In the event you missed yesterday's County Board corporate welfare giveaway for the redevelopment of 400 Army-Navy Drive (Regular Agenda Item 33) you also missed the exchange between a local activist and Board Chair Mary Hynes over references to streetcar infrastructure contained in the redevelopment staff report for 400 Army-Navy Drive.
"Pub Crawl Mary" denied that a Crystal City streetcar line is in the works at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. However, community activists who grilled the 400 Army-Navy Drive developer and County Transportation Staff have learned that a Crystal City Streetcar System, to be paid for from a number of revenue sources, is indeed under consideration by the County Board. How much will be siphoned from transportation infrastructure funds to pay for this project which could cost $300 million? Moreover, according to County Transportation Planning Staff a number of streetcar planners remain employed by the County, although the County Board stated on November 18th that all planning work on Pike and Crytstal City streetcar systems would be ended How much is that costing taxpayers? Where's the much-improved bus service we're supposed to be obtaining as the result of streetcar planning being "ended"? Already-aggravated taxpayers want to know.
Thanks for this blog.
Adam
30 comments:
You can bet your kid's college education fund that John Milliken's law firm's client, Vornado, won't be paying a penny to fund a streetcar or any other public infrastructure in Crystal City.
John Milliken served on the County Board from 1981 to 1990 and repeatedly voted for site plans to expand office space for DOD agencies and defense contractors.
A Crystal City streetcar, to be paid from various taxpayer-funded sources, perfectly complements the County Board's giveaways to developers who submit site plans for the replacement of vacant office buildings with huge apartment buildings having massive amounts of parking but little or no open space, outdoor recreation space, playground space, or dedicated athletic fields.
John Milliken is legally and ethically (Virginia Bar ethics) required to serve the interests of his law firm's clients (e.g., Vornado) and nobody else's interests. Is it legal, ethical and responsible for him to chair the County's Community Facilities Task Force? I don't think so!
How much does Barbara Donnellan have stashed away in slush funds and how many transportation employees and consultants does she have hidden away planning a Crystal City street car?
John Milliken more than anyone should know that Crystal City was designed as office space for defense contractors in an era when there was little demand anywhere for open space, recreation space, playing fields, space for riding bicycles, and so on. Milliken should be asked to resign from the Community Facilities Task Force. He is completely obligated to promote his law client's (Vornado's) interests.
So we can't have expanded ART Bus service because County will be using the dedicated transportation funds, TIF, paygo, etc., for a $300 million Crystal City streetcar?
Know what really sucks? John Milliken lives on Arlington Ridge and his neighbors are pissed because Vornado and others want to pack as many people into Crystal City as possible without any new neighborhood public infrastructure. So where do these people go for recreation -- to nearby neighborhoods e.g., Arlington Ridge.
Who does the County Board listen to? Not the nearby voters, taxpayers, and residents on Arlington Ridge. They listen to John Milliken's out-of-state REIT clients.
Milliken's law firm, Venable, is headquartered in Baltimore and Venable's Northern Virginia office is located in Tysons, along with the offices of the planners, architects, land use consults, etc. who inflict New Urbanist $#!+ like 400 Army-navy Drive on suburban neighborhoods.
Everyone appointed to the Community Facilities Task Force goes along with the Smart Growth program.
How much in real estate taxes do the owners of vacant office buildings in Crystal City actually pay?
How about Herschel Milliken Park as the model for new public infrastructure in Crystal City?
No one who had anything significant to do with "planning" 400 Army-Navy Drive is an Arlington Resident.
John Milliken and his County Board colleagues voted for more buildings for more DOD offices and contractors in Crystal City when the Cold War was over.
So now John Milliken and his REIT clients are pushing for more upscale apartments in Crystal City for DOD employees and contractors today when DOD is downsizing? How rational is that?
What happened to bus rapid transit for Alexandria-Crystal City?
County Board is not going to commit to any parks and rec infrastructure near 400 Army-Navy Drive because the open space will be required for streetcar infrastructure.
Latest on the National News...DOD can't afford, will have to reduce, its bloated Pentagon civilian bureaucracy.
DOD will have to reduce its bloated headquarters bureaucracy or delay weapons modernization by defense contractors in Republican congressional districts all across America.
Is there any consideration by County Government for homeowners who will pay 6% to 7% more in real estate taxes every year for the next five years?
Meanwhile, Fairfax County residents commuted through the snow today by SUV to 2100 Clarendon Blvd. to work on their propaganda campaign to get us to ride bicycles to work in the winter.
Yes, let's spend $300 million building a streetcar for Vornado in Crystal City. In return Vornado will dedicate several 1000 square foot plazas surrounded by restaurants and retail as "community benefits".
Wasn't there an election last year that was supposed to be a referendum on expensive streetcars?
How much does Vornado pay in taxes to Arlington County? Not Vornado's tenants. Vornado.
Translation of Barbara Donnellan's comments at Tuesday's County Board meeting:
Pike streetcar is being mothballed.
Crystal City streetcar is being put into a state where planning for streetcars in the Crystal City transitway can be quickly restarted.
Vornado's attorneys showed up at the County Board meeting and whined for more gimmes for Vornado in Crystal City.
If Vornado wants the County to spend $300 million for a Crystal City streetcar, then the County will spend $300 million for a Crystal City streetcar.
Yes, the so-called streetcar close-out planning includes planning for streetcars in the Crystal City - Potomac Yards transitway.
How much is planning for streetcars in the Crystal City transitway costing taxpayers? What ever happened to bus rapid transit?
Everyone -- concerning Pike transit the clearance at the new Washington Boulevard bridge over Columbia Pike will be greater than 17 feet...more than enough room for double deck buses on the Pike
It TOTALLY SUCKS that the County is spending one more dime on designing a streetcar system for Crystal City. My neighborhood needed ART Bus service like 5 years ago.
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