County Board Chairman Walther Tejada attended the Fairlington civic association's meeting on July 10th in advance of the June 16th County Board meeting where the County Board will consider appropriations for Columbia Pike streetcar project management (consent agenda item 25). Mr. Tejada was accompanied by non-resident County Staff and a small contingent of 'facilitators' from the Arlington Democratic Party. The pro-transit choice group, Arlingtonians for Sensible Transit, also attended. The purpose of the meeting was to rebut the anti-streetcar presentation County Board member Libby Garvey made at the May civic association meeting.
Fairlington residents repeatedly challenged Mr. Tejada and County transportation staff regarding the proposed streetcar system's cost and safety, and other aspects of Columbia Pike redevelopment, such as affordable housing, traffic, and population growth. Mr. Tejada blamed WMATA for the $1 million bus shelter fiasco at Walter Reed and Columbia Pike, and admitted that "we're always going to have cars" when asked why the County is spending millions to promote a "car free diet" while approving site plans for thousands of new parking spaces under new buildings. Pro-streetcar facilitators from ACDC blamed County Board member Libby Garvey for obstructing streetcar system construction.
Mr. Tejada stated that the County Board majority may not seek Federal funding for the Pike streetcar but may use dedicated real estate tax revenues and revenues from new state sales taxes instead.
The next County Board vote on the matter of Pike streetcar appropriations will occur at the recessed County Board meeting on July 16th, which will commence at 6:30 PM, in the County Board Room, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard, Third Floor.
Cindy
Fairlington
(Photo - a recent collision between a streetcar and city bus in San Francisco that sent 15 people to hospitals)
44 comments:
Good show, Fairlington residents! As the old Cockney saying goes - "give it 'em back!"
Walter Tejada didn't want to talk about streetcar accidents and injuries, bicyclists, pedestrians, drivers, passengers.
Know what's really obnoxious? The contingent of Yellow Dog Democrats who serve as cheerleaders and facilitators for whatever the County Board wants, program after program, project after project, no matter what the consequences.
Walter was PO'd when he was reminded the County Board is voting on the massive Metropolitan Park in-fill redevelopment on Saturday --- 885 new parking spaces, and a supermarket on-site. How many vehicle trips per day is that?
Packed streetcar hits packed Metrobus on the Pike at 5:30 PM. How many casualties?
Zimmy, Tejada, and the rest won't allow many Metrobuses on the Pike because streetcars are too slow compared to buses. Happening already in Portland, streetcars are a huge expense and cannot compete with state-of-the-art buses when it comes to transporting people.
Tejada won't answer the question about what happens when the Pike is redeveloped with 50 massive new buildings with 500 vehicle parking garages under each new building.
Where was Zimmy?
Several Fairlington residents were pissed because so many people are being packed into one tiny county. Tejada: "People want to live here".
They want to live here because the non-residents who control Arlington government don't want THEIR luxury enclaves in Fairfax County turned into in-filled yuppie ghettos aka Penrose Square.
Almoast a given that Zimmy will force WMATA to put the oldest buses on the Pike so commuters will board streetcars instead.
Think they are going to bring a Vegas ACE articulated bus here for a demo?
I am unconvinced by Tejada's, Hynes's, Fisette's, and Zinmmerman's arguments about the need for a streetcar system on the Pike.
Only "need" for streetcar systems is by politicians who have been in office way too long.
Pike streetcar is a fraud, like other frauds perpetrated on taxpayers by Zimmerman and his cohorts. Million dollar bus shelter at Walter Reed and Columbia Pike is another fraud.
Yes, it's exactly what occurs in one-party regimes where the leaders have been in office for a long time, become delusional, and start building extravagant public infrastructure monuments as their 'legacy'. Aided and abetted by large and sophisticated internal propaganda teams and media that are either complacent or have been bought.
Sad to say, both the Arlington Green Party and Arlington Republican Party have deteriorated into clubs controlled by a handful of zealots.
Fraud? What about the public art projects costing hundreds of thousands created by artists no one has ever heard of, from hardware store materials costing several hundred dollars at most?
The regressive regional tax package for Northern Virginia recently passed by the General Assembly is expected to amount to $335.5 million per year over the next five years, or $1,677,500 spread across the region.
Fraud? Like spending $3 million per year promoting a car free diet for Arlington then approving 3,000 or more parking spaces (most to be used by single occupant vehicles) per year via site plans for new buildings?
Hi,
I'm 63 years old, healthy and I no longer drive. On a fixed income. Gave my car to one of my children. Live within walking distance of a supermarket. Not going to ride a bicycle, too dangerous. Don't use Metro. Don't use taxicabs or buses.
Regressive taxes? You said it! Jay Fisette and his Democratic cronies who run bikeshare want everyone to ride bicycles. The sidewalks in the major corridors are in poor shape. The money to fix them is going to bikeshare and the county board's other extravagant projects. So what's in all these transportation give-aways for someone who walks everywhere? Sooner or later a broken ankle from tripping over the broken brick paving that's was once someone's wonderful idea and that they all voted to install until recently. Thanks for your blog which is the only place I see these issues discussed.
So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised if Zimmerman passes up going to the Feds for funding for his stupid streetcar.
Of the 3,000+ parking spaces approved by the County Board last year via site plans, at least half will be used by office workers in Rosslyn and Crystal City driving single-occupant vehicles.
Again, people who make the important decisions in Arlington are over 55, non-residents, or both. They will not have to suffer the consequences of their bad planning.
Face it, the media have been bought. If the Post has the resources to determine the number of sandwiches the Governor's children are taking to consume on the trip back to college, the Post has the resources to determine how much Zimmerman, Fisette, and Tejada are receiving in gratuities from their corporate cronies.
Yeah, unlike the local media (Arl Now, Patch, and Sun Gazette) which are shills for the status quo the Post has no excuse.
Arlington Republican Party is now the Arlington Tea Party. Arlington Green Party is now the Arlington Limo Liberal Party.
Regressive taxes? How many poor people who are being taxed to pay for Arlington's and other jurisdictions' transportation extravagances can afford to even ride a Metrobus?
I would like to know how much a person on a fixed income who doesn't own a vehicle or drive, doesn't bicycle, doesn't take cabs, doesn't ride Metrobus or Metrorail, and walks everywhere pays in taxes to support transportation. It's like seniors and singles without children paying high taxes to support the extravagant school system. But at least we know almost half the county's tax revenue goes to the schools.
If you live alone on a fixed income and don't need or want any services from the County, police and fire services amount to 10% of the County's total budget in 2014.
OK, look at Shirlington Village. Entertainment, recreation, shopping, a supermarket, all within walking distance. If you don't own a car and walk everywhere you still pay taxes for expensive transportation infrastructure you don't use. Like Zimmerman's streetcar 2 miles away on the Pike. Car free diet? Another County Board charade.
Speaking of paying taxes for public programs, public infrastructure, public services, etc., you will never use, it looks likely that Zimmerman, et. al., will go after the new regressive sales tax revenue to pay for his stupid streetcar.
Achtung Arlington Sheeple: Reitsfuhrer Zimmerman has spoken. You must transition to a car free diet immediately. If you are injured by a non-resident Arlington County Planner driving a SUV alone while discussing the car free urbanization of your neighborhoods on a cell phone with a REIT, you will have to be more careful crossing the street!
Speaking of do-nothing organizations, ACTA is one old guy playing solitare, the CIVFED is a group of geezers playing gin rummy in the hospital annex activity center.
Take a look at the staff report (item 25 on the county board's agenda) for this Project Agreement. They are funding a study to "focus on developing updated ridership projections"? Duh.
Staff Report (item #25) on County Board Agenda --- Pike Streetcar Planning. What Planning? --- Fire, Aim, Ready.
Funding for a Pike streetcar would be almost all from regressive taxation, whether from a regressive sales tax or a regressive commercial real estate surcharge passed on to consumers.
Zimmy is going to get $12.1 million for 'multimodal improvements' on the Pike between the Fairfax line and Four Mile Run from the new regressive sales tax.
Fiscal responsibility? What's that?
Vote was 4-1 in favor. I agree that the Pike streetcar is a massive fraud on the taxpayers, based on misrepresentation and disinformation, perpetrated by elected and appointed streetcar proponents who control Arlington Government.
They are spending more than $90,000 for a demand analysis and to determine potential ridership?
Will the environmental, design, demand analysis, and other analyses the Arlington taxpayers will pay $800,000 for be full of mis-representations, dis-information, and out-and-out false information?
Anyone know what this is about? County Board went into a closed session om July 16th for:
"two matters requiring consultation with the County Attorney and Staff concerning the County's authority to reimburse
County employees for costs incurred responding to allegations of criminal misconduct and concerning the municipal separate storm sewer system permit recently approved by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation".
Wild Guess: Something to do with the Harris Teeter supermarket that was flooded by raw sewage?
Also, some matter having to do with someone appointed to an advisory group by the County Board. Someone complained about the demands being made by out-of-state reits?
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