RENEW/JOIN! If you haven't paid your 2010 dues or wish to join BCA click here!
2010 Neighborhood Conservation Plan Online Survey
Update: Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey. It is now closed, and results are being tabulated.
The Arlington Neighborhood Conservation Program is a County effort where we as residents of Bluemont produce a plan that presents our vision for our neighborhood. Once completed and accepted by the Arlington County Board, the Bluemont Neighborhood Conservation Plan (NCP) is used to guide the County, potential developers, businesses and others to better understand what Bluemont residents believe now and in the future will make our neighborhood livable and lovable. It also encourages their decisions to be consistent with our plan.
This survey is an important step in revising the Bluemont NCP. Your response will help to produce a plan that reflects Bluemont residents’ current opinions and wishes. When complete, a proposed plan will be presented to the BCA membership and, if approved, to the Arlington County Board for its acceptance.
Bluemont Village Center Design Forum
Bluemont Village Center Design Forum Is Rescheduled for 2/17
In accordance with the closing of Arlington Public School (APS)—including Arlington Traditional School—on Saturday (2/6/10), the Bluemont Civic Association (BCA) is canceling its 2/6 Bluemont Village Center Design Forum. The forum is rescheduled for Wednesday, 2/17/10 at 6:30 pm. Details about the rescheduled forum appear below.
All Bluemont residents, property owners, and business owners are invited to participate in a design forum on Sat., 2/6/10, sponsored by the Bluemont Civic Association (BCA). At the forum, we will discuss and solicit ideas from all stakeholders to create a community vision to guide the future revitalization of Bluemont’s Wilson Boulevard commercial corridor (from N. Greenbrier Street to N. George Mason Drive).
The forum will be led by Jane S. Kim, a county design engineer and graduate student at Virginia Tech, who is working with Bluemont residents as part of her graduate project to produce a design framework for a unified Bluemont Village Center.
The results of the design forum also will be used to update Bluemont’s Neighborhood Conservation Plan, a civic association document that records Bluemont’s development guidelines and goals for the next 10 years.
Saturday, February 17, 2010 - 6:30 pm
Arlington Traditional School, 855 N. Edison Street.
Renew Your BCA Membership for 2010!
According to Treasurer Judy Collins, approximately 140 members still need to renew for 2010. Bring cash or check for $15 to the 1/20/10 meeting. Or mail a your check, made payable to Bluemont Civic Association, to BCA Treasurer, P.O. Box 5134, Arlington VA 22205. (Check your newsletter’s label to determine your membership status; if the label says “Paid thru 12/31/2009,”—or earlier—you need to renew for 2010.)
2009 Survey - NC Plan Update and the Village Center Concept
In March, BCA voted to formally update its NC Plan. This fall BCA will distribute an in-depth questionnaire to all Bluemont households (approx. 2,000) as part of the NC Plan update process. In order to garner initial feedback for this and the proposed village center concept, a brief preliminary survey is available online and in the latest newsleter.
Survey complete - Thanks to everyone who participated!
Please Fence Us In!
On January 29, several BCA members met with the county’s trail manager, Kevin Stalica, and landscape architect, Aaron Wohler, to discuss replacement options for the split-rail fence removed from Bluemont Park on 8/2/08. Stalica reported that a new continuous fence would cost approximately $20,000; a noncontinuous fence would cost approximately $10,000. The new fence will be located along the trail between N. Emerson and N. Harrison Streets.
It was noted that the cul-de-sacs on the north side of the Bluemont Junction Trail might need boulders or smaller sections of fence to prevent vehicular access to the park. Low-maintenance shrubs (4 feet or less) or small trees may be desired as part of an intermittent fence design, and there is some interest in incorporating herbs or a community garden if there are plantings. The Parks and Natural Resources Division will work with the community to select the plants once a design has been selected.
There is no current plan to construct a sidewalk along Bluemont Drive. If BCA would like a sidewalk, then the request for a sidewalk, curb and gutter can be made through the Neighborhood Conservation program.
On 2/25, BCA members will vote on the type and extent of the new fence, including any plants that may be included in the design.
Read the January 29th meeting summary.
Check out the 2 plans presented by the county:
Document 1
Document 2
View pictures of options from other neighborhoods:
Virginia Highlands rail fence
Lee Heights splitrail fence
Safeway Redevelopment, Take 2
JBG-Rosenfeld is studying the Safeway site on Wilson Boulevard to determine if it would be a feasible location for redevelopment. JBG's representative has suggested that this redevelopment would retain the Safeway store. The Mid-Atlantic Safeway group is soliciting bids that are probably contigent on increasing the height and density well beyond the three stories allowed by right under current zoning and the General Land Use Plan (GLUP). To make this project financially feasible, JBG (the developer of the Peck-Staples site) would likely build a 4- to 6- story apartment building with a new Safeway on the ground floor. The County Board favors upzoning and up-GLUP'ing the area.
In 2002, there was a similar attempt to demolish the entire block (including all single-family homes on the Safeway block) in order to erect a building with approximately 280 condos/apartments. Several BCA members drew the media's and Safeway's attention to the project's excessive density and height for what is a predominately residential neighborhood well beyond the Metro's quarter-mile "bull's-eye" for dense development. Ultimately, the developere abandoned the project.
- Click for more details on the 2002 Safeway redevelopment.
Safeway and Rental Trucks
And in other Safeway-related news, read about the ongoing situaiton with D&V Service Center's Budget rental turcks.
- Safeway’s letter to D&V/BCA outlining its offer to allow Robbie to park the Budget trucks at Safeway
- Bluemont's request to Safeway
Get in the loop! Join our Google groups.
Want to get information on the latest BCA news and events?
Join BluemontCivic @ Google Groups.
Want to talk with your neighbors and share info and ideas about your local community?
Join BluemontCivicTalk @ Google Groups.
Accessory Dwelling Issues
At BCA's June meeting, the membership voted overwhelmingly for a second time to oppose the county's proposed zoning ordinance to legalize accessory dwellings (AD's) in single-family homes. Members raised three main concerns. First, there would be increaed pressure on street parking, which is already in short supply. Second, given that many of these units exist illegally already, there seems to be little incentive for owners to obtain a permit. Finally, given the ineffectiveness of code enforcement to date, it seems unlikely that code enforcement personnel would be effective in monitoring the new accessory swellings.
In July, BCa sent a letter to the County Board noting its objection to the AD zoning change. Despite opposition from civic associations and many members of the community, the County Board approved the change. Board member Mary Hynes provided the lone dissenting vote.
Read the July 18th letter from BCA to the County Board opposing the accessory dwelling proposal.
View slides of a presentation given by Susan Retz of the Accessory Dwelling Subcommittee at the March 31st Accessory Dwelling public forum held at the Arlington County Central Library.
View a Feb. 27th report submitted by BCA member Matt Johnson on accessory dwellings.
Bob Peck/Staples/Jordan Manor Property Redevelopment
Jordan Manor and AHC documents:
- County Board memo announcing the Jordan Manor agenda item for its July 19 meeting.
- Document outlining the funding inflow/outflow for AHC’s new affordable housing building, The Jordan.
- February Bricks and Mortar Subcommittee Report
Mar. 26, 2008 - Read a Recap of the Peck-Staples preconstricution meeting by John Herickhoff
Feb. 23, 2008 - The Arlington County Board today approved a mixed-use project for the last unplanned redevelopment site in the Ballston Metro station area. The project will replace the former Bob Peck car dealership with office buildings, affordable apartments, townhouses and retail space. To read the full version of this release on the Arlington County website, go here: http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/Communications/PressReleases/61238.aspx
For more information regarding BCA's role in the development plan, contact Terry Serie (tlserie@aol.com).
See the current site plan layout here (PDF)
June 18, 2007 Walking Town Meeting Report.
A large number of Bluemont residents came out to show they are concerned about keeping new developments west of N. Glebe Road in harmony (height, tapering, architectural style, and materials) with the adjacent residential neighborhoods on N. Tazewell, N. Vermont, N. Wakefield, N. Woodrow, and N. Abingdon Streets.
Some 150 residents participated in the two-hour meeting.
Read the WTM Report - complete with lots of pictures!
WTM Summary of Results as of 10/04/07
Finalized Neighborhood Infrastructure Plan List
At the June 27, 2007, annual meeting, a motion was made and seconded to approve the revised June 25 version of the Neighborhood Infrastructure Plan (NIP) list for BCA and to grant the Executive Board authority to amend the NIP list as appropriate and finalize it for submission to the County later in the summer. The motion was unanimously approved by the membership. A finalized list was created after the August 14 Executive Board metting.
Click here to read more.
Click here to read the NIP list.
Neighborhood Infrastructure Plan
Click here for more.
Existing Neighborhood Conservation Project Status
Click here for more.
BLUEMONT is a vibrant, friendly community of more than 5,000 people in west central Arlington
County, near Washington, DC.
(County PDF Map).
Neighborhood page.
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What's Going On in Bluemont?
Important issues facing our neighborhood, status of neighborhood conservation projects, Arterial Transportation Management, I-66 widening and more.
Meeting Minutes
Check the record from our General Membership and Executive Committee meetings, as well as special project meetings.
Newsletters
Association Newsletters from September 1998 to present in PDF format.
The Neighborhood
A map of BCA boundaries, photos of our parks and neighborhood events. We're working on a Life in Arlington section and need your help. If you'd like to send us your recollections and/or donate your own pictures of the neighborhood, past or present, e-mail us. We'll scan them and return them.
Local Links
Helpful links to local businesses, county, state, transportation/DMV services and offices; civic, cultural and historical affairs.