Check out the agenda for the next County Board meeting, July 13th and 16th. It's Christmas in July. Every person, non-profit, and for-profit with his-her-it's hand out is going to get a taxpayer-funded handout. Meaning Zimmerman's $treetcar, Fi$ette's wealthy performing arts buds, Vornado, bikeshare, and even contractors who've gone over-budget on public infrastructure. C.B. Agenda is up on arlingtonva.us.
2100
30 comments:
We were promised our crumbling street in Fairlington would be paved last Spring. Now it's Summer, and a new fiscal year. No sign of street paving.
What WILL be happening in Fairlington is Walter Tejada will be pitching the Pike Streetcar to Fairlington residents at the civic association meeting on Wednesday.
Signature Theater won't be receiving it's usual $39,000 welfare for the wealthy gimme because the Signature received a Christmas-in-June gift from the County Board to pay the $250,000 owed the County in back taxes. Instead the Signature will be receiving a special 'space and services award', amount unspecified.
$ignature is seeking heavy subsidies from the County "or else".
Not whether the Signature moves out of Arlington, but when.
Agenda Items 20, 21, and 22 are payments to contractors for increased project costs of Longbridge Park, Arlington Mill, and Crystal City redevelopment.
So, why have a bidding process up front if the County is going to pay the winning bidder for 'unforseen expenses' at the end of the project?
Another reason the County needs an Inspector General.
Time to retire all the Fairfax County residents who are County Staff VIPs and make all the decisions the County Board rubber stamps.
Speaking of Arlington Mill, check out the pre-opening leasing deals the County Board is giving it's favorite organizations. Taking buying votes with tax dollars to a new level.
Does anyone know whether Giveaway Jay is working on a Christmas-in-December deal to give the theater (and possibly the library) to the Signature in return for unspecified "community services"?
County Board is also leasing space at attractive rates at the 2020 building (home of the homeless shelter).
No deal between the County and the Signature would surprise me.
I thought I saw some ugly post-modernist architecture when I studied design during the 70's, but Arlington Mill is the ugliest post modernist building I've ever seen.
Christmas in July - Agenda Items 25 and 42 - Massive corporate welfare grants to Vornado Real Estate Investment Trust to assist Vornado's redevelopment of Pentagon City and Skyline (Fairfax County).
County Board / Non-Resident County Staff giveaways are aided and abetted by the "local media" located outside the County. What do they care.
Whatever gave anyone the idea Arlington taxpayers own Arlington Mill? Arlington Mill is owned and operated by a Partnership, the Arlington County Board and the Arlington Democratic Committee.
Christmas in July Gift to Vornado - Metropolitan Park - 699 expensive residential units, 40,000 sq feet of retail, proposed $4.8 million contribution for affordable housing to be decided at a later date, exclusion of 44,000 square feet from density calculations, 885 parking spaces, LEED Silver no on-site renewable energy, transportation planning based on SOV trips, no contribution for parks, recreation, open space, except for plazas
Also, storage for hundreds of bicycles without any clue about how the bicycles and single occupant vehicles will interact on local streets.
Agenda Item 2 - Site Plan for another luxury apartment building on Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square, with the usual corporate welfare gimmes for the developer, deferred until after the November elections.
Consent Agenda Item 25 - Columbia Pike Streetcar Project Agreement between Arlington County and Fairfax County for the next phases of the project work
This is the comprehensive project management agreement between Arlington and Fairfax Counties for the Pike streetcar. De facto gift to Fairfax County and Vornado for redevelopment of Bailey's Crossroads and Skyline. Item will be heard on Tuesday, July 16th at 6:30 PM.
What a deal for Vornado and Fairfax County, Arlington taxpayers pay 80% of the cost of redeveloping Bailey's and Skyline.
Why is this on the consent agenda?
Agenda Items 23 and 24 - Christmas-in-July - Award contracts for $642,000 to renovate the playground at Ft. Barnard Park and $1,488,000 to renovate the basketball and tennis courts at Towers Park.
Agenda Item 30 - Christmas-in-July - Appropriation of $4,760 to help the wealthy Unitarian Universalist Church congregation obtain historic designation for its ugly 1960's Modernist building which is in the process of being completely made over through an extensive exterior renovation.
Is this even legal - giving public funds to a religious group for historic designation of a building that's no longer historic?
When during the 21st Century will my street be repaved?
FYI, Vornado is heavily marketing Skyline to tech startups as a lower cost alternative to the B-R Corridor.
Agenda Item 7, Christmas-in-July - for-profit Capital Bikeshare in Partnership with Arlington County - install two new bikeshare stations, one adjacent to the $1 million Superstops bus shelter at Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike and the other at the Arlington Oaks condos on George Mason Drive at Pershing Drive.
Agenda Item 32 - Christmas in July for Yuppies - Transfer $300,000 of Federal HOME Investments Partnership funds designated for low and very low income housing to the Moderate Income Purchase Assistance Program (aka Yuppie first-time homeowner program).
Agenda Item 18 - Action Plan for FY 14 for Community Development and HOME programs - aka Christmas in July for the dozens of competing "affordable housing" bureaucracies.
Where on the agenda is the item for the Housing Authority referendum?
Post a Comment