In approving the site plan amendment, the Board established no specificity in terms of time for the applicant to complete the build out of the community facility, but established specificity requirements in terms of the sequence of events. The Board specified no economic use of the storage space until the community meeting room is completed and its Certificate of Occupancy is issued. The applicant's representative estimated that it will probably take a year to complete the build out.
This approved site plan amendment, includes amended condition #36 and new conditions #41 through #43. The County Staff recommended amended condition #36 to require the applicant to develop a meeting room space to consist of 3,270 square feet of space, a pantry/kitchenette, and only one bath. This proposed condition was further amended by the Board to require the applicant to develop a meeting room space of 3,588 square feet, including a pantry/kitchenette, and two bath rooms.
Under new condition #41, the applicant is required to share the final construction plans of the meeting room space with representatives of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association and the Windsor Plaza Condominium prior to submission to the County for appropriate permits. Under new condition #42, the applicant agrees to contribute $10,000 to the Trust and Agency account in the Department of Human Services to support child care services in Arlington County. This contribution shall be made prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy following build out of the meeting room space referenced in condition #36. Under new condition #43, the applicant agrees to allow the Windsor Plaza Condominium residents preference for the storage bins located in the western portion of the site. (This would be the areas nearest the newly developed meeting room space). The use of the storage space shall be available on a first call basis for Windsor Plaza Condominium residents and for tenants in the adjoining office building, then to the Ballston community, and then to the adjoining area.
The Association expresses its appreciation to Michael Bosely, the On-Site Manager for the Windsor Plaza Condominium for his promptness and professional courtesy in coordinating communications between the Windsor Plaza Condominium, BVSCA, County Staff, and the applicant's representative. Mr. Bosely was especially helpful in his liaison role for all entities involved in the negotiations between our community and the applicant.
As a result of these negotiations, London & Leeds Development Corporation agreed to commit to: a community room of 3,588 square feet on the mezzanine under the residential building at the office plaza level; two bathrooms associated with the meeting room space; add a coat room; an outside appearance for the meeting room space which is similar to the day care glass facade; and a condition which would require London & Leeds to make arrangements with the neighborhood relative to restrictions on the use of the meeting room and scheduling of the use of the meeting room.
Mr. Gardner commented that the next team to be formed, NSAT-2, would cover the Buckingham area and the Ballston-Virginia Square community. Mr. Gardner described the objectives of these teams are to not only improve service delivery but to improve problem resolution. Mr. Gardner discussed how some citizen complaints cross more than one County government functional area and at times the initial complaint is not fully resolved. By establishing these cross-functional teams, Mr. Gardner indicated that the County will "focus on customer service in a real nitty-gritty way and have bureaucracy interact at a local level.
NSAT-2 was established in June 1995 to cover the geographical area comprising Ashton Heights (including the Buckingham area), Ballston-Virginia Square, and Lyon Park. According to County Manager Gardner, this team will build on lessons learned in the Neighborhood Services Task Force pilot project as well as from the work of NSAT-1. NSAT-2 will focus on how better to coordinate and improve service delivery and tailor it to the specific needs of those who live and work in the neighborhood.
Ultimately, it is anticipated that there will be a total of eight areas which will have neighborhood service teams and encompass the entire County. Creation of the second team will be followed in December by formation of a third team located in the Columbia Pike West area. These three teams together will provide a fairly comprehensive assessment of the work ahead for teams 4-8. Teams are made up of a member from each County service department; and a representative from one of the schools in the specific area. The mission of the County's area teams are to: 1) proactively plan and coordinate activities in given geographical areas of the County; 2) empower residents in the decision making process about service delivery in their neighborhood; 3) challenge staff and residents for new ways of delivering services and solving area problems; 4) manage the interface between departments in the delivery of services in the neighborhood; and 5) provide a continuing interface between the County and the residents of the neighborhood.
The Civic Association has invited representatives of NSAT-2 to discuss their team's goals and objectives and how the process will work. If you have any questions or comments about the County's neighborhood service area teams, we invite you to bring them to our Membership Meeting on Wednesday, August 23, 1995, at the Arlington Renaissance Hotel, 2nd floor conference room. This item is scheduled for presentation from 7:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The proposed site plan currently shows 18 townhouses divided into two mews areas of nine units each oriented toward North Stafford and North Stuart streets respectively. Each unit would have a garage--the interior units will have one-car garages and the end units two-car garages. Currently, there are plans for 16 surface parking spaces. The ratio of spaces to units is 2.2. This is higher than the two spaces per unit currently required under the R15-30T zoning category. The development, as it stands, would have a site coverage of 65%. The standard for R15-30T calls for only 56% coverage. Also, the side yard set-backs are proposed for 5 feet rather than the usual 8 feet. This site plan is scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on October 2nd, and then be heard by the County Board at their October 14th meeting.
Representatives of the developer will make a presentation at our August 23rd membership meeting, at the Arlington Renaissance Hotel, 2nd Floor Conference Room, above the Ballston Metro Station. It is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. If you are interested in learning more about this proposal, or have any questions, please plan to attend.
The Joint GMU/Arlington County Advisory Board will advise George Mason University and Arlington County on issues addressed in the Memorandum of Understanding, together with any issues that may be proposed by either the University or the County.
Although the Advisory Board will be an ongoing body, one-half of the initial appointments will be made for one-year terms, while the other half will be made for two-year terms. Thereafter, all appointments will be made for two-year terms. Board members may serve for two consecutive full two-year terms. Appointments will be made in consideration of the emergent issues before the Board with regard to campus facility development and community benefit initiatives.
After the introduction of the members of the Advisory Board, representatives of GMU were called upon to discuss their plans for the expanded Virginia Square Campus. GMU stated that they do not view their various sites as "branch campuses," but rather as a self-contained whole. All sites, including Virginia Square, will offer graduate and undergraduate courses. It is planned that this campus will be home to the law school (currently housed at the site), a program in global issues (currently housed in the Quincy Station building), the M.P.A. in Policy Studies, and Telecommunications. Currently, the campus offers a J.D. in Law, an MAIT in International Studies and an MSA in Accounting. In the 1995 academic year they hope to offer an MAIS in Regional Economics, an MPA in non-profits, and an MPA in Local Government. In 1996, they will add an MA in Telecommunications.
Another large component of the Virginia Square site, which will be housed in the Phase II building, will be a metacomputing center (Northern Virginia Metacomputing Center). This center is being developed in response to a federal government Request for Proposal (RFP), and GMU is being joined in the venture by Marymount and Johns Hopkins University. They hope to have the initial installation of the center completed by July 1996 and have it operational by September 1996. As the GMU building that would house this facility will not yet be built, GMU has entered into an agreement with Marymount University to temporarily house the computer facility at their Glebe Road campus (the Blue Goose building). The computer center will occupy the eighth floor of the building. Currently, Marymount only utilizes the first four floors of the building under a use permit that restricts further occupation of the building until adequate parking arrangements are made. It was unclear how the location of the computer center in the building affected this use permit condition.
GMU representatives continued their presentation and discussed a new "community benefit" venture with Arlington County. This venture is a joint application to HUD for monies under the COPC grant program to develop an Urban Alternative in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood. HUD has awarded the grant, and the joint venture will receive $500,000 over the next two years to implement the program.
University solutions to the anticipated parking problems were discussed briefly. A GMU representative said that an information kiosk will be established at the Virginia Square campus in Fall 1995. This kiosk will be staffed with a commuter coordinator and offer parking alternatives to the campus's users. No details were given as to what these alternatives will be or how they will be enforced. (It is known that GMU has been able to lease parking spaces in the garage of Stafford Place I, the NSF building. However, no details of this arrangement were presented.)
Lastly, the time table for construction was discussed. The plans originally presented to the community last summer called for the Virginia Square campus to be developed in three phases. Phase I was to begin in 1995, and would be a building of 141,000 sq. ft., situated at the corner of North Fairfax Drive and Kirkwood. It would house the law school, its library, and the International Institute. Phase II would see a 240,000 sq. ft. building in the middle of the site with a plaza. (This would house the metacomputer center along with other programs.) Phase III would see the last building on the site (350,000 sq. ft.) built nearest the FDIC complex. Due to budgetary constraints, many aspects of the Phase I building have had to be changed. In light of this, the University does not anticipate groundbreaking until February or March of 1996. New drawings and plans will be shared with the Advisory Board at the next meeting.
The Association expresses its appreciation to its internet service provider, Digital Gateway Systems, 8230 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 415, Vienna, Virginia 22182 for its excellent technical support. Also, the Association expresses its appreciation to Scott Allard, President, Barcroft School and Civic League, for tips on how to use HTML language. The Barcroft Neighborhood Home Page was Arlington County's first civic association home page to run on the Web, which was implemented in February 1995; and the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association Home Page was the second. The Barcroft Home Page can be located at (http://www.bhsi.org:80/barcroft/), or found on the BVSCA home page under the link to other neighborhoods on the Web. The Executive Committee encourages our members to visit the BVSCA Home Page and Barcroft's Home Page for information about these Arlington neighborhoods and email your comments to Ernie Ragland at bvsca@dgs.com and Scott Allard at scotta@dgs.com. The following illustrates the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association Home Page without graphics for our members, who have yet to get on the Information superhighway.
Because of concern expressed by some of the BVSCA members who reside at the Tower Villas Condominium, the Association registered its concern with the County Board about Pizza Hut's application and asked that, for safety reasons, a limiting condition be placed on the use permit requiring that the delivery service's vehicles be prohibited from entry or egress from the Pizza Hut driveway entrance on N. 9th Street. Such a condition was, at first, included in the text of the use permit drafted by the County staff but, during Board discussions, it was eliminated. Instead, the final text states that "The County Board has found that the exception for this use is justified only because the applicant has represented that the use will make deliveries only by vehicles using the commercial frontages and streets to the maximum extent possible." The Board did, however, stipulate that the grant of the permit would be reviewed in four months' time.
The Association understands that Pizza Hut does not plan to initiate its new food delivery service until some time in mid-October. In the meantime, we have invited the applicant and the applicant's representative, William C. Thomas, Attorney, to discuss the applicants plans for the delivery service.
If you have any questions or comments about the applicant's planned food delivery service from Pizza Hut, at 3811 Wilson Boulevard, we invite you to bring them to the next Membership Meeting on Wednesday, August 23, 1995, at the Arlington Renaissance Hotel, 2nd floor conference room. This item is scheduled from 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Clerk: Eleven (11)b is a use permit request as required by Section 26.B.7. to permit operation of a food delivery service; on premises known as 3811 Wilson Boulevard.
County Staff: The applicant requests a use permit to add a food delivery service to an existing restaurant (Pizza Hut). The site consists of a one-story building and 26 parking spaces which are accessible from Wilson Boulevard and 9th Street North. The current seating capacity of 88 seats would be reduced to 42 seats to make necessary interior improvements. The applicant has agreed per condition #1 to maintain a delivery and driver safety training plan. And the condition also asks that the delivery drivers not access or depart from the site using 9th Street North which is a residential street. The applicant does not agree with that condition. Condition #2 requires that delivery vehicles carry clearly visible identification as delivery vehicles when making deliveries; and Condition #3 limits the times for delivery. Staff believes this is an appropriate use in this location and subject to the conditions, staff recommends approval with a review in one year.
Planning Commission: Two main issues that we identified were the 9th Street access and also the hours of operation. It wasn't clear what the hours for the restaurant itself was going to be. Its not going to be a restaurant now. Its something you have to order at the window. One of the Commissioners has asked for the difference in hours between the restaurant and the delivery be stated clearly. And I don't think that its really an issue, but it was brought up....Under the other is 9th Street access [which] is a major pedestrian connector and we really wanted to make sure that delivery cars were not in and out of 9th Street....And what we had recommended was that delivery drivers shall use Wilson Blvd. to the maximum extent feasible.
William Thomas: "Mr. Chairman, members of the Board, I'll make my comments brief. We did have a problem with that, I'd like to cut to the chase, not present a whole lot here. I'd like to ask the Board to consider giving us a shorter review. I don't often come in and say that. We have an interesting issue. It's an existing site, it's been used for a long time. We are sensitive to the 9th Street issue but we do have circumstances under which we believe that the 9th Street entrance and exit needs to be used to service the residential community that is adjacent to it. I have been in contact with Mr. Ragland from the Civic Association over the last week and what I've asked them to do is to see us twice. I would like the Civic Association to see us at their earliest convenience to give us the opportunity to show them what survey material we can, and what our actual mode of operation would be. We have never had any problem with utilizing commercial frontages to the maximum extent possible language and that has sufficed in all past projects. We were comfortable with the original staff report that used that. We are uncomfortable with the 9th Street exclusion simply because it's none and we do believe that at least some level there should be some access to that. Again, we're fine with the commercial frontage, the maximum extent possible. So I would ask that the Board to consider eliminating that language while we go through a preliminary use at the site in the presence, and under the scrutiny of the civic association. You have my commitment based on my conversation with the civic association so far we will meet them in a before and after. At the beginning before we start doing any deliveries and as soon as possible at their convenience and at the end after the review period that you all would adopt.
Thomas: "Unknown to me at the time a new policy on behalf of Pizza Hut that has basically been eliminating these signs in areas where there is a concern about crime.
Eisenberg: "Make your last statement. Say the last thing you said because I didn't hear you." Thomas:
Eisenberg: "What are the crimes that we are talking about?" Whipple:
Ellen Bozman: "I think we should defer this until get a report from our police department. I would ask that you have your Pizza Hut people work with our police department to
Eisenberg: "Thank you. Call the speakers please."
Deem Gillmore: "Good afternoon, we've put in a long afternoon. I'm Vice President of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association and a number of our people in the Tower Villas, I was hoping some of them would be here. They have expressed a concern about the delivery drivers from the Pizza Hut coming out on the 9th Street side. As you know, this area has been approved for the office component of the Pollard Garden site plan and also for the Pollard Garden residential component. This area of 9th Street is heavily traveled by pedestrians going to the [Virginia Square] Subway stop.
Thomas: "Several routings, I guess common sense perspectives that say that throwing all of the traffic including the traffic that would be going directly behind this site to this existing residential neighborhood out onto Wilson Boulevard simply throws all of the traffic onto Wilson Boulevard and we're talking about less than 10% going into, probably well below 10% but that percentage should service that community without going which is essentially a circle to get there, coming out, around and back and through to get to those residential streets."
Whipple: "That could be a few seconds faster." Thomas: "We think it could possibly be more than just a few, if you're talking about the left turn movements onto Wilson Blvd." Whipple: "Why do you think it would be very hard to go around the block?" Thomas: "It is a short block, I will say this. That's why I've asked for the Board to consider a shorter review so we can show the community both in speaking with them and through the actions in the first 3 months how it works, if I could."
Whipple: "I don't want to argue the point. I just wanted to find out what your objection was to coming in off Wilson which obviously is the front of the place. It's a major street and the only thing I could think of was the time and are you confirming that's the question? Whatever time it would take to go from 9th to Wilson, turn right and pull into the thing. That opposed to going into right and ...."
Thomas: "Time is probably not how I would characterize it. It's probably the convenience of going or the sense of going directly to the community that's being served and not routing around it." Whipple: "You mean, if you were delivering, they would drive to deliver to Tower Villas?"
Thomas: "Not necessarily, that came up during the Planning Commission." I don't know if they would drive to deliver to Tower Villas, but they may need to drive to get to the next street over. I guess what I'm saying is that if we are afforded the opportunity to show them we may have a tempest in a teapot. We may simply not have an issue. We have been functioning in this delivery area already from other locations. But we are compressing the delivery area here and expanding the use here and pulling out the stance of delivery in other areas. As you know, Pizza Hut doesn't do it, time guarantee. What they do is tell you is what time you order about what time to expect the pizza."
Whipple: "Thank you." Thomas: "If I could respond to Mrs. Bozman on her question earlier, it's very simple.
Eisenberg: "Here's your problem.
Thomas: "No, I've withdrawn that request."
Eisenberg: "Well, alright. But the thing is you've left hanging a statement that we need to deal with and I've seen the figures for Ballston because I asked for them.
Hunter: "Mr. Chairman." Eisenberg: "Seeing the figures that we have." Hunter: "Mr. Chairman." Eisenberg: "Let me conclude Mr. Hunter and I'll be delighted to recognize you. I think we probably need to put this aside and get some figures, and then come back and look at this at our next meeting, unless Mrs. Bozman has a different suggestion."
Hunter. "We get regular reports from the police chief on every major crime that occurs in Arlington County. We get monthly statistics. I think each Board member has a very good feel for the safety of the community.
Bozman: "The applicant quoted his client as saying that Arlington was several times more unsafe than other communities in which they operate and that therefore they did not want their drivers identified. I believe, this is incorrect information. It certainly does not jive with the information we have that Arlington is a safe community. In particularly, in the Ballston area, most of the crimes is credit card fraud at the Ballston Common Shopping Mall. But any business who wants to operate in Arlington County needs to know what we believe and tell us what they believe and that's why I would insist upon a meeting between the police department and this applicant with the applicant having the ability to withdraw. I mean, if they honestly believe after meeting with our police and talking about crime and seeing the statistics that we are really are an unsafe community, then you know."
Winslow: "Maybe there's a way around this because I think there's two things. One is, I think the entry onto 9th Street is not a good idea. Yet, I also understand that the tendency of drivers is to pull up to the door as close to the kitchen as possible. Get their stuff and go out the shortest way possible. They don't want to turn around, they're not going to want to do a lot of things that are going to interfere with their deliveries because to them time is money. The other thing is as far as the car topper is concerned maybe we could move ahead with this application but at the same time have the applicant meet with the police department and see what the police department has to say. And let the police department report back to us on that issue so that way everything can move and we're not deferring. I'm beginning to dislike deferrals."
Hunter: "Mr. Chairman, are you ready for a motion?" Winslow: " I understand why you would like to do that, that would at least give the applicant the opportunity to meet with our police department and find out what the nature of crime is in that area and talk to the police department. Then we can all abide by what the police department recommends to you." Hunter: "Mr. Chairman, are you ready for a motion?" Eisenberg: "Yes."
Hunter: "Mr. Chairman,
Whipple: "Mr. Hunter, why is it you think they should go in off 9th Street?" Hunter: "Perhaps, I should disclose this is my Pizza Hut. I'm very familiar with the entry and egress from it and I don't think they should go in off 9th Street. I think they, as the applicant has suggested,
Winslow: "Add to the review in 4 months and then in the meantime the applicant meet with our police department, discuss the situation relative to crime in that area and make a determination based on the police department's recommendation as to whether they should or should not use the car toppers and in the meantime they'd be required to use the car toppers."
Bozman: "Actually, I think we ought to word it that this meeting will be arranged through the manager's office." Hunter: "My motion actually already reads that way, at least finishing 2 says they will use the car toppers and I am happy to add if you want to put it into writing we can but I think we can just say that the applicant should meet with the county manager and the chief of police." Eisenberg: "We will probably just direct that the meeting take place and I'm sure that the applicant would agree." Bozman: "The purpose of that is to discuss the statistics you have and the statistics we have and find out where we are."
Thomas:
Hunter: "You need to segregate out credit card fraud from those figures and you'll find it a lot better." Whipple: "Shoplifting. Ballston Common Mall was in the census tract." Thomas: "Let me say that this includes the entire delivery area, the statistics were based on. And I don't know that has any impact. Again, I would be very happy to talk about it."
Eisenberg: "Let's not beat the dead one any more. Let us go ahead, set Mr. Winslow's corollary here as direction to the applicant. The only piece I would add to this is that we would have a report from the police so that we can see what the issues are that have been discussed between the applicant and the police department and what area we're actually talking about." Whipple: "Mr. Chairman, I guess that I will support this.
Eisenberg: "Make a motion or suggestion. You may find yourself with a majority." Whipple: "Well, then I would move to retain the language that requires entrances and exits off Wilson for the delivery vehicles. Eisenberg: "Do we have any support for this?" Bozman: "The Planning Commission preferred the wording." Whipple: "They worded it instead of saying, shall not use 9th Street, they wanted it to say shall use Wilson Blvd." Planning Commissioner: "And entering and exiting from Wilson Blvd."
Eisenberg: "I'm comfortable with that, a lot of deliveries goes in and out of there. Let's see what the situation is.
Whipple: "I don't have a second for my motion yet." Eisenberg: "Will you make a motion?" Whipple: "Yes, I did." Eisenberg: "I will second. Mr Hunter, do you want to accept the motion or do we want to vote?" Hunter: "I guess we're going to have to vote and I need to, I suppose need to say why I feel the way I do." Eisenberg: "That's fine."
Hunter: "Again, to me the sentence says I found the applicant's suggestion to take 4 months to evaluate this together with the neighborhood perhaps a way to work out these situations. I am concerned about the left turn traffic off of Wilson Blvd. I'm not convinced that it's a major problem with the applicant and the civic association can talk through particular situations where drivers find it safer to turn left on 9th Street, or to go out where Frank's Towing is, or to turn right and there's a short block and the only residences in that block is a multi-story condo building Tower Villas. I think this is quite different than a sleepy Country Club Hills or Arlington Ridge Road type of residential neighborhood."
Eisenberg: "Mrs. Whipple probably pointed out if you go to west, you go west. You don't go east, north and west, you go west. It's late and my direction may be off." Winslow: I'm going to continue to support Mr. Hunter's motion for a couple of reasons. I seconded his original motion and I'm going to continue to support it because I think it makes sense.
Eisenberg: "Or walk across the street." Winslow: "Yeah, so." Bozman: "I think that I will not support the motion. Mr. Hunter persuaded me that we can try for 4 months and see what happens. I think at the end of 4 months the question will be whether the condition that goes in the site plan condition is a straight prohibitive thou shall not use anything other than Wilson Blvd., or rather it's a condition that says neighborhood streets must not be used except in conditions where there this is a delivery being made under reasonable circumstances. I think that's an area of where our disagreements are at." Winslow: "No trespassing, except for local deliveries." Ms. Whipple: She withdrew her amendment. Eisenberg: "The amendment is withdrawn. Any further discussion on the main motion. Hearing none, all in favor of the main motion please signify by saying aye. Aye. Motion carries unanimously. Whipple:
Based on comparing Arlington County's rate of violent crime with cities with populations more than 100,000, the USA Today newspaper reported that the violent crime rate for "Arlington" was 4 per 1,000 residents; and Arlington was ranked 182 out of 201 cities on violent crime. Also, the President noted that Money Magazine reported last year that Arlington was the 14th safest city with a population of over 100,000.
For your information, Arlington is defined by the Code of Virginia as a county with the "County Manager Plan of Government." Likewise, Fairfax County is defined by the Code as a county with the "Urban Form of Government." There are significant differences, however, in population between these neighboring counties. For example, Arlington has a population of approximately 180,000 and is known as the second smallest county in land area in the nation with approximately 25 square miles. In contrast, Fairfax County, has a population of over 880,000 and is a much larger county in size.
The President inquired about the FBI's source for defining Arlington County as a city and the rationale why Arlington was the only county listed in the 1994 FBI Uniform Crime Report data for cities with populations of more than 100,000?
However, upon receiving information from the Bureau of the Census and following discussions with the chief of Police in Arlington and Ms. Norma Poole at the Virginia Department of State Police,
Additionally, because of the many factors that can cause the amount and type of crime to vary from place to place, the UCR Program does not rank cities based on their crime experiences. [The FBI enclosed] a copy of "Crime Factors" from the 1993 edition of Crime in the United States for a discussion of this issue.
Local chambers of commerce, planning offices, or similar entities provide information regarding the economic and cultural makeup of cities and counties. Understanding a jurisdiction's industrial/economic base, its dependence upon neighboring jurisdictions, its transportation system, its economic dependence on nonresidents (such as tourists and convention attendees), its proximity to military reservations, etc., all help in better gauging and interpreting the crime known to and reported by law enforcement.
The strength (personnel and other resources) and the aggressiveness of a jurisdiction's law enforcement agency are also key factors. While information pertaining to the number of sworn and civilian law enforcement employees can be found in this publication, assessment of the law enforcement emphases is, of course, much more difficult. For example, one city may report more crime than a comparable one, not because there is more crime, but rather because its law enforcement agency through proactive efforts identifies more offenses. Attitudes of the citizens toward crime and their crime reporting practices, especially concerning more minor offenses, have an impact on the volume of crimes known to police.
It is incumbent upon all data users to become as well educated as possible about how to categorize and quantify the nature and extent of crime in the United States and in any of the over 16,000 jurisdictions represented by law enforcement contributors to this Program. Valid assessments are only possible with careful study and analysis of the various unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction.
Historically, the causes and origins of crime have been the subjects of investigation by varied disciplines. Some factors which are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are: (1) population density and degree of urbanization with size of locality and its surrounding area; (2) variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration; (3) stability of population with respect to residents' mobility, commuting patterns, and transient factors; (4) economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability; (5) cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics; (6) crime reporting practices of the citizenry; and (7) others.
The Uniform Crime Reports give a nationwide view of crime based on statistics contributed by state and local law enforcement agencies. Population size is the only correlate of crime utilized in this publication. While the other factors listed above are of equal concern, no attempt is made to relate them to the data presented. The reader is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, counties, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges and universities solely on the basis of their population coverage or student enrollment.
Preceding the testimony of concerned citizens, DEQ officials provided a presentation and answered questions about the current facility and the permit application. The DEQ officials indicated that the current incinerator complies with all required state and federal reporting and operating standards. The DEQ officials noted they had received a letter that day from the Arlington County Board requesting a deferral on the permit application until sometime after the completion of a County "Sludge Management Alternatives Study" that the Board had just authorized and until County officials have discussed all aspects of the matter. Also,
The President attended the hearing and expressed support on behalf of our Association for our neighbors in the Arlington Ridge Civic Association (ARCA) and the Aurora Highlands Civic Association, who will be most affected by this project. At the hearing, the President recommended that the County's future alternative analysis consider at least three to five additional alternatives to sludge incineration and that the recommended alternative be the most advantageous to the community, all factors considered. Also, the President recommended consideration of the 1994 Supreme Court case involving the Environmental Trust Fund vs. the City of Chicago and (1) the determination by the Court that the residue ash resulting from the incineration of solid waste becomes hazardous waste in most instances; and (2) the effects of that decision on increasing the demand for hazardous waste storage and the expected increased costs of hazardous waste disposal over the long run.
To help provide additional perspective about the County's permit application to increase sludge incinerator capacity, the Association has included statements from citizens who attended this public hearing and the Arlington Ridge Civic Association.
Also, the Arlington Ridge Civic Association Newsletter states other sewage treatment plant facilities in the DC metropolitan area are using land application and composting methods for sludge disposal--Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Blue Plains, and Alexandria. These treatment facilities contract with private companies to have the sludge hauled away and pay the companies a per ton hauling fee to do so. These companies, in turn, further process the sludge for farm land application or compost it into products sold in nurseries and garden stores. In conversations with sanitary engineers on this topic, they stated that Arlington County's sludge is ideal for land application and composting, as we have no heavy industry (or even light industry) that dumps high concentrations of toxic substances into the sewage stream. Further, in conversations with the EPA, the Arlington Ridge Civic Association has learned that on a national basis the cost of the hauling approach to sewage disposal is roughly half the cost of incineration--not including the cost of storage and hauling of the toxic ash. EPA considers land application and composting to be a preferred alternative for sewage sludge disposal.
If you have any questions about this subject, we invite you to call Rebecca Gray at 271-4288, or David Jones 549-3277 of the Arlington Ridge Civic Association. If you have any comments, we invite you to call the Member Information Line 528-1887, select menu option one, and record your survey response. Also, you may provide comments at the Member Comment Period at the beginning of the next Membership Meeting on August 23, 1995, at the Arlington Renaissance Hotel, 2nd floor conference room.
The BVSCA's Executive Committee reviewed the Draft Report at its meeting of June 14, 1995. To help shape a more effective and efficient human services system for the future, our
The congregation is now committed to a two-phase renovation and expansion of the existing facilities. Phase One is scheduled to begin in the Spring of 1996 and, it is hoped, be completed within 12 months. A capital campaign has just begun (donations always welcome...) to raise the $1.1 million dollars the church will need for the implementation of this phase. Timing for Phase Two has not been determined due to budgetary and fund raising constraints. Eventually, however, the two houses on the block will likely be demolished, and the existing physical facility expanded. Much of the existing trees and green space, particularly on the Nelson Street side, will be preserved. Phase One will be modest in scope and concentrate mostly on upgrading the existing structures. The Church's educational and administrative areas, as well as the kitchen and parish hall, will be renovated. Minor repairs will be made to the current sanctuary and to the old chapel, which is currently being used by the Hispanic congregation. There are also plans to construct a new narthex and entry to the sanctuary from the Nelson Street side. At this time it is unclear whether the Church will need to apply to the County for any variances. (It is currently a non- conforming structure due to the past widening of Fairfax Drive.)
During renovation some of the meeting areas and parking spaces will be unavailable. The church is working with its neighbors, including the owners of the public parking lots at Virginia Square Metro, to secure interim parking for Sundays and evenings, and will relocate and/or reschedule meetings and services as necessary. The congregation of St. George's is excited about and committed to this renovation. If you or your neighbors have any questions or need further information, please contact: Nancy Iacomini, 703-525-0788.
Further, the members instructed the President to ascertain whether it was feasible to recommend a stronger penalty than a class 3 misdemeanor penalty for violators of aggressive panhandling ordinances promulgated by local jurisdictions of the Commonwealth. To verify the feasibility of the Association's proposed ordinance on aggressive panhandling, President Ragland contacted Attorney General James S. Gilmore's new office in Northern Virginia, located at 1033-B Democracy Lane, Fairfax, Virginia and was instructed to put the Association's inquiry in writing. On June 19, 1995, the President sent a letter to Attorney General Gilmore's new office requesting information on this matter.
On June 24, 1995, the President received a response on behalf of the Attorney General from James W. Hopper, the Senior Assistant Attorney General, Chief, Opinions Section. In his response, Chief Hopper states that "Section 2.1-118 of the Code of Virginia authorizes the Attorney General of Virginia to render an opinion only to certain state and local officials specifically enumerated in that statue, [which excludes the President, BVSCA]. In addition, this Office has traditionally declined to render opinions on matters of purely local concern.
Next, the President contacted the office of the Arlington County Attorney, Barbara Drake, for information. The County Attorney's office advised the President that the BVSCA was not on the list of County Board appointed commissions or County organizations and, therefore, could not directly communicate with our Association. Instead, the County Attorney's office instructed the President to contact the staff of the Arlington County Board to discuss the Association's proposed recommendation on aggressive panhandling.
During the month of July 1995, the President coordinated the Association's recommended proposal on aggressive panhandling with County Board staff, who helped the Association coordinate our recommendations with the Board. In response, the President received a letter from Chairman Eisenberg dated July 31, 1995, indicating that he appreciates the President's sharing with [him] the Association's interest in having the County adopt an aggressive panhandling ordinance. Chairman Eisenberg indicated that he is currently looking into the issues that the Association has raised. Also, Chairman Eisenberg stated that
The President and other Executive Committee members appreciate Chairman Eisenberg's initiated action on this matter. Before completing the review of this matter, the Executive Committee encourages the Board to coordinate with officials from Prince William County to ascertain the authority used to adopt their ordinance and to consider its applicability for Arlington County. The Association will continue to follow-up on the status of this issue and important developments as they occur.