County Board Promised Amazon $10 - $20 Billion

Hey Yupette,

How much did the County Board promise Amazon? Between $10 billion and $20 billion, depending on how well Amazon and the local economy perform over the next 20 years. Basic deal is that Amazon redevelops Crystal City for its new headquarters and in return Amazon is exempt from real estate and business taxes Amazon would have to pay in Arlington. Amazon would also be exempt from some State taxes. The County would also provide Amazon the same incentives it's been giving to REITs like JBG/Smith and Forest City, most recently at the County's 'Christmas in July' meeting earlier this month.

Think of a family owning a McMansion assessed at $1.5 million today to be assessed at $4.5 million in 2038 not having to pay Arlington real estate taxes or State income tax over the next 20 years. Only Amazon wouldn't have to pay businesses taxes either and would get various kinds of essential infrastructure constructed at the County's expense.

Whether that's good for Arlington's residents, taxpayers, and voters with a County Government addicted to growth-for-the-sake-of-growth and which is always scrounging for a million here and a million there won't be known until years after the County and Amazon sign the deal.

Bears repeating that most of Arlington's decision makers don't live in Arlington, or if they do, live in exclusive enclaves and disappear a few years after they make deals for extravagant projects. Like Jay Fisette and his aquatics center.

2100

'Christmas in July' County Board Meeting Saturday

Hey, Yupette,

Arlington County Board's Annual Christmas in July Meeting will be held on July 14th with the carry-over Meeting on July 17th.

Biggest for-profit County Board Gift Recipients this year are Ballston Quarter (formerly Ballston Common) Mall Owner and Operator Forest City, and Crystal City Owner and Operator JBG/Smith (also the Landlord for the County Office Building). Placed on the County Board's Consent Agenda, of course.

Usual Christmas in July spending on the Consent Agenda for extravagant parks, recreation, and sports facility makeovers, grants to wealthy arts organizations, AHIF loans for more extravagant subsidized moderate-income housing (e.g., Berkeley Apartments).

Biggest non-profit Gift Recipients are various County and other bureaucracies (e.g.,WMATA) who will spend $2.8 billion over the next decade via the County's Capital Improvement Plan and funds from bond referenda (this year's referenda will allocate $243 million).

This year the County Board MAY throw a few crumbs to ordinary Arlington residents in the form of tax relief for Seniors and not having to bother affixing personal property tax stickers to vehicle windows anymore.

Too much more on the gift list to write about here, so go to arlingtonva.us -> County Board -> Meetings and Agendas and check it all out.

2100

Virginia's Democratic Leadership Responsible for Amazon Consequences

Hello,

Some local residents are convening at Arlington's Central Library tonight (June 21st) to try to determine what the consequences would be if Amazon accepts whatever the County has offered in the way of inducements for Amazon to build another headquarters here.

Why did Arlington County even bother to contact Amazon? Two reasons. County Government is completely addicted to growth-for-the-sake-of-growth. And, more important, because Virginia's Democratic Leadership allowed Crystal City to become a run-down, high-vacancy mess.
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Reality check - the Navy and a number of defense contractors began leaving Crystal City two decades ago. First important BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) consequences to our Region occurred in 1995. Second occurred in 2005. What did VIP Democrats do to prevent Crystal City becoming a commercial Ghost Town between 1998 and today? Ask Senator (former Virginia Governor) Mark Warner. Ask Senator (former Virginia Governor) Tim Kaine. Ask our former former Congressman, Jim Moran. Ask the Democratic elected officials who served between 1998 and today in Northern Virginia.

While we HOPE Arlington County Government's Democrat New Urbanist Progressives made a rational and sane offer to Amazon, it's more likely County Board Democrats reacted to Arlington's pervasive 20% commercial vacancy rate by offering Amazon a corporate welfare deal Amazon can't refuse.

Arlington's Trails and Sidewalks: Too Dangerous for Pedestrians

Hey Yupette,

I agree that bicyclists are out of control in Arlington. All the trails, e.g., W O & D trail are too dangerous for pedestrians. So are many congested sidewalks, including those in the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor, Shirlington Village, Westover Village, and Columbia Pike in the neighborhoods around Four Mile Run. Neighborhoods I once visited.

I live in Cherrydale. I stopped walking on the trails last year. Last week I was almost hit by a guy riding a racing bike on the sidewalk on Wilson Blvd near the former NSF building. Enough. If County Government wants to allow free-range bicycling on sidewalks, I'm not walking in those neighborhoods. Bikeshare is the worst. Bikeshare's corporate motto has to be Safery Last. I took a photo of a Bikeshare rental station and as you can see there's no safety information at all. Much less a helmet vending box.

As for the police enforcing traffic ordinances related to bicycles forget it. They're too busy writing tickets for people who operate motor vehicles. How many? I discovered ACPD is on-track to write 30,000 this year.

So if the County wants me to shop in "vibrant" Ballston, forget it. I'm starting to order more from wonderful Amazon and signed up to have groceries delivered from Giant. Which only leaves driving out to work on I-66 in the morning and in to Arlington at night

Thanks for your blog.

Ted, Cherrydale

Arlington School Board Inherently Biased Against Washington and Lee

Hey, Yupette,

So where is the School Board coming from in its quest to rename Washington and Lee High school?

The School Board majority, Reid Goldstein, Barbara Kanninen, and Nancy Van Doren grew up in states that were both anti-slavery before the War Between the States and whose state regiments were major participants in Civil War battles. From a Web search it appears that Reid Goldstein grew up in Upstate New York, Barbara Kanninen grew up in Minnesota, and Nancy Van Dorn grew up in Connecticut.

The School Board minority, Monique O'Grady and Tanya Talento, apparently grew up in the D.C. metro area.

Except for Monique O'Grady it appears that none of the School Board members lived in the former Confederate states for any significant time before they moved to Arlington.

In recent decades both Robert E. Lee and George Washington have been demonized as slaveholders in so-called Progressive states like Connecticut, Minnesota, and York and in the D.C. area public schools.

At least two current School Board members attended public schools whose names and / or names of their sports teams became an embarrassment and were changed.

Thanks to the local media becoming little more than facilitators for the status quo the only way we can determine where candidates for public office are coming from is by doing Web searches ourselves, and through FOIA requests.

Thanks for this blog.

Terri, 22201

Bikeshare - More Arlington County Board Corporate Welfare

Hey Yupette,

First, thanks for this blog. Much appreciated by this former Democrat and current Independent.

I was almost hit twice by Capital Bikeshare riders while walking on the sidewalk in Virginia Square, where I live. Visited Capital Bikeshare's Web site twice to ask when Bikeshare was going to do something about the reckless behavior of its customers. Never received any response.

So I perused Capital Bikeshare's Web site again to so try to determine who's in charge at Capital Bikeshare. First thing I found is that Capital Bikeshare is no longer owned by Alta in Portland. Capital Bikeshare and other metropolitan bicycle rental companies are owned by a company named Motivate International, headquartered in New York City. This company is run by a former head of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Then I found an informative feature on the Fast Company Web site. Turns out Motivate International is owned by a corporate entity named Related Companies, a huge real estate developer. Who owns Related Companies? A mega billionaire named Stephen M. Ross.

Here's the link to the Fast Company Web page:

https://www.fastcompany.com/3055168/love-citi-bike-you-have-a-real-estate-developer-to-thank/

So I have to ask, why doesn't Motivate International provide helmets, safety vests, and riding classes to its customers? And why is the County Board always voting to subsidize this wealthy, wealthy company, which has very deep pockets?

Maybe someone can ask the County Board at it's next meeting.

Madison, 22201

More Car Diet Party's Over Here In Ballston

Hey, Yupette,

I live in soon-to-be-gridlocked Ballston, and walked over to the Merlex previously-owned vehicle lot on Glebe Road across from AED over the weekend. Even more packed with upscale vehicles than the last time I visited. This time there were Ferraris parked next to the Bentleys and Maseratis.

'Car Free Diet' is an even bigger County Government charade than 'Affordable Housing'. Every other County Board meeting another upzoning of the General Land Use Plan to pack more people and their vehicles into this neighborhood. Then bicycle fanatics like Fibbin' Libby Garvey drive around in their SUVs telling us we have to ride bicycles 24/7/365

Next big thing to generate more vehicle trips will be the grand opening of the new Alfa Romeo-Fiat-Maserati dealership at the other end of Glebe Road. Followed by the expansion of Car2Go. Followed by I-66 and I-95 Express Lanes extended a dozen miles farther out. When will it end? When the Urban Village becomes an Urban Nightmare with multi-modal gridlock. Meaning hundreds of vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians trying to use the same major intersections at the same time. When will that occur? Sooner than we think.

Thanks for this blog.

Sandy, 22201