We want to express our support for the Office of Planning’s (OP) proposed amendment to allow occupancy of rooftop penthouses, and to increase the maximum height of penthouses from 18 feet 6 inches to 20 feet. The amendment has…
Author: Elena Sorokina
Testimony on Conceptual Site Plan for Melford Village
We are writing to request the Board to deny approval of the Conceptual Site Plan for Melford Village. While the proposed development contemplates a combination of residential, retail, and commercial uses, in would do little to increase walkability or transit connectivity or improve the significant jobs imbalance…
With streetcar dead, Arlington ponders: What’s next?
Whatever happens on Columbia Pike, both sides agree that it needs to happen soon. In the next 30 years, county leaders say, 65 percent of Arlington’s population growth will be along Columbia Pike and Route One — the two areas where the streetcar lines have now been cancelled.
Testimony in Support of 90 & 91 Bladgen Alley NW Reduced Parking
We wish to express our strong support for this project and the proposed reduction in the number of parking spaces provided for this laudable housing development and historic restoration project. Forcing unneeded vehicle parking into this innovative alley residential development would do great harm to this historic alley which is a treasure for the city. We agree that the vehicle parking is unnecessary. Instead of providing vehicle parking, the new housing will offer…
The past, present, and future issues of the Arlington Streetcar
The ideal situation for Schwartz would be “a dedicated transit lane in each direction, a through-vehicle lane in each direction, and safer turn lanes.” That possibility, though, will experience many issues with the Virginia Department of Transportation, which has already refused the conversion of curb lanes to all-day transit lanes in the past
Arlington County Board cancels streetcar; Fisette cites “political realities”
The proposed streetcar would have run a 7.4 mile path between Fairfax County and Arlington, much of it along Columbia Pike in Arlington. The route was estimated to cost between $250 million and $400 million.
“The Coalition of Smarter Growth is disappointed by the Arlington Board’s decision,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the group, in a statement following the announcement, “but far more so by the deeply negative and frequently inaccurate campaign against the streetcar.”
For Fisette and Hynes, streetcar vote was painful but necessary
The Coalition for Smarter Growth, which backed the project, trained its anger not so much on Fisette and Hynes as on “the deeply negative, and frequently inaccurate, campaign” by opponents. “Failure to invest in modern, high-capacity transit will mean more traffic and less economic development,” the group said in a statement.
Arlington officials halt efforts on streetcars for Columbia Pike, Crystal City
Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth in the District, said that opposition to the streetcars went against Arlington’s history as a place that has fostered transit-based development. “Arlington represents, perhaps, the top national smart-growth story,” Schwartz said. “It went from a declining inner-ring suburb to a very economically successful community.”
Opposition was rooted in resistance to the idea of streetcars in general, Schwartz said, and public transportation projects’ reliance on local tax dollars. “Unfortunately, transit projects face many more hoops and require more local funding than highway projects,” Schwartz said.s
Report: Blame Uncle Sam for congestion on your commute
“Unnecessary traffic congestion is being caused by a lot of ways we’re subsiding commuters to drive and park. It’s not good for anyone, especially someone who has to drive to work. It’s also not making the most of a pretty robust transit network in this region,” says Cort.
Testimony On Transportation Priorities for Montgomery County
My name is Kelly Blynn and I lead our work here in Montgomery County where we count over 4,000 supporters. Tonight we’d like to offer two considerations regarding Montgomery County’s transportation future as you head to Annapolis this year.