News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
As seen at the construction of “The Grove at Dominion Hills” on the former Rouse estate (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Funeral for Arlington Marine — “Alexia Collart’s eyes filled with tears as she accepted the flag that had been draped over her son Marine Cpl. Spencer R. Collart’s casket. Her daughter Gweneth, sitting beside her, openly wept. Bart Collart, Cpl. Collart’s father, held back tears. The family’s grief spread to the crowd of more than 100 family and friends, who either dabbed their eyes or let the tears roll down their cheeks.” [Arlington National Cemetery]

HQ2 ‘Is At a Crossroads’ — “Amazon HQ2, the corporate site selection project, was a symbol of the tech industry’s economic muscle. Now it stands as a palace built for a former dynasty… From door desk to gourmet coffee bars onsite, HQ2 was one of the last grand gestures of the Bezos era. It falls to his successor, Andy Jassy, to decide whether to resume the project as designed or opt for a more frugal alternative.” [Bloomberg]

Dog Lost After Crash — From the Arlington County Police Department: “Have you seen Dutch? He was inside a vehicle that crashed last night in the 2000 block of 21st Street N. He was uninjured but panicked and ran. Officers last saw him in the area of Langston Blvd and N. Veitch St. Anyone who sees him is asked to call dispatch 703-558-2222.” [Twitter]

Boy Wounded, Police Investigating — “At approximately 7:44 p.m. on October 5, police were dispatched to the report of a fight. Upon arrival, officers located the juvenile male victim suffering from a laceration and immediately rendered aid. Medics transported the victim to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening. Limited details were provided regarding the events that preceded the call for service and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.” [ACPD]

Preservation Funding for Barcroft — “The Barcoft School and Civic League will use grant funding from the Arlington County government to support urgent maintenance needs on the historic Barcroft Community House. The civic association received $23,000 in historic-preservation funds from the county, which will be matched by dollars it raises.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Columbus Day — At least, that is, to a majority of our readers. Last year an unscientific ARLnow poll found that 54.5% of readers call today’s federal holiday “Columbus Day” to 32.75% for “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Another 12.75% said they haven’t used either in years. [ARLnow]

Metro Service Plan Today — “On Monday, Oct. 9, in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day, Metrorail service will operate weekend service levels and Metrobus will run Saturday Supplemental Service. Pre-scheduled subscription trips will be canceled on MetroAccess, but customers may still make a separate reservation to travel on the holiday.” [WMATA]

It’s Monday — Mostly sunny, then isolated showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. [Weather.gov]

VDOT begins repairing a 50-year-old bridge over I-395 near Shirlington

By Jo DeVoe
VDOT is repairing this bridge over I-395 near Shirlington (via Google Maps)

Work on a 50-year-old bridge over I-395 near Shirlington is underway, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced yesterday.

The bridge connects the southbound I-395 collector-distributor lanes and southbound Shirlington Road to N. Quaker Lane at the I-395 Exit 6 interchange.

Built in 1973, the bridge — crossed by about 7,400 vehicles daily — now needs needs safety improvements and upgrades to extend its overall life, according to VDOT.

The $5.5 million project, slated to wrap up in mid-2025, involves:

  • resurfacing the concrete bridge deck
  • closing deck joints
  • repairing steel beams
  • adding protective concrete barriers adjacent to piers
  • replacing bearings
  • cleaning and recoating the bridge
  • upgrading guardrails adjacent to the bridge

During construction, there may be daytime and overnight lane closures, as well as closures to segments of the I-395 general purpose and Express Lanes beneath the bridge, VDOT says.

The bridge over I-395 in Shirlington slated for repairs (via Google Maps)

The work is financed with state and federal funding, including VDOT State of Good Repair funds used for bridges. It appears the budget has increased from last year, when the project estimate stood at $4.3 million.

“Drivers are reminded to use caution when traveling in active work zones,” says VDOT. “Be alert to new traffic patterns and limit distractions.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Spooky season has started in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Another Crash Near Lubber Run CC — The crash-prone intersection of N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive, near the Lubber Run Community Center, has logged at least the third wreck in a week. [Twitter]

Wanted: Lanternfly Samples — “Virginia Cooperative Extension and Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia have a plea for local residents when it comes to invasive spotted lanternflies. ‘We need your help: Many Arlington and Alexandria residents are reporting the presence of these insects, but no one has yet submitted an actual sample,’ said Kirsten Conrad of Virginia Cooperative Extension.” [Gazette Leader]

New Baseball Coach for YHS — “Yorktown High School hired one of its own as the new head coach of the varsity baseball team. Josh Cook, a 2013 graduate of the school, will be the new skipper when the 2024 spring season begins.   Cook comes to Yorktown having spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Oakton High School varsity team.” [Gazette Leader]

Columbus Day Coming Up — Monday is Columbus Day, also known as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. While it’s a federal holiday and an off day for Arlington Public Schools students, Arlington County government and facilities will remain open.

Comm. Urges Shooter Drills and Tech — “Virginia localities should be required to conduct active shooter drills, ensure that police have easy access to their municipal buildings and invest in technology that would allow officials to detect weapons and track the whereabouts of a shooter, a state commission convened after the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting has recommended.” [Washington Post]

It’s Friday — Patchy fog is expected before 9am followed by mostly cloudy skies and a high near 77 with a south wind at 3-6 mph. Friday night brings a 60% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms, a low of 61, and southeast winds around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts will generally be under a tenth of an inch, with higher amounts in thunderstorms. [Weather.gov]

Arlington has a sleepy start to early voting compared to elsewhere in Virginia

By Jo DeVoe
A drop-off voting box in Courthouse in mid-May of 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m) Early voting is underway and the election is five weeks out but, compared to other parts of Virginia, politicking in Arlington is still a little sleepy.

This year is an off-year, meaning there are no federal offices on the ballot to drum up turnout. Some call this year, like 2019 before it, an “off-off-year” because the ballot lacks statewide offices, such as governor, too.

“We’ve been pretty quiet compared to other parts of Virginia,” Director of Elections Gretchen Reinemeyer says.

About 1% of Arlington’s 154,320 registered voters have cast their ballots already and the only early-voting location currently open, Courthouse Plaza, is averaging 101 voters a day, according to the county’s election dashboard.

Turnout is on par with the rest of Northern Virginia, which is seeing less early voting activity than more competitive jurisdictions and Republican strongholds to the south and west, according to data collected by the Virginia Public Access Project.

The local Democratic party chalks this up to the high number of uncompetitive races. Arlington’s GOP committee, meanwhile, says Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s active campaigning for Republicans seeking local office and “vote early” message might be getting more Republicans out to the polls.

For state Senate, for instance, some 1,330 have voted in the 40th District and some 1,860 in the 39th District, currently held by Sens. Barbara Favola and Adam Ebbin, respectively, who are seeking re-election, compared to the 4,500-5,500 votes cast in some competitive or heavily Republican jurisdictions.

Early voting levels by State Senate jurisdiction in Virginia (via Virginia Public Access Project)

At this point in the race, slower Democrat turnout can be expected because more Democrats vote by mail, which comes with a lag time, a spokesman for Arlington County Democratic Committee. Data show 640 of the 13,119 mailed ballots have been returned in Arlington.

He predicts early voting will pick up once more locations open and hours are extended.

Another factor is the seven uncontested races: there are no challengers for Clerk of the Court Paul Ferguson, Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Treasurer Carla de la Pava, Acting Sheriff Jose Quiroz, Commissioner of Revenue candidate Kim Klingler, District 1 Del. Patrick Hope and District 2 candidate Adele McClure.

There are two Republican challengers for Favola and Ebbin — David Henshaw and Sophia Moshasha, respectively — and District 3 Del. Alfonso Lopez faces a challenger in independent Major Mike Webb, who seeks office frequently.

“Almost every race in places like Arlington and Fairfax are uncontested or it’s very obvious the Democratic candidate has a huge advantage,” a local Democratic spokesman told ARLnow. “The reality is that the races in Arlington are all going to be relatively non-competitive compared to others in Virginia.”

Volunteers with Arlington Democrats have been spending their weekends knocking doors in jurisdictions where election outcomes determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the state House of Delegates and Senate, he said. National media note the stakes are high in Virginia this year, particularly for issues such as abortion.

Although it is tougher to beat a Democrat in Arlington, Matthew Hurtt, who chairs the Arlington County Republican Committee, says Henshaw and Moshasha have received “significant support” from the state GOP for their campaign literature, websites and yard signs.

“Gov. Youngkin is committed to being competitive everywhere,” he said, noting the governor’s early voting rallying cry this election. “The Spirit of Virginia came in for every candidate, including those up here who are long-shot candidates.”

It will take that investment until the next off-off year, in 2027, for Republicans to make inroads in Northern Virginia, he said.

(more…)

The keys to getting great auto service around Arlington

By Washington Consumers' Checkbook
An old-timey car repair shop (AI generated image via Midjourney)

It’s the ARLnow Five and Five, where nonprofit Washington Consumers’ Checkbook provides five top-rated local businesses and five tips for getting great service and prices. ARLnow readers can access all of Checkbook’s ratings of local auto repair shops until Oct. 15 at Checkbook.org/ARLnow/auto-repair.

The following auto repair shops are best bets for Arlingtonians.

They all received Washington Consumers’ Checkbook’s top rating for quality (as reported by their customers in Checkbook’s surveys), and charge less than most other shops, per undercover price shopping conducted by Checkbook’s research team.

Baird Automotive
3427 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201
703-527-1770

Chesterbrook Excel
6268 Old Dominion Dr
McLean, VA 22101
703-356-5259

D & V Auto Service Center
5201 Wilson Blvd
Arlington, VA 22205
703-525-0440

Herb’s Auto Repair
802 S Washington St
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-532-3455

Liberty Gas & Ahmed’s George Mason Auto Service
4211 Columbia Pike
Arlington, VA 22204
703-892-0510

Checkbook’s Top Five Tips for Auto Repair Success

  • Don’t assume that you have to pay more to get good work. In fact, Checkbook found low-priced shops were more likely to receive high ratings from their surveyed customers than high-priced ones.
  • For out-of-warranty repairs and regular service, choose an independent shop. Checkbook’s surveys of area consumers consistently find that, on average, independent shops outperform dealerships on repair quality — and charge lower prices for it.
  • If you know what repairs you need, compare prices by calling several shops for quotes. If you don’t know what’s wrong with your car, call one or more shops and describe the symptoms. Shops might be able to tell you over the phone what’s likely to be wrong and give you a price.
  • Give the shop a detailed description of your car’s problems, and insist the shop provide an estimate before doing any repairs.
  • Pay by credit card — you can dispute the charges if things go wrong. If the car is still not right when you get it back, immediately inform the shop in writing.

Washington Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. We are supported by consumers and take no money from the service providers we evaluate.

Gunston Park playground and picnic area to get $1.2m renovation

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

The playground at Gunston Park is expected to be replaced starting late next year as part of a $1.2 million renovation project.

Arlington’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation has released two concept designs for the park, located at 1401 28th Street S., near Gunston Middle School. Residents can provide feedback on these designs online through Thursday, Oct. 19.

The impetus for the work is that the park’s playground area “has reached the end of its useful life” and all play equipment — as well as site furnishings and a picnic shelter — have to be removed, parks department spokesman Adam Segel-Moss explains in a video.

“This Parks Maintenance Capital project will include demolition, site work, and design and construction of a new playground and picnic shelter,” the county says on a project webpage. “This project will also address grading and drainage, site circulation, site furnishings, landscaping, and stormwater concerns.”

No new amenities are planned for the Capital Improvement Plan-funded project, the county adds.

The new playground will be in the northwest portion of park, next to a parking lot, diamond field and basketball court. Segel-Moss says DPR last heard from residents in February 2022 about what the new playground should look like.

“There was an overwhelming desire for new, soft and resilient playground surfacing within play areas,” he said.

People also requested more seating areas, trash cans, slides, swings and climbing structures and fencing, with separated play areas for the 2-5 and 5-12 age groups, he noted.

DPR will focus on improving accessibility for people with disabilities, catering to different age groups and making other upgrades, while overcoming “inherent limitations,” such as space constraints, tree preservation and drainage issues, Segel-Moss said.

“We have several other exciting prospects, such as creating spaces for different age groups, improving the picnic area and seating, enhancing the park’s visual appeal through enhanced plantings and addressing stormwater erosion issues,” he said.

The parks department has narrowed down these ideas to two concept designs.

The first concept for the new Gunston Park playground (via Arlington County)

The two share many of the same features, including new fencing, stroller parking and seating areas.

Some differences include the addition of sculptural benches in the first concept and, in the second concept, a “smaller but greater variety of play structures and a larger connected looping pathway,” Segel-Moss explains.

The second concept for the new Gunston Park playground (via Arlington County)

Although they are illustrative only, Segel-Moss also showed pictures of what the new play equipment and picnic shelters could look like.

The first shows hexagonal play structures for 2-5 and 5-12 year olds, swings, a pergola-style picnic area and sculptural benches.

Play equipment and site furnishing examples for Concept 1 (via Arlington County)

The second illustrates the addition of a climbing area for older children to other kinds of play equipment as well as a different style of picnic shelter.

Play equipment and site furnishing examples for Concept 2 (via Arlington County)

The questionnaire is open for two weeks and a final draft concept will be prepared for feedback this winter.

The Arlington County Board could review a contract in the fall of 2024 and, if the contract is approved, construction could begin that winter, ending in the fall of 2025.

Previous park renovations include converting the diamond field from grass to synthetic turf.

Florida woman faces litany of charges after reported break-in and standoff

By ARLnow.com
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

(Updated at 4 p.m.) A Florida resident is facing 19 separate charges after police responded to a residential break-in yesterday.

Police were first dispatched to a home on N. Powhatan Street, in the Highland Park-Overlee Knolls neighborhood, around 4 p.m. for a reported burglary in progress. It’s unclear how that incident ended, but officers responded back to the same block just over three hours later and a standoff ensued.

“At approximately 7:23 p.m., police were dispatched to the 2300 block of N. Powhatan Street for the report of suspicious circumstances,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, the incident was determined to be a burglary in progress. Responding officers gave the female suspect commands to exit the residence which she refused to comply with and remained inside.”

Neighbors took note of the activity, with someone posting on the Ring Neighbors website that “ACPD currently has about 5 squad cars and 5+ officers standing outside a residence holding the door at gunpoint.”

“Officers continued to provide commands and subsequently took the suspect into custody,” Savage said. “She was taken into custody at approximately 8:49 p.m.”

Officers were subsequently dispatched to the home for evidence collection and scene security.

The suspect, Vivian Vann, is being held at the Arlington County jail on an array of charges, with alleged crimes in Arlington starting on Sept. 18.

“During a search of her property, police recovered identifications, credit cards and other documents related to fraudulent activity,” an ACPD crime report released Thursday afternoon added. “The investigation also determined the suspect had allegedly entered a residence in the 1400 block of S. Quincy Street.”

According to court and jail records, the charges against Vann include:

  • Grand larceny auto (x2)
  • Forging public records (x4)
  • Obtaining money or property >=$1,000 by false pretenses
  • Impersonating a law enforcement officer
  • Identity theft (x3)
  • Identity theft with over $1,000 in losses and 5+ victims, resulting in the arrest of a victim
  • Unlawful entry
  • Burglary
  • Credit card forgery
  • Procuring a vehicle with intent to defraud
  • Manufacturing, selling and/or possessing fake identification (x2)
  • Financially exploiting a mentally incapacitated person

Vann — listed as a resident of Dania Beach, Florida — is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 18, after an arraignment today.

News articles and court records show that she has faced a variety of theft, identity theft and fraud charges in Florida and elsewhere dating back to 2003 and as recently as 2022.

Hat tip to Matthew Young

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A view of Columbia Pike from the roof of Siena Park Apartments (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

New W-L Basketball Coach — “During the period she was sidelined with stress fractures in both legs as a player for the Marymount University women’s basketball team is when Maddy DeCou got the coaching bug… ‘I saw and heard the game in a different way, and that’s what got me interested in someday being a coach,’ said DeCou, who recently was hired as the new girls head varsity basketball coach at Washington-Liberty High School.” [Gazette Leader]

Big Turnout for Narcan Training — “The Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative hosted their monthly in-person and virtual Narcan, a brand of naloxone, training Wednesday night. Close to 70 people participated in the in-person training, according to Emily Siqveland, the opioids program manager for Arlington County.” [WUSA 9]

‘Coming Out Party’ Next Week — “Equality Arlington, a new nonprofit group, will be celebrating National Coming Out Day with a Coming Out Party at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington on Oct. 11. The event will feature state Sen. Adam Ebbin as the featured speaker, coming out stories from Arlingtonians, a raffle, and updates on Equality Arlington’s advocacy work.” [Patch]

Pet Calendar Photo Competition — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) has opened its 2024 calendar contest, which will run through October with a goal of raising $40,000 to support shelter operations. ‘Now is your chance to give your pet the ultimate spotlight with their photo on the cover of our 2024 calendar,’ AWLA officials said.” [Gazette Leader]

Review: Synetic’s Tell-Tale Heart — “‘Mercilessly disturbing’ is how the prerecorded announcement, purporting to be a cheeky voice from beyond the grave, describes Synetic Theater’s The Tell-Tale Heart. In truth, this adaptation of the short story by Edgar Allan Poe… doesn’t really traffic in the chilling frights the ghostly voice alludes to. Instead, the creators deftly deploy the company’s expertise in physical theater to slowly, agonizingly, sometimes perplexingly dial up the creepiness.” [Washington City Paper]

It’s Thursday — Partly sunny with a high temperature near 78°F and calm wind picking up to southeast 5-9 mph in the morning. Thursday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low temperature around 63°F and southeast wind around 6 mph. [Weather.gov]

Langston Blvd plan criticized for last-minute edits and smaller-than-hoped affordable housing commitments

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

Plan Langston Blvd — a sweeping document envisioning a tree-lined, walkable Route 29 with apartments over retail — is gearing up for final discussions and eventual approval.

The newest draft landed last Thursday: two business days before a Planning Commission meeting on whether to advertise hearings on the plan. It contained a slew of changes county staff explain are policy clarifications, responding to recent feedback from citizen commissions, the Arlington County Board and residents.

In a 3-hour meeting Monday, some Planning Commissioners objected to the timing and moved to delay hearings one month, though this failed. They instead unanimously recommended hearings by the commission and the Arlington County Board in November. The deliberations echoed this stage of the Missing Middle hearings, last Thanksgiving, with commissioners noting this step simply sets what can be considered next month.

“I do think that it is an unfortunate timeline,” Planning Commission Vice-Chair Sara Steinberger said. “[This] document would be a struggle for most people to get through in that period of time. And I think that we should aim to do better because I think that’s important for the community to trust the process.”

Steinberger, who made the failed motion to delay hearings on Plan Langston Blvd, or PLB, had backing from Commissioner Nia Bagley.

“[Steinberger] was a little bit more polite than I probably would be,” Bagley said. “I hope we never do this again. I hope we give this more time in the future.”

Commission Chair Devanshi Patel said she understands the concerns of her colleagues but, sometimes, making real-time changes cannot be reconciled with giving ample time for people to review them.

“I think that staff did the best job that they could do by getting a comprehensive plan together with up-to-date information, reconciling the comments that they’ve been hearing from every single meeting of this body and other bodies, and being able to provide it in advance of this meeting as possible,” she said.

Agreeing with Patel, Commissioner Daniel Weir did say he and others have been “harping” on staff to return to the pre-pandemic days when meeting materials were published seven to 10 days before meetings.

But, he continued, “just because this form of the document wasn’t published before a certain day out, I don’t think it follows from that that there hasn’t been a full and robust public process… at least for the purposes of moving forward on the [request to advertise hearings].”

Recalling yet another controversial plan, the Pentagon City Sector Plan, Commissioner Jim Lantelme said changes were made “literally up to the final Board meeting.”

“If we’re not thrilled with something, it’s okay, because the idea is to get everything out there,” he said. “We can cut it back later. We can’t add to it, but we can cut it back later.”

County planner Natasha Alfonso-Ahmed assured commissioners that Monday’s decision still leaves time for them and other residents to review the changes.

That the draft came out on Thursday “doesn’t mean that there isn’t any time to process and to continue to review this draft that’s out before you,” she said. “We have another four weeks or five weeks before this goes to the again to you all for review.”

(more…)

County seeks feedback on proposed Long Bridge Drive trail facilitating Crystal City-D.C. commutes

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Arlington County is in the early stages of designing a multi-use trail facility along Long Bridge Drive.

Now through mid-October, the county is gathering input on how people currently use this corridor, which will inform designs set for public review next spring.

The trail would connect a bike network through Crystal City to the future Long Bridge Rail Project: a planned $2.3 billion bridge over the Potomac River set to double rail capacity and provide an adjacent bike and pedestrian bridge between Crystal City and the Southwest Waterfront area of D.C.

This trail, expected to cost $7.8 million, will be a better connection to the entrance of the proposed bridge, behind the Long Bridge Aquatic Center, than the existing bike lanes along Long Bridge Drive and Long Bridge Park Esplanade, according to the county.

“Preliminary planning work has identified a need for a minimum 12′-wide multi-use trail between the new bridge and Crystal City, as this route is expected to become a major multimodal commuter route between Arlington and D.C.,” per the project webpage.

“Without this project, most commuters will likely attempt to navigate the Long Bridge Park Esplanade and walking trail, which is not intended for use as a commuter cycling route,” the site continues.

Proposed Long Bridge Drive trail (via Arlington County)

The proposed trail will link to a half-mile shared-use path on Boundary Channel Drive, being built by the Virginia Dept. of Transportation, connecting the Mount Vernon Trail to the Pentagon and Long Bridge Park.

Headed toward Crystal City, the trail will connect with a planned multi-use trail at 12th Street S. and forthcoming cycle track along Army Navy Drive.

When complete, Long Bridge Drive trail will help meet demand for more active transportation connections amid current and expected growth in Crystal City and Pentagon City, the county says. These areas are seeing significant redevelopment — largely residential — in part spurred by Amazon’s second headquarters.

“A direct link from Long Bridge Park to the Mt. Vernon Trail will dramatically improve multi-modal connections both for the immediate vicinity and for links between the regional activity centers of Crystal City, Pentagon City, [the] Pentagon, Potomac Yard and the regional trail network,” it says.

The county has set aside $7.8 million in local funds designated for infrastructure improvements in Crystal City. The project was identified for funding in the adopted 2023-32 Capital Improvement Program.

Arlington County says the trail would advance its goals to improve connections to public spaces, neighborhoods, schools and transit stations and improve safety for all road users.

“Providing a multi-use trail that fully separates people walking and biking is an essential safety tool for a corridor that provides motor vehicle access to a major interstate, especially when we anticipate a significant increase in bicycle and pedestrian traffic along the corridor in the coming years,” the county says.

Clarendon church and APAH float plans to build affordable senior housing

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

(Updated at 12 p.m. on 10/10/23) A church in Clarendon could be redeveloped with senior housing, pending the outcome of a forthcoming county land-use study.

Over the last year, Clarendon Presbyterian Church and Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, or APAH, have been developing plans to tear down the 75-year-old church at 1305 N. Jackson Street and build a 92-unit affordable apartment building for seniors 55 or 62 and older.

The church would move into a new 8,000-square-foot space in the building, with design elements and programming specifically geared toward LGBTQ seniors, says Pastor Alice Tewell. The Clarendon Child Care Center — which a parent co-op board runs from the church — would also move in and have space for up to 58 children. It has that capacity now but currently serves 40.

The process is in its early stages. This summer, Clarendon Presbyterian and APAH asked the county to embark on a special General Land Use Plan (GLUP) study to determine if the property can be redesignated from “semi-public” to “low-medium residential.”

The county granted the request and scheduled a “Tier 1” review to begin later this fall, though no meetings have been scheduled. In this stage, the Long Range Planning Committee would review whether it is appropriate to consider the property for a new land use designation.

Removing the “semi-public” designation would lay the groundwork for this project, located a 5-minute walk from the Clarendon Metro station. The project would require rezoning, too, as the site is zoned for single-family homes — and now 2-6 unit homes, with the approval of ‘Missing Middle’ changes.

The church is located next to older garden style apartments and new, market-rate apartments.

If the Arlington County Board approves the designation change, the church and APAH would then file a site plan application subject to public review. It will be a few years before the duo has the approvals they need to obtain financing from federal tax credits and commercial, local and state loans, says Tewell.

Should all this happen on schedule, the church could open its new doors in 2029 or 2030 after a two-year construction period. That means a few more years in a church building that is too big and too old to serve the congregation and community effectively, according to the pastor.

“Our current building of nearly 75 years — built for 450 people and now serving a congregation of less than 80 — is literally falling apart with massive annual repair costs, and we will soon no longer have the resources to maintain it and continue serving the Clarendon community unless we redevelop and create a new and much smaller worship space for the congregation,” Tewell said.

The congregation identified the need to redevelop in 2021 and a year later voted to work with APAH, she said.

During this time, the church sunk more than $100,000 into HVAC, electric and plumbing maintenance, according to a letter to Arlington County. The letter foretells the church moving, possibly from Arlington, in five to 10 years if the expenses continue to mount with no redevelopment option.

Should the church leave, it says, childcare, community programming and monthly food and toiletry drives would go with it, and would be “a sore loss for the entire Arlington community.”

But not everyone is on board. A petition to “save” the church and “preserve our residential neighborhood” has north of 640 signatures to date.

(more…)

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