Hello, Yupette,
Maybe you heard that South 9th Street and South 12th Street are going to become "bicycle boulevards" when the Pike is massively gentrified based on the County Board's and its out-of-state planners' decisions. Not true. South 9th Street and South 12th Street are going to become major arterials to relieve traffic volume on the Pike. The North-South streets and their residential communities would become "shared spaces" for residents of the Pike's in-fill apartments and condos. Of course, you have to be one of the County Board's pet Community Leaders to know this.
BTW, stay tuned for the kick-off Pike planning charade at Kenmore Middle School, tomorrow, June 15th, between 7 PM and 9 PM.
Kathy, Douglas Park
45 comments:
Hi Yupette! On June 1st our cleaning lady and her husband moved in from Springfield to an apartment on Columbia Pike in order to be closer to their customers and a retail job where they earn health benefits. What is this I hear about Chris Zimmerman and the REITs wanting to force these hard workng people out of their humble new abode?
"It is recommended that Arlington County adopt an additional type of street in its available menu that would be a "non-fixed use" option for non-arterial streets and, eventually, two-lane arterial streets with appropriate contexts, called 'shared spaces'."
EVERYONE - Call the County Manager's office (703-228-3120) and request that the "Columbia Pike Land Use and Housing Study Preliminary Analysis Report, May 18, 2011" be put on-line in its entirety.
Zimmerman wants massive mixed use gentrification in-fill on the Pike to fund "affordable housing" that's really not affordable because extravagant vanity projects like the streetcar and aquatic center are going to drain the County's tax revenue and borrowing capability. The County Board is so fiscally irresponsible it doesn't even mention Priority #1 - Arlington's overcrowded schools.
Thanks to Zimmerman's pet "community leaders" the streets in historic Pike neighborhoods, including his own, are going to be blocked off to become "linear parks" when density is doubled and tripled on the Pike.
Zimmerman and the County Board are only interested in urbanizing Arlington, neighborhood by neighborhood, and using the concomitant increase in tax revenue and borrowing capability to fund their extravagant projects and programs.
Last night the County Board expressed zero interest in the ongoing Cherrydale Fire Station financial fiasco, construction cost = $5.3 million, total project cost = $18.3 million.
The Housing Study is driven by Chris Zimmerman's density dweebs. The study says "The current high value of existing apartment buildings will inhibit redevelopment without significant increases in the number of units."
"As properties are improved or redeveloped over time, it is imperative to look for ways to increase the east-west connections, parallel with the Pike, thus breaking the 'superblocks' Understanding of course that financial and staff resources to pursue increasing the network of streets is not limitless, the County could focus its resources on completing a continuous 9th Street parallel to Columbia Pike on the north side and 12th Street, also parallel but to the south. If these connections become too difficult to make as a 'straight line,' having 'jogs' in the route will function in a similar way, and will also likely slow traffic."
Ha, Ha. The County refused to widen Columbia Pike to create space for bikes or the trolley because that would have impinged on the property of developers. The alternative strategy is clear, isolate and roll over homeowners on the residential streets parallel to the Pike in order to handle the increased load from REIT developed properties. Ha, Ha residents.
Ha, Ha, The Yups bought $600,000 affordable homes, tore them down, built $1.6 million McMansions. Now their nice quiet streets get closed and made into "linear park and recreation centers". Keep voting for County Board incumbents, Sheeple.
"Structured parking in or near the Revitalization District Nodes is essential for creating a walkable, park-once environment. The summary map highlights a few locations that are large enough to accommodate new parking structures, with appropriate liner buildings to shield view of parking from pedestrians on the street. The locations shown are conceptual; actual locations for additional parking structures in the corridor will be determined over time as individual property owners make decisions regarding site improvement".
That's in ADDITION to the 294 parking spaces at Arlington Mill, 461 parking spaces at the Rosenthal site, etc., etc., up and down the Pike? Sheesh.
What do you call high and mid rises bordering single family homes, townhouses and residences? Why "liner buildings", of course. Like using liners to control trashcan stench except the stench here is prolifigate, out of control, dumb density.
Next neighborhood up for re-development is Rosslyn. County Board desperately needs the tax dollars because they promised the sports, recreation, and entertainment special interests major league infrastructure in return for votes.
Last week Bob Brosnan told planning staff to call the Arlington police if any activist or minority group member asks any embarrassing questions during a Pike charette.
Fisette promised the aquatics interest groups that a bond initiative will be on the ballot in 2012. So he and the County Board have to accelerate development to provide a plausible fiscal excuse.
The non-resident county planning staff consider that anyone who opposes massive infill redevelopment by non-resident REITs, developers, planners, etc., is a nuisance. This attitude starts at the top with Barbara Donnellan.
The so-called 'planning' for the Pike is horrible. How much are we paying these pirate 'planners' from Florida?
Stop the Pike Charades. Why am I supposed to be a willing participant in the destruction of my historic suburban community? To profit whom?
In-fill destruction of your historic community provides the tax revenue for the County Board's pet projects and programs.
We are all supposed to be like the County Board's pet Republicrats - participate in the destruction of our historic suburban neighborhoods, coordinated by out-of-state interests, then retire to a rancho deluxe in Montana.
I'm e-mailing the County Board (countyboard at arlingtonva dot us) to say I want no part of this terrible so-called 'planning'. Also telling them to make my comments part of the record.
Also mention that you are not voting for Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada.
The only thing that will move the County Board to do / not do anything is the fear of not being re-elected.
The County Board does not listen to Arlington residents. Arlington residents who will rubber stamp anything the County Board puts in front of them are the only ones who get appointed to the committees, commissions, plenary groups, etc. The County Board does not listen to them.
The people the County Board DOES listen to don't live in Arlington.
Yes, I advise stating in any e-mail or letter to the County Board "I cannot vote to re-elect County Board incumbents because you do not respond to the concerns of Arlington residents."
The "community leaders" Zimmerman appoints to commissions, plenary groups, etc., mostly have conflicts of interest and are compensated in various ways for their service to the Reit.
Lately the County Board has been spending almost all its time with out of state planners and developers.
Fed Up Dem Wrote: "The County Board does not listen to Arlington residents. Arlington residents who will rubber stamp anything the County Board puts in front of them are the only ones who get appointed to the committees, commissions, plenary groups, etc. The County Board does not listen to them. The people the County Board DOES listen to don't live in Arlington."
Totally agree, Fed Up Dem. Regards, Fed up Ex-Dem, Ex-Repub
If Arlington had an Inspector General I would ask him or her to look at the cozy relationship between Dover, Kohl and the County's Planning Staff.
Know what a member of the rubber-stamp Pike plenary group told me? "If I didn't do what they told me I would never serve on a committee or commission again.
Guess what? You will also get a Bikeshare Station installed on your quiet street aka "shared linear park".
I want a lighted youth soccer practice field for underprivileged Pike residents installed in Douglas Park across the street from Zimmy's home.
Dover, Kohl "planning" is so bad that if Pike residents knew it would be 20,000 votes to Audrey Clement.
I want a Bikeshare Station in Douglas Park, across the street from Zimmerman's home, 24-7-365.
Where are the Dover, Kohl Partners licensed to practice land use, architecture, etc.? 'Cause I want to file a malpractice complaint.
Brosnan had the police stationed at Kenmore Middle School on Wednesday. In the event you wondered why all the comments they receive about this horrible project are positive.
Yupette, this so-called "planning process" is totally corrupt. ALL of County Government is becoming dishonest, if not corrupt. I wanted to produce a series of videos about the payoffs, kickbacks, conflicts of interest in planning and development. Was told that I was not welcome at AIM and there was no air time available. AIM is becoming like AVN - a Disney Channel for Disney World on the Potomac.
Corrupt Arlington Government? Only for about the past ten years.
Anyone see the news from Alexandria? Old Town residents told Alexandria City Council that they are fed up with development for the sake of development. Potomac waterfront planning has been put 'on hold'.
We are like Syria, Egypt, Libya. Controlled by corrupt autocrats who have been in power for decades.
Why is Douglas Park resident and Plenary Working Group member Reid Goldstein disparaging the Dover, Kohl housing and land use study he helped produce?
FYI the police will, be highly visible at the week-long design charette.
A few Latino 'community leaders' have been invited to present their statements in support of the gentrification redevelopment at the week-long Pike Charades.
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