BVSCA Newsletter May/June 2003
WILL THIS BE THE LAST BVSCA NEWSLETTER? NOT IF YOU VOLUNTEER!!Contents:
May 27 Meeting Agenda
There will be no Executive Committee Meeting.
7:00 pm Full Membership Meeting
BVSCA dues paying members may participate as observers in BVSCA Executive Committee meetings. BVSCA will meet in its community room on May 27, located on N. Utah St. between Gaffney's Restaurant (4301 North Fairfax Drive) and the Windsor Plaza Condominiums. On-street parking is limited; however, space is available in garages adjacent to and across the street from the Rio Grande Cafe.
BVSCA Membership Meetings are held on the last Tuesday of alternate months from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Our next membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 29 at 7:30 pm. The BVSCA newsletter is published six times per year in advance of the monthly meeting.
Everyone's a Winner
In accordance with the BVSCA by-laws, the BVSCA Nominating Committee has nominated the following slate of candidates for the '03-'04 BVSCA membership year.
President: Ed Parks
Ed and his wife Denise have been Ballston-Virginia Square (BVS) residents since 1994. They live in a home in Ballston. Ed has been a member of BVSCA since 1999. He served as BVSCA's NCAC representative ('02-'03) and successfully advanced two projects during that time: a curb/gutter/sidewalk project on N. 13th St. and additional improvements for Hayes Park. Ed has worked with neighbors and the county on a number of local issues including regulatory enforcement against county zoning violations, traffic enforcement and calming along N. Utah Street, improper use of neighborhood streets by tour buses and the upgrading of the park at 13th and N. Vermont St. Formulating strategies to use the county's regulations for our collective advantage, parking, and community safety are Ed's priorities.
Vice President: Dennis Burr
Dennis and his wife have retired and live in a condominium in Ballston, where he is an active member of the condo association. He served as Vice President of BVSCA ('01-'02) and as At Large BVSCA Executive Committee Member ('00-'01, '02-'03). Dennis represented BVSCA on the Virginia Square Sector Plan Review Subcommittee and has hosted BVSCA membership meetings at Ballston Park Condominiums.
Secretary: David Ryan
David came to BVS in 1993 and lives in a condominium in Ballston. He has been a member of BVSCA since 1994 and on the Executive Committee since 1996. David has served as BVSCA Recording Secretary ('97-'03). In addition, he is a delegate to the Arlington County Civic Federation (ACCF) and has served for the ACCF Legislative Committee. He is a member of the Capital PC Users Group and the Washington Opera Camerata. David is currently building his own super computer.
Treasurer: DeAndra Beck
DeAndra has been a BVS resident since 1993 and has been a BVSCA member since 1994. She lives in a home in Ballston. DeAndra has served as a BVSCA representative and alternate representative to NCAC ('98-'00), BVSCA President ('99-'00), BVSCA Treasurer ('01-'02) and Newsletter Editor ('99-'03). DeAndra has participated in a number of site plan reviews and planning activities for the neighborhood. Her priorities are sensible growth with adequate infrastructure (including parking and density limits), neighborhood aesthetics (architecture, landscaping, code enforcement), and green space.
At Large Exec. Committee: James Webster
Jim and Marilyn Webster moved from South Dakota to Ashton Heights in 1970 and then to a Virginia Square condominium in 2000 after 12 years in Rosslyn. They own and publish The Webster Agricultural Letter, a newsletter on the politics of food and agriculture. Jim served on the board of Rosslyn Renaissance (2 years) and was a member of the board and treasurer of the Arlington Street People's Assistance Network (4 years). He is a member of BVSCA, Ballston Partnership, Clarendon Alliance, the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, and Call to Action of Northern Virginia. Jim served as At Large member of the BVSCA Executive Committee ('02-'03).
At Large Exec. Committee: Kate Wilson
Kate has lived in Arlington for four years, both in Ballston (1 year) and in Virginia Square (3 years). She and her husband live in a townhouse in Virginia Square. She participated in the Virginia Square Section Plan Review Committee, focusing on commercial and retail development. She served as At Large BVSCA Executive Committee Member ('01-'02), Vice President ('02-'03) and has represented BVSCA in a number of site plan reviews. Kate seeks to foster a semi-urban environment with vibrant, safe, clean and green living area in Ballston-Virginia Square, particularly advocating shared residential and functional commercial areas, enhanced bike lanes and pedestrian walkways, including the 9th Street Greenway, and owner-occupied residential projects.
At Large Exec. Committee: Constance McAdam
Constance McAdam lives in a condominium in Virginia Square. She has been a member of the BVSCA for over 10 years. Constance retired as Director of Recreation of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources in 1988 after 30 years with Arlington County. She currently serves on the Board of the Ballston Virginia Square Partnership, is on the Board of the Arlington Symphony and on the Vestry of St. George's Episcopal Church. She has just completed a year as President of the Arlington Branch of the American Association of University Women.
NCAC Representative: Sharon Clayborne Goudie
Alt. NCAC Representative: Albert Lewis
(Bios for Sharon Clayborne Goudie and Albert Lewis will be
provided at the May 27 meeting.)
The following individuals are being nominated as BVSCA delegates to the Arlington County Civic Federation: Ben Axleroad, David Ryan, Ed Parks, and David Perlmutter and alternates: Albert Lewis, Denise Parks, Rohan Samaraweera, and Jim Webster.
Black Box on Block
Trammel Crow Residential (TCR) is developing the one acre site at 3901 N. Fairfax Drive, currently zoned C-2. Arlington's General Land Use Plan (GLUP) recommends "Medium" Office-Apartment-Hotel development for the site. TCR is proposing to rezone the site to the C-O-2.5 District, consistent with the GLUP. The newly adopted Virginia Square Sector Plan considers this to be a key redevelopment site and identifies a black box theater and open space as desired public benefits for the site. TCR is seeking site plan approval to construct multi-family building, currently planned for condominiums. The proposed building would rise to 13 stories at Fairfax Dr., tapering to 9 stories along 10th Street. The site plan includes a black box theater and public open space, which are offset by a request for 26 units of bonus density within the 136 unit total. No bonus height is proposed. Since the applicant's presentation at the January BVSCA meeting, a number of plan changes have been made as a result of concerns raised during the site plan review process. Tim Sampson of Walsh, Colucci, & Stackhouse will attend the May 27 meeting to solicit input from BVSCA members on the proposed changes. Public hearings before the Planning Commission and the County Board are expected to take place in July.
Curry Favor
Madison Homes will be developing the site located on N. Pollard St. and Wilson Blvd., currently the site of Indian Spices and Appliances. Although planning for the site is in the early stages, BVSCA members are being asked for input. Current plans entail a multi-story residential building with condominium units and first floor retail. It is likely that bonus density will be requested to offset an allocation of affordable units. Cathy Pushkar of Walsh, Colucci, & Stackhouse will present a preliminary site plan application at the May 27 meeting.
Miscellaneous News Items
In the Zone. If you have a view on the proposed county-wide zone permit parking changes that you would like to share in a newspaper article, you may telephone, or e-mail: Brandt Fletcher (703) 917-6447, bfletcher@connectionnewspapers.com.
Assert Yourself. Citizens Emergency Response Training (CERT) is being offered in conjunction with Arlington County. BVSCA has reserved spaces in the training beginning September 9th. If you are interested in participating in this training please call or e-mail David Perlmutter at (703) 812-8820 or perltech1@comcast.net.
Pothole Patrol. Arlington residents can call (703) 228-6485 to report pothole problems on County streets for the Pothole Patrol and VDOT at (888) 383-8368 to report pothole problems on state roads.
Say No to Ivy. On Tuesday, May 29 at 7:30 pm, John Peter Thompson will give a lecture regarding invasive plant species in the American landscape. His talk is entitled, "The Right Plant in the Right Place: Invasive Plants and the Nursery Industry." The lecture will take place at the Arlington Central library on North Quincy Street. Please call (703) 228-5990 for more information.
Eye on 66. In 2001, the Washington Regional Transportation Planning Board added a $5 million, 2 year VDOT study of widening alternatives for I-66 inside the Beltway to their long range plan. VDOT recently deleted the study from its Six-Year Improvement Program due to budget concerns. There have also been calls for I-66 widening as a homeland security (evacuation) measure. The Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation (ACST) has developed a paper which describes possible solutions to the congestion problem that do not require widening I-66. To access this paper, visit www.acstnet.org or contact John Bennett at jspencerbennett@yahoo.com .
Listserv. BVSCA members are invited to subscribe to the BVSCA listserv to receive periodic updates on issues of neighborhood interest, as well as the monthly newsletter. To sign up, send an email message to bvscamail@yahoo.com advising that you would like to join. Include your name and post office address in your message along with the email address(es) from which you will be sending messages. When you are added to the list, you will receive a "Welcome" message with details regarding how to use the listserv. Remember that a message sent by a BVSCA listserv member to BVSCA-L@rootsweb.com will be relayed automatically to all listserv members. To prevent senders of unsolicited commercial email from using our list for unauthorized purposes, only listserv members may send messages to the mailing list from a subscribed address.
Editor's Prerogative
Is this the last issue of the BVSCA Newsletter? To date, no one has volunteered to serve as editor, and this is my final issue. The BVSCA newsletter is published six times a year in advance of monthly meetings. It is an important forum for neighbors to stay connected, a means to announce the agenda for our monthly meetings, and an important recruiting tool. The BVSCA newsletter format is available in Word software, which makes it easy for computer novices to add updated text. However, for any who are comfortable with more sophisticated publishing software, this transition provides an ideal opportunity for our newsletter to receive a facelift. If you are interested in volunteering or have questions, please call me at 703-528-5126.
Three BVSCA Executive Committee members are stepping down this year. Theresa Smith has served as both NCAC Representative and Alternate Representative over the past several years and was able to secure funding for Hayes Park. Pat Horoschak served as Treasurer last year, keeping our books and membership records in order. And, Ben Axleroad has served as BVSCA President for the past two years, working tirelessly and thoughtfully on behalf of our community. Congratulations to each of you for jobs exceedingly well done.
DeAndra Beck
Newsletter Editor
Ben Axleroad, President
3800 North Fairfax Dr., #205, Arlington, VA 22203
703-525-3083
Kate Wilson, Vice President
David Ryan, Secretary
Patricia Horoschak, Treasurer
3800 N. Fairfax Drive, #1804, Arlington, VA 22201
703-524-5080
Ed Parks, NCAC Representative
Theresa Smith, NCAC Representative Alternate
Dennis Burr
James Webster
Mike Ford
How to Join the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association or Renew Your Membership
All individual persons who are residents of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association's area or who in their individual capacity own residential property located therein, shall be eligible for membership in the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association. For the purposes of this organization, the boundaries of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association are Kirkwood Road on the east, Glebe Road on the west, Wilson Boulevard on the south, and the I-66 right of way on the north.
If interested in joining the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association, please complete the BVSCA Membership Application Form below and send your application and dues to DeAndra Beck, Treasurer, Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association, at the address below.
Dues are payable when first joining and are renewable each year on or before the annual anniversary of that date. New members and members who have not paid their dues within the three preceding Association years must pay their dues 30 days before they receive voting privileges. Former members who have been members in good standing within any of the three immediately preceding Association years may be reinstated as voting members by paying their dues for that year.
All members of the Association are volunteers. Dues are used to help fund the Association's activities and sponsored events. Please join the Association today, or renew your dues paid membership. Visit us at (http://www.bvsca.org)
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Mail to: Patricia Horoschak
BVSCA Treasurer
3800 N. Fairfax Dr., #1804
Arlington, VA 22203
Please make checks payable to BVSCA.