| October 1998 v1, n1
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Ringing In Labor Day at Constitution Garden |
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It’s a neighborhood tradition. Ron Ross and his young friends from the neighborhood, (from left to right: Maura, Dan, Kateri, Megan, Brian, and Liam), ring in Labor Day at the neighborhood bell at Constitution Garden located at N. Geo. Mason Dr. and Wilson Blvd. Ron and his wife Ann are keepers of the bell’s clapper and have been ringing the bell at noon on federal holidays and at midnight on New Year’s Eve since Constitution Garden was dedicated in 1987. |
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NEIGHBORHOOD DAY FUN FAIR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 Neighborhood Day is a community-driven project, with activities organized by volunteers who have a strong sense of civic pride. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, October 3 and will consist of neighborhood events and countywide festivities including a parade down Clarendon Blvd. starting at 3PM, ending up at #1 Courthouse Plaza. Immediately following the parade, the celebration will begin on the plaza and continue the day’s theme of honoring Arlington’s youth. In our neighborhood, the Arlington Traditional School and the Bluemont Civic Association are co-sponsoring a Health and Fun Fair from 10AM to 2PM at the Arlington Traditional School located at 855 N. Edison St. There will be games, crafts, and other activities. Staff from Arlington Hospital will provide health tips, there will be bike helmet safety instructions, and at noon, the neighborhood bell will be rung across the street at Constitution Garden. The entire community is invited. So reserve this date and help celebrate Neighborhood Day with the ATS PTA and your neighbors. |
A NEW NAME FOR THE ASSOCIATION The process that began last spring concluded on September 15 with a vote to change the name of the Stonewall Jackson Citizens Association to Bluemont Civic Association. The last remaining connection between the neighborhood and the Stonewall Jackson name ended when the local elementary school became the Arlington Traditional School. The Stone-wall Jackson name was originally suggested by neighbors in 1926 for what was then referred to as the Bon Air School. A special committee of the Association met over the summer to discuss and recommend a new name for the Association. The committee suggested the Bluemont name for the Association after recognizing that the Bluemont Junction Bicycle Trail passes though most of the neighborhoods starting at Ballston and ending up at Bluemont Park. Although the Stonewall Jackson name was part of the Arlington landscape for over fifty years, the Bluemont name no doubt will prove more in character with and descriptive of the community. The new name will serve us well in the coming years. |
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Neighborhood Infill Projects |
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Pictured above is new construction in the 600 block of N. Illinois St. The original house on the property occupied two lots, but the lots fronted Bluemont Dr., which was never constructed. The developer took advantage of the situation by re-subdividing the lots to allow the two lots to front N. Illinois St. The original home was demolished to make way for the construction of two new homes. The entire process was by-right, meaning that neither a public hearing nor any other neighborhood input was required. The issue for the neighborhood is that the new homes are out of character with the other homes on the block. The height of the new homes in particular are out of proportion with the surrounding homes as can be seen in the picture. |
Pictured below is another infill site that
takes advantage of an extra lot. This development is located in the 500
block of N. Abingdon St. where an existing house was also demolished to
make way for two new homes. The issue here is the manner in which the
site is being maintained. It is a particularly trashy job in the middle
of a residential neighborhood on a well traveled street. If you look carefully,
you may be able to pick out the mattress under the track of the excavation
equipment. Also note the silt fence is not being properly maintained and
is no longer effective. 
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Pictured above is the site of a twelve unit townhouse development at N. Wakefield St. and Wilson Blvd. known as Ballston Village II. The two original houses on the properties making up this project were demolished in late May. This project was also by-right. There was some neighborhood input in the site plan because the developer needed Association support when it came time for the County to approve an alley vacation. However, the developer took advantage during the demolition of the houses to perform general site grading. The issue here is that the site was allowed to remain in a denuded condition for over three months during what is generally the summer thunder storm season. State sediment and erosion regulations require that temporary stabilization of the soil with vegetation occur if a site is to remain idle for more than 30 days. So far the contractor doesn’t appear to be following the storm water pollution prevention plan requirements of the site plan. |
The problems identified here are fairly common throughout the County: new construction that does not take into account the surrounding neighborhood and doesn’t really fit in; poorly maintained and potentially unsafe construction sites that do not separate the work from the public; construction sites that are not sensitive to storm water quality from site run-off; and the lack of enforcement of local and State regulations on the part of County agencies. What you can do. Stay informed about what is going on in your neighborhood. Make your voice heard. Talk to your neighbors. Be part of the process that is assessing infill, traffic, infrastructure, local businesses, and parks and green space needs in your neighborhood. Invest a little time to keep your street a comfortable and safe place to live. Your help and input makes a difference. The Association is taking the lead in the Civic Federation, Neighborhood Conservation, and the County’s site plan review process. There’s a great deal that we can do together. If you’re planning to stay, join the Association.
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Why it’s important to Vote: On November 3, Arlington County voters will have the opportunity to express support for four proposed general obligation bonds: Public School Projects ($50,705,000), Westover & Shirlington Libraries ($8,000,000); Local & Regional Parks & Recreation ($17,055,000), Streets, Highways & Community Conservation ($24,055,000). The Streets, Highways and Community Conservation Bond Issue provides funding for the construction and rehabilitation of streets and highways, bridges, curbs and gutters, bikeways, sidewalks and other pedestrian ways including neighborhood traffic calming efforts. More importantly, this bond issue makes funds available for Arlington County’s Neighborhood Conservation Program and our neighborhoods. Since the beginning of the Neighborhood Conservation Program in 1964, the County has promoted the use of public funds to improve, upgrade and preserve the older residential areas of Arlington. The program is unique in the U.S. in that it provides dedicated funding to neighborhoods, which set their own priorities for physical improvements. This is different from most traditional community revitalization programs, where decision-making typically resides in county or city departments. Neighborhood Conservation operates on the premise that the people who know best the needs and future direction of their community are those who live in the neighborhoods. It is a grass-roots, citizen-directed process that allows Arlington residents to set the direction for their own neighborhoods. While Neighborhood Conservation is part of the County government, decisions regarding program policy, plan review and funding recommendations are made by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC). The NCAC is the only Arlington County volunteer commission whose members are wholly selected from the "bottom up" – each NCAC member is sent to the Committee by his or her civic association. Each neighborhood has one vote in NCAC deliberations. Your NCAC representative is Carl Hallinan (703) 812-4797.
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This program was started 34 years ago as a citizen response to rapid growth in the county and the crying need for improvements such as roads and parks. Neighborhood organizations (usually civic associations) prepare multi-faceted plans. Forty-five neighborhoods participate in the Program -- most have completed plans, or are in various stages of plan preparation, or are updating older plans. Citizens initiate plan development and work with Neighborhood Conservation staff to move plans through various drafting stages and NCAC review. Then the County Board formally "accepts" a Neighborhood Conservation plan as the expression of community needs. Once a neighborhood has an accepted plan, it then may request that the NCAC consider projects proposed in the plan. Projects are accepted on a twice-yearly basis, and are ranked according to priorities set by the neighborhoods and by the NCAC. There is $3.8 million set aside in the two-year Community Conservation Bond issue for Neighborhood Conservation projects, an increase of over $1 million from the previous bond cycle. This funding does not represent an increase in overall infrastructure bond improvements, rather it provides priority for citizen-directed improvements that are badly needed. For additional information about the Program, please contact your NC representative or Program Coordinator Chris Nixon at 228-3820. |
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News From Around the Neighborhood |
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Ballston Gateway Mixed Use A site plan request for a mixed use office, retail and hotel development which includes three buildings (two 11-story buildings and one 19-story building, all with five levels of underground parking) along the east side of Glebe Road from Wilson Blvd. to N. Fairfax Dr. will go before the Planning Commission on October 5 and the County Board on October 17. As part of the development, the Association is seeking left turn lights at the intersections of Wilson and Fairfax, and a turn signal at the corner of Fairfax and N. Vermont . Bon Air Tot Lot Construction Begins Construction of the new Bon Air Tot Lot should be completed within the next two weeks. The Association worked with County Staff in the design of the new play area, which will resemble a ship. The tot lot will be near the parking lot off the bike trail adjacent to the Bon Air Rose Garden. Harris Teeter Construction Construction of the new Harris Teeter grocery store is underway at the corner of Glebe Rd. and Randolph St. The store should open by next summer. Bluemont Park Caboose Improvements A brick platform, asphalt path, and picnic tables with roofs will be added at the Bluemont Park Caboose. The caboose is located near the former site of the Bluemont Junction Station. An historic display will eventually be added. The caboose currently doubles as headquarters for the County Park Rangers who patrol the bike path on weekends by bicycle. Sidewalks on N. 5th St. The sidewalk construction project in and around the 5000 block of N. 5th St. should be underway within the next few weeks. Neighbors and County staff who have been working on the project for almost four years are eagerly looking forward to the start of work. New Watermain and Streetscape Watermain improvements are planned for N. Illinois St. from 5th St. N. to north of the bike trail. The trail crossing work may not occur until spring given the difficulty in working around the high voltage electric beneath the trail and the need to obtain permits from Virginia Power. |
Missing Links Projects Work may begin this fall on curb and gutter in the 900 block of Buchanan Street. Paving of the dirt path from N. 9th St. to the bike trail may also be included and picnic tables added to the small grove of trees opposite the apartment complexes. The County may also try to construct curb and gutter along Bluemont Dr. south of the bike trail between Emerson and Illinois St., if not this fall, then in the spring American Service Center Used Cars An expansion of the American Service Center Sales Facility (a nice way of saying used car lot and offices) is being planed for the vacant 6300 sq. ft. parcel at the corner of N. Quincy and Glebe Rd. This is considered a temporary expansion until a new showroom is built at the site sometime in the future. N. Glebe Rd. Overpass The Association has been part of a public request for a pedestrian bridge over Glebe Rd. near Carlin Springs Rd. This would link the residential areas west of N. Glebe Rd. with the Ballston Commons Mall and Metrorail. Ballston Commons Mall has recently committed funding ($100,000) for engineering work. This matches a similar commitment from the Harris Teeter site plan. The project has also been recommended by the Transportation Commission’s Technical Committee for $850,000 in funding in FY 1999. New Wilson Blvd. Park Concept plans for the three properties in the 6000 block of Wilson Blvd. purchased by the County in August 1997 were reviewed on September 15 at a community forum held by County Parks. The participants in the forum seemed to favor a mixed use park with a youth sized athletic field, skate board area, and shaded picnic area. Plans also include an interpretive trail and children’s nature trail. The facility would be fenced with the added advantage that there would be staff management and oversight of the park. There is no funding as yet and the final build-out of the park is 2 to 3 years off. The skate board community has been quietly seeking a safe place to skate. Prince William Co. is planning its second skate board park and Fairfax is planning its first. Arlington does not have a park for skateboarding.
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Robin’s Nest Creation is Leaving Robin Robinson is leaving the neighborhood and closing her store at 5150A Wilson Blvd. at the end of November. Be sure to stop in and visit her before she leaves. We wish Robin the best. It’s small businesses like hers that make up a good part of our community. We need to support all our local businesses. ATS Neighbors Disappointed Neighbors directly across from the Arlington Traditional School were disappointed that officials from the County School Superintendent's office were unable to provide landscaping for the temporary classrooms that were installed this summer in front of the school on N. Edison St. in time for the start of classes. The landscaping was considered important, not only for the neighborhood, but also for the students using the temporary facility. The hope is that the school system will come through with the promised landscaping in time for this fall’s planting season. Neighborhood Commuter Parking Over 40 commuter automobiles park daily along N. Fairfax Dr. and Buchanan St. near the Bluemont Bicycle Trail to take advantage of unzoned street parking. Parking even extends to N. 10th St. on the west side of Geo. Mason Dr. Although legal, the parking and traffic it brings can be a problem because of the narrow streets, lack of sidewalks, and relatively fast speeds that commuters drive when competing for the coveted spaces that are a five minute walk to Metro. Parking is unrestricted because there are no residences fronting the streets. Volunteers Needed Your talents and a little bit of your time would be appreciated. Volunteers for Neighborhood Day are still needed. Even an hour of your time to help set up or close down the event would be great. Please contact Laura Brothers (525-6443) or Gerry Procanick (524-3764) if you can help out. Santa Recovers Red Sullivan, our neighborhood Santa, hopes to have recovered from knee surgery in time for his Christmas schedule. Red has worked the Santa circuit for more years than he can count, including Ayers Variety and Hardware Store in Westover and the White House. Santa plans to visit us at our Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 9 at 7PM. And you’re invited! |
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[The Neighborhood][Neighborhood
Conservation] |