Public Comment Meeting on Draft Neighborhood Conservation Plan - Mar. 30 2007

2024 Meeting Schedule

Normally meetings alternate between
Alice West Fleet Elementary Library
and the
Public Montessori School of Arlington Library.
Meetings start at 7:00 PM.

Please check the newsletter for details.

Arlington Heights Civic Association has scheduled a special meeting on a matter of great importance to the neighborhood. Please make every effort to attend.

Date: Friday, March 30, 2007, 7 p.m.
Location: Patrick Henry Elementary School Library
Agenda: Public Comment on updated Draft Neighborhood Conservation Plan

Numerous neighborhood volunteers have been working, on and off since 1999, to update the Arlington Heights’ Neighborhood Conservation Plan, which dates to 1980. This important planning document is required to participate in funding from the NCAC. NCAC is a committee made up of neighborhood representatives that recommends county funded beautification projects, including streetlight and sidewalk, curb and gutter improvements. A draft Executive Summary of the draft Plan is included in this Notice. Under NCAC guidelines, those not voting or expressing opposition to the draft plan will be presumed to be in favor of the draft plan. You do not need to be a member of the Arlington Heights Civic Association to vote on the Draft Plan.

The Public Comment Period for the updated Draft Plan will begin on or before March 15, 2007. Please note that during February, AHCA’s Executive Committee will be reviewing the draft Plan. A notice will be placed on the list serve and the AHCA website, at http://www.ahca.info/, when the draft Plan is released for public comment. You may also call the neighborhood contact listed below for additional information about the time of release.

Neighborhood Contact For Public Comment:

Lynn Michaels, lynn_michaels@verizon.net; 703-979-0791. Copies of the plan will be available upon request, on or before March 15, 2007.

Review and Comment Online:

The Draft Neighborhood Conservation Plan will be posted for review online at http://www.ahca.info/. Comments can also made by clicking on the link to for public comment. If you have any trouble, please contact the web master, Richard Bullington-McGuire at 703-979- 4380 or at rbulling@obscure.org.

Hard Copy Review And Comment:

A hard copy of the Draft Updated Plan will be available in the reference section of the Columbia Pike Branch Library, located at 816 S. Walter Reed Dr. (open Mon. 10 -9, Tues. & Wed. 1-9, Thurs. 10-6, Fri. & Sat. 10- 5, Sun 1-5) on or before March 15, 2007. Comments that cannot be posted online can be submitted in writing to ATTN: Ms. Lynn Michaels, Neighborhood Contact for Public Comment, 102 S. Garfield St., Arlington, VA 22204.

DRAFT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

(Please note that this draft is subject to revision by the Executive Committee. It is meant to provide residents with notice of the major issues addressed in the updated draft Plan)

The updated Draft Plan opens with a discussion of the plan history, an overview of the survey results from the 1999 neighborhood survey, a discussion of neighborhood characteristics, including a short history of the neighborhood, demographic trends, housing stock, businesses, county and school facilities, and houses of worship. The remaining portions of the updated Draft Plan include recommendations. It is this portion of the updated Draft Plan that is included in this Draft Executive Summary, as follows.

NEIGHBORHOOD GOALS

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

Land Use & Zoning

Preserve existing zoning and land use; No habitable housing should be replaced with commercial developing, upzoning, or apartments.

Commercial Neighbors

Support local businesses; Encourage beautification projects; Eliminate predatory towing practices; Improve lighting; add county owned parking ramp that is free or metered at northwest corner of S. Garfield St. and 9th Rd. South.

NEIGHBORHOOD INFRASTRUCTURE

Streets, Sidewalks, Curbs and Gutters

Install sidewalks, curbs, and gutters throughout the neighborhood, on both sides of the street, where practical; Ensure that all sidewalks are accessible to persons with special needs; Properly maintain sidewalks, curbs, and gutters; Make recommended streetscape and signage improvements

Streetlights

Install Carlyle style streetlights throughout the neighborhood, along the entire length of the running trails at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center, in dark areas of Thomas Jefferson Middle School in dark areas, and along Arlington Blvd.

Drainage

Address drainage problems along Arlington Blvd and the service road, at Arlington Heights Park, on Walter Reed Drive at Career Center and Fenwick Center, and on S. Highland St. by Career Center

Pedestrian Footbridges

County should keep neighborhood informed of the conditions and potential need for replacement of the Jackson St. footbridge across Arlington Boulevard; the County should work with VDOT to add a second footbridge across Arlington Boulevard just east of S. Fillmore St.

Community Entrances

Due to location next to school and community center, the proposed S. Irving St. between Arlington Blvd and 2nd Street South street improvement project should be given priority funding outside the NCAC program; county should work with neighborhood to determine whether the empty lot at S. Fillmore St. and 2nd St. South can be built upon, and if it cannot, determine options for beautifying the area.

OPEN SPACE & RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

Improvements to Thomas Jefferson Community Center

Playgrounds

The tot playground should be replaced with an improved tot lot, and be relocated to another space on the Thomas Jefferson grounds; play equipment for middle school aged children should be built adjacent to Thomas Jefferson Middle School;

Athletic Fields

The athletic fields at TJ should be upgraded to permit more efficient use, thus taking pressure off areas of the TJ grounds that are not appropriate for team sport use.

Neighborhood Green Space

Park at S. Irving St. and 2nd St. South

County staff should work closely with the neighborhood to determine an appropriate use for this new park area; this park areas should be for neighborhood use, and not included in any joint-use agreement with Arlington Public Schools; this park should not be programmed space;

Arlington Heights Park

Poor drainage requires attention; improve landscaping; Fourth of July Park: Improve landscaping; upgrade fencing for safety; add water fountain (it is next to a bike path);

Green buffers along Arlington Boulevard

County should plant grassy areas along Arlington Boulevard with trees and shrubs.

Arlington County Fair

Neighborhood should continue to work with the Arlington County Fair Board and the Arlington County Police Department on ways to enhance the fair and to minimize any negative impact upon the neighborhood.

PARKS PROGRAMMING

Add programming for small children.

LITTER & PETS

County should install additional trash canisters with lids that litter cannot blow through; neighborhood should work with Thomas Jefferson Middle School and athletic leagues to encourage responsible trash disposal habits; county should enforce codes against littering and pets running off leash.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT:

Vigorously enforce the speed limit; fund and carry out neighborhood conservation projects; make recommended improvements to pavement markings and signage; work with VDOT to place no left turn signs for westbound Arlington Boulevard traffic onto S. Fenwick, S. Garfield, S. Highland, and S. Hudson; construct a series of nubs along 2nd St. South at Old Glebe Road, S. Garfield St., S. and S. Highland St., incorporating pedestrian crosswalks.

Arlington Heights Civic Association - 2007 Officers