CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, April  12th, 2021, 7 pm – 9 pm

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, April  12th, 2021, 7 pm – 9 pm
Location: ONLINE
7:00 PM President’s Update / Goals for Meeting (Ron Haddox)
7:05 PM Approval of March 8th, 2021 Minutes the April Meeting Agenda (Marian and Ron)
7:10 PM – Potential Capital Bikeshare station on S Scott St and 12th St S
                 Zack  DesJardins – Bikeshare & Scootershare Planner
7:25-7:45 PM  Presentation by Takis
7:45-8:45   Q&A – Takis
    • Late-night sirens and cruising on the pike (Josh)
    • Speeding concerns through Arlington Village (especially S. Barton, S. 16th, and S. Edgewood)
    • We continue to experience ongoing issues at the intersection of S Edgewood and 11th St S. County’s reply is that it won’t accommodate another crosswalk at the northern portion because of the geography on the Western side/Walgreens driveway/sidewalk configuration. We need them to propose a resolution to this dangerous area. What else can be done before someone gets seriously hurt or worse? 
    • Rappahannock site: will the County be involved in collaboration with the developer to try to court desirable commercial tenants for the street-level commercial spaces? For example, the neighborhood desires to see businesses such as a deli/bakery, ice cream store for families, other similar establishments. 
8:45 PM Old Business Updates / New Business
  • Form-Based Code (Juliet)
  • Membership/Treasury update (Josh)
Please post your questions for Takis to ronhaddox@hushmail by April 5th. Please use “Questions For Takis” in the subject line.
NOTE: If you didn’t receive an invitation link please contact Ron – “ronhaddox@aol.com”.

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, March 8th, 2021, 7 pm – 9 pm

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, March 8th, 2021, 7 pm – 9 pm
Location: ONLINE
7:00 PM President’s Update / Goals for Meeting (Ron Haddox)
7:05 PM Approval of Feb. 8, 2021 Minutes the March Meeting Agenda (Marian and Ron)
7:10 PM 2400 Columbia Pike (Rappahannock) Major Use Permit Amendment
7:10-7:30              Presentation by Applicant
7:30-8:00              Q&A
8:00 PM Old Business Updates / New Business
  • Newsletter (Marian)
  • 3rd District Officer Follow-up Steps
  • Fenced enclosure on S. Glebe Rd. / S Walter Reed Dr.
  • Form-Based Code (Juliet)
  • Pike Park (Reggie)
  • Late-night sirens and cruising on the pike (Josh)
  
NOTE: If you didn’t receive an invitation link please contact Ron – “ronhaddox@aol.com”.

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Feb 8th, 2021, 7 pm – 9 pm Location: ONLINE

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Feb 8th, 2021, 7 pm – 9 pm
Location: ONLINE
7:00 PM President’s Update and the goals for tonight – (Ron Haddox)
7:05 PM Approval of the Meetings tonight agenda and the Jan 11th meeting minutes. (Marian and Ron)
7:10 PM Support of Desired Open Space Equity in Arlington – Presentation (Jesse Boeding)
7:30 PM Updates
  • Newsletter (Marian)
  • 11th Street & Edgewood – Update and Next Steps –  (Marian)
  • NC Plan Update (NCAC next project proposal & 12/10 deadline, discussion.) –  Z285_Proposed Design
  • Affordable housing/Drew impact – (Erin & Marian
  • 3rd District Officer Follow up Steps Needed.
  • Fenced enclosure on S. Glebe Rd. / S Walter Reed Dr. Updates?
  • Form-Based Code – Update (Juliet)
  • Arlington Forestry and Natural Resources Plan Focus Group – (Juliet)
  • Vision Zero Update: Comment on the draft Action Plan and Join Us on 2/11 for a Virtual Q&A (Eric)
  • Pike Park Update (Reggie)
  • NOTE: If you didn’t receive an invite please contact Ron – “ronhaddox@aol.com”.

Water Main Replacement Project: 3100/3200 Blocks of 14th St S

Water Main Replacement Project: 3100/3200 Blocks of 14th St S
Arlington County is installing new water infrastructure in the 3100 and 3200 Blocks of 14th St S. As part of the County’s asset management program, water distribution mains are regularly evaluated for rehabilitation or replacement. The water main in your neighborhood meets the criteria for replacement.

The water main installation project limits: 14th St S from S Walter Reed Dr to S Glebe Rd.

The County contractor (E.E. Lyons) is scheduled to begin work the week of January 18th, 2021. The work is anticipated to take between 30 and 40 days depending on weather.  No weekend work is anticipated.

Residents should expect inconveniences such as: dust, mud, noise, debris, possible reductions in water pressure, short interruptions in water service, temporary traffic and parking restrictions. We will make every effort to minimize the inconvenience and we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.

Once the new water main installation begins the road may also be closed to thru traffic but never to the residents that live on the block.  Reasonable accommodations will be made to the residents that need to come and go during the day.

Residents should look for temporary “NO PARKING” signs, which will be on the streets a minimum of two days before parking is enforced. Once the signs are posted, the parking area must be cleared of all vehicles. Failure to do so will result in your vehicle being towed. If your vehicle is towed, please call the Arlington County Police Department at (703) 558-2222.

If you or any residents have questions, please contact our construction manager, Ric Schultz at (703) 228-4826 or rschultz@arlingtonva.us.

For any after-hours emergency, please call our 24-hour Water Control Center at (703) 228-6555.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Water Main Replacement Process

The work will take place in several stages:

Please be aware that the stages described below may not be continuous.  There may be periods of inactivity in between.

  • Marking of existing utilities, saw cutting of existing asphalt and movement of equipment and material to the street.  The duration varies as crews are finishing up other work and getting ready to begin this project.
  • Construction of the new water main and fire hydrants (this can take a few weeks weather dependent).
  • Testing of the water main where pressure and bacteriological tests are performed to help ensure the water main has been built according to the standards. This can take up to week.
  • Disconnecting water services from the old water main and reconnecting services to the new water main. If galvanized services are found, the services line will be replaced from the main to the meter and we will notify you. Your water will be turned off for a short period of time when your house service is transferred to the new water main. You will be notified when this happens.
  • Abandoning the old water main and removing/relocating old fire hydrants. The water main may be shut off in the street for a short period of time. Advance notification will be provided.
  • Restoration of the site – The new water main trench will be restored with new asphalt. Any disturbed sidewalk, curb, and gutter will be replaced with new concrete.  Any disturbed grassy areas will be seeded and covered with a layer of straw.

How you can help:

  • Please do not park on the portion of the road that is closed.  Park your vehicle in the driveway or clear of the construction area.
  • The worksite will have equipment, material and other hazards, so keep clear of work and storage areas.

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Jan 11th, 2020, 7 pm – 9 pm Location: ONLINE

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Jan 11th, 2020, 7 pm – 9 pm
Location: ONLINE
7:00 PM President’s Update and the goals for tonight – (Ron Haddox)
7:05 PM Approval of the Meetings tonight agenda and the Dec  7th meeting minutes. (Marian and Ron)
7:10 PM Form-Based Code – Update (Juliet)
7:20 PM Updates
  • Newsletter (Marian)
  • 11th Street & Edgewood – STOP sign discussion (Marian)
  • NC Plan Update (NCAC next project proposal & 12/10 deadline, discussion.) –  Z285_Proposed Design
  • Affordable housing/Drew impact – (Erin & Marian
  • 3rd District Officer Introduction – Questions/Comments for our next meeting on Jan 11th.
  • Fenced enclosure on S. Glebe Rd. / S Walter Reed Dr.

Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee Project for CHCA

To:      Residents of the Columbia Heights neighborhood

Monday night members of Columbia Heights Civic Association approved a first-priority project to be submitted to the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC) this Thursday (December 10).

The group discussed three possible projects but settled on one that would provide new street lights running down S. Edgewood Street, from Columbia Pike to 13th Road, going around the corner on 13th Road, and looping around to S. Cleveland Street all the way back to Columbia Pike.  The project would include the side streets of 13th Street and 12th Street, between Cleveland and Edgewood.  This “loop” would include undergrounding infrastructure.

The other projects considered included upgrading the pocket park at S. Cleveland Street and 11th Street, and the possibility of sidewalks on some blocks within our civic association area (although no specific block was identified).     If you have any comments or suggestions about any of these options, please let us know as soon as possible.

Thanks
Ron Haddox
ronhaddox@aol.com

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Dec 7th, 2020, 7 pm – 9 pm Location: ONLINE

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Dec 7th, 2020, 7 pm – 9 pm
Location: ONLINE
7:00 PM President’s Update and the goals for tonight – (Ron Haddox)
7:05 PM Approval of the Meetings tonight agenda and the Nov 9th meeting minutes. (Marian and Ron)
7:10 PM Form-Based Code – Update (Juliet)
7:20 PM Updates
  • Newsletter (Marian)
  • 11th Street & Edgewood – STOP sign discussionLetter/Plan  (Marian)
  • NC Plan Update (NCAC next project proposal & 12/10 deadline, discussion.) –  Z285_Proposed Design
  • Affordable housing/Drew impact – (Erin & Marian
  • Green Valley/Columbia Heights – Boundary Vote at CivFed.
  • 3rd District Officer Introduction – Questions/Comments Planning for our next meeting on Jan 11th.
  • Vision Zero – The County Board committed the County to this issue through the adoption of a “Vision Zero” policy, charging us to develop goals and action plans toward eliminating death and serious injury from traffic collisions. We encourage advocates for safe transportation options to get engaged through the County’s Vision Zero Planning effort, https://transportation.arlingtonva.us/vision-zero/. Right now, our Vision Zero team is taking input regarding experience-based safety concerns. If you have a moment, please visit this website: https://transportation.arlingtonva.us/vision-zero/get-involved/ to learn more about this planning process.
  • Traffic Concerns in CHCA Review by Transportation Engineering and Operations (TE&O) team review your material and provide a status report regarding each of the following items you have indicated as incomplete or requiring follow-up.
List of Concerns/Requests:
  1. Stop Line request for westbound approach of the intersection at 12th Street South and S. Edgewood
    1. Stop Sign Location review to address visibility concerns at this intersection. Include any information available about landscape encroachments.
  1. Stop Line(s) request (all directions) for 13th Street South and S. Edgewood
    1. Stop Sign Location review to address visibility concerns at this intersection. Include any information available about landscape encroachments.
  1. Crosswalk marking request at northern crossing of S. Edgewood and 11th Street South. From my understanding, this would not be accommodated due to the fact that an accessible curb ramp does not exist at the northwest corner of this intersection. The crosswalk would be necessarily placed in direct conflict with the driveway apron at the rear of the Walgreens parking lot. A capital project would need to be identified to reengineer this location to provide an ADA accessible curb ramp. I also note from the street view at this location that the a manhole cover is almost directly aligned with a logical crosswalk location, which would complicate the work necessary to create the referenced curb ramp. As a reminder, marking a crosswalk does not create a “legal” crossing, nor does absence of a marked crosswalk represent an “illegal” crossing. A legal crosswalk exists whether it is marked or not, and pedestrians in Virginia may cross at any safe gap in traffic. Crosswalks are only marked where it is safe to do so and they meet necessary criteria, including accessible curb ramps at both ends.  
 
  1. Confirm location(s) of streetlights to be added along S. Edgewood – with noted location of block between 12th St. S. and 13th St. S.  
  1. Confirm intent and schedule for post-construction traffic investigation and 4-way stop analysis at S. Edgewood and 11th Street South. We may need to have a description the behavior involving illegal u-turns better to assess this concern. My understanding has been that It is legal to make u-turns within an intersection in Virginia as long as the intersection is otherwise clear of oncoming traffic and/or pedestrians. Regarding illegal parking, parking enforcement is distinct from traffic engineering, and we would advise residents or businesses to refer to Police Non-Emergency 703-558-2222 for reporting in-process traffic violations.

    Regarding 4-way stops, we remind requesters that STOP controls are placed in accordance with the Federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), and not used as traffic calming but to control the intersection when warranted based on traffic and/or pedestrian volumes, as well as other specified criteria. Any individual or Civic Association may request an analysis of a STOP control, but there is no special treatment based on neighborhood. Each is analyzed independently and objectively based on the criteria referenced in the MUTCD.
  1. Confirm locations and schedule, if available, for concrete projects for S. Edgewood curb ramps.
  1. Traffic safety investigation for intersection(s) of S. Walter Reed Drive at 13th Street South and 12th Street South. Based on another recent complaint and request for traffic enforcement at a nearby intersection – 14th Street S. and Walter Reed – Our Police Special Operations and Traffic Enforcement Section made a considerable effort to temporarily intervene with nearly all available enforcement methods we have available at this location. ACPD-SOS deployed a speed classifier at this location from August 25th – 31st, 2020, measuring over 56,000 vehicles. This classifier collects speed data, which showed that 12.8% of vehicles measured were traveling 5mph or more above the posted speed limit. 2% of vehicles were speeding at 10mph or more above the limit. While this is not an insignificant number of speeding vehicles, it does not meet the standard, County Board adopted definition of “speeding problem,” which is defined as “when the 85th percentile speed on the affected street/s or street segment is 5 mph or more over the posted speed limit”. DES-TEO may have more information to share upon review at the locations you’ve identified.
Ben Aiken (he/his/him)
Arlington County Manager’s Office
703.228.1762

 

  • NOTE: If you didn’t receive an invite please contact Ron – “ronhaddox@aol.com”.

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Nov 9th, 2020, 7 pm – 9 pm Location: ONLINE

CHCA Membership Meeting, Monday, Nov 9th, 2020, 7 pm – 9 pm
Location: ONLINE
7:00 PM President’s Update and the goals for tonight – (Ron Haddox)
7:05 PM Approval of the Meetings tonight agenda and the Oct 19th meeting minutes. (Marian and Ron)
7:10 PM Form-Based Code – Update (Juliet)
7:20 PM Updates
  • Newsletter (Marian)
  • 11th Street & Edgewood – STOP sign discussionWe have a plan!  (Marian)
  • NC Plan Update (Laura Simpson – Planner, Neighborhood Conservation Program) –  Z285_Proposed Design
  • Affordable housing/Drew impact – (Erin) – 

 

  • NOTE: If you didn’t receive an invite please contact Ron – “ronhaddox@aol.com”.

Early Voting Still an option!

Arlington has had over 70,000 early votes. But Columbia Pike, and the 22204 zip code neighborhoods, have completely underperformed the rest of Arlington. 
 
It’s still not too late to vote early and avoid long lines on November 3. Voting at Walter Reed continues all this week, from 2 pm to 7 pm, with the last day of early voting on Saturday, October 31.
Note that early voting on Saturday is from 9 AM to 5 PM (not 2-7, like the rest of the week).

Group Letter Opposing N-FBC Amendment

Group Letter Opposing N-FBC Amendment 10-13-20 updated

From Our Letter to ACB: Last week the Planning Commission barely eked out a vote in favor, with half of the commissioners present either voting against or abstaining (6-4-2). The Housing Commission then voted 7-3 to recommend you reject the proposal and instead direct staff to study affordable homeownership throughout the county as part of the upcoming Affordable Housing Master Plan review. We agree with the Housing Commission’s position and urge you to reject the proposed amendment.

Columbia Heights Letter Opposing Increase N-FBC AH Elig 10-13-20 rev ex 1

October 17, 2020, County Board Agenda Item #46.B. N-FBC-11 Amendment to the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance Article 11.2 Section 902 CPN-FBC Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Form-Based Code Districts (Appendix B of the Zoning Ordinance) to adjust the Area Median Income (AMI) limit for affordable homeownership units from 60% of AMI to new limits that range up to 80% of AMI and up to 100% of AMI

ORA Statement to the Arlington County Board 

ORA Statement to the Arlington County Board on the Proposed Amendment to Arlington County Zoning Ordinance Article 11.2 Section 902 “CPN-FBC” Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Form-Based Code Districts (Appendix B)

John Snyder letter to County Board re FBC amendment AMI levels

I am writing to urge you to reject the proposed changes to homeownership income requirements in the Columbia Pike Neighborhood Form-Based Code. While promoting middle-income homeownership is positive, these changes would do so by undermining the Pike Neighborhoods Form-Based Code’s purpose–preserving affordable homes for nearly 6000 moderate-income households along the Pike. The County should find another way to promote middle-income homeownership, on a county-wide basis, concurrent with the coming review of the Affordable Housing.

NFBC Pryor 2020-10

Background Material for County Board on Item #47
Neighborhoods Form Based Code
October 17, 2020

Background Material for County Board on Item #47

Background Material for County Board on Item #47
Neighborhoods Form Based Code
October 17, 2020

CB testimony Pryor 2020-10-17

Good morning, my name is Stefanie Pryor. I was horrified when I read in the report that staff wants to better align the Neighborhoods Form Based Code with the overall cost of homeownership within the County

Kathleen McSweeney letter 10-14-20

I served on the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan and subsequent Implementation Tools working group (along with Mr. Karantonis) that resulted in the Neighborhood Form-Based Code (FBC). There are several concerns that have been raised by many regarding this proposal, but I will keep this brief and will focus on the original goals of the FBC, the appropriate process for comprehensive change to align housing policies County-wide, and the timing of this change.

 

Housing Commission Letter 10-14-20

CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMISSION ON HOUSING – ERIC BERKEY, CHAIR

Delegate Lopez Letter_ to County Board on AMI

I’m writing to oppose the proposed effort to raise the eligibility for affordable housing from 60% to 100% of area median income (AMI) at the Arlington County Board Meeting on Saturday. The proposal is not supported by the communities along Columbia Pike and runs counter to the Neighborhoods Form-Based Code (N-FBC).

Alliance Housing Solutions N-FBC 10-15-20

We are writing on behalf of the Alliance for Housing Solutions and the undersigned supporters to address the proposed update of the income targeting for homeownership units under the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Form-Based Code (N-FBC). We recommend that the County Board defer action on the proposal so that some key flaws in the policy can be addressed, preferably as part of the pending five-year update of the Affordable Housing Master Plan.

10.14.2020 Arlington Branch NAACP Letter to County Board (Form-Based Code)-Final

On October 8, 2020, the Arlington Branch NAACP attended and provided public comments before the Housing Commission to oppose the county staff’s recommendation to target the Columbia Pike community with an amendment that would reduce or perhaps eliminate this important housing stock in the county. The Housing Commission voted 7-3 to recommend the County Board reject the proposal and instead direct staff to study affordable homeownership throughout the county in the upcoming Affordable Housing Master Plan review. We support the Housing Commission recommendation.