Arlington County Civic Federation Newsletter for March 2000

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March, 2000 - Volume 84, No. 7

March Meeting:
County Budget
and Traffic Calming

First on our agenda is the report of the County�s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Committee, held over to give Alternates who did not receive the report a chance to read it. The report is on the Federation�s Web site at www.BSCL.org/accf if you did not receive the postcard we sent to all Alternates.

Our main item of business will be the County�s FY 2001 budget. This will be a difficult budget year. Your Revenues and Expenditures Committee is working hard on recommendations to squeeze any possible savings from the budget, but in mid-review at press time a tax increase appears likely. We will once again ask you to vote on a Special Rule for consideration of this item, under which we would consider the report as a whole before considering amendments.

Traffic Calming: Background

In February we heard a presentation on the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Committee recommendations to the County Board and discussed the ACCF Transportation Commit-tee�s draft resolution. Due to cost constraints the County mailed copies only to Federation delegates, but not to Alternates, and we decided to postpone the vote to give Alternates time to read the report. We sent a postcard to Alternates offering a copy and put it up on our Web site. Below is the revised draft resolution we will be considering.

Traffic Calming: Revised Draft Resolution

Whereas many Delegates have received copies of the Report of the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Committee (NTCC); and

Whereas the Federation�s Transportation Committee and our representative on the NTCC have examined the proposed program in detail and presented it to the Federation for discussion; and

Whereas the Federation has noted with approval that the recommendations emphasize an approach where neighborhoods focus on traffic problem definition; and

Whereas the Federation has noted with ap-proval that many important parameters of the program have now been established, but also noted that problems with arterials are still not addressed and the means for neighborhoods to address traffic calming with an integrated neighborhood plan are not specified;

Now therefore be it Resolved that:

1. The Arlington County Civic Federation strongly supports the Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) program as defined in the Report with the reservations noted above.

2. The Federation notes that one of the pa-rameters still to be determined in practice by the NTC committee is the role of neighborhood civic associations in the process, a role that is not defined in the report. We expect that the County will not make extensive changes in neighborhood streets without full consideration of the views of the relevant neighborhood civic associations. We also expect that the NTC program will take advantage of civic associations as an interface for consensus-building when traffic calming working groups are established in neighborhoods.

3. The Federation would welcome the eventual development by the NTC committee of additional parameters for the program based on noise abatement for neighborhood streets, and the addition of measures to address problems on arterial streets that affect pedestrians and bicyclists.

4. The Federation appreciates the opportunity to continue to provide a representative for the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Committee, which greatly facilitates our review of reports.

5. The Federation recommends that the County Board approve this report and get the NTC program underway in this fiscal year by providing staff and construction resources.

Affordable Housing Task Force Report

By ACCF Housing Committee Chair Reid Goldstein

The Report of the Affordable Housing Task Force was delivered to the County Board on January 31. Meeting since March 1999, the Task Force was given a charter to review and make recommendations on a wide range of topics to improve the way Arlington provides affordable housing. The following are some of the most significant changes to current policy and practice that the AHTF recommended. A work session with the County Board is scheduled for March 13, 2000.

[For reference, the 1999 area median income for a family of four, that point where half are above and half are below, was $78,900 per year. "Affordable" means paying no more than 30% of gross income for housing.]

Focus on the Most Disadvantaged. The TF recommended that affordable housing efforts be oriented toward very low income households, the elderly, persons with disabilities, families with children and first-time home buyers.

Go Deep, Not Broad. The TF recommended that housing funds be used to provide deeper subsidies that will aid those making 40% and below of median income. Funds should not be used to subsidize more units for people making 60% of median income, since the unsubsidized market already provides affordable units for that income group.

Distribute. The TF recommended that af-fordable housing not be concentrated, but distributed within complexes, within neigh-borhoods and throughout the County.

Negotiate Units Before Dollars. Currently, developers who require County approval for new construction pay a monetary contribution in lieu of setting aside a portion of their units as affordable. Recently approved new residences at Pentagon City and Clarendon Center have no affordable units. The TF recommended that where feasible the County first seek a contribution in on-site units.

Increase Homeownership. Only 45% of Arlington dwellings are owner-occupied, compared to 67% nationwide. The TF rec-ommended that the County take steps to in-crease homeownership to over 50%.

Increase Density. Changes to existing zoning and negotiations with developers should offer increases in housing density in order to achieve more affordable housing on that site.

Widen Opportunities. The TF also recom-mended easing restrictions and expanding aid in the Real Estate Tax Relief, Housing Grants and first-time homebuyer programs.

[For details, please contact Reid Goldstein. For copies contact Fran Lunney at 703-228-3785 or flunne@co.arlington.va.us]

Neighborhood Day: Time to Plan an Event!

Neighborhood Day has been moved to May 13th this year and is the County�s official Millennium Celebration. Now is the time to plan a morning event in your neighborhood for that day, or to organize your participation in the afternoon parade. There are suggestions on the Neighborhood Day Web site at www.BSCL.org/neighday.htm.

Dan Krasnegor Joins ACCF Executive Committee

The Executive Committee has elected Dan Krasnegor to replace Rebecca Gray, who has resigned, as a Committee member. Dan has done an outstanding job of organizing the Federation�s banquet this year and has been taking initiative to help out on other matters, so the choice was an easy one.

Pilot, Mow Appointed as ACCF Committee Chairs

Adrienne Pilot (Bluemont) has agreed to accept the chairmanship of the ACCF Transportation Committee. In addition to being an active member of the Committee, Adrienne is part of the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation, and brings to the Committee chairmanship her keen interest in I-66 issues.

Jacqueline Mow (President, Donaldson Run) has agreed to succeed David Foster as Chair of our Community Relations Committee. She has big shoes to fill after David�s stellar per-formance in this role for the past decade, but we believe she is up to the challenge!

Committee Chairs

Bylaws

Community Relations

Cultural Affairs

Environmental Affairs

Housing

Legislation

Membership

Parks & Recreation

Planning & Zoning

Public Services

Revenues and Expenditures

Schools (Co-Chairs)

Special Events

Transportation

Adrienne Pilot 703-351-9464

ACCF Officers

President

Vice President Jim Pebley 703-525-0766 jimpebley@worldnet.att.net

Treasurer Frances Finta 703-528-2882

Secretary Tim Wise 703-243-8345 timwise@dgsys.co,

Executive Committee

Chairman

Member Robert Atkins 703-527-8859

Member Darnell Carpenter 703-243-5188 cyjacks@attglobal.net

Member Dan Krasnegor 703-534-4024

Member Patrick Smaldore 703-528-3935 (email above)

Member Ann Rudd 703-536-8270

Newsletter Editorial Committee

Editor:

Committee: Jim Pebley, Ann Rudd

News email: civicfed@bscl.org Fax: 703-486-0576

Web: www.BSCL.org/accf

This page was last revised on: December 28, 2003.

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