crusade County Government could care less about East Falls Church.
How about VDOT, the EFC Metro Station, and the 100,000 and more commuters who will descend on the EFC Metro Station morning and evening rush hours? Chris Zimmerman doesn't want to talk about that. Who sued VDOT over I-66 widening? Not Arlington County, it was the Green Party. I guess when East Falls Church is on the point of becoming a total G-D mess, thanks to Chris Zimmerman's "Planning Commission" there will be an "emergency task force" to deal with Chris "Guru of Gridlock" Zimmerman's traffic fiasco.
The so-called "Planning Commission" will hold a meeting on February 8th at the Navy League Building on Wilson Boulevard to rubber stamp "REIT Fuhrer" Zimmerman's mega development plans for EFC. The next EFC "Community Meeting" will be held at Resurrection Lutheran Church on February 9th. The next County Board Meeting will be on February 12th.
It's time for us to take the control and direction of our lives away from slimey politricksters like Chris Zimmerman who are only looking for more mega-deals to fund their pet vanity mega-projects while we suffer the consequences.
Anne - East Falls Church
20 comments:
It's time to remove Chris Zimmerman and Libby Garvey from public office. They've been concerned only about themselves and their pet people, projects, and special interests for over a decade.
Thanks, Anne. My sentiments exactly.
We have only ourselves to blame for tolerating Zimmmerman's antics for the past quarter century.
Why do Americans support these despots? Whether Mubarak or Zimmerman? The longer they stay in office the more autocratic they become.
What the hell has Zimmerman ever done for me? Constantly raised taxes and fees on everything. Created the infill mess that caused the traffic. Drove the middle class workers out of Arlington. Then spent our tax dollars fighting VDOT over the traffic problem that he and his fellow autocrats (e.g., Bill Euille) created.
Chris 'Mubarak' Zimmerman was in a state of rapture at the Civic Federation meeting last Tuesday while outlining his 'vision' for Arlington: mega-development leading to total urbanization.
Zimmerman is only concerned about 'small business' so he can extract more taxes and fees from small business to fuel his megalomania.
EFC Homeowner, several Administrations not only tolerated but were happy to support the increasingly-autocratic and repressive Mubarak regime. Mubarak is 82 years old. The Obama Administration - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - and its successors would have supported Mubarak whatever he did if he lived to be 100.
Arlington County is a one-party regime with an autocratic government that's becoming more autocratic. The people who we elected to represent us instead spend hundreds of hours a year meeting with developers and REITs, working on deals for their friends (Artisphere) and employers (Marymount University).
It's time we said 'enough' before things really get out of hand. What will they do for an encore after they've spent $500 million on the current series of pet vanity projects?
Do you want to know how corrupt the politicians who are re-developing EFC are?
The City of Falls Church recently awarded a contract to the Akridge Company (out of state developer) to redevelop the 500 block of Washington Street (Lee Highway).
So what's across the street from the parcels being re-developed? The headqarters of LF Jennings, a major developer, construction company, taxpayer, and employer in Falls Church for decades.
Of course, the CEO of Akridge is a major league donor to Virginia Democrats.
Democratic Party booster and Falls Church News-Press publisher Nick Moran Benton was ecstatic that Akridge was chosen to redevelop Washington Street.
This is what happens when we have one-party government and the other parties and the local media go along with the program.
Last I heard the unemployment rate was 5.8% in Falls Church.
So much for the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce and it's former President, Nick Benton.
I am surprised that Nick Benton didn't run full page ads in the News-Press paid for by Akridge with an artist's depiction of the new buildings across the street from LF Jennings, as he has in the past for redevelopment elsewhere in F.C. that he boosted.
L.F. Jennings was hit hard by the recession and had to lay off many employees and cut hours of those still employed.
BTW, the wonderful F.C. City Council is about to hit commercial properties with a 5% real estate surcharge.
Nick Benton and the F.C. Chamber of Commerce are a bunch of worthless a-holes.
Same so-called Democrats who forced out Kathy Francis for not being a "team player" (no pun intended).
Team players? Check out the photos of John E. "Chip" Akridge III and his good friends Jim and Luann Moran on-line at various D.C social events.
What do Moran, Favola, Fisette, and Zimmerman all have in common? They spend most of the time they should be representing us at social events, working on pet projects, and making deals to enrich their families and friends.
Moran is worthless. He shows up to vote, not a big deal, and he's AWOL otherwise. He's not an Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman any longer, so he cares even less than before.
What these turkeys SHOULD be concerned about is educating 5,000 more kids over the next 6-7 years. Not adding to the housing, traffic, school overcrowding, etc., messes that already exist.
After consulting with Congressman Jim Moran, Chris Zimmerman decided to make Akridge the primary go-to developer for the REITs who will be fronting the cash for EFC mega-development as well anyone else who wants to get in on the action.
I am not surprised but I will wait and see. I don't think the CB wants to bring in Vornado again in the near future.
Who knows at this point. Moran's wife is on some do-gooder board or charity with about 90% of CEOs doing development in the DC metro area.
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