THE ARLINGTON - EAST FALLS CHURCH CIVIC ASSOCIATION

We received the following notices (from Justin Beck of the County Manager's Communications Team) that may be of interest:

Good afternoon Civic Association Presidents and members,

Here are the County highlights for upcoming engagement opportunities and key County News Releases for May. As many of you already know the big news this week was the Adopted FY 2024 Budget along with various Earth Day events across Arlington. Hopefully, you all are able to incorporate these into your newsletters or you can send directly to your members. Have a great weekend and as always feel free to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.

Vision Zero Open House & Feedback Form, April 26

Join the Vision Zero team for an open house on April 26 at 4 p.m. to learn about their progress from 2022, provide feedback on transportation safety in Arlington, and plans for the third year of the program. Or use the online form to share your feedback, now through April 30. Read more.  

CARRT Preparedness Day of Action - In-Person Event, April 29  

Join the Community Advancing Resilience and Readiness Together group for a Preparedness Day of Action on April 29 at 10 a.m. to learn about flood prevention and preparedness resources. Visit the project page to volunteer and learn more. 

CERT's New Volunteer Basic Training - In-Person Event on Apr 12 through May 13 

Join the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for a series of training sessions to learn skills that help prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies like fire suppression, search & rescue, and first aid. Visit the project page to learn more and register for the event. Learn more.

Arlington Earth Day Events 2023

Join in on Arlington’s Earth Day events.  Events in May include:

• Thursday, May 11: Invasive Plant Removal
• Tuesday, May 16: Mushroom Walk
• Thursday, May 18: Clarendon Cleanup 
• Sunday, May 21: Invasive Plant Removal
• Friday, May 19: Bike to Work Day

Volunteer Arlington's Nominate a Volunteer through May 2

Volunteer Arlington is accepting nominations for their Community Awards and Volunteer Arlington Award. If you're interested in nominating someone who has done exceptional work with volunteering to serve Arlington, you can learn more here!

Draft Historic and Cultural Resources Plan – Open House on May 6 

The Historic Preservation Program is seeking feedback on the draft Historic and Cultural Resources Plan (formerly known as the Historic Preservation Master Plan). Join the Open House on May 6 from 12-3 p.m. to learn more, or share your feedback on the draft plan here, now through June 20. Visit the project page to learn more.

Neighborhood Complete Streets Community Meeting – Virtual on May 8, 7 p.m. 

Join the Neighborhood Complete Streets Project team to learn more about the concept plans for the 2023 projects: 8th Road S. between S. Dinwiddie and S. Frederick Street; 14th Street between N. Ohio Street and N. McKinley Road; and S. Irving Road from 2nd Street to 6th Street S. Learn more about the Virtual Open House here.

Nominate a Park Hero through May 12

Submit your nominations for an outstanding volunteer dedicated to improving or maintaining parklands, natural resources and habitats, and outdoor public spaces here in Arlington. Nominate them for the 2022 Bill Thomas Park Volunteer Award! Visit the project page to learn more. 

WMATA's Better Bus Network Redesign

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is kicking off a series of in-person engagements to collect feedback to inform its Better Bus Network Redesign project. This project includes new facilities, better bus communication, and signal and lane improvements. WMATA's Better Bus Experience LIVE series will include in-person workshops and pop-up events, as well as virtual lunch and learns and opportunities for feedback. Visit WMATA's Better Bus Network page to learn more about the redesign, give your input online, and stay informed on in-person events.

Share Feedback on the Demographic Data Dashboard

The new data dashboard breaks down Population and Demographic Estimates for Arlington's civic associations. The dashboard is in beta form, and the County is asking the community to test the dashboard and provide feedback. 

(From Arlington County DES)

PAVING

Arlington County will begin this year’s paving season around the second week of April and run to late September 2023, weather permitting.  

A notice will be distributed to each residential or business address to notify them their street has been selected for paving.  Attached is the door hanger which will be distributed along with “No Parking Signs” 24 to 48 hours prior to the start of operation. There will be inconveniences such as traffic detours, no parking on the streets, noise, dust, etc. We will try to reduce the number of these disruptions and appreciate the residents’ understanding during this time. We would like your assistance in communicating with the resident about our plan. 

A detailed area map showing the proposed work locations can be accessed via the Internet at: 

https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Transportation/Streets/Street-Maintenance/Street-Maintenance-Conditions-Map

https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Transportation/Streets/Street-Maintenance

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Francis Soulamany at (703) 228-7822 or by e-mail fsoulamany@arlingtonva.us. You can also contact the paving manager, William Bergeron at (703) 228-7614 (Northside) wbergeron@arlingtonva.us.   Please contact Francisco Medina Silva (703) 228-7823 (Southside) fmedina@arlingtonva.us. if you are unable to reach Mr. Soulamany.                          

SLURRY SEAL 

Arlington County will begin this year’s street sealing season around June 2023, weather permitting.

A notice will be mailed to each residential or business address to notify them their streets has been selected for Sealing.  Attached is the door hanger which will be distributed along with “No Parking Signs”  48 hours prior to the start of operation. There will be inconveniences such as traffic detours, no parking on the streets, noise, dust, etc. We will try to reduce the number of these disruptions and appreciate the residents’ understanding during this time.

A detailed area map showing the proposed work locations can be accessed via the Internet at:

https://transportation.arlingtonva.us/streets/street-maintenance/

 For Slurry Seal questions contact:                                                                           
Alex Portillo
Construction Manager
Water/Sewer and Streets Bureau
703-228-7844

Aporti@arlingtonva.us

Over 200 citizens -- old, young, renters, homeowners, newcomers and lifelong residents -- showed up to share their views and perspectives with the Arlington County Board during the Public Comment period at the March 18th County Board Meeting.  More will speak at the Recessed Meeting scheduled for 6:30 PM on March 21st.  The County Board will then consider what they have heard, deliberate on the proposed zoning changes (now called Expanded Housing Options), and vote.   A video of the March 18th meeting can be found under the News Tab. 

UPDATE:   The EHO changes to the zoning ordinance were approved 5-0 on Wednesday March 22.  The meeting can be viewed HERE

 http://arlington.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=4220

I recommend watching the final 30 minutes during which each of our Board members summed up their reasons for voting Yes and shared important thoughts on where we go from here.

On February 4th, the Langston Blvd. Alliance (LBA) celebrated its 10th year in action with a brunch for the Presidents of the Civic Associations in the Langston Boulevard Corridor (Rosslyn to East Falls Church).  Also attending were former County Board Member Mary Hynes and current County Board Member and liason to LBA, Matt DiFerrante,  as well as the County's lead planner for the Plan Langston Boulevard project, Natasha Alfonso-Ahmed.   Among various speakers were LBA founders Sandi Chesrown and Ginger Brown who together presented a number of proposed revisions to the latest draft of Plan Langston Blvd.   The draft Plan can be reviewed online. Plan Langston

You may also visit the webpage of Langston Boulevard Alliance for  more information about the origins of the Plan.

  Langston Blvd Alliance

As Arlington-East Falls Church (and Cherrydale) have developed their own Area Plans, they will not be included in the site specific recommendations of Plan Langston Blvd.  However, the AEFCCA is committed to working with Arlington County, the City of Falls Church, the AEFCCA community, and other communities of the Langston Blvd Corridor to see how best we can move towards our many shared goals.