Washington Gas Work, Autumn 2013

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Washington Gas has announced the next phase of its line replacement schedule. Work will be occurring in the following neighborhood locations this fall:

Columbia Pike at S George Mason Dr
Columbia Pike at S Taylor St
12th Rd S at S Taylor St
13th St S at S Taylor St
13th Rd S at S Taylor St
S Thomas St

Further details are in the attached PDF (17pp, 3,2 Mbyte).

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Live Entertainment Use Permit Request for El Salvador Restaurant, 4805 Columbia Pike

We have been advised by County staff that a use permit for live entertainment for El Salvador Restaurant (U-3349-12-2) located at 4805 Columbia Pike (at Four Mile Run Drive ) will be up for consideration by the County Board on 21 Sept 2013.  At the May 2013 County Board meeting, consideration of the permit was deferred with additional steps for the May-September time period imposed per the attached staff report [PDF].  County staff has followed up with Police and ABC for activity since May.  Virginia ABC has no issues with this use permit.  Arlington Police provided a list of calls for service within the establishment for the past three months and calls have reduced significantly (2 calls for service, both resulting in no arrests or follow-up police reports).  A security guard (hired by the applicant) has been working on the weekends, and if staff considers approval of this use permit, this will be increased to two (2) security staff members during hours of live entertainment, Friday through Sunday and Tuesday from 9 pm-2 am.  Furthermore, if there is consideration for approval, strict conditions for live entertainment will be in place, comparable to approvals for Pines of Italy and El Rancho Migueleño which are also on Columbia Pike.  Those conditions can be reviewed in this PDF.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Marco Rivero in the Arlington County Urban Planning Department at 703.228.3572.

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Capital One Bank Use Permit Amendment / 11th St S

Agreement has been reached with Capital One Bank to complete the new 11th St S from Monroe to Glebe, connecting with the 11th St S stub approved as part of the Pike 3400 (Rosenthal) project. This street connection was anticipated as part of the Columbia Pike Form-Based Code (FBC).

The details can be found in this PDF.

The Use Permit Amendment is currently anticipated to be reviewed by the County Board at the 21 September regular meeting.

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The 31st Annual Douglas Park 4th of July Parade and Picnic

All Douglas Park residents are invited to our annual Parade and Picnic. The neighborhood gathers in Monroe Park (14th St S at S Monroe St) at 10am on the 4th for judging of the best parade floats, costumes, decorated bikes, and the coveted prize of Mr and Ms Douglas Park. The parade itself starts at 10:30am from Monroe Park, proceeding along S Nelson Street to 18th St S, to S Quincy Street and into Douglas Park for the picnic. There will be live music, a moonbounce and sno-cones.

It is a pot-luck picnic, so bring your finest recipes to share. Free water and hot dogs provided by the Douglas Park Civic Association.

At noon, there will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

See you there! And Happy birthday, USA!

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25 Jun 2013: 16th St South Projects Update: ‘Green Streets’ and Traffic Calming

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On 24 June 2013, DPCA received word that the 16th St South ‘Green Streets’ and Traffic Calming projects have been delinked.  Traffic calming will move ahead with ‘Green Streets’ considered at a later date.  The letter from Arlington DES:

Dear Douglas Park Civic Association and residents,

The County will be “delinking” the neighborhood traffic calming (NTC) and green street projects on 16th Street South, as requested by the Douglas Park Civic Association and 3700 block 16th Street South residents.  The County will proceed to construct the full scope of the NTC project and anticipates that construction will begin in October 2013.  Any further questions regarding the NTC project should be directed to the NTC project manager, Jeff Sikes at jsikes@arlingtonva.us. Upon completion of the NTC project, the County will consider whether to return to 16th Street South to address the issues raised by the residents in regard to green street measures.

Adjacent residents will also be notified regarding this decision by letter.

The attached Q&A document summarizes the County responses to questions raised at the June 18 DPCA meeting, as well as others that were voiced in subsequent email communications. Please take the time to review this document.  If you have any questions regarding this information, you are always welcome to contact County staff for clarification. For your convenience, this document has also been posted to the 16th Street South Green Street project web site at: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/EnvironmentalServices/Sustainability/page87635.aspx.

Thank you,

Christin Jolicoeur, Watershed Planner
Arlington County, Dept. of Environmental Services
cjolicoeur@arlingtonva.us
2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 705
Arlington, VA  22201

703.228.3588 (p)
703.228.7134 (f)

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Recap of 18 June Civic Association Meeting

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Approximately twenty people attended the Civic Association meeting on Tuesday evening 18 June at Firehouse 9.

The agenda included:

Christin Jolicouer, Watershed Planner; Greg Emanuel, Director of Arlington DES and other DES staff presented an update on the 16th St South ‘Green Streets’ project. We also heard from residents on 16th St South affected by the project.

Afterwards, Civic Association attendees discussed the presentations and expressed numerous concerns with the project.  A consensus emerged to have the Civic Association formally communicate those concerns to the County Board and DES staff.  That letter is available here.

Update:  Arlington County has agreed to delink the ‘Green Streets’ project from the previously approved traffic-calming project on 16th St South and revisit the ‘Green Streets’ project itself.  See the full response in this post.

John Snyder, Immediate Past-President of DPCA, updated us on plans for the 31st Douglas Fourth of July Park Parade and Picnic.

Adam Henderson was elected President of the Civic Association.

The next Civic Association meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, 17 September 2013 at 7.30p.

 

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County Conducts Survey of Future ‘Super Stop’ Design

Arlington Transport/DES is seeking input from Pike residents and bus
users on the future design of the Columbia Pike ‘Super Stops’. The
survey is open now to 21 July:

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ATTENTION COLUMBIA PIKE NEIGHBORS, BUSINESSES, AND WALTER REED SUPER STOP USERS

 Arlington County is conducting a comprehensive review of the performance, cost, design and construction of the recently completed Walter Reed Super Stop prototype. The goal of the review is to facilitate the construction of the remaining 23 planned Stops faster, more cost effectively and with improved functionality where necessary.

The assessment takes on a three-pronged approach with distinct processes:

  1. A financial and performance assessment,
  2. A community consultation process aimed at the users of the stop, and
  3. A technical design review

The community consultation process includes you – current stop users and Columbia Pike neighbors and businesses – to get your feedback on the site’s design and amenities!

  • Take our online survey NOW designed specifically for current stop users and Columbia Pike neighbors/businesses.  It will be available from June 22, 2013 through July 21, 2013.
  • You may also notice a third-party conducting the survey in-person at the Walter Reed Super Stop to ensure a wide range of user participation.
  • County staff will also consult with targeted groups, such as local civic associations, the Columbia Pike Implementation Team (CPIT), the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, and the Transit Advisory Committee, to obtain their input on the design.

The intent of the feedback process is to seek input on the prototype’s physical elements and their functionality and effectiveness in order to inform the design review.

  • This process will NOT seek guidance on the broader Columbia Pike Super Stops program, such as stop locations, number of stations, or continuation of the program.

The findings from the overall comprehensive review will be used to determine how to proceed on future Super Stops. The review and outreach process is slated for completion in late fall 2013. The County Manager, after consulting with Arlington County Board members and WMATA, will announce her decision later this year.

Stay tuned to the Columbia Pike Super Stops webpage for updates!

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Civic Association Meeting Tuesday 18th June

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The next meeting of the Douglas Park Civic Association will be held Tuesday 18 June 2013 at 7.30p in the downstairs meeting room at Firehouse Nr 9, South Walter Reed Dr at 19th St South.

On the agenda:
1. A presentation by County staff on the 16th St South ‘Green Street’ bioretention project (links to more details below).
2. Recap of plans for our 31st Annual Fourth of July Parade and Picnic.
3. Other business.

All are welcome to attend. The Douglas Park Neighbor News will be delivered to your doorstep the weekend of 15/16 June. The digital PDF copy is here.

Links to more details on the 16th St South ‘Green Street’project on the Arlington County website:

Main project website
Project plan [PDF]
Drainage area for the project [PDF]

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Streetlamp Conversion to LED Technology

The County is converting streetlights to LED technology in order to modernize the overall streetlighting network, reduce costs, minimize energy use and environmental impact, and improve safety and visibility for vehicular and pedestrian traffic on County roadways. As part of the LED Streetlight Conversion Program, streetlights on the following streets in Douglas Park are slated to be converted to LEDs in the next few months:

  • S Monroe St (from Columbia Pike to 13th St S)
  • S Glebe Rd (from 12th St S to 14th St S)
  • S Kenmore Cir
  • 12th St S (from S Monroe St to S Glebe Rd)
  • 13th St S (from S Monroe St to S Glebe Rd)
  • 14th St S from S Quincy St to S Walter Reed Dr)
  • 16th St S (from S Taylor St to S Glebe Rd)
  • 17th St S (from S Monroe St to S Glebe Rd)
  • S Taylor St from 16th St S to the cul de sac)
  • S Quincy St (from 14th St S to 18th St S)
  • S Pollard St (from 14th St S to 18th St S)

The retrofitting/conversion process takes approximately two weeks for each street. During the conversion installation process, streetlights will remain off, and crews will work to minimize the traffic impact in the area. This process also includes testing of the initial operation of the newly retrofitted lights and the implementation of the remote dimming capability. Each light must be individually programmed for dimming purposes.
A detailed fact sheet regarding the new LED technology and conversion process is available here. This information can also be found on the County’s website at www.arlingtonva.us by searching “Streetlight Conversion”. For specific questions regarding the upcoming installation, please contact Santosh Neupane, Streetlight Engineer, at sneupane@arlingtonva.us.

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Street Sealing in Douglas Park

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The 2013 County Street Slurry Seal preventative maintenance program will begin around 8 July and end sometime in November 2013

We have been advised that the following streets in Douglas Park are currently scheduled for sealing work this summer:

  • South Quincy Street from 16th Street South to South Walter Reed Drive
  • South Stafford Street from 16th Street South to 18th Street South
  • 18th Street South from South Stafford Street to South Quincy Street

Slurry Seal is a water-based, emulsified asphalt mixture spread one-eighth inch (1/8″) thick over the street surface. It protects streets from water penetration, provides a new surface with improved skid-resistance, and is a quick and economical repair method between full resurfacings.

The operation requires street closures and parking restrictions for 4-8 hours depending on weather.

A notice will be mailed out to affected addresses 4 week in advance on the affected streets and is followed up with door hangers. These provide information about the planned activities and suggestions for residents. A detailed area map showing the proposed work locations can be accessed via the Internet at: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/EnvironmentalServices/dot/StreetSlurry.aspx.

More details will follow as available.

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