Clement Asks Sanders Supporters to Join Her Campaign, Calls for a Moratorium on Smart Growth

Hello,

AY received a press release from Independent Audrey Clement's campaign for Arlington County Board. In the interest of fairness, AY is printing the press release in its entirety, since Dr. Clement has been ignored by the local Media to the extent they barely acknowledge her campaign's existence.

For Immediate Release: August 1, 2016

Clement for County Board,
http://www.audreyclement.com

Contacts:

Audrey Clement, Candidate, Arlington County Board, 571-830-8889
aclement65@hotmail.com
Emily Pfister, Media Advisor, 703-307-5668, epfister@yahoo.com

ARLINGTON, VA -- County Board Candidate Audrey Clement Calls for Sanders Supporters to Join Her Campaign

I'm Dr. Audrey Clement, Independent candidate for Arlington County Board.

I applaud the efforts of all those Arlington voters who worked hard to make Bernie Sanders the Democratic Nominee for President, and I share your disappointment that Senator Sanders did not succeed,

I happen to share a lot of Bernie's values, among them a sincere interest in good government. As an Independent, I will place meeting the needs of all Arlington residents first and the wants of wealthy special interests last on my agenda when elected to County Board.

So I'm asking you to join my campaign, to make progressive changes locally that you tried to make nationally.

I live in affordable housing that's in danger of being bulldozed for million dollar townhomes, displacing seniors, students, the disabled, and the working poor. I want affordable housing preserved and new affordable housing built that's actually affordable for everyone in Arlington.

I've ridden a bicycle everywhere for decades. But bicycles shouldn't be Arlington's only transportation altrnative to more parking for thousands more single-occupant vehicles.

And it's time for on-site renewable energy installed throughout the County.

It's time for electric vehicles throughout our County, charged by renewable energy sources.

It's time to put a moratorium on Smart Growth -- which is just an euphemism for gentrification -- until there's a comprehensive evaluation of where Smart Growth is taking our County.

Who wants to live in a County that is unaffordable to anyone who earns less than 100% of area median income, or $110,000 per year?

Not me.

My opponent says she's "progressive". She initially voted against the Pike Streetcar and the most extravagant excesses of the Democratic Old Guard. But, having been challenged in a primary election by an Old Guard Democrat, she's gone back to rubber stamping the Arlington Democratic Party's agenda.

With your help we can have better, more diverse, County Government at less cost.

I urge you to visit my website -- http://www.audreyclement.com -- to volunteer, donate, or read and comment on my blog.

Audrey Clement, Ph.D.

County Board Makes Mega Deals While Existing Infrastructure Crumbles

Hey Yupette,

I let the newspapers I read accumulate for a couple weeks and thought I would toss them in the paper recycling bin located on the Pike at South Four Mile Drive. Surprise. There wasn't just the usual amount of construction debris, and household junk the Goodwill store across the street won't accept, there was so much junk dumped around the recycling bins that there was no way I could toss in my newspapers. The little parking lot was packed with home improvement contractors' trucks, so that's a likely source of the construction debris. Who in DES gave the contractors permission to park in this lot and dump debris on this site?

Meanwhile, County Board spends its time making mega deals for Pike redevelopment. Latest was Wellington Apartments, where the "affordable housing" will be for Millennials who work at the Pentagon.

Oh, BTW, this is Katie Cristol's and Christian Dorsey's neighborhood.

Thanks for your blog.

Pike Rider, 22204

County Board to Celebrate Three Days of 'Christmas in July'

Hello,

A.Y. contributors just completed reviewing the County Board's agenda for it's annual "Christmas in July" Meeting. (AHIF Christmas gifts are still being wrapped). This year the County Board is making it a three day celebration - July 16th, 19th, and 20th.

Again this year there's a gift for everyone, County's bureaucracy, APS, for-profits, and non-profits both on the Regular Agenda and the Consent Agenda stocking stuffers.

Going down the Consent Agenda it's interesting to note the various memoranda of agreement between the County and various entities where no cost estimates are provided (e.g., MOA between the County and Bishop O'Connell High School).

As usual, the big expensive gifts are going to the developers via the Regular Agenda. This year the New Urbanist County Board is outdoing itself trying to pack as many people, vehicles, and human activities into as little space as possible (e.g., Christmas gift to Penzance for massive redevelopment of one block in Rosslyn).

As usual, no proffers from developers, or if there are you can be certain the proffer is a money-maker for the developer. And wealthy non-profits are again receiving hand outs via the Consent Agenda.

Entire meeting agenda should be on-line by tomorrow, including AHIF gifts.

Cindy

Libby's Neighbors: 'Never Mind the Gondola, Pave Our Streets First'

Hi Yupette,

I live in Libby Garvey's neighborhood of Fairlington (the kind of Urban Village the County is always talking about but actually wanting to bulldoze for "smart growth") on both the Arlington and Alexandria sides of Quaker Lane.

What is it with the County wanting to spend millions on a Gondola to Georgetown? Our streets in Fairlington badly need repaving, including those in Libby's neighborhood (photo attached).

I am not going to ride a bicycle in our neighborhood until the streets are repaved. Libby was seriously injured in a bicycle accident in Fairlington when she hit a pothole on South Buchanan street. The pothole's been filled but S. Buchanan Street still needs repaving.

I met Libby's opponent, Audrey Clement, who has ridden a bicycle around Arlington for years. Audrey wants the basics, like street paving, funded first. So do I.

Shame on Libby. She opposed Pike streetcar, apparently because she doesn't like streetcars. Now she and the County Board are wanting to waste money on a tourist gondola they do like. How about running rubber-tired tourist trolleys (like those on King Street in Alexandria) across Key Bridge instead?

Thanks for this blog.

Kathy, S. 35th Street

Garvey at County Board Transportation CIP Work Session: Silent About BRT on the Pike

Hello:

AY sent a correspondent to cover the County Board's Transportation CIP Work Session this week. The topic of transit service on Columbia Pike came up repeatedly. County Board Member Christian Dorsey dememaded higher capacity rush-hour transit service on the Pike. County Trasnportation Staff responded: 'Don't worry, be happy, plenty of excess capacity if everyone moves to the center of the bus'.

Insofar as bus rapid transit and double deck buses on the Pike, the County Board went along with County Transportation Staff's disapproval. County Board Chair Libby Garvey didn't mention bus rapid transit, articlulated buses, double deck buses, anything besides County Transportation Staff's recommendation that the County purchase new 40-foot buses, paint them blue, and designate them 'premium service' on various routes. Oh, same old lies from County Transportation Staff that a double deck bus won't fit under the new Washington Boulevard - Columbia Pike bridge which has over 17 feet of clearance over the Pike. Same old lies from County Transportation Staff that BRT 'won't work' on the Pike. Same old County Transportation Staff that throws cold water over traffic mitigation (except for bicycles) after including thousands of new vehicle parking spaces concomitant with new office and residential mixed-use site plans every year

So, after months of lobbying for bus rapid transit on the Pike two years ago, Libby Garvey is settling for premium Metrobus service by 2019. That's what we get for re-electing Democrats to the County Board -- more of the same-old, same-old.

Cindy

Libby Garvey Votes for Massive Urbanization, Lives in an Urban Village

Hey Yupette,

Thanks for your blog. Yes, County Government and especially the County Board are core members of the New Urbanist Cult. They and their corporate cronies from the out-of-state real estate trusts are out to completely urbanize Arlington. "Car Free Diet", "Urban Village", and "Walkable Communities" are huge charades. Whatever Lyin' Libby may say she votes for massive urbanization, neighborhood after neighborhood, no matter how unhappy that makes residents of suburban neighborhoods in Bluemont, Lee Highway, Ballston, Clarendon.

So where does Lyin' Libby live? In an Urban Village that includes once-affordable Fairlington and the restaurants, retail, and essential services providers across Quaker Lane in the City of Alexandria. No resemblance to vibrant Shirlington Village, by the way.

Not only is Libby's neighborhood a walkable urban village but more real community amenities, like an immediate care facility and speciality supermarket, are moving to Libby's neighborhood. Unlike Arlington, older buildings in Libby's neighborhood are being substantially renovated. So are the shopping plazas.

What I see in Libby's neighborhood is what's typical of Arlington's other New Urbanist VIPs...they don't want Smart Growth anywhere near where they live, while 80% of Arlington neighborhoods are on their Smart Growth redevelopment opportunity to-do list.

I'm voting to put Audrey Clement on the County Board before Arlington is overwhelmed. Only a matter of a few years. I live in Claremont and no one in Arlington Government cares about massive new urbanization near us on Route 7.

Linda

Fairfax County Planning Commission Approves Big Redevelopment Density Increases for Bailey's, 7 Corners, Annandale

Hello,

One of AY's contributors who's familiar with planning and zoning issues attended the Fairfax County Planning Commission meeting last night. What was up for discussion and a vote, as it affects Arlington, was a significant increase in density in Planned Residential Mexed Use and Planned Develpment Commercial sectors of Bailey's Crossroads, Seven Corners and Annandale. In other words, Smart Growth redevelopment.

A description of this proposal appeared in the Metro Section of last Sunday's Washington Post.

Fairfax County Planning Commission decided to approve a FAR 5.0 maximum on new redevelopment rather than a lower density. FAR is an acronym for floor area ratio, the ratio of the total floor area of the building to the area of the lot on which the building is constructed (e.g., 250,000 square foot building on a 50,000 square foot lot).

The FC Planning Commission voiced little concern about traffic and parking. The impact of traffic on Arlington, Alexandria, and Falls Church wasn't on the FC Planning Commission's radar. If they weren't concerned about the impacts on Lake Barcroft, Sleepy Hollow, and Linconia, why should they be concerned about the impacts on adjacent neighborhoods in Arlington, Alexandria, and Falls Church? Multi-modal-multi-jurisdiction gridlock? What's that?

This up-zoning is on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisor's agenda for its meeting the afternoon of June 21st. You can check out the staff reports on the FC Planning Commission's and FC Board of Supervisor's Web sites.

Cindy