ST. CHARLES ADVOCACY SUPPLEMENT -- SUPPORT COLUMBIA PIKE PLAN AT BOARD MEETING MONDAY
jus...@stcharleschurch.org
Support County Board Approval of Columbia Pike Plan Monday Night
This Monday night, July 23, the Arlington County Board will hear testimony regarding a proposed plan to improve neighborhoods on or near Columbia Pike and decide whether to approve the plan and its implementation. The plan is supported by the Alliance for Housing Solutions (AHS), V.O.I.C.E. Arlington (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement), and the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
Please join members of St. Charles as we in turn join with V.O.I.C.E. Arlington in urging the County Board to approve the plan.
WHEN: 6:00 PM
WHERE: We invite interested members of St. Charles to meet us in front of the parish office. We will provide V.O.I.C.E. buttons and will go to the County Board meeting as a group – either on foot, if the weather allows, or by Metro (so please bring your SmarTrip card or some money).
Two members of our community, Fr. Tuck Grinnell and Ingrid Chavez (fourth-grade teacher at St. Charles School) will testify. Let's show our support for them as well as for affordable housing in Arlington!
If you would like to meet the St. Charles group at the County Board meeting, that is fine too. Be sure to ask for or wear a V.O.I.C.E. button.
The Board meeting will be held in the County Board room on the third floor of the Arlington Court House, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Suite 300, starting at 6:30 PM.
The Arlington Court House is readily accessible by Metro (Court House station), and parking is available nearby.
If you cannot attend, please consider emailing the members of the County Board and the County Manager as soon as possible to urge them to approve the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan.
County Board
Mary Hughes Hynes mhynes (at) arlingtonva.us
J. Walter Tejada wtejada (at) arlingtonva.us
Jay Fisette jfisette (at) arlingtonva.us
Libby Garvey Lgarvey (at) arlingtonva.us
Christopher Zimmerman czimmerman (at) arlingtonva.us
To contact County Manager Barbara Donnellan, please use the feedback form at: http://www.arlingtonva.us/Scripts/FeedbackForm.aspx?to=countymanager&dom=arlingtonva.us
Questions? Please contact Elise Cleva (elise...@gmail.com) or Fred Pugarelli (fr...@stcharleschurch.org, 703-527-5500).
FURTHER INFORMATION
The Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan is a comprehensive and detailed proposal that was developed over several years, with considerable input from expert consultants, the County Housing Staff, and those living in the affected neighborhoods. The report resulted from many community meetings to solicit input and has been through numerous drafts in an attempt to reflect fairly the comments that were received. The full report and the County Manager’s assessment of it and recommendation that the County Board approve the plan, with certain revisions, can be found by going to this link:
http://arlington.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=524
The report focuses on multifamily residential sections of the Columbia Pike corridor and complements the plan approved in the early 2000s that addressed the Pike’s commercial areas. The plan focuses on saving as much affordable housing as possible despite the major redevelopment that will take place in this area. In addition to retaining all the committed affordable housing now in the Columbia Pike area, under the plan 4500 current market rate affordable housing units that could be lost to rising rents will be replaced with committed affordable housing -- 2900 units for those earning 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 1600 units for those earning up to 80% of the AMI.
The plan also focuses height and density in the right places, with appropriate transitions to single-family home neighborhoods. New green spaces will be provided, historic buildings preserved, and new street connections and bike routes will offer safe alternatives for local trips. As part of the plan, if approved, a streetcar line would be installed along Columbia Pike from the Fairfax County border on the west to Pentagon City in the east to improve transportation options and reduce the need for auto traffic along the Pike.
In addition to the County Manager, various organizations that are active in seeking to improve the affordable housing situation in the County and that have followed the preparation of the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan are recommending that it be approved by the County Board. These include the following:
(1) Alliance for Housing Solutions (AHS), whose position on the plan can be found at:
http://www.allianceforhousingsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ColPike-ADOPTION-AHS.pdf
In summary, AHS says the following about the plan:
AHS commends the Columbia Pike Plenary Group, Working Group,
and Staff on a Plan that we believe will go a long way towards meeting
ambitious, but important, goals, especially the preservation of
affordable housing. It is a good Plan that balances many goals and
complex issues across a very large area. We hope that the approach
taken—integrated planning for land use and housing -- will become the
County’s model.
(2) Arlington V.O.I.C.E., which notes that, although the Plan does not contain specific provisions for families and individuals earning below 60% of AMI, if approved it will be the largest and boldest affordable housing plan ever adopted by Arlington County. It would also be the model for satisfying affordable housing needs elsewhere in Arlington. A range of stakeholders have asked for V.O.I.C.E.'s support. At the County Board meeting, V.O.I.C.E presenters will emphasize the need for a new dedicated County revenue stream to ensure 100% implementation of the plan and to finance new affordable housing elsewhere in Arlington, especially on County owned land. Arlington VOICE can be reached at rtbu...@verizon.net
Advocates are urged to attend the County Board meeting on this issue Monday evening and recommend the County Board approve the proposed Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan, subject to the County Manager’s proposed revisions in the plan and the recommendations of the Alliance for Housing Solutions regarding the plan in its letter of July 18 to the County Board. In particular the County should substantially increase its financial commitment to affordable housing to achieve County housing goals and targets in the Columbia Pike area and throughout the County.