Greens meet on Feb 15, Wed, 7 PM at Ballston Firehouse Community Room
Arlington Greens will meet in person on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at 7 PM at the Ballston Firehouse Community Room, please join us. Major topics:
l. election of 2023 officers (chairperson and treasurer)
2. Missing middle re-zoning proposal
3. Two county board member vacancies on November ballot
4. Carbon neutrality plan for Arlington—ideas and proposals
We hope you can join us.
Arlington voters have been asked to approve or deny a total $510 million in 6 different bonds on the November 8 ballot, a staggering amount of funds even given Arlington’s high tax base. This $510 million in new debt will largely exhaust the county’s ability to issue any new bonds for the foreseeable future. Annual debt service at 4% interest on municipal bonds would obligate the county to spend annually $29 million for the next 30 years. Greens believe that only the Metro bond and sewage plant/drinking water bond merit approval at this time.
At their October meeting, Arlington Greens voted to support the $177 million bond to upgrade the sewage treatment plant and drinking water system, a $53 million bond for Metro and transportation. Greens believe that the county’s sewage treatment plant and drinking water service must be upgraded to meet the needs of more residents as well as EPA environmental requirements. In addition, Greens believe Arlington must continue to fund Metro rail, Metro bus, and to repave and maintain county streets.
Greens voted to oppose the four other bonds: the $22 million for recreation projects; $53 million to fund new courthouse buildings; $165 million to build another high school; and $40 million for gray infrastructure for storm water. These projects have not been well thought out and precise goals and engineering studies not conducted to provide voters with good information. County and school officials need to do more planning and make a better case for these four bonds. The $165 million school bond includes $136 million for a new high school off Columbia Pike for a new vocational school. The school board has not completed its work on the scope purpose, and details for a new vocational/technical high school. Arlington public school enrollments have fallen since the pandemic and yet to recover to 2019 level. More critical issue is raising staff salaries to attract and keep more bus drivers, aides and teac
The Arlington Green Party at their October meeting voted to endorse Audrey Clement, an independent candidate, for the Arlington County Board in the November election. Mark Antell, a Green Party member and longtime resident of North Rosslyn, said “we Greens support Audrey Clements because she will stand up to the developers and bring an independent voice for Arlington residents to the Arlington County Board.”
Greens are particularly supportive of Clement’s opposition to the county board zoning proposal to up zone density of single-family home neighborhoods, the so called Missing Middle zoning (MM) proposal, to allow up to 8 new housing units on a lot occupied today by one house. Greens previously recommended that the county board delay consideration of this MM zoning until more data and information are available, but the county board seem fixed on immediately approving MM.
The MM zoning does nothing to help expand affordable housing assistance in Arlington for the neediest residents who are renters generally earning under $50,000 a year. Greens have long advocated for more rental housing grants, preservation of existing garden apartments, and twice supported the creation of a housing authority in Arlington. Greens worked to prevent demolition of Westover area garden apartments 5 years ago through the mechanism of historic preservation, but the county board refused to stop the demolition of many modest apartments.
Environmental analysis of MM zoning indicates that a good portion of existing tree canopy in detached house neighborhoods and permeable surfaces will be lost with more density in detached house neighborhoods. Loss of tree canopy and permeable surfaces will lead to more storm water released onto neighboring properties and down streets, and damage to Arlington residents.
Letter to the Arlington County Board from Arlington Greens
Dear County Board members:
Arlington Greens ask that you delay any consideration of the missing middle zoning proposal until at least the Fall of this year. We discussed and approved this position at our June meeting.
Greens are concerned that the proposal is not well thought out, may have negative effects on the environment of our county, and well not focused on affordable housing. Loss of tree canopy and open unpaved surfaces in detached family neighborhoods will have the effect of greatly increasing storm water runoff, increasing the temperatures in Arlington in warm months, and may well negatively affect the air quality.
The “missing middle” proposal does not explicitly identify the income levels of beneficiaries of more “middle income housing,” but implicitly these are households in the middle bracket for income making about $140,000 to $165,000 annually. In 2022, the median household income in Arlington is about $154,000, the median house is t $704,000, and the median rent is $2,000 a month ( Arlington, Virginia Population 2022 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) (worldpopulationreview.com)
Presumably, the purpose of this zoning change is to increase the housing supply for households in the median income of around $154,000 a year. A household earning $154,000 a year can today afford a 30-year mortgage (with standard down payment) on a residence valued at or below $704,000 or this household could afford a rent of about $4,000 a month (using HUD rental guidelines). Zillow now lists over 200 homes for sale in Arlington for under $704,000 today (mostly condos and townhouses), and 320 rental units for $4,000 or less a month. The private market today does provide a good supply of rental or home purchases choices if somebody makes $154,000.
There is no “missing” supply of rental or for-purchase units in Arlington County today for households making around $154,000 a year. There is nothing missing in the supply today for somebody making $154,000. Any argument to the counter is not supported by economic data on housing. What is “missing” in the “missing middle” is logic and economic facts.
The real shortage of supply of housing options is for households making under $50,000 a year. There are virtually no rental units affordable at that income level of an affordable rent of $1,200 a month, far below the median $2,000 rent. Thus, the “missing housing supply” is for households in the bottom 25-percent income group rather than those in the 50-percent income group.
The missing middle proposal is based on bogus assumptions or faulty data or is designed for some other purpose than generating a supply of housing units for households making the median income in Arlington today. In any event, this proposal is not ready for community evaluation and needs to go back to the drawing board.
Thank you for your consideration, the Arlington Greens
Greens support changes in the the Virginia Historic Preservation law (section 15.2-2306 of the Code of Virginia) (as written in Senate Bill No. 206 and House Bill No. 1210) to do two things:
Stop the demolition of nominated historic sites, buildings, houses and landmarks until the local government with input from local residents and historians has completed its review and decision whether to designate a nominated site, and
Allow local residents and historians who nominate a historic site to have access to court review of locality final decisions to ensure that the state law is followed.
Please sign the Moveon.org petition to the Virginia General Assembly.
https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/support-proposed-legislation-for-virginia-historic-preservation?share=412d9df2-7d94-43fc-ba61-5bf4c2c286ef&source=s.fwd&utm_source=s.fwd
It is important that historic houses, sites, buildings, and landmarks and areas should be preserved throughout the Virginia, but our current historic preservation law is flawed and should be changed to help keep threatened historic sites as much as possible. Bulldozers move into demolish nominated sites before the local historic review process is completed. Local residents and historic advocates have no access to ask for court review and thus often the state historic law is ignored.
In 2021, the historic Febrey-Lothrop-Rouse (FLR, a graceful 175-year old mansion that had served as Union army hospital, was demolished just a few weeks before the Arlington County Board public hearing and vote on local historic designation despite the pleas of over 1,400 residents and historians. The county board voted against designation and historians were kicked out of court as having no rights to ask for court review.
Local governments must have the time to consider and approve or disapprove historic designation of a site or building or landmark and during that time no demolition or destruction of the nominated site, building or landmark should be allowed. Further, under current state law, petitioners and advocates for historic preservation have no right to seek court review of a locality decision to deny historic protection as to whether this decision violated the state law. Petitioners for local historic protection must have the same access to the courts as only property owners do today.
This petition with a listing of its signers will be delivered to the patrons of the legislations in the Virginia General Assembly, Senator Chap Petersen (Fairfax) and Delegate Patrick Hope (Arlington). Signers may also email their own Virginia delegate and senator directly if they so choose (find your Virginia state legislator and email here https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/)
Arlington Greens on Oct. 5, 2021 voted to oppose the parks and recreation $6.8 million bond on the November ballot for Arlington voters, and urge voters to vote ‘no” on the ballot. Nearly three-quarters ($5 million) of this bond will be used to repave tennis courts at Bluemont Park, and then $1 million for a new Arlington boathouse.
Greens believe spending $5 million to repave tennis courts to be wasteful and too expensive. A new boathouse is unneeded as there are plenty of high-school rowing facilities in the District of Columbia, used for decades by high school teams, private and public schools.
During 2016-20, Arlington voters already approved $52 million for parks and recreation, an amount mostly used to build new recreation centers. The county board refused during this period to buy more parkland to accommodate Arlington’s rising population and heavy park use. In April 2021, the county board voted to deny historic preservation for the 9 acre Febrey-Lothrop estate which is the last largest tract of open, undeveloped land in the county that could have been added to Arlington parks.
The Greens are neutral on the other three bonds on the November ballot–which total $79 million ($39 million for Metro and transportation; $23 million schools, and $17 million county infrastructure). There are good reasons to approve these bonds, but also compelling reasons to reject them.
During 2016-2020, voters approved $653 million in bonds for these three purposes–$164 million for metro and transportation; $295 million for schools, and $194 million for county infrastructure, a significant amount even for a county with an over billion dollar annual operating budget. The school board has nearly $27 million in bond authority not used, and the county board $54 million in unused bond authority to issue more bonds.
To: The Arlington County Board September 16, 2021
We would like to encourage you to approve a 5 cent per plastic bag tax for single use plastic bags given away at supermarkets and large retailers. It is my understanding that the county board will consider this tax at your September 18 meeting.
The City of Roanoke is the first locality in our state to adopt this bag tax. Arlington should similarly adopt the tax as it will greatly reduce the volume of plastic bags now given away at mass retailers in Arlington.
This tax is not perfect since the General Assembly only included large retail chains and many small businesses will not be affected. Nevertheless, based on the experience of other US cities, this tax will cut the volume of plastic bags in commerce; as you know, the vast majority of plastic bags are not recycled but end up in solid waste or in our oceans and streams and rivers and bays causing environmental damage. The county has banned plastic bags from the recycling program as well so few options to recycled these bags exist here.
We the Arlington Greens over a decade ago asked you to simply ban all plastic bags using in commercial business in Arlington using your legal authority from Virginia solid waste regulations that the Virginia Department of Environmental quality said authorized such an ordinance.
But you collectively said no to this sensible ban. Many countries of the world and some US states simply ban single-use plastic bags in commerce and that is the most sensible policy we should adopt here in Arlington.
So we support the 5 cent bag tax even though it is only a half way measure that will not eliminate the menace of plastic bags which should be banned.
We ask you to once again consider a simple ban of plastic bags from all businesses here in Arlington and that way we could get rid of this menace.
John Reeder chairman the Arlington Greens
Arlington Greens support the county manager’s proposal to increase FY 2022 spending on housing grants to $12.7 million, and also the $17.5 million proposal for emergency Covid spending that includes emergency rental assistance for unpaid rents, food assistance and related help to residents who lost income or jobs during the pandemic.
While the good news is that widespread vaccinations will make possible reopening, many tenants are facing unpaid back rents and need help in FY 2022 to avoid eviction.
We have reservations about the $8.9 million the manager proposes to spend for AHIF to fund the building of more subsidized apartments CAFs) next fiscal year.
There is a glut of market rate apartments and subsidized units available for rent today in Arlington, and now is a bad time for any new units to enter the market, private or nonprofit.
Commercial realty companies report that rents in Arlington for apartments have dropped from 8 to 15 percent in the past 12 months, depending on the neighborhood, and there are at least 15% of existing apartments are now vacant. The county housing division this month listed about 100 CAFs available for rent, and thus even CAFs are empty, and the nonprofit providers having a hard time renting existing CAFs.
The best way to provide housing assistance right now is a housing voucher or an emergency grant to pay back unpaid rents. There are still thousands of renter households who maintained their jobs but still pay over 50 percent of their incomes for rent (generally tenant earning under 50% of the area median income). The county should shift all of the new AHIF funds into housing grants or emergency back rent grants so that tenants can stay in their apartments and not have a heavy housing cost burden.
We invite you to a silent, socially distanced protest on Saturday, March 20, at 10 am outside the Febrey house (6407 Wilson Boulevard, at Wilson and McKinley Road) to grieve the county board’s decision to allow demolition of the house and estate before the April 17 public hearing on historic preservation of the estate.
The county board granted the demolition permit to the property owner despite our pleas and common sense to keep the house intact until after the public hearing.
The property owner has refused to allow county historians to even visit the house and grounds–we believe there are Civil War artifacts and possible human remains of Civil War soldiers buried on the property. Many mature trees, some a hundred years old, and shrubs will be lost in addition to the house.
Our county government refuses to use its authority under state law and county ordinance to save this historic site and places the profits of a developer above our community’s interest in more parkland and keeping an important Civil War historic site.
Bring your camera and your own sign urging the county borad to reverse its decision and stop the bulldozers.
The county board under state law could have delayed issuing the demo permit and followed state historic preservation law. Instead, the board really wants the estate bulldozed before its April 17 public hearing.
The county parks and rec commission has repeatedly asked the county board for a decade to purchase the property and add it to our parkland, but the county board refuses and pleads poverty even though Arlington voters have repeatedly approved many millions of dollars for parks bonds to purchase more parkland.
It is outrageous in a wealthy community such as Arlington with a rising population that these 9 acres of mostly open land cannot be purchased as a park for all to enjoy, and the house preserved as a historic center and community house for all residents to enjoy. Thousands of Union soliders camped and lived on the Febrey house which also served as a hospital, and significant battles fought nearby.
Silent protest: Wear a mask, bring your own sign if possible
Saturday, March 20, 10 AM Outside the Febrey House,
6407 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington VA 22205
Please park on McKinley Road or on Madison Street.
We encourage all Arlington residents to sign the petition below urging the county board to save the historic Febrey House and estate from being demolished (located on Wilson Blvd and McKinley Street). The house was built around 1850 and was the center of Civil War battles and thousands of Union soldiers camped on or around the house which also served as a hospital for union and confederate soldiers. John Febrey operated a public school on the estate during the war and then became Arlington’s first superintendent of schools.
There are nine acres of open green space around the house. We would like the house and as much of the estate as possible used as a public park and historic center. We need more green space and parks in Arlington given our growing population.
The county board and the local historic review board are considering designating the house and estate as a local historic district which will give some legal protection from demolition for at least one year. This will give time to do historic investigation of the property and to have the community input on what type of park or public space it could become.
Please sign the petition and circulate to any of your Arlington friends as well. We have over 900 signers so far.