Dover, Kohl Close to Final Plans for Douglas Park Renovation

Hello, Yupette,

I became friendly over the past week with several of Dover, Kohl's planning staff.

So they've let me take a look at the two final plans for the renovation of Douglas Park, opposite Chairman Zimmerman's home. Funding is buried in the 2012 Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources budget.

Let me know which you like. We are taking an informal poll of Chris's friends.

C U at the next Plenary meeting in September.

Terri

Dover, Kohl's Prescription for the Pike: Urbanization + Gentrification

Hello Yupette,

No surprises from Dover, Kohl during the wrap-up session of the Pike Charades, there's going to be massive urbanization and gentrification of the Pike. If you want to live in affordable housing on the Pike you're going to have to earn 60% of area median income, which is $62,000 today. At least 10,000 new housing units will be constructed to ensure 5,000 are 'affordable'. Suburban character of the Pike will be ruined by massive infill. Stream beds, parking lots, suburban streets, hillsides, and sidewalks will be used for parks and recreation. No transit options have been considered except for Zimmerman's $160 million streetcar system. Schools and similar public infrastructure received no mention.

Oh, Dover, Kohl used a biased before-after architectural charade to get the a biased audience (no Latinos and Latinas attended) to agree that architectural renderings look better than photographs of old buildings. LOL.

For this we paid these Dover, Kohl turkeys $474,000 during FY 2011 and $182,000 over the past week to facilitate Zimmerman's Pike Charades? That sucks.

Maybe you want Arlington to be a redevelopment opportunity for every out-of-state planner, developer, lawyer, and REIT that throws big bucks at the County Board and gives County Planning Staff 'cash rewards' for, among other things, telling minorities they will be arrested for attending planning meetings. Not me.

Mary
Douglas Park

Schools, Not Streetcars

Hello,

With installation of classroom trailers at W-L High School (completed in 2008) realization is slowly dawning on the County Board and School Board that, in fact, 5,000 more students will be attending Arlington's public schools in 2016.

But what are they going to do about it, beyond ordering a couple hundred more classroom trailers? Nothing that I can discern. During FY 11 Arlington County spent $1.5 million for Columbia Pike streetcar planning and $474,000 for Dover, Kohl's Pike in-fill planning and facilitation services. Nothing mentioned about schools, although more schools and brick-and mortar classrooms are Arlington's critical needs right now. Especially if population density along the Pike corridor doubles or triples over the next five years.

Now there is consternation at the School Board offices because it appears that the new Wakefield High School will be short classrooms the day it opens in 2013, something School Board candidate Miriam Gennari predicted last year.

Who's being irrational here? The Greens, Independents, Republicans, and fiscally responsible Democrats who want an end to reckless and irrational spending for the County Board's pet transportation, entertainment, recreation, and sports vanity projects? Or Mr. Zimmerman and the County Board, and their pet political cronies, special interests, REITs, and developers?

No Contest. Enough is Enough. Our kids' needs come first. Scrap Chris Zimmerman's plans for a wasteful and unnecessary $160 million streetcar system and build real schools and classrooms for our children instead.

Susan

Pike Corridor Post-Redevelopment 'Open Space' : Your Front Lawn

Hi, Yupette,

Talk about a planning charade, tonight's open space planning meeting at the Career Center was a hoot. The County's open space planning consultants talked parks and playgrounds, but the reality is that there won't be much open space left after in-fill yuppification for anything but Pike Corridor residents to hie to existing parks and recreation centers (including the future aquatic center, indoor soccer arena, and boathouse) and use single family residential neighborhoods for their parks and recreation. Chris Zimmerman was there to ensure the consultants stayed on-track and there was a special guest appearance by Planning Commissioner Emeritus Carrie "Nana from Montana" Johnson.

Linda

Zimmerman, County Board, County Staff Push Pike Redevelopment, Gentrification

Hello, Yupette,

I attended this morning's Pike design charette. It's a charade all right. Zimmerman and the County Board were supervising County Planning staff who were facilitating the community leaders. Community leaders were given brown, red, orange marking pens to make changes when allowed by County Planning Staff. No one was allowed to deviate in any significant way from Dover, Kohl's yuppification / gentrification plans. Dover and Kohl are a couple of good old boys who live in yuppie enclaves outside Miami and specialize in-fill redevelopment "planning" that conforms to the wants of local elected officials, e.g., Zimmerman and the County Board.

Oh, some participants want double deck hybrid buses on the Pike rather than streetcars, but they were ignored. These charades will cost Arlington taxpayers $216,000. For what? For citizens to make very minor changes to a massive redevelopment that was approved months ago behind closed doors at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

Robert

Clement Blasts County Board Pike Redevelopment as 'Reckless', 'Irresponsible'

Hello,

I was able to obtain a statement from County Board candidate Audrey Clement regarding Dover, Kohl's plans for Columbia Pike redevelopment. Here are her conclusions:

"With rounding for inflation the total cost of redeveloping the Pike is $160 million for the trolley (2010 estimate) + $290 million to subsidize affordable housing = $450 million. This doesn't include the cost of additional infrastructure improvements like schools and streets to accommodate three times as many people. Unless the Obama Administration agrees to pay for the trolley, the total cost is going to be absorbed by taxpayers throughout the county, not all of whom equate densification and gentrification with Smart Growth.

Tripling the density of the Pike when the schools are already overcrowded is irresponsible. Committing the County to pay for an unneeded extravagance to draw more people in is reckless. Although Dover, Kohl has provided an invaluable service in reporting the true cost of redeveloping the Pike, I oppose the total urbanization of Arlington County by the Arlington County Board to serve the wants of out-of-state REITs, developers, and planners.

Enough is enough. We are a tiny suburban County, not a major urban 'redevelopment opportunity'. Please join me in halting overdevelopment and recycling middle income people out of this county. Support my campaign for Arlington County Board."

Foxcroft Heights Gentrification-Facilitation Charade June 23rd

Hello, Ms. Yupette,

The Foxcroft Heights gentrification-facilitation charade will take place tomorrow, Thursday, between 7 and 9 PM at the Walter Reed Community Center, more than two miles from Foxcroft Heights. Why not across the street at the Sheraton where the other Pike charades will be held? Because then many more Foxcroft Heights residents would show up to protest the gentrification of their middle-class neighborhood. Zimmerman and his pet planner, Dover, Kohl, can't wait to redevelop Foxcroft Heights, to replace the uppity middle class with acquiescent yuppies and their passive servants. Oh, forgot to mention, the police will also be there.

It just kills the County Board, County Planning Staff, the County's pet developers, REITs, lawyers, and media boosters that any affordable middle class housing still remains in Arlington. All the hedo elite who are running and ruining Arlington are concerned about is building more hedo infrastructure.

George