The Buckingham Herald Tribblog

Joint Meeting Cancelled

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:33:00 +0000

The meeting between the HALRB and the Planning Commission set for tonight has been cancelled. It was to have covered the plans for redevelopment of the N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive intersection. No further date has been set.

Letter: Welcome Alcides and Sylvia

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:26:00 +0000

Dear Alcides and Sylvia,

We heard that you are interested in opening a new market at Glebe and Pershing Streets. As your potential new neighbors, we wish you success in your endeavor and we look forward to shopping in the new store.

Ken and Yoko Moskowitz
Ashton Heights

Business Looking to Lease Space for Buckingham Grocery Store

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:30:00 +0000

A Prince William County company hopes to open a grocery store inside one of the proposed buildings of a redeveloped Buckingham Shopping Center. Pacific General Contractors, LLC, owned by Alcides Ventura and his brother Freddy, has met with county staff and has just finished a business plan for a general grocery, said Sylvia Samayoa, a manager in the company.

Sylvia Samayoa, left, and Alcides Ventura hope to open a grocery store in the building planned to replace the CVS. (Click to enlarge the image.)

“We really want to work in that community,” Ms. Samayoa said.

Pacific General owns a handful of small businesses including Ventura Grocery on Cockrell Road in Manassas. Ms. Samayoa described that store as a general grocery with a focus on Latino foods. Their hope is to open a similar store in the building that is planned to replace the CVS.

“We want to open another one. I believe it’s time,” Alcides Ventura said. Prince William County’s economy has been hit hard by the national housing crisis and a county-wide crackdown on illegal immigration, and while many restaurants and other stores have gone out of business, the Ventura Grocery is still around. “So we’re doing pretty good in comparison to other businesses in that area,” Mr. Alcides said. He said that anyone can open a store, but maintaining it is the hard part.

The store he envisions would cover about 5,000 square feet. Not only would he sell general groceries, especially fresh meats and traditional Latino foods, he also thinks a coffee shop and a cafeteria that sells prepackaged foods could work in that space. He and Ms. Samayoa said they want to reflect what the neighborhood needs and are willing to go into the community to find out what people want. One of his businesses is as a general contractor, and to save money, he is hoping to build the inside of the space himself to his specifications.

Karen Vasquez, the public relations manager for Arlington Economic Development, said the county is trying to promote grocery stores in neighborhoods.

A business that is both locally owned and a grocery “could have piqued board members’ interests,” Ms. Vasquez said.

At the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new streetscape at the intersection, County Board Chairman Walter Tejada said he hoped the Glebe Market would be around for a long time, calling it a “landmark” that is “loved and treasured” in Buckingham. That tends to depend on who you ask. Whether the Glebe Market should be replaced with a similar grocery or something more upscale was one of the more contentious discussions at a recent community forum discussing the redevelopment. Mr. Alcides said he has met with Mr. Tejada regarding the store.

Under the proposed redevelopment, the three buildings west of N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive—the CVS, Glebe Market and El Paso Café buildings—would be torn down and replaced by two large, mixed-use buildings. All but one of the businesses in the current buildings would move into the new space on the northwest corner, the site of the current Glebe Market.

The Glebe Market itself will not return as owner Sam Chon plans to retire. A large question has been what type of grocery store would replace the Glebe Market, a market that serves much of the Latino population of the neighborhood.

Jennie Gordon, a retail development specialist at Arlington Economic Development, said that after losing Glebe Market “we want to make sure something goes in there.”

“We’ve offered to help them, Georgetown Strategic Capital, with outreach,” she said. “They haven’t taken us up on that.” She said Georgetown Strategic might have other outside help and just does not need the county’s input. “If they wanted us to help with outreach, then we would go out a little more aggressively.”

Mr. Alcides heard of the possible space for the store from some of his general contracting clients in the area. He also heard of the space from a friend who once owned a grocery in Alexandria and because he participated in a home expo recently, he said.

For her part, Ms. Samayoa said that county should use Day Labor sites to help men waiting to work at the corner of N. Glebe and N. Pershing.

She said she understood why people would be frightened of men just standing around on the corner if you were not sure what they were doing. “I would be frightened, too,” she said.

Tara Miles of Arlington Economic Development said that Pacific General is the only company she knows of that is trying to lease grocery space in the proposed new building. Ms. Miles said the BizLaunch office she directs is helping that company as it would any other that asked for assistance and that the county is not encouraging one business over another. Her office would be happy to help another looking to compete for the Buckingham Center space.

Her office helps entrepreneurs with technical assistance for acquiring leased space or developing strategic and marketing plans.

“We want to be able to ensure that businesses will have the right tools,” she said, adding later, “My concern…is making sure that everybody has the capacity to compete.”

“They [Pacific General] are actually working on their business plan, which is the best thing to do, to start now,” even though the space will not be ready for a long time, she said. Paperwork submitted to the county from Georgetown Strategic sets construction from May 2009 to May 2010.

Winning the lease for Mr. Alcides: “That’s going to be the number one priority.”

Everyone spoken to said the process is still very early on and nothing is settled. Georgetown Strategic could not be reached for comment.

Related stories…

Buckingham Shopping Center Developer Applies for Certificate of Appropriateness This story covers the planned redevelopment and has links to many other stories in this series.

HeraldTrib Today: June 11, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:52:00 +0000

Mea culpa…

I was in a hurry last week to get my post finished and head off on hiatus. That’s when I inadvertently opened a can of worms.

My intention was to let readers know that the Gates of Ballston, owned by AHC, Inc., planned to open their new community center this summer, and that I would be writing a story about it in the fall when I return from hiatus.

A month or more ago, I had spoken to some people at the current Buckingham Community Outreach Center housed in two connected apartments at the Gates. They were concerned about the move into the new space.

I should have stopped there. Instead I wrote more detail, saying that the community outreach program was going to lose about 1,500 square feet in the move.

I was wrong.

Although Connie Freeman (I called her “Connie Sherman” last week—a bad week), as the director of the community outreach center, is concerned about changes in space and use of the space, she cannot remember ever talking to me about square footage. I was running off memory, rather than notes.

I’ll admit it was unprofessional. I may be a blog, but I do have standards that I attempt to maintain.

So I’m going to apologize for that stupidity, and then move on.

This is the plan for my coverage of the center:

1: I posted the letter from AHC, Inc., below. It is their response to my column last week.

2: Over the summer, I will find some time to run back through all my notes on this—both the notes from people in the Buckingham Community Outreach Center and the people, including Catherine Bucknam from AHC Inc., who gave me a tour of the facility last February.

3: I will be back in the fall to talk to AHC, Connie Freeman, Catherine Bucknam and others to find out how the new space is working. I will write more then.

Gate’s Wins Regional Award…

AHC Inc., the largest nonprofit developer and owner of affordable housing in Northern Virginia, has won the 2008 "Best Project Virginia" award for the Gates of Ballston, a 464-unit affordable apartment complex in Arlington, VA, that was built in the late 1930s. The award, presented by the Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND), was announced at HAND's annual meeting in early June, a press release from AHC, Inc. said.

I’m going on hiatus now…

All week I knew I would have to run my apology and the letter from AHC, Inc., so I thought I would look to a little more news. Check out the stories below.

One of them mentions a sewage spill on June 4 affecting Lubber Run. The water is now clean, said the county’s Shannon Whalen McDaniel, since the rain flushed it out.

The press release told people and animals to stay out of the water until further notice. I saw only one yellowish flyer on a post at one Lubber Run entrance.

I very well could have missed others at the entrances, but I can’t help but think a couple notices nearer the water would have helped in this case. Flyers on bridge railings and that sort of thing might have garnered more attention.

Still, it’s clean now, so consider this “further notice.”

I updated the photos--got the scanner working--on the N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive intersection below. I updated the post with a new helpful illustration; the story itself is the same.

Look for me at Steve Songs (Lubber Run Amphitheatre this SATURDAY--I wrote the wrong day when I first posted).

See you in the fall…

The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).

Today's Headlines:

Letter: Gates' Community Center Has Space (AHC Inc.'s repsonse to my HeraldTrib Today column of June 4.)

NCAC Considers Intersection Funding (The intersection of N. Henderson Road at N. Thomas Street.)

Headlines from Earlier in the Week:

Bham Center Developer Applies for COA (UPDATE: a photo illustration has been added since the original post last Friday).

Stay Out of Lubber Run Stream, County Says (UPDATE:The water is safe once again.)

Letter: Gates' Community Center Has Space

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:12:00 +0000

To the editor:

We were surprised and disappointed to read in last week’s blog that some members of the Buckingham community still have concerns about the space for Arlington County’s Community Outreach Program in the new Gates of Ballston Community Center. AHC Inc., the owner and manager of the Gates of Ballston, collaborated with senior County staff and community volunteers to design spaces and programs that will meet the needs of the Buckingham community. The result is a beautiful, functional community center with approximately 1,600 square feet of space for the Community Outreach Program, 1,500 square feet of space for AHC’s Resident Services program, and another 2,200 square feet of space that can be reserved by residents, the Community Outreach Program, or AHC for special programs.

The Community Outreach space includes two classrooms, a computer classroom, an office, and a meeting room. The remaining space in the new building includes the leasing and property management offices, four handicapped-accessible bathrooms, and an office for the Buckingham and Gates Tenant Association (BUGATA).

AHC has always supported the work of the Community Outreach Program and we have worked hard to accommodate their needs since we bought The Gates in 2002. The two apartments currently occupied by Community Outreach were always intended as temporary space while the Gates underwent an extensive renovation and the new community center was built. AHC will return these apartments to their original purpose – rental housing – once the Community Outreach Program moves to the new community center.

We are very excited about the new Gates Community Center and look forward to celebrating its opening with the Buckingham community later this summer. We truly believe the new center is going to be a great asset to the community.

Sincerely,

Catherine Bucknam
Director of Community Relations
AHC Inc.

NCAC Considers Intersection Funding Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:16:00 +0000

Redevelopment of a Buckingham intersection is up for funding tomorrow. The N. Thomas Street at N. Henderson Road intersection is the fourth of 24 projects throughout the county that the Neighborhood Advisory Conservation Committee will consider at its meeting tomorrow night.

By the end of a meeting in March, a copy of this drawing was covered in notes for minor changes to drainage, street light and bus stop placement. (Click to enlarge the image.)

The $123,000 project is likely to get funded as it is Buckingham’s first time to ask for funding through this source, and it is the top priority in the Buckingham Neighborhood Conservation Plan. The project has 65 “points,” (a scale used to rank projects). No other project has more than 65 points.

Patrick Hope, the Buckingham Community Civic Association president, has said in the past and reiterated in an email, that the project has a very slim chance of failure.

If funded, the project should be completed in about a year, said county planner Dan Reinhard, at a meeting in March.

Related stories and sites…

Pedestrian Safety and Visibility Are Topics of Meeting

BCCA Neighborhood Conservation Plan

NCAC Projects 2008

Bham Center Developer Applies for Certificate of Appropriatness

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:26:00 +0000

An important June 26 meeting will bring together both the HALRB and the Planning Commission to look at the planned development. This post has been updated to change the meeting date to the correct date, which is now shown. --ST

The proposed buildings at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and N. Pershing Drive look too “industrial” and too “warehouse” said Design Review Committee members at their meeting Wednesday night.

“The warehouse loft aspect just doesn’t feel right…for this area,” said DRC member Charles Craig. DRC members did not like the metal facing used on parts of the building, especially on the top, fourth, floor. The "moderne" styling gives the building a factory look.

The scanner is up and running, so the image, with some explanation, is now included. (Click to enlarge the image.)

They also were not in love with drive through prescription window that the CVS would like to have in the new building, but they could live with it if it were nicely done. Also, they want a second entrance to the CVS.

According to architect Scott Matties, CVS does not want a second entrance for security reasons. DRC members and county staff have said that CVS has multiple entrances elsewhere in more urban environments. Plus, making the building more handicapped accessible might require another entrance. One DRC member asked why the people in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood should have a lesser store than similar ones elsewhere.

The argument was best parsed as: if they really want that prescription window, they might think a little more about putting in a second entrance.

The three members of the DRC and the two county staffers, overall, did like some of the changes, including a “sunken” CVS.

N. Pershing slopes downward about three feet from N. Glebe to the El Paso Café. In order to get a little more height in the building, the latest drawing shows that the developer would dig down those three feet near the intersection. The sidewalk at the intersection would be street level, and people would take steps or a ramp down to the CVS entrance.

The look mimics an amphitheatre. The entrance to CVS (imagine it as the stage) sits on the corner of the building. The ramp is flat in front of the door and slopes up from there, hugging two sides of the building.

The steps look a bit like four rows of bleacher seats in front of the stage. They separate the higher sidewalk from the lower ramp. As the ramp rises to meet the sidewalk, the steps taper off one-by-one.

The developer’s idea for the project is to raze the Glebe Market and El Paso Café buildings, replacing them with a four-storey mixed use of retail on the ground floor, and three storeys of apartments above. The CVS, El Paso Café, Woofs Dog Training, and Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits would occupy the space where the Glebe Market and El Paso buildings are. A similar building would occupy the space where the CVS now stands. The Glebe Market is the only business not expected to return in any of the new space. Only cosmetic changes will be made on the east side (the post office side) of N. Glebe.

Georgetown Strategic Capital, the developer of the building, applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness on May 21

On May 9, they applied for a Use Permit as a “Unified Commercial/Mixed Use Development,” what is known as a UCMUD and allows zoning to combine residential and commercial spaces.

They must apply for the COA because the shopping center at that intersection is a county-protected historial location. The COA basically asks the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board to look at the buildings and other accoutrements (e.g. park benches) and make sure that the new construction is appropriate for the surrounding neighborhood.

Receiving the COA is expected to be a months-long process. In the filing papers, Georgetown Strategic has listed May 2009 through May 2010 as the potential dates of construction.

Parking may prove to be an issue. As part of the UCMUD use permit, the developer asks that the county allow one space of parking per 580 square feet of retail space instead of the zoned one space per 250 feet. As well, they are asking that the portion of required residential parking that is traditionally used for guest parking be shared between retail and residential guests.

“We’re not asking for anything that doesn’t exist in the county elsewhere,” Mr. Matties said in an interview after the DRC meeting. “It’s used in Cherrydale and other areas.”

Next up in the COA process: Georgetown Strategic brings their ideas to a joint meeting of the full County Planning Commission and Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (the DRC is a subcommittee of that board), June 26.

Related stories on the redevelopment…

Community Hits Hot Topics Civilly (April 2008)

All Is Quiet at HALRB Meeting (January 2008)

HALRB: Envisioned Buildings "Too Big" (December 2007)

DRC To Discuss Redevelopment (September 2007)

Company Exploring Glebe/Pershing Redevelopment (July 2007)

Related stories on Glebe Market…

Tejada Comes Down Fully in Favor of Glebe Market (May 2008)

Will Sam Chon Retire? No one is talking...anymore. (January 2008)

Stay Out of Lubber Run Stream, Says County

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:37:00 +0000

A sewage spill upstream, on N. Edison Street, is the culprit. Read the full release here.

HeraldTrib Today: June 4, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:54:00 +0000

Summer hiatus…

I’m not sure how I feel as I go on hiatus after I post a story about the Design Review Committee meeting tonight.

Part of the mixed emotion is that I know I go back to teaching at Montgomery College in Rockville in the fall, and I have yet to do all I want to do with this website. I had a full school year to get stuff done, how much time did I need? However much I wanted, it wasn't enough.

Despite wanting to continue for another month or more, I still must write a final report on the year-long project around which this web site was based, and I must get my syllabi ready. I’m still reading one of my adopted texts. I just don’t have the time for it all, especially since the kids are loosed on the world in just a couple more weeks—then look out!

On top of that, I have notes and ideas for stories that are only half done—to those people who are wondering where the stories about them are, I will get to them late summer or early fall.

On top of the on top of all that, the walls of my house look terrible. I really must paint. I will be paying attention to the doings of Buckingham, but I don’t know how much I’ll be reporting until the fall draws me back. Enough complaining of lost time, already. I'll see you in the fall.

A couple summer stories…

I took a wheelchair ride last month, and I have yet to put all the notes and recordings together into a decent story. That will come either over the summer, or early in the fall. Sorry, Deb, for the delay (stupid flooded basement).

Another is about the new Buckingham Community Center, the building on the Gates of Ballston property near N. Glebe at N. Henderson Road. I do not know if the discussions about it would rise to “conflict,” but some of the people who use the current space—a pair of connected two-bedroom apartments on N. Henderson Road—are bothered by the fact that the space they will have in the new building is 1,500 square feet less than what they currently have.

The fireplace in the main room under construction in February. (Click to enlarge the image.)

Also, the space has fewer offices for private discussions. Connie Sherman, the director of the center, worries about what might happen to people who need to have personal conversations such as those involving AIDS or spousal abuse.

AHC Inc., which owns and is building the center, has made a space they feel is large enough. It has a huge room for community events, a computer classroom, a day care center, offices for the tenants association and for the leasing and management office.

County Board Chair Walter Tejada said there are limited resources to go around, and people will have to make due with what is available.

“Once you get used to something, it’s hard to let go,” he said in a recent interview.

I had planned on putting out a story about this before the center’s opening in July, but it looks like now, I’ll be asking people how it’s going.

Design Review Committee meeting tonight…

I will be a little late to the DRC meeting tonight, but that should be OK as the Buckingham Shopping Center (the intersection of N. Glebe at N. Pershing Drive) is the fourth item on the group’s agenda.

Tonight Georgetown Strategic Capital will move a little closer to razing the Glebe Market and CVS buildings and replacing them with two huge, mixed-use buildings, retail on the ground floor, and three floors of market-rate apartments above.

This redevelopment of the corner does not go before the Site Plan Review Committee Rebeccah Ballo in the county’s historic preservation office told me because Georgetown Strategic is not asking for a zoning or density changes. It will go before the Planning Commission and, as the DRC is part of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board, that board has been and will be involved, too.

Barrett’s new field is coming…

County staff confirmed that the budget OKed last month has money in it to repair Barrett Elementary School's playing field. Although staffers originally said the project might get under way in the spring, it’s looking more like summer, but none I spoke with could give me a date. When we spoke last week, the project had not yet been bid.

Say Hello to Bucky…or Lubby!

The erstwhile beaver of Lubber Run still has no clear name, as based upon the survey a handful of you took last week. “Bucky” and “Lubby” tied, with three (!), votes each. “Big Tooth” received no votes.

Unlike Hilary Clinton, I can make THE decision, and say, “enough’s enough,” especially since I’ve seen neither hide nor hair Bucky Lubby since Mother’s Day. Call the beaver what you will, it's over.

Fuzzy’s Robin…

My next-door neighbor, Scott Zoeller, called me to the mat last week when I didn’t run his picture and that of the baby robin nesting in the Norwegian blue spruce outside his townhouse. It was a cute little bugger, and has since flown the coop.

Now, Fuzzy, you can say that you are, as my son Harry says, “just a little bit famous.” Are we cool?

Today's Headlines:

Minigolf It Is

Letter: Redevelopment Means Retail Upscales

Police Notes for Buckingham June 4, 2008

Headlines from Earlier in the Week:

Plaintiffs in School Board Lawsuit Will "Wait and See." (This is a continuation of what has become the saga of the elementary schools overcrowding.)

Letter: "Fantastic" Video Reminds Writer of Visits

Letter: Why Not My Organic Market?

Letter: Nice Picture Show

Yearling Buck Stops in Arlington Oaks

Minigolf It Is

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:00 +0000

Minigolf remains the county’s choice for developing the greenspace outside the Ballston Commons Mall parking lot at the corner of N. Glebe Road at N. Randolph Street.

Some people in Buckingham felt the county had chosen the use of the property without the proper input from all affected parties, such as Buckingham residents. Therefore, meetings were held between the Buckingham Community Civic Association and county staff earlier this year, but no changes were made.

“We are still proceeding with our initial plans to construct a miniature golf course. We’re still on that path,” said Scott McPartlin of the county’s Department of Recreation and Cultural Resources. In the interview early last month, he noted as he has many times, that he and his staff spoke with other civic associations and affected groups and received very positive feedback.

“We listened to their [the Buckingham residents’] opinion, but it did not change the direction of the project,” Mr. McPartlin said. He is the county's lead planner on this project.

The county is preparing a very detailed Request For Qualifications which will seek out developers who want to partner with the county to make the 0.45 acre space a “world-class” minigolf course, Mr. McPartlin said. The RFQ should be ready this summer. Development of the space is still some time away.

The green outline shows the location of the greenspace planned for minigolf.

Related stories and sites…

Letter: Writer Decides FOR Minigolf (Sept. 21, 2007)

Minigolf Plans Progressing

The county's initial "request for interest" regarding the project (Sept. 2007)

Letter: Development Means Retail Upscales

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:11:00 +0000

Steve:

1. Development = Upscaling

This seems self-evident, but a lot of people have trouble pulling the thread on the economics of re-development. Sam Chon bought Glebe Market for $1 (or whatever) and is selling it for $100. The buyer has to do something that will cover the purchase and continue to make a profit. So he seeks greater density (height) and charges new tenant stores more,which soon squeezes out Mom and Pop stores in favor of the chains who can afford the rent. This happens everywhere - you find M+Ps in older and low-rise developments where they could afford to buy; you don't find them
in Times Square.

If you track back, even the advent of the M+P was an upscale redevelopment of what was previously farmland (and no doubt people were despairing of losing THAT). You never see redevelopment of buildings to lower, less dense and retro uses. We all love the old days, and the individual and quirky M+Ps that gave a place character before the homogenizing effects of big money loans driving the developer to the common denominator. But until you can convince people to take a loss when they sell... (Nevermind, that local demand convinced the developer that
there would be a market for Trader Joes or Applebees.)

2. The above notwithstanding, Grand Int'l Mart in 7 Corners and Alexandria
may be the kind of ethnic grocery Buckingham is looking for but at a size
that can sustain the new rents.

If you have any influence with the developer, mention it. Their floorplate is larger than Glebe's, but they may be ready for a smaller application.

Reid Goldstein

The writer is referring to last week's HeraldTrib Today column. --ST

Police Notes for Buckingham June 4, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:02:00 +0000

May 26: Attempted Burglary, 100 block of N. Wakefield St. At around 11:00 a.m., an unknown suspect slashed a screen door and a window screen, and broke two panes of glass, in an attempt to enter a vacant residence. Nothing appears to be missing.

View Larger Map

Plaintiffs in School Board Lawsuit Will "Wait and See"

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:51:00 +0000

The Arlington Public Schools Board will meet in June to revote on decisions it made once already in February, after a judge ruled that the public hearings for that vote were not properly advertised.

Arlington Circuit Court Judge Joanne Alper handed down a decision May 28 stating that the votes taken on Feb. 14 were made illegally as the public hearings of Feb. 13 and 14 had not been properly advertised. The plaintiffs in the case will “wait and see” whether to pursue more legal avenues regarding how the boundary decisions were made after the June 12 meeting, one of the plaintiffs said.

(Click to enlarge the image.)

“The county has rules, operating rules,…that form the basis for how they make boundary decisions,” said plaintiff Joe Delogu. “They did not follow their own rules.”

The Feb. 14 meeting was the culmination of months of study and testimony regarding over-crowding in a handful of North Arlington elementary schools. However, a public hearing that potentially influenced the votes of school board members was delayed by an an ice storm from Feb. 12 to Feb. 13 and 14.

According to a school system press release last week, the Feb. 13 public hearing was “procedurally defective” because it was not advertised in newspapers at least 10 days in advance. This voided the redistricting vote, the release says.

“You know I think the press release speaks for itself. The only thing I would add is that we respect the judge’s decision,” said School Board Chair Ed Fendley in a recent interview.

Three plaintiffs—Joseph and Nancy Delogu; Jay Stewart and Deborah Morone; and Matthew and Stacy Keeley—brought the law suit against the school board on March 17 claiming that the school board’s decision, which moved planning unit 1601 where they live, was illegal not only for the failure to advertise the meeting properly but also for breaking the school board’s own policies.

Specifically, the plaintiffs maintained that the school board did not properly consider alternatives to moving boundaries, which the school board’s policy requires.

The May 28 hearing looked only at the issue of advertising. Another hearing was scheduled for June 23 to look at the issues surrounding policy, but that hearing has been taken off the docket, said Linda Jackson, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

Mr. Delogu said the plaintiffs will meet after the June school board meeting and figure out whether to proceed with a law suit regarding the way in which the decision was made.

The June vote on boundaries will break yet another school board policy, Mr. Delogu said. The board is not supposed to be deciding issues of boundaries after April.

“So they’re breaking yet another one of their rules in order to hold this revote,” he said.

Ms. Jackson said, “The overarching principle…is to hold the school board accountable.”

Planning units are the portions of neighborhoods that the school system looks at when changing the boundaries of different schools. PU1601 was part of Tuckahoe Elementary, but after the vote on Feb. 14, it became part of Nottingham Elementary School, a change that was to take place in the 2008-09 school year.

For their part, the school system said in court documents that the school board had contacted all speakers slated for the Feb. 12 meeting to notify them of the change of date.

“At both sets of hearings each of the Plaintiffs themselves, and/or their spouses, personally testified and addressed the School Board,” the document says. As well, one public hearing had been properly advertised and executed in January, thereby alleviating the need for further meetings, the school board argued.

No word as yet from the judge explaining her decision. The revote will take place on June 12.

Frank Bellavia, a spokesperson for the schools, said “I can’t speak to what the board members are going to do,” but that he did not expect a change in the vote.

Does Mr. Fendley think the voting, which was unanimous in February, will change? He said, “Come on out on the twelfth.”

Related stories…

HeraldTrib's Links to Boundary Issues Page (updated regularly)

Letter: "Fantastic" Video Reminds Him of Visits

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:52:00 +0000

The video was fantastic. Viewed out here in Kansas, it reminded me of my many walking trips to the intersection with my grandchildren, daughter, and son-in-law when we visit in Arlington.

Bruce Quantic, Derby, Kansas

The writer is referring to this video of the recent ribbon cutting at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and N. Pershing Drive. He is also my father-in-law. --ST

Letter: Why Not My Organic Market?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:07:00 +0000

Steve,

My Organic Market would be a great addition to the neighborhood. Not a national chain, but a local organic option to Whole Foods.

Gary Shiffman

The writer is referring to my HeraldTrib Today post of May 28. --ST

Letter: Nice Picture Show

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:02:00 +0000

Hey Steve,

Great pictures and video of the intersection! Thanks!

Brian Berger

To see the slide and video show, click here. --ST

Yearling Buck Stops By Arlington Oaks

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:12:00 +0000

The buck stopped here, outside the Bethel United Church of Christ's fence in an Arlington Oaks backyard. (Click to enlarge the image.)

A yearling buck, its antlers still covered with velvet, rested in an Arlington Oaks backyard this morning, about 7:15.

The deer was spotted by teen Oaks resident Nick Serene, and he pointed it out to others, including me.

“We do definitely have deer here in Arlington," said Rachael Tolman, a naturalist at the county's Long Branch Nature Center. She added later that deer are not terribly prevalent, but “They’re not uncommon.”

Ms. Tolman said the deer like to eat day lilies planted in yards. “They aren’t strangers to neighborhoods," she said.

They are more prevalent in parks, golf courses and along the George Washington Parkway in Arlington, and they will travel through connected open spaces. A half-mile trot from Lubber Run Park to Arlington Oaks is very little for a deer, she said.

The yearling rested for a few minutes, but the attention kept it from resting too long.

Since deer are prey animals they tend to be skittish, Ms. Tolman said. Some do not mind the attention from humans, while others do.

This is another reason to drive the speed limit in neighborhoods and to keep a lookout especially around dusk and dawn, she said.

“Typically it’s the first thing in the morning or around sunset,” that they're most active. At that time of day they can be hardest to see, as well, she said.

The Arlington Oaks Condominium runs on each side of N. George Mason Drive between Arlington Boulevard and N. Pershing Drive. Bethel United Church of Christ is at 4347 N. Arlington Boulevard.

HeraldTrib Today May 28, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Tejada comes down fully in favor of the Glebe Market…

At the ceremony dedicating the newly-renovated N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive intersection last Thursday, Arlington County Board Chairman Walter Tejada began his remarks by saying that he comes to the neighborhood often to shop and eat. He then praised the Glebe Market.

To the uninitiated, that might only have sounded like a politician glad-handing those in attendance, but it’s more than that.

The Glebe Market building will be torn down soon enough if the plans-in-progress go as scheduled. It will be replaced by a four-storey building with retail on the ground floor and market-rate apartments above. Georgetown Strategic Capital, the potential developers, have room in their plans for a small grocery store, but the question remains what type of store will replace the Glebe Market. This has led to debate within the community, and Mr. Tejada was publically throwing his support to one side. I think we now know what the county will be bargaining for as the development process progresses.

Although both sides of the argument are supported by all sorts of people, the main fault line corresponds largely to people’s backgrounds: the Spanish-speaking Latinos in the area want to see a store similar to the Glebe Market, while English-speaking people tend to prefer something more like a Trader Joe’s grocery or Yes! Organic Market.

(Sam Chon, the Glebe Market owner, is retiring and the store itself will not be reopened.)

I’ll admit here that I am with Mr. Tejada on this. I don’t want a Trader Joe’s (and a county staffer or two has told me TJ’s would not move in here anyway). I am afraid that we’ll lose the flavor of our neighborhood if we get another national chain. I am afraid that economic pressure will nudge our retail spaces toward the likes of Clarendon once the hundreds of new apartments and townhouses in the neighborhood are built. As one place goes belly-up it will be replaced by something a little higher up the economic ladder, I think.

(FYI: Buckingham will see about 1,000 new housing units once all the construction throughout the neighborhood is completed over the next five, years, or so.)

So, I'd like to see a store that has a similar content to the Glebe Market, and that has ownership close-at-hand so that it will be responsible to the neighborhood.

At the same time, I want any new store to look new. The Glebe Market does not look nice inside anymore. And I do want the county to think about what they are going to do with the men who congregate, sometimes drink or get unruly, outside the Glebe Market now. I don't want them simply rousted, but fairly dealt with.

And I'd like to know that any market we get serves the entire community, taking all backgrounds and income levels into account.

Mr. Tejada’s remarks can be heard here:

I forgot to mention Favola and Fisette…

As usual in Buckingham events, the crowd at the ribbon cutting for the newly-spruced up N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive intersection was made up mainly of county staffers with a few Buckinghamster and Ashton Heightites attending.

Although county board members Jay Fisette and Barbara Favola are seen in a couple photos, I forgot to mention that they were there and Mr. Fisette spoke. He praised the finished project and talked about how much he liked the Buckingham Center, the food and stores.

Ms. Favola, who is up for reelection this November, stood on and held the ceremonial ribbon.

I have to admit that I love what has been done to the streetscape. The sidewalks are nicer, the "skyline" without the wires is great. I only, still, regret that the art component was relegated to the bus shelters.

Buckinghamster Bernie Berne said that he thought the changes did little. He speaks up at many events and is known for wanting to get rid of affordable housing in the neighborhood and not liking the men who congregate outside the Glebe Market and CVS. He said the changes to the intersection do nothing to help that.

Bernie, I couldn't disagree more. I think what has (finally!) been done is great, and I'm very happy it finally happened. We can deal with other issues later.

Scroll down for the link to the story.

Construction started yesterday on the boulevard’s pedestrian bridge…

The county released a press release about the half-million dollar renovation to the pedestrian bridge that spans Arlington Boulevard at Jackson Street. The work started yesterday.

According to the county web site, “the project includes replacing the metal decking and fencing, improvements to the railings, painting of the bridge and railings and installing lighting and a roof over the bridge.” Traffic will be affected during non-rush hours, the press release says.

To read the press release click here.

Today's Headlines:

Catholic Parade Through Buckingham for Pentecost

No Clear Nominee For Beaver's Name! So the voting continues...

Police Notes for Buckingham, May 28, 2008

Headlines from Earlier in the Week:

Thunder Rumbles Through Church

With a Snip, Eight Years is History

Catholics Parade Through Buckingham

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Catholic Spanish Apostolate Youth carry a statue of the Virgin Mary along George Mason Drive in Buckingham. (Click to enlarge the image.)

Catholic Spanish Apostolate Youth paraded through Buckingham on Pentecost Sunday, May 11, carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary, chanting and praying.

The parade began at St. Thomas More Cathedral, on Cathedral Drive, continuing to an area park, before children went to church to celebrate Mass with their families, said Joelle Santolla, a spokesperson for the Arlington Diocese. A walker led the congregants in prayer and call-and-response from the back of the group with a megaphone.

One participant said that the people came from throughout the Northern Virginia area.
Pentecost marks the end of the Easter season for Christians. It is a day they celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit.

A man with a megaphone, far left, led congregants in chants and prayers. (Click to enlarge the image.)

No Clear Nominee in Beaver's Name!

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:36:00 +0000

Bucky, Lubby, or Bigtooth? We just don't know. (Click to enlarge the image.)

It’s too close to call! The campaign to name to the Lubber Run beaver will run yet another week as a clear winner has not garnered enough delegates for officials to call the race.

With two votes each, the names: Lubby, Bigtooth (or Big Tooth), and Bucky, are tied in a three-way race.

Voting will continue until next week when the results will be retabulated and a winner, with luck, will be chosen. If the campaign stretches on much more into the summer, beavers everywhere say the infighting threatens to tear apart the park’s wildlife and open up a chance for the squirrels to win.

So, make sure you vote in “Week Two of Name the Lubber Run Beaver” survey. Click Here to take it.

Last week's survey collected 12 responses, spread through a spectrum of ideas. The also rans, with one vote each: Kershplooshie, Chipper, Lucie Moon, Muddy, Hazel, Paco, and Lubber.

Unfortunately, I have not seen any more signs of the beaver, since the initial sighting on Mother's Day (May 11), but maybe it's just really, really sneaky. Vote today; make your voice count!

Related stories…

Name the Lubber Run Beaver

Police Notes for Buckingham May 28, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:57:00 +0000

“DB” emailed me on Thursday May 22, saying he/she saw numerous police cars at the Glebe Market that day. Nothing came up on Arlington County’s Police Reports page. John Lisle, a spokesperson for the police, said that sometimes people report what they think is a crime, but it turns out to be nothing that gets reported on the page. (Much police work, such as a routine traffic stop, is not reported.) Mr. Lisle said he would contact me if something came up from that event. --ST

May 24: Malicious Wounding, 4300 block of N. 4th St. At approximately 6:06 p.m., two male roommates got into a fight and one stabbed the other in the arm with a broken bottle. This incident is still under investigation and charges are pending.

May 22: Stolen Auto, 3700 block, N. Pershing Dr. Tag Number: VA XWR8294, The truck is a 1995, green Toyota 4Runner.

May 21: Attempted Malicious Wounding (Arrest), 500 block of N. Glebe Rd. At 12:30 a.m., a man was walking when he was approached by three unknown men. One subject bumped into the victim and an argument ensued. The suspect then attempted to stab the victim with a knife, but was held back by his acquaintances. They all ran from the area. The police responded and located the suspects. Hector Herrera-Roman, 20, of Arlington, was charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding and held without bond.

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Thunder Rumbles Through Church

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:25:00 +0000

Veterans on motorcycles rumbled into town as they always do for the big “Rolling Thunder” parade this Memorial Day, and, again as they always do, some encamped on the Arlington Assembly of God Church at the corner of N. Pershing Drive and Arlington Boulevard.

Bill Francis with Phil Vasquez in the background. (Click to enlarge the image.)

Bill Francis, of California, made the annual drive with his friend, Phil Vasquez. The nine-day trip was a first for both of them.

Despite the sometimes vulgar warnings on his helmet (“I’m not prejudiced. I hate everybody.” And “Do I look like a people person?”), Mr. Francis was very friendly and in the mood to talk Sunday morning.

By then, about 8:30 a.m., the other riders had decamped for the Rolling Thunder staging area in the Pentagon North Parking Lot. Participants had to arrive at 6:30 for a 12 o'clock ride.

Mr. Francis and Mr. Vasquez were heading for North Carolina, and had no real interest in sitting on their motorcycles in a parking lot for six hours, they said.

A highlight of the event for Mr. Francis, a Vietnam Veteran, was carrying a placard of a fallen Marine to the Vietnam Memorial. Organizers ask new riders to volunteer for the honor.

“I was lucky enough to get my hand up first,” he said.

Dozens of tents and hundreds of people slept on the church's grass for all or some of the weekend.

A Kansas contingent packs up early Monday morning. (Click to enlarge the image.)

With a Snip, Eight Years Is History

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:33:00 +0000

The county and civic leaders cut the ribbon on renovation of the Glebe at Pershing intersection, a project that started in 2000, or earlier.

A clearly-photoshopped image of the entire intersection of N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive. (Click to enlarge the image.)

It has been so long in coming that people cannot even recall when the whole process began, but the date it ended was Thursday May 22, 2008, when county board members and local civic leaders snipped the ceremonial ribbon on a N. Pershing Drive bus shelter, ending a tumultuous process of renovation at N. Pershing’s intersection with N.Glebe Road.

The process started, most likely, in 2000, when county staff organized the “Buckingham Charette” and the idea for improving pedestrian safety and designing common sense traffic patterns was discussed. The idea quickly became part of the Neighborhood Strategy Area Plan, written in 2000.

In late 2002 and early 2003, the county was saying this project would be completed “by spring.” But county staff cited troubles working with the many people and businesses that own the property and buildings, troubles working with the slow-moving Virginia Department of Transportation, and concerns raised by the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmarks Review Board.

So much was slowed down that staff chose to cut sculptures from the project and instead limit the “arts portion” to etched-glass bus shelters.

The irony of this is that in the intervening years, the property on that corner has risen in value, and the CVS and Glebe Market buildings will be torn down and rebuilt if current plans are executed. The new curb cuts and landscaping on the west side of N. Glebe Road are not consistent with the plans for the new buildings.

Videos and images from yesterday’s event and some more history are a included as part of the following video. Links to stories covering this renovation appear below the video.

Related stories from the HeraldTrib…

On Construction:

Undergrouding the Utilities Begins (Sept. 13, 2006)

Progress Slow, and Underground, at Pershing/Glebe (Jan. 10, 2007)

Update: Power Blackout Not Caused by Underground Construction (Feb. 22, 2007)

This Should Be the Summer of a New Glebe and Pershing Intersection (May 23, 2007)

Board Approves Contract for Bham Intersection (Oct. 16, 2007)

Major Intersection Work to Begin Monday (Dec. 7, 2007)

On Art:

Art on the Four Corners (Nov. 13, 2007)

No Public Discussion on Art a "Slap in the Face." (Oct. 17, 2007)

HeraldTrib Today: May 21, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:55:00 +0000

I’m back, sort of…

Well, I’ve unburied myself, a bit, from the flood of two Mondays ago. I’m offering just a little update today, but will have more including the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony tomorrow (Thursday, 12:30) of the renovated intersection of N. Glebe Road and N. Pershing Drive. If you want to go, the ceremony starts near the Glebe Market.

I’ll admit that I do like what I see when I walk or drive through that intersection.

Make sure you scroll down to see the Lubber Run Beaver, and take time to name him/her/it.

Lubber Run Center still not up for renovation…

The county’s Capital Improvement Program, proposed about two weeks ago, focuses monies largely on immediate needs and programs already underway in the county, so the Lubber Run Community Center once again did not make the list of buildings to be rehabilitated.

Saying “we still have work to finish,” County Manager Ron Carlee, told the county board the five-year CIP focuses on the $747 million to which the county has already committed. This includes 22 major capital projects and 33 neighborhood conservation projects.

“That is a big capital program,” he said, adding later, “We’ve got to finish these big projects.”

The CIP directs the county’s spending on major renovation projects for the next five years, and is funded largely by bonds. At the special meeting which outlined the 2009-2014 CIP, Mr. Carlee cited concerns that the county’s debt level on average would rise too high if they took on too much more debt to fund projects.

Renovations to the Lubber Run Community Center, according to interviews with Recreation Manager Carol Hoover last fall, have almost been funded by the CIP in the past. The 1950s era center is no where near handicapped accessible, as the only accessible floor is the basement level. One must take stairs to get anywhere else in the building.

Arlington Mill, Westover Library and Fire Station #3 are some of the ongoing projects that made the list.

Police Notes for Buckingham, May 21, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Thurston) — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:47:00 +0000

As there were no Police Notes last week, today’s covers the past two weeks. --ST

May 11: Commercial Burglary, 300 block of N. Thomas St. and 4300 block of N. Henderson Rd. Between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., an unknown subject broke into two different laundry rooms and stole copper wiring/pipes. There is no suspect description.

May 6: Robbery, 700 block of N. Glebe Rd. At 10:30 p.m., a man on the street was approached by a vehicle. The two men in the vehicle asked the man for a dollar, then took all of his cash when he pulled it from his pocket. The vehicle then drove off. The suspects are described as African-American males in their 20s. The vehicle was a dark-colored SUV.

May 7, Stolen Auto, 500 block N. Edison St. License tag: VA KBF7142. The car is a 1991, blue Honda Civic.

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