May 31st Site Plan Forum to Fast-Track 'Development for the Sake of Development'

Hi, Yupette,

As promised, Barbara's Donnellan's and Jay Fisette's plans to fast-track New Urbanist 'Development for the Sake of Development' to benefit out-of-state REITs and local developers are entering the charade public meeting phase. Planning Commission and County Staff will hold the meeting at Virgnia Hospital Center's Hazel Auditorium on Saturday, May 31st, at 9AM. The important decisions were made months ago at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard.

As described  by several news blogs in March, Donnellan and Fisette are acquiescing to demands from developers who complain that the site plan review process is too cumbersome and is used as a way to pick their pockets for community benefits in exchange for site plan approvals.

The Planning Commission has already been told to approve whatever the County Board pre-approves behind closed doors in the County Board Offices. 'Coordinators' who report to Barbara Donnellan have been assigned to monitor the Planning, Housing, Transportation, and other advisory commissions to ensure their members don't stray from what was agreed-to by the County Board.

Few County Staff (including Donnellan) who are implementing the changes live in Arlington County. It's obvious that the County's bloated CPHD and DES staffs will be among the primary beneficiaries of the changes.

Michelle, 22207

Arlington Police Ignore Bad Behavior by Rolling Thunder

Hey, Yupette,

I live in Lyon Park and Rolling Thunder has arrived in Clarendon. It's obvious that the Arlington Police Department is ignoring bad behavior by Rolling Thunder's bikers. Like noise from Harleys with no mufflers (straight through pipes). Like a massive amount of reckless driving by the bikers, including several riding on the sidewalk. Like groups of bikers intimidating motorists. Nice cool night last night and of course I had to keep the windows closed and a/c on. Saw the complaints about Rolling Thunder on the Sun Gazette blog, so it's not just me and my neighbors. Apparently the Arlington Police could care less. Rolling Thunder is more overtime for them, like the pub crawls.

Thanks for your blog.

Rob, Lyon Park

County Board Signals It May Be Willing To Alter Revenue Sharing Formula With APS

Hey, Yupette,

County Board and School Board met in a joint session at the School Board this evening to present their respective 10-year Capital Improvement Programs. Two County Board members indicated that the County Board may be willing to alter the County Board-School Board revenue sharing agreement to give APS additional funds to build classrooms when classrooms are needed in FY 17 and beyond. John Vihstadt and Libby Garvey asked a number of questions about alternatives to more building of expensive infrastructure to meet increased demand

After the County Board left APS continued with a CIP work session, which included a presentation by Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operations, John Chadwick, about the costs of new school construction. Turns out the major reason new schools in Arlington cost so much to construct is because new schools in Arlington are loaded with amenities that have little to do with education. If the goal of APS were to provide enough capacity when capacity is needed APS could accomplish that by constructing buildings and additions with the essentials and defer constructing the amenities.

Unfortunately, parents of Arlington's K-12 students won't let APS do that  They heavily lobby the School Board for more amenities. Every new school has to have the same, and more, amenities than the previous new school. Also, new schools are constructed to provide evening and weekend programs to communities near the schools and to special interests.

All that would be appropriate if Smart Growth weren't packing as many people into the 16 square miles of Arlington that can be redeveloped as possible. New Urbanism is hugely expensive, to the point where Arlington Government and APS will be close to their their borrowing limits for many years. It remains to be seen how much longer Arlington residents, voters, and taxpayers will pay for Taj Mahal infrastructure.

Pat, 22201

North Fairlington Residents Fear Massive Adjacent In-Fill Redevelopment

 Hello,

Over the past few weeks several meetings were held that indicate the quality of life in North Fairlington will suffer serious negative impacts from three large projects being planned on adjacent sites.

It appears from APS CIP meetings that Abingdon Elementary School will receive a $29 million makeover and expansion to provide capacity for 750 students. Closed-door meetings between  APS and the Arlington Parks and Recreation indicate that both indoor and outdoor space at the renovated school will serve South Arlington as a sports, recreation, and activity center after school hours.

The secret deal the County Board (Favola, Fisette, Hynes, Tejada, and Zimmerman) made with the owner of Park Shirlington in 2011 to triple the on-site density and parking is going forward. Site is currently zoned for about 330 units. The first site plan review committee meeting will be held on May 19th at Abingdon School. Same old crowd of arrogant ACDC ward heelers / facilitators is expected to rubber-stamp the deal despite serious traffic and quality-of-life problems the redevelopment would generate for North Fairlington residents. Aided and abetted by ACDC's Fairlington facilitators and ward heelers.

Finally, the owner of the old Jefferson Hospital site across King Street from North Fairlington revealed plans for a massive supermarket-hotel-residental-office complex on the 4 acre site. How massive? The site will generate about 11,000 vehicle trips per day according to Alexandria Planning Staff.

Effects on North Fairlington? A big traffic mess in a quiet residential community. Re-purposing of North Fairlington's streets, sidewalks, public areas to be multi-event outdoor activity space is in the works by Parks and Recreation.

Brought to us by the New Urbanists who see every residential neighborhood as a Smart Growth redevelopment opportunity for out-of-state REITs, and planners, attorneys, consultants, architects, developers, and County Planning Staff who don't live in Arlington.

Cindy

Cost of Pike Parking Lot Increases to $358 million

Hey Yupette,

What a difference a year makes. Projected cost of the Pike $treetcar $ystem has increased from $310 million to $358 million. Arlington's 'contribution' will be $287 million. Another $227 million would be squandered on a Crystal City $treetcar $ystem funded from local revenue sources, meaning the County Manager raids the General Fund and transit funding sources. So, what will the projected cost be next year?

We've seen this before, a decade ago, when the Chamber of Commerce boosters (who are  major proponents of an Arlington $treetcar $ystem) pushed for a major league baseball stadium in Arlington. Was only supposed to cost a couple hundred million. Turned out costing DC taxpayers more than $650 million.

Enough of this. Stop any more spending on what's going to be a Pike parking lot. Same County Board majority that wants everyone on a car-free diet voted to construct or re-purpose between 13,000 and 14,000 parking spaces since January 2012.

Pike Rider

County Board Passes New Noise Ordinance in Garvey's Absence

Hey Yupette,

Too bad Libby Garvey fell off her bicycle and missed yesterday's County Board meeting. County Board ended up adopting the County Manager / County Staff recommended noise ordinance that's not going to do much to reduce noise before 1 AM in the so-called "Mixed-Use Districts" aka Party Zones drawn by County Staff who don't live in Arlington. Thanks to J.Walter "Nada" Tejada and "Gourmet" Jay Fisette, who live in Dominion Hills and Ashton Heights respectively, the noise from pub crawlers and partiers won't subside until 2 AM when the bars close. If Libby had been able to attend yesterday's County Board meeting, she, Mary Hynes, and John Vihstadt would have likely voted to start shutting down the noise at 11 PM on weekends, and earlier on weekdays. The new ordinance regulates yelling, wailing, shouting, or screaming, but not loud conversations among hundreds to thousands involved in pub crawls. That's what we hear in my Clarendon neighborhood of single family homes.

Ted - 22201

Parents of Students with Autism Beg While APS Spends Extravagantly on Sports

 Hi Yupette,

Anyone else watch what occurred at last night's School Board Meeting? Bunch of parents of kids with autism attended and begged and pleaded with the School Board to restore $270,000 in proposed cuts to APS's autism programs. It's common knowledge that the number of children diagnosed with autism is increasing. Same Arlington Public School System that can't spend enough on sports and activities that have little to do with education? And I thought the Arlington County Board's priorities are inverted!

Instead of begging to have funds restored and increased to educate APS students with autism parents should be demanding the resignation of  Superintendent Patrick Murphy and the retirement of  School Board members who support Murphy's recreation-socialization-remediation agenda.

Brenda - Wakefield Parent