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
Upcoming BCA Meetings
Residential Construction Questions? Join Our October 27 General Membership Meeting, 7:30 pm!
A goal of the Bluemont Civic Association is to help neighbors effectively engage with Arlington County government,
and help the County government more effectively engage for people in Bluemont. Our October 27 meeting will
discuss residential construction with a presentation and Q&A with Stephen Risse, Zoning Policy, Research and
Information Management Supervisor, and Kimberly Kalaha, Zoning Plan Review Assistant Manager.
LINK to Register for the October General Membership meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0odeigqDssGdW_CNthejme7xQfEU5U-5v8
November 17 General Membership Meeting, 7:30 pm: Homelessness in Bluemont – What Can We Do?
Our November meeting will feature a presentation and Q&A with Scott Miller, Sr. Director of Philanthropy for
PathForward (formerly known as the Arlington Street People’s Assistant Network, ASPAN)
https://pathforwardva.org. Get your questions answers, and learn how we can help.
LINK to Register for the November General Membership meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIlceCopj4vHtaSJqi18_cH4SUdQH8M2uRA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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.