BCA Announcements
Join us!
The Bluemont Civic Association is a member-driven organization. Please join us, and have a vote! Annual dues are $15 per calendar year per household. Please provide your name, address and e-mail and $15 with your check made out to “Bluemont Civic Association” to BCA Treasurer, PO Box 5134, Arlington, VA 22205. All information is for BCA use only. When we can resume membership meetings in person, dues can be paid at meetings.
Connect with Bluemont!
- Facebook: Like our Bluemont Civic Association page on Facebook for regular updates on news of interest to Bluemont and the civic association activities www.facebook.com/bluemontcivic.
- Website www.bluemontcivic.org for BCA meetings and official information.
- BCA E-Mails: Neighbors who provide their e-mail address to exec@bluemontcivic.org receive e-mail reports monthly on issues affecting Bluemont residents, and civic association activities.
- Contact the Executive Board: BCA welcomes comments, suggestions and questions from members. Contact us at exec@bluemontcivic.org
Come celebrate Thanksgiving by ringing Bluemont's bell at noon!
Constitution Garden Park, aka the corner of N. George Mason and Wilson Blvd (4855 Wilson Blvd). Everyone gets to ring the bell! We'll have grab-and-go bags for the kids, and the young at heart. Come join this family-friendly Arlington traditioning the bell! We'll have grab-and-go bags for the kids, and the young at heart. Come join this family-friendly Arlington tradition!
Resolution for a VOTE at our Wednesday, December 15 General Membership meeting: N. Carlin Springs Road Safety Improvements.
Members of the Bluemont Civic Association have voted to advertise the attached resolution for a vote at our December 15 General Membership meeting, which begins at 7:30 pm. The resolution is the result of nearly a year of work by BCA's N. Carlin Springs Road Safety Committee, including surveys of residents near this road in the Bluemont and Arlington Forest neighborhoods. For information on this effort, please see
http://www.bluemontcivic.org/northcarlinsprings.php.
Bluemont Civic Association members are encouraged to join the discussion and vote on this resolution. Here is the link to register for the meeting.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErceyqqDMoGtGTxZGz9Tm2-kGwhcQa4BQr
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The public engagement specialist for the recent reconfiguration of Wilson Blvd between
N. Frederick Street and George Mason Drive has updated her recommendation on
where people could report concerns about the effects of the recent reconfiguration of
Wilson Blvd.
She recommends reporting problems through the County’s “Report A Problem” tool,
using the category of “Transportation Investigations” request. The link for the Report A
Problem tool changed after publication of the October 2021 Bluemont Civic Association
newsletter. This is the link that currently works:
https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Topics/Report-Problem
She recognized that the note under this category that “Data collection, review and
assessment can take up to 9 months” may be off-putting, but said use of the tool
ensures the information enters workflow of responsible County staff. She also noted
that with any roadway changes, a period of adjustment is anticipated as road users
learn and adapt to the new changes.
She provided a new link for this project page Resurfacing for Complete Streets 2021,
since the link provided to the civic association and used in our October 2021 newsletter
stopped working when the County updated its website.
https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Projects/Project-Types/Transportation-Projects/Resurfacing-Projects-for-Complete-Streets-2021-Season
The Bluemont Civic Association will be discussing the recent changes to Wilson Blvd at
our Wednesday, October 27 virtual General Membership meeting, which begins at 7:30
pm on zoom. The link to register is listed above.
Arlington County has received an application for a minor site plan amendment for the “11th and Vermont” project
https://projects.arlingtonva.us/projects/11th-vermont/ that was approved by the County Board in 2018. This property is located adjacent to the Bluemont Civic Association.
The applicant is proposing a change to the green building certification level for the multifamily building that is to be constructed on the southern parcel at 1031 N. Vermont Street. The current requirement is that the applicant achieve an Earthcraft Certification plus Performance Badge, however, they are proposing to change that certification to LEED Silver. Additional project details can be found at this
link.
A Bluemont Civic Association Board Member contacted the County planner to ask what this change in the green building certification level meant. The planner informed us that:
“The two rating systems (LEED and Earthcraft) are administrated by different third parties; LEED is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council while Earthcraft Virginia is administered by Viridiant. Both rating systems are required to submit reports and findings about the meeting of green building standards. The County has standard condition language guaranteeing that reports will be submitted throughout the construction process and beyond to ensure these standards are met.
The biggest difference is that the two rating systems have different requirements for multifamily projects and Earthcraft is more prescriptive. For example, Earthcraft has more specifically prescriptive elements for certain U-factors (energy efficiency) that are required for windows and doors, while LEED allows for flexibility on how buildings reach the efficiency thresholds. Our staff has reviewed their proposal and have asked them to specifically meet certain energy requirements to ensure that the LEED Silver certification is comparable to the Earthcraft certification level they are currently required to achieve.”
This project is scheduled to be heard by the County Board on November 13, 2021. Please let me know if you or any members of the Bluemont Civic Association have any questions or concerns about this proposal.
People with views on this requested Minor Site Plan amendment are encouraged to contact
Courtney Badger, AICP
703.228.0770
Principal Planner | Planning Division
Arlington County
2100 Clarendon Boulevard | Suite 700
Arlington, VA 22201
Bluemont residents are also welcome to contact the Bluemont Civic Association with any views.