FMRV to Become Team Sports and Performing Arts District

Hey Yupette,

I attended the Four Mile Run Planning Charette (pronounced 'Charade') on December 21st. Surprise. Surprise. Four Mile Run Valley will become a team sports and performing arts district, with a new team sports field house no less.

The result of more than a year of patronage promises made by County Board members (e.g., Libby Garvey) in return for special interest votes.

Little concern expressed about the loss of small businesses along FMRV and tax revenue produced by the small businesses. This was a done-deal before Dover-Kohl was invited to facilitate the charade. Which has cost taxpayers at least $500,000 (so far) for staff time and Dover-Kohl's services.

BTW, if you want to know how County Government actually operates a good place to visit is Peter Rousselot's weekly column on the ArlNow blog.

Kathy, 22206

Update - Peter Rousselot's weekly column for December 22nd can be found at:

https://www.arlnow.com/2016/12/22/peters-take-toward-a-new-model-of-arlington-civic-engagement/

395 Express Lanes - Latest Chapter in Arlington's More Car Diet Saga

Hey Yupette,

So the County Board approved a resolution calling for I-395 Express Lanes, although there is major unhappiness by the Arlington neighborhoods that would be affected. What else is new in the ongoing More Car Diet saga? County Board needs good will of Governor McAuliffe and the General Assembly to pay for a WMATA bailout due to WMATA's incompetence. And for a laundry list of vanity projects.

Can't slow down Prince William, Stafford, and Prince William residents who drive from the affordable outer suburbs through un-affordable Arlington to their places of employment where they can earn enough to afford a 4-bedroom home in a sprawl neighborhood bulldozed out of farms, forests, and along streams. The General Assembly won't allow it.

I-395 Express Lanes approval was the last in a series of actions the County Board took during 2016 to increase the number of vehicles, and vehicle trips, in Arlington, ranging from approving huge new parking garages a couple blocks from Metro stations to more parking and larger drop offs for SUV parents at Stratford Elementary School.

If you don't want to drive you can always take an ART bus, soon to be stuck in traffic at 6 mph.

Thanks for this blog.

Ted 22202

Four Run Mile Valley Insiders' Planning Charade Continues

Hi Yupette,

I live in the Four Mile Run Valley and dropped in the FMRV planning charettes several times over the past few days.

Anyone who calls what's been happening regarding FMRV planning "planning charades" has got it right. Any suggestion I made about preserving open space as open space was immediately disparaged by both so-called "community leaders" and Arlington's so-called "planning staff". Any suggestion I made about mitigating traffic and parking resulting from new parks and rec amenities was also dissed.

Appears to me FMRV parks and recreation spaces will be packed with as many people, activities, and vehicles as possible. And, based on County Government's patronage, aka vote-buying with tax dollars, multi-neighborhood canine care centers will be juxtaposed with performing arts centers and a big new WETA production facility.

So, we have to ignore these "planning charades" and determine what the County Board actually promised the performing arts groups, among others, a year or more ago.

No Way, BTW, will I ever vote for Jay Fisette who got all this started, 20 years ago.

Bethany, 22206

County Staff: Four Mile Run Valley Deterioration is 'Deliberate'

Hello,

AY wanted to know why Four Mile Run Valley is such a deteriorated mess in advance of the Planning Commission meeting on November 29th which will vote on recommending moving the Columbia Pike recycling drop-off to the Trades Center and the Four Mike Run Valley redevelopment charades that will commence on December 2nd.

Short answer is the County's Democratic Regime allows neighborhoods to become deteriorated so corporate and non-profit cronies - in partnership with the County's bloated planning, housing, and transportation bureaucracies - can impose mixed-use redevelopment (e.g., Clarendon) on neighborhood after neighborhood.

Regarding the Columbia Pike recycling drop-off, County Staff stated that it's the de facto 'neighborhood dump'. Moreover, home renovation contractors are also allowed to dump construction debris in and around recycling bins. And park their vehicles overnight near the recycling bins. Planning Commission and County Board are going to have to decide what deal the County will make with the renovation contractors and neighborhood businesses if household recycling is moved to the Trades Center.

Regarding the Four Miles Run Valley, a deal was reached years ago to allow Shirlington-Nauck to deteriorate to the point where the only option is a complete tear-down and "Clarendonization". Signature has been promised a new 500-seat theater. Rosslyn Spectrum has been promised a new theater. WETA has been promised new production studios. A dozen performing arts groups have been promised as much space as they need in at least 6 new buildings dedicated to the performing arts. All to be heavily taxpayer subsidized.

Needless to say, County Staff is very unhappy about the commercial businesses in the Four Mile Run corridor that have spent a considerable amount of money modernizing their buildings. If there's one thing County Staff doesn't want it's more upscale renovations like The Italian Store in Westover. As usual, the people on County Staff who are facilitating Four Mile Run Valley redevelopment don't live anywhere near Arlington.

Cindy

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