Barcroft

Shuttles Start Running Between Arlington Hall, Pentagon

By ARLnow.com

Shuttle buses are now running between the Pentagon and the National Guard Readiness Center (Arlington Hall), in a move that officials hope will help alleviate some of the traffic burden in the Barcroft neighborhood.

In July we reported that Barcroft residents were concerned about the influx of an additional 1,200 workers, whose jobs were being moved to Arlington Hall as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act. Congestion on George Mason Drive was part of the concern, and the fact that parking is only available for one in four new workers was another part. In response, Rep. Jim Moran requested that the military speed up approval of shuttle buses between the facility and the Pentagon Transit Center.

On Aug. 19, Moran’s office was notified that the shuttle service had been approved. Today, those shuttle buses started running, according to Moran spokeswoman Anne Hughes.

Adding service between Arlington Hall and the Pentagon will “undoubtedly reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles commuting to and parking near the bureau facility,” Moran said in July.

Moran Pushes for Shuttle to Ease BRAC Traffic Burden

By Katie Pyzyk

Residents concerned about the influx of 1,200 government workers into the Barcroft neighborhood could see the addition of a shuttle to ease traffic congestion, if Rep. Jim Moran gets his way.

The Army National Guard had put in a request for shuttle service to the Pentagon Transit Center from Arlington Hall Station, but so far the additional service has not been granted.  Moran has now asked the Director of the Washington Headquarter Service to expedite the request.

The Arlington Hall Station shuttle already provides service from nearby Metro train stops to the National Guard facility. However, it currently doesn’t have access to the Pentagon Transit Center, despite a request for service in June 2009. Moran says that adding service between the Arlington Hall Station and the Pentagon will “undoubtedly reduce the use of single occupancy vehicles commuting to and parking near the bureau facility.”

There’s been an effort to come up with additional public transportation around Arlington Hall as 1,200 workers pour in due to the Base Realignment and Closure Act.  A parking structure was built to accommodate the added workers, but there is only one parking space for every four employees.

Residents have been petitioning for help to prevent commuters from Arlington Hall from spilling over into residential neighborhoods.  Also of concern is the potentially dangerous congestion on George Mason Drive near the complex.

BRAC coordinators are encouraging the new workers to use public transportation instead of driving, and are working with WMATA to increase the frequency of 22A buses in the area.  The addition of a shuttle from Arlington Hall Station to the Pentagon Transit Center would provide another transportation option for commuters, particularly those who use Metro trains.

Commuters who use WMATA’s 22A buses to Arlington Hall will pay the regular public bus fare. However, if the request for a shuttle to the Pentagon Transit Center goes through, Moran’s office says that service would be free to riders because it is provided by the Department of Defense.

 

BRAC Traffic Prompts Concerns for Barcroft Residents

By Katie Pyzyk

Barcroft residents are carefully watching the influx of some 1,200 government workers into their neighborhood as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure Act. Some neighbors are calling for action to mitigate what they claim are dangerous and disruptive traffic conditions.

The personnel are being added to the Army National Guard Readiness Center, in the Arlington Hall complex, at George Mason Drive and Route 50. Many of them are coming from Crystal City offices, but only a couple hundred have made the move so far. The bulk of staff members are expected to arrive mid-July. This flood of workers has some residents in surrounding neighborhoods worried about an increase in parking and traffic issues.

Although a new parking structure was built to accommodate the additional workers, per the National Capital Planning Commission’s specifications there is only one parking spot for every four workers. That’s creating concern about where all the new employees will park. There are already reports of more cars parked in neighboring residential areas, and residents would like to see that stop.

BRAC Project Coordinator Andrea Morris says she understands the parking issues. She is working with District 3 to increase patrols in the area to ticket anyone parked illegally on residential streets. The problem, according to Morris, is that most of the Barcroft neighborhood does not have zone parking restrictions, so there’s nothing to stop workers from using the vacant spots.

“It’s not a popular answer, it’s not one that is going to get a lot of rave reviews, but unfortunately, it happens to be a fact,” Morris said. “It’s a very, very hard statement for me to make because I hear their concerns.”

Morris says BRAC has partnered with WMATA to increase the frequency of the 22A buses, starting in August. That line should alleviate some of the parking headaches, because it is planned to work as a shuttle for the government workers and not to stop at every point along the bus line.

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Barcroft to ACFD: No More Made-For-TV House Burnings

By ARLnow.com

Neighbors aren’t too pleased with the made-for-TV house fire set by firefighters in Barcroft last month.

Last night the Barcroft School and Civic League passed the following resolution, asking Arlington County to rescind its policy of allowing the fire department to perform controlled burns in residential neighborhoods.

Resolution

Whereas the Arlington County Fire Department burned a house in Barcroft on S. 8th Street on October 19, 2010, producing billowing clouds of thick black smoke and leaving the building a charred hulk that is still giving off fumes; and

Whereas the notification to the immediate neighbors was received at 5pm on the previous day, and the telephone number given for questions was not answered, indicating that the Fire Department had decided not to consider any citizen concerns about the burning and giving insufficient notice for parents to make arrangements for moving their children for the day or for pregnant women to arrange to move elsewhere; and

Whereas there was no notification at all to the neighborhood at large; and

Whereas similar burnings have provoked protests in other neighborhoods; and

Whereas the burning of a typical older Arlington house produces toxic fumes from lead paint and other materials and in most cases releases asbestos fibers; and

Whereas in an era of concern about toxic substances and their effect on air quality the intentional burning of a home in a neighborhood is clearly an anachronism;

Now therefore the Barcroft School and Civic League recommends to Arlington County that the policy of permitting the Fire Department to burn homes in residential neighborhoods be recinded.

Adopted this 4th of November, 2010 by the Barcroft School and Civic League.

Bryant Monroe

President

Out of the Ashes, Developer to Build Ultra Energy Efficient Home

By ARLnow.com

The Barcroft neighborhood is going to be the home of the Washington area’s second passive house.

Passive house is an ultra energy efficient building style that’s becoming increasingly popular in Europe. There are only about 20 passive houses in the United States.

The eco-friendly house will be built on the site of yesterday’s spectacular made-for-TV controlled burn exercise. The small, condemned and now-charred home currently on the site will be torn down. Construction is expected to begin around December 1 and wrap up in the spring.

The project is being done on spec by the Burke-based developer Kinsey Properties.

Roger Lin, a managing partner at the firm, says the house will raise the bar for efficiency in environmentally-conscious Arlington.

“It’s highest standard in terms of performance-based green buildings,” he said. “They’re popping up all over the country now.”

Lin said the only other passive house in the DC area is in Bethesda.

Barcroft Home Goes Up in Flames for TV Show

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) A house on the 4600 block of 8th Street South in the Barcroft neighborhood was deliberately set on fire this afternoon.

Arlington firefighters set the house on alight then put out the flames for the filming of a CBS Early Show segment on fire safety. The house was condemned and set to be torn down before the controlled burn was arranged, firefighters tell us.

After the home was fully engulfed, it took about 15 minutes for firefighters to put the fire out.

CBS News correspondent Susan Koeppen, who along with the rest of the TV crew came down from New York for today’s shoot, says the segment will show that sleeping with your bedroom door closed at night could save your life in the event of a fire.

More photos after the jump.

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