Shirlington-Nauck to be Redeveloped into Another Shirlington Village

Hi Yupette,

I attended thd Four Mile Run Valley Working Group meeting last night at the County's Trades Center. Surprise. Surprise. The done-deal is for Shirlington-Nauck to be redeveloped into an performing arts corridor, with a 500-seat theater and many other types of spaces for the performing arts (e.g. dance) and affordable live-work housing for performing artists.

Making the pitch for a performing arts corridor was the cultural affairs division of Arlington Economic Development, which has done little or nothing over the years for the commercial and industrial owners of older buildings in the corridor. Not only will Shirlington-Nauck be completely de-industrialized but there are no plans to construct long-needed community amenities for Nauck-Shirlington and South Arlington (e.g., a hardware store, a consumer electronics store, a shoe and leather repair shop, and so on). So future residents will not only have to drive miles for auto maintenance but for basic needs like cordless phone replacement batteries. And providers of essential services, like HVAC maintenance, will be forced to drive to Arlington from places like Stafford County.

County Board brought in Dover-Kohl for the usual design charettes (pronounced "charades"). Same Dover-Kohl responsible for gentrification planning for Columbia Pike and Lee Highway. As usual, the working group is packed with "community leaders" who go along with the program, yellow dog Democrat "facilitators", and performing arts group lobbyists.

Another older neighborhood, another Smart Growth redevelopment opportunity.

Fairgirl, 22206

Public Not Sufficiently Informed About Tonight's Alexandria-Arlington-Falls Church Joint Work Session

Hey, Yupette:

Turns out three imporatant topics will be discussed at tonight's Alexandria - Arlington - Falls Church joint work session, to convene at the Durant Arts Center, 1605 Cameron Street in Alexandria, at 7 PM.

(But first there will be a closed dress rehearsal meeting by the County Board at 3 PM).

So, the topics to be discussed tonight are all important:

Staff presentation about multi-modal transportation and land use across jurisdictions, focusing on the Route 7 corridor;

Planning for a future multi-jurisdiction 9-1-1 connunications system; and,

Short term residential use (e.g., accessory dwellings, bed-and-breakfasts, and so on).

The staff reports for the meeting only appeared this morning on the County Board's Web site at arlingtonva.us

Nothing seen on the local media.

Media may report tomorrow what decisions were made without public input or a public hearing

Thanks for your blog.

2100

County Board Hires Another County Auditor. Does It Matter?

Hey, Yupette,

After months of searching the County Board finally hired another County Auditor, Dr. Chris Horton, from the Fairfax County Public School System. Concomitantly, the County Board is energizing a citizen fraud, waste, and abuse hotline.

But does it matter? Dr. Horton will be constrained as to what he can investigate and audit by the County Board's Democratic Majority. Complaints made to the citizen fraud, waste, and abuse hotline will be passed on to a committee composed of Old Guard Democrats for 'evaluation'.

Will the massive long-time fraud on taxpayers - hundreds of students attending Arlington public schools when neither parent lives in the County - be investigated? Will the County Board's pet car tax decal program - a complete waste of tax dollars - finally be ended? It's possible, but not likely.

After all, the way Libby Garvey and the rest of the Democrats on County Board get elected, and re-elected, is by buying votes with tax dollars, no matter how illegal or wasteful the program.

Thanks for your blog.

Charles, 22206

County Board Approves New Live Theater on Former Arlington Funeral Home Site

Hey Yupette,

Wonder why the County Board's closed meeting was so long Tuesday afternoon? Because the County Board made another deal for another new live theater. This one on the former Arlington Funeral Home site, at 3901 Fairfax Drive. This was a mixed use redevelopment deal that fell through ten years ago, then the funeral home was demolished, and the site's been used as a vehicle storage lot by Mercedes Benz of Arlington. County Board's deal on Tuesday revived a subsequent 2012 deal for a mixed use redevelopment of the site, including a live theater.

County Board plans to build at least two more live theaters, one in Courthouse and another in Four Mile Run / Nauck as part of a new performing arts zone to replace the present industrial uses.

As for which live theater group or groups would benefit, there is little doubt that the County Board's pet theater groups, Signature and Synetic will have major roles in the new theater's organization, management, and productions.

2100

ArlNow Sought to Humiliate Clement at Democrats' Sehkraft Victory Party

Hello,

AY learned early this week that the ArlNow news blog, owned and published by Scott Brodbeck, planned to humiliate County Board Independent candidate Audrey Clement during the Arlington Democratic Party's victory celebration at Sehkraft last night. Based upon e-mail provided to AY by a Clement campaign insider, Brodbeck invited Clement, who has been demonized for years by Arlington's Democrats, to an ArlNow interview at Sehkraft last night without telling Clement that Arlington Democrats would be holding their victory party at SehKraft.

Clement initially agreed to the interview, but sensibly asked Brodbeck to be interviewed in a neutral setting when she learned that she was being set up for humiliation or worse. Members of the family that owns and operates SehKraft were unaware that Brodbeck had invited Clement and other non-Democrat candidates to be interviewed at Sehkraft until told by a Clement campaign worker. The Arlington police were also informed about Broadbeck's antics.

Another episode in the ongoing saga of the media elite who profit from Smart Growth gentrification vs. Arlington residents like Audrey Clement whose moderate income apartments are slated to be bulldozed for luxury townhomes.

Cindy

Audrey Clement for Arlington County Board

Hello,

AY polled our contributors and it's no contest - Audrey Clement has our endorsement to replace Libby Garvey on the County Board.

After 35 years of one-party government in Arlington time is long overdue for another Independent on County Board. Since Libby Garvey joined the County Board in 2013 the pace of New Urbanism in-fill has accelerated. The Penzance mega-development in Rosslyn, approved in secret just after Libby joined the County Board, was finlly officially approved yesterday and sets the standard of how not to plan redevelopment. It will get worse in Rosslyn, and elsewhere in the County if Libby and the County Board pack the County as much density as possible while demanding few or no proffers from developers. Any developer proffers that are offered are almost always offset by massive amounts of so-called bonus density.

Libby Garvey is great at making secret corporate welfare deals with developers. She's terrible at planning for the County's population growth, and maintaining basic public infrastructure. She's done nothing about helicopter noise in her own neighborhood. Same for crumbling streets and third world street lighting in Fairlington. She allowed school population growth to reach crisis levels when on the School Board and County Board, while marketing the County as 'Portland on the Potomac'.

Like other Arlington Democrats, Libby only gets re-elected by buying votes from special interests with tax dollars, by the County's bloated public informtion - aka New Urbanism propaganda - machine, and by revenue-hungry local media. Also by condoning behavior that's illegal, like surrogate voting and letting non-resident Democrats who vote in Arlington send their children to Arlington public schools.

We agree with Audrey Clement that the County's quality-of-life is deteriorating in Arlington's suburban neighborhoods and things will get worse. We are appalled that Libby Garvey and the County Board would even consider dis-interring the remains of one of Arlington's pioneer families so a church can proceed with so-called PTL redevelopment. That and many more secret mixed-use redevelopment 'done deals' are in our future if Libby Garvey is re-elected.

Cindy

Coming to Your Neighborhood Next Memorial Day -- Libby Garvey's B-and-B Done Deal

Hey Yupette,

I'm a former Civic Federation delegate and dropped by the hospital Tuesday to hear the County's done-deal accessory dwelling unit presentation and consternation from residents of neighborhoods like mine who will suffer the consequences. Also attended the County Planners' presentation at Key School Wednesday night. Met and conversed with Audrey Clement but did not see Libby Garvey. Done deal? No fooling. Obviously worked out between the County Board and County Planning Staff. No data whatsoever presented about positive and negative consequences. Another fire-aim-ready program. Consequences? What are consequences? It's obvious to me that Libby Garvey and the County Board run the County like Bill and Hillary run the Clinton Foundation. Audrey Clement has my vote. Libby's salary should be cut to zero. She's worthless.

Mike 22207