Whenever Corbin Conover traveled to Arlington before the pandemic, his trip would usually include circling his destination and making laps around the block looking for on- street parking.

But since COVID hit, the Warrenton, Virginia, resident has found more open spots on the street.

Instead of opting to pay more and park in a garage, Conover had endless options one November afternoon when looking for a parking spot on Route 237 in Ballston near the Virginia Square metro.

鈥淚鈥檝e really noticed after the pandemic鈥� there are less people definitely parking these days,鈥� he said.

Conover may like the variety of street parking options, but the empty streets bring repercussions for Arlington County.

The county lost $11.5 million dollars since COVID-19 drove people and business owners from the need to park on the street.

According to parking meter revenue data reviewed by 最新蜜桃影像, the lack of cars using on-street parking and fewer drivers putting money in meters has led the county to a significant revenue loss of $5.3 million between 2019 and 2020.

Parking meter transaction data shows revenue plummeted from $11.5 million in 2019 to $6.2 million the following year.

The trend continued this year. Revenue generated through November stands at $6.3 million.

鈥淧eople haven’t entirely gone back to normal yet,鈥� Arlington County Parking Manager Melissa McMahon said.

According to McMahon, the parking meter transaction data includes all credit card transactions drivers make using a parking meter or paying through an app.

鈥淲e can say that from the meter data that we had about half the occupancy during the depths of COVID than we have in a normal year,鈥� she said.

The drop in the number of credit card transactions supports the significant revenue loss. With nearly 5 million transactions in 2019, the county saw 2.3 million the following year and the trend is continuing for 2021, according to the data.

鈥淒uring COVID, we saw about 45% of our expected monthly revenue out of the meters program,鈥� McMahon said.

McMahon said the county didn鈥檛 implement any parking freezes during COVID-19 or change meter enforcement strategies.

However, she said the county reviewed new accommodations for curbside pickups and drop-off zones to convert standard metered parking into short-term parking.

鈥淲e’ve implemented several of these 15-minute, short-term, free parking zones throughout the county,鈥� she said.

Parking meter revenue generated is used for the county鈥檚 general fund and dispersed as part of the county manager鈥檚 budget, according to McMahon. The revenue does not fund any specific program.

鈥淎s far as the meters program is concerned, its driving force is not as a revenue generation scheme,鈥� she said.

Arlington County identified its COVID recovery period from April 2021 to October 2021 and McMahon said during this time, parking meter revenue increased to about 70% of typical revenue generated from before the pandemic.

鈥淚’m pretty happy with the revenue recovery that we’re seeing,鈥� she said.

Eric Haggett, a financial specialist at Walker Consultants, a Chicago-based parking firm, said he was not surprised to see Arlington County鈥檚 revenue drop.

鈥淚’m not sure if there’s a parking owner in the country that has recovered fully and many are still far down, way down, from where they were pre-COVID,鈥� he said.

Many cities stopped enforcing parking during shutdowns at the beginning of the pandemic, according to Haggett, and the focus shifted to making sure parking was easily accessible for curbside pickups.

鈥淚 don’t know if any municipality or many municipalities have really figured out how to get back to even out where they were in 2019,鈥� he said.

Haggett said while parking trends vary in cities and counties, he has seen local governments working to monetize short-term parking without the traditional hour or two hour time limits.

He anticipates seeing a permanent replacement of on-street parking spaces with more permanent flexible zones for pickup and drop off deliveries.

Arlington County drivers said they鈥檝e noticed a slight change in the number of cars using street parking in recent months.

Arlington resident Shirley Ruhe said she spent most of the pandemic working from home, but recently started to venture out for work.

鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 out again, I鈥檝e noticed it鈥檚 gradual,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not as bad as it was before to find a parking place but it鈥檚 getting a little hard.鈥�

Rachel Finn lives in Alexandria but frequently visits Arlington. She said she started to notice street parking trends change over the last six months where streets have become more crowded.

鈥淚 feel like it鈥檚 increased rapidly in the last month,鈥� she said.

After finding a spot on North Fillmore St., a more congested street in Clarendon, driver Tariq Hilaire said he鈥檚 been noticing a similar trend.

鈥淒uring the heat of covid there was a lot less traffic in general which means a lot less people were coming to the city areas,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here definitely are a lot more people now that COVID is starting to die down.鈥�

According to the county鈥檚 budget, parking meter revenues for fiscal year 2022 are expected to decrease 13 percent.

鈥淢y gut instinct is that it’s going to go back to normal primarily because the way people use metered space is really for those social, recreational and business interactions that people are going to want to do again after COVID is done,鈥� Arlington County鈥檚 McMahon said.

The post Empty streets and unused meters: Arlington County loses millions in parking meter revenue first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The plan is a document that details the guiding principles for public art in Arlington.

One focus of the updated plan is to respond to a county priority focusing on equity in the community to support the of being a 鈥渄iverse and inclusive world-class urban community.鈥�

The updated plan sets goals for new approaches to public art while focusing on the diversity of art installment locations, artists and types of art.

Public art is defined as temporary or permanent art 鈥� including murals, sculptures or architectural work 鈥� that is paid for with county funds, located on publicly-owned property or negotiated as part of a special project, according to the plan.

Arlington County has more than 70 permanent public art projects that were commissioned as part of capital improvement projects, by developers or community groups.

Goals focus on diversity聽

The field of public art is rapidly expanding with arts and culture strategies being used to achieve equity goals, according to the updated public art master plan.

One goal in the plan focuses on expanding temporary artworks and non-permanent public art strategies to engage a more diverse group of artists.

Angela Anderson Adams, director of Arlington County Public Art, said the public art program strives to embrace equity to allow everyone to participate in, benefit from and contribute to resources in the community through public art projects.

She said the updated plan supports the adopted in 2019. According to the plan, which identifies equity as a value for the public art program to embrace, public art can be a vehicle where all people can contribute and access cultural and economic benefits.

The public art plan also considers the county鈥檚 racial equity framework and how it can be embraced in planning and decision making.

The plan aims to distribute public art more widely in the county using a diverse range of artists and expanding community participation.

鈥淭hese are approaches to programming public art that can lend themselves more immediately to greater diversity, equity and inclusion,鈥� Anderson Adams said.

The county is working on a forthcoming implementation guide that will outline locations, artist selection methods and the types of projects the county鈥檚 public art program intends to pursue, according to Anderson Adams.

鈥淪pecifically regarding recruitment of and support for a diverse pool of artists, the guide will detail how we intend to explore a broader range of opportunities and remove unintentional barriers,鈥� she said.

Anderson Adams said efforts to diversify the public artist pool may include apprenticeship, training and grant opportunities.

Anika Kwinana, chair of Arlington County鈥檚 Arts Commission, said the commission passed its own internal in January of this year, committing to champion policies and practices that ensure an inclusive and equitable arts sector.

鈥淔or us as a commission, we don’t want those to just be words on a page, but we want to model through our own activities, through our own connections, to what is happening in the county that we are visible to the community and that the voices of the community are heard,鈥� she said.

Kwinana said she hopes the updated plan showcases the county鈥檚 rich history in historically Black communities as well as other neighborhoods with minority populations.

鈥淚 hope that my children will be able to see themselves and the community reflected in the art that continues to develop in the county,鈥� she said.

Equity and diversity in public art nationwide

Forecast, a nonprofit organization, researches ways to introduce more equity in public art policies and advocates for public art that advances justice.

Jen Krava, Forecast鈥檚 director of programming and new initiatives, said in addition to the efforts in Arlington County, events are happening across the country to move public art into more inclusive practices and equitable programming.

鈥淚 think it was an undercurrent there, but now it鈥檚 really being unveiled and surfacing,鈥� she said.

Krava said local governments like Arlington can work to include diversity into public art by building relationships with various groups throughout a community.

鈥淕etting to know people in your community that you don鈥檛 already know and making an effort to be in the same place as them I think is really a first key step,鈥� she said.

Planning commissioners question if updated plan will reflect diversity

During a in October 2021, Planning Commissioner Stephen Hughes raised questions over how the plan will ensure more permanent art installations reach underserved areas.

Hughes said there was an initial goal in the updated plan which would use a percent of contributions from development projects for public art in underserved areas. Developers in the county make contributions to the Public Art Fund to support public art projects in the area, usually within close proximity to the development project.

鈥淚t鈥檚 in the hopes to move some of that money to expand our opportunities in areas that were underserved,鈥� Hughes said.

But this goal was removed from the plan because of specific rules with how contributions from developers have to be used, according to Hughes.

鈥淭he bottom line is there are going to be areas that have a density of people that are outside of the areas of current investment for the past 30 to 50 years,鈥� he said.

Hughes, who lives on Columbia Pike, an underserved area for public art, also raised questions over whether contributions set aside for public art in underserved communities will focus on temporary or permanent art installations.

While Hughes said both temporary and permanent public art is beneficial, permanent art installations exist for decades.

鈥淚 don’t think the plan will go really far in actually getting permanent art installations in communities that aren’t going through massive redevelopment,鈥� he said.

During the same planning meeting, Planning Commissioner Tenley Peterson questioned how the plan will address equity strategies related to art commissioning.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that Arlington鈥檚 public art reflect the diversity of Arlington, and what better way to achieve that than hiring artists whose diverse, lived experiences contribute to the artwork they create,鈥� he said in a statement to 最新蜜桃影像.

Artist perspectives

Sharon Malley, a 10-year Arlington County resident, is an artist at Columbia Pike Artist Studios.

She said while she thinks the updated plan seems comprehensive, it seems broad in how the goals will be implemented.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 give specific examples of what the plans are,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t leaves a lot of room for interpretation.鈥�

Malley, who lives in South Arlington, said her community is a diverse part of the county with a large immigrant population. She said there could be more opportunities to highlight their culture through public art.

Malley, who has a background in intellectual disabilities and autism, said the plan is lacking in equitable public art opportunities for those with a broad range of disabilities.

鈥淓ngage the public to create the art that will then engage more of the public to interact with it,鈥� she advised.

Artist Anne Hancock has lived in Arlington for over 50 years and has served on the boards of the Arlington Arts Center and the Columbia Pike Artist studios.

Hancock said she likes that the updated master plan incorporates equity and inclusion principles.

鈥淭he one area that is always a little murky is the funding,鈥� she said.

Hancock said areas like the Columbia Pike corridor are lacking in public art, but referenced how the plan identifies the area as a priority corridor.

She said she remains skeptical and has doubts about whether the plan will be successful in addressing some priorities.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 certainly a well thought-out plan and it鈥檚 got a lot of good language in it,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ow it will actually play out I suspect will depend on funding.鈥�

The post Public art evolves: Arlington updates master plan to prioritize equity, diversity first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

More than 40 people gather under the lights of three tennis courts, laughing and talking over the hollow sounds of plastic balls whirling in the background.

But it鈥檚 not tennis, it鈥檚 pickleball 鈥� a paddle sport that combines elements from badminton, tennis and ping pong.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like a party of sorts,鈥� player Bruce Shuttleworth said of the crowd.

Shuttleworth said he became addicted to the sport during the COVID-19 pandemic because it was perfect to play outside while social distancing.

鈥淧ickleball is just the most fun of all the racquet sports I鈥檝e ever played,鈥� he said.

Shuttleworth isn鈥檛 the only one addicted鈥� and Arlington County has noticed.

The county鈥檚 Department of Parks and Recreation and community engagement process at the beginning of the month to review current and future uses of outdoor athletic courts.

The project鈥檚 goal is to better understand the need for pickleball courts while reviewing existing outdoor athletic spaces to meet the increased demand for the sport.

Pickleball鈥檚 popularity rises

Neighboring , Virginia, and , Maryland, also launched pickleball studies this year recognizing the rising interest.

The sport, played on a badminton-sized court with a perforated plastic ball and wooden paddles, can be played indoors or outdoors and as singles or doubles, according to the .

Pickleball grew in 2020 to 4.2 million players across the country 鈥� a 21.3% increase compared to 2019, according to the association.

鈥淲ith the exponential growth of pickleball over the last couple of years, there are many entertainment venues that are being announced to bring more pickleball courts to the United States,鈥� Laura Gainor, media relations director for the USA Pickleball Association, said.

Sports courts in Arlington County

The county released its 2019 to serve as a planning document for public spaces, parks and public space amenities. The master plan includes two steps to establish a dedicated pickleball facility to meet the growing demand in Arlington County.

The county鈥檚 short-term goal is to identify existing courts for permanent pickleball lines with the long-term goal of funding a new pickleball facility or converting an existing facility, according to the plan.

Multi-use courts would allow for numerous sports, such as basketball, tennis or volleyball, to be played at one facility.

The Department of Recreation currently operates more than 150 outdoor sports courts.

There are currently 18 multi-use outdoor courts that can accommodate pickleball in the county and one single-use pickleball court. The county also offers options.

Bethany Heim, associate planner and project manager for the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation, said when the public space master plan was completed in 2019, pickleball was barely on the county鈥檚 radar.

鈥淪ince then, it鈥檚 just exploded,鈥� she said.

Heim said the county鈥檚 project is looking to create new spaces for the sport despite challenges with the county鈥檚 physical size and population density.

鈥淲e have to be really smart and creative on how we make use of what we have,鈥� she said.

Arlington pickleball players: 鈥榃e need more courts鈥�

Pickleball player Bruce Shuttleworth said he is hoping to see the three tennis courts at the Walter Reed Recreation Center converted into 10 pickleball courts.

鈥淲e鈥檒l fill them,鈥� he said, explaining how over 100 people often show up to play at the courts in the morning session.

Shuttleworth said the culture of the sport is to play with a large group of people during round-robin style games.

鈥淭here鈥檚 greater value in having six courts in one location than to have eight courts in onesies or twosies spread throughout the county,鈥� he said.

Gayle Ray was also one of many players at the outdoor courts at the Walter Reed Recreation Center.

鈥淟uckily, they redid this area and put lines because it used to just be tape for a period of time and they repaved,鈥� she said.

Ray said there鈥檚 often a line of 20 players waiting to play. She said designated pickleball courts outside would be beneficial as well as more indoor court options for the winter.

鈥淚t does seem like there are some dedicated tennis courts, you could probably have some pickleball courts that were dedicated,鈥� she said.

Crystal City resident Elizabeth Chan plays pickleball at the Lubber Run Community Center courts once per week.

The multi-purpose courts at Lubber Run are also designated for volleyball, she said, which adds different painted lines on the court.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e definitely designed not with pickleball players in mind,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t does confuse people who are playing pickleball to have the different colored lines.鈥�

Ana Castillo is a five-year pickleball player and plays indoors in Arlington County four to five days each week.

She said when she first started, there were nowhere near as many people who played, but now she often has to compete to find a court.

鈥淚t鈥檚 sometimes very packed,鈥� she said.

She said it would be a good idea for the county to create more multi-use facilities for pickleball, however, she expressed concerns with having to share the courts with other sports players.

鈥淲hen we have basketball players and we really have to share, I would say it’s dangerous because you’re playing and all of a sudden a ball comes,鈥� she said.

Tennis, basketball players need courts, too

Other sports court players already face similar challenges vying for space to play.

Arlington County tennis players said they often have to wait in line for a court, specifically during evening hours when more people come to play.

Tennis player John Sherlock said he would not want to see existing courts be turned into multi-use facilities for pickleball. He said it would bring more competition.

鈥淚t鈥檚 tough at times getting courts,鈥� he said.

He said in the past there鈥檚 been time limits for courts, but it鈥檚 always been challenging to ask people to leave.

鈥淏asketball players you鈥檇 probably never get them off because of how many guys are playing at one time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 bad enough trying to kick off two people.鈥�

Arlington County resident Pete Goddard plays basketball every day in the county.

While he thinks generally there are enough basketball courts, he described times in the summer where outdoor courts are crowded and in the winter when there鈥檚 fewer options for indoor courts.

鈥淲eekday evenings, this whole place is going to be overrun,鈥� he said, describing the Thomas Jefferson Community Center. 鈥淭here鈥檚 just no room for people.鈥�

Goddard said he does not like the idea of turning basketball courts into multi-use courts for pickleball.

鈥淚 think the pickleball lobby is pretty strong from what I鈥檝e seen,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey have a lot of voices talking to the council so they tend to get a lot of things they want.鈥�

Community engagement and next steps

Arlington County鈥檚 Heim said through the county project, the parks and recreation department will reach out to pickleball players and court users to obtain their feedback.

Over 1,000 people have already responded to the feedback form.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool to see something new just kind of pop up and its evolution,鈥� she said of pickleball.

Heim said she wants to hear from groups that are dedicated to tennis and basketball and understand which courts are in heavy demand.

鈥淚 guess we鈥檙e hoping to find that needle in the haystack where we can find space that can accommodate some additional use or play and additional visitors,鈥� she said.

The parks and recreation department will review feedback from the form and develop a draft criteria for converting single-use courts to multi-use courts based on the community鈥檚 feedback.

There will be another public engagement in January 2022 to gather more feedback.

The post Pickleball鈥檚 prevalence: Arlington County volleys solutions to match increased demand first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

鈥淚 like the feeling of voting in person,鈥� he said.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and new early voting election laws implemented in Virginia, Brazinsky was one of 53,000 Arlington County residents who voted in person Tuesday, according to the county鈥檚 voter turnout dashboard.

Virginia voters had multiple options this year to cast their ballots early with new voting laws from 2020 and 2021 that expand and .

A new law passed in 2021 allows an electoral board or general registrar of a locality to provide absentee voting in person on Sundays during the early voting period.

Joan Porte, president of the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City, said polling places throughout Arlington were busy over the weekend, specifically on Sunday.

鈥淚鈥檓 really glad that people are getting used to it and I hope that these early voting measures stay,鈥� she said.

Voters had the option to go to 54 polling locations throughout Arlington County that were open until 7 p.m. Polling locations saw a steady flow of voters on Election Day, poll watchers said.

One polling location at the Walter Reed Community Center saw a consistent number of voters but did not experience any delays or long lines, according to Chief Election Officer Eric Goldstein.

Goldstein said a quarter of the voters assigned to the polling location had voted early.

Voter Dennis Norton made the trip to the community center to vote in person, saying he wanted to cast his ballot himself 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 legal.鈥�

鈥淚 want to represent my vote,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y vote is represented by coming here to make sure that if I go inside and somebody says, 鈥榶ou already voted,鈥� I can say 鈥業’m sorry, but they鈥檙e wrong.鈥� I show up in person for that very reason.鈥�

Arlington County saw 28,000 residents vote in-person during the early voting period, 13,000 vote by mail and 53,000 voters who cast their ballot in person on Election Day, according to the county鈥檚 voter turnout dashboard.

During last year鈥檚 election and the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than in the early voting period by casting their ballots by mail, drop box or in person. The county only had a 14% turnout of in-person voters on Election Day 2020.

At the polling location inside Crystal Plaza apartments, Chief Election Officer Claire Adams said they had seen 586 voters about halfway through election day.

鈥淚t鈥檚 more than we thought,鈥� she said of the in-person turnout.

Voter Brazinsky described himself as a 鈥渢raditionalist鈥� and explained how voting in person was easier for him than filling out the form for a mail-in ballot and dropping it off or mailing it.

He said he voted last year via mail-in ballot because of the pandemic and the fact that he wasn鈥檛 vaccinated. The 2020 election was his first time participating in any early voting options.

While he said he is still cautious because of COVID-19, now that he is vaccinated, he felt more comfortable voting in person.

鈥淟ast year I just took an extra level of precaution,鈥� he said.

Chief Election Officer Curt Breckenridge at the polling location at the Park Operations Building in Shirlington said the polling site saw 550 people a little more than halfway through the day.

Breckenridge said there was a steady stream of voters, but not any big rushes.

He said this year鈥檚 turnout was average compared to last year.

Voter Marcos Zetino, who also voted in person last year, said he wanted to vote in person at the Park Operations Building in Shirlington to make sure his vote counts.

He said he considered early voting options this year, but heard on the news about problems with mail delays.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want something to happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 wanted to make sure my vote counts.鈥�

Michael Fauntroy, founding director of George Mason University鈥檚 Race, Politics and Policy Center, said in-person turnout on Election Day is usually greater than early voting numbers.

He said the numbers from Arlington County did not surprise him.

Fauntroy said many people鈥檚 circumstances determine their reasoning for voting in person, describing how many older voters like to vote in-person on Election Day.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a bit of a generational breakdown,鈥� he added.

League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City鈥檚 Porte said early voting yesterday was at the highest it鈥檚 ever been for a gubernatorial election.

鈥淭he league is all for people having the easiest way to vote,鈥� she said.

Porte highlighted how Election Day was a state holiday this year, which is something she said the league is encouraging on the federal level to provide voters more flexibility to cast a ballot.

鈥淭he league hopes that we continue to make voting easy and accessible to all people because not everyone can vote on Election Day,鈥� she said.

The post Arlington County polls saw 鈥榮teady stream鈥� of in-person voters, despite new early voting options first appeared on 最新蜜桃影像.

The county released the second draft of the Pentagon City Planning Study in October after releasing the initial version of the plan in July.

Arlington County has led a community planning process to establish long-term goals and obtain feedback on the various plans included in the study.

Yet some residents and neighborhood associations have expressed concerns about the plan and whether the engagement process has incorporated a variety of voices from the community.

40-year-old plan revamped

A vision for Pentagon City has not been updated since the .

Pentagon City Planning Coordinator Matt Mattauszek said Amazon served as a catalyst for the study, setting off a number of questions, challenges and opportunities for property owners and residents in the area.

The planning effort began in the middle of 2020 with stakeholder interviews, a community kickoff and the establishment of focus groups composed of residents and property owners, according to Mattauszek.

鈥淲e would meet on a monthly basis with them to bounce ideas off, get their input, and they were really, I think, our conduits to the larger, broader community,鈥� he said.

Mattauszek described a 鈥渞obust public engagement process鈥� from September 2020 to July 2021. Residents participated in public meetings, reviewed project materials online and could even subscribe to receive project updates in their inbox.

Highlights of the study include plans for open space opportunities, pedestrian pathways, six redevelopment projects, diverse housing options and transportation choices that make driving unnecessary.

The corner of 12th Street and Fern Street will have new protected bike lanes and a pedestrian-oriented streetscape along 12th Street, according to the draft plan. (Rachel Looker / 最新蜜桃影像, rendering by Arlington County)

Consulting company Good Clancy assisted the county with the study and feedback process.

Good Clancy Planner Kathleen Onufer, who has been working on the Pentagon City study, said the company worked with Arlington County to respond to every question that was asked by residents.

These efforts included finding more opportunities to get new individuals involved without having to read all 148 pages of the study or be an expert in county planning to have an opinion, she said.

鈥淭hat’s one of the goals of the forum is to try and make sure we’re still asking some of those broader questions to create space for folks who may be new to the process,鈥� Onufer said.

Planning commission: Community needs a voice

Former Planning Commissioner Jane Siegel, who serves as the co-chair of the Long Range Planning Committee for the Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan, said it鈥檚 the job of the planning commission to provide the community with a say in development studies.

鈥淲e have ensured over a year the opportunity for voices to come into the process,鈥� she said.

Siegel said they held focus group meetings, workshops and obtained outreach from the county related to the study to ensure the broadest number of Arlington residents could participate in developing the study鈥檚 six guiding principles.

鈥淲hat you will be hearing over the next couple months are the voices of consensus鈥� but you will also hear dissenting voices,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey are in the minority, that doesn’t mean that their voices are less important. But with public policy, you cannot make everybody happy.鈥�

Planning Commissioner Jim Lantelme, who also serves as co-chair for the Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan Long Range Planning Committee, said he is pleased with the results of the study and feels the community outreach came to a reasonable consensus.

鈥淲e do have people that are already coming out who are saying everything was done in the dark and behind closed doors, which is hard to do when you have five sessions鈥� plus other meetings,鈥� he said.

The plan calls for the corner of South Hayes Street and 12th Street to serve as an access point for rail and bus transit outside the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. The plan includes public gathering space in a new public square. (Rachel Looker / 最新蜜桃影像, rendering by Arlington County)

Civic Associations provide feedback

Three civic associations comprise Pentagon City: Aurora Highlands, Arlington Ridge and Crystal City.

Arlington Ridge Civic Association President Kateri Garcia said the association held a special member meeting to talk about the latest draft of the study.

She said members鈥� biggest concerns were about the significant increase to the density proposed for River House, a large housing complex in the area.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not entirely clear on why that occurred,鈥� she said.

Members also expressed concerns over the implications increased density would have on the rest of the community and services such as schools, community centers, the library and parks, as well as the infrastructure for transportation, power and emergency services.

Garcia said members liked the idea of the transportation improvements, bike lanes and the Green Ribbon, which connects new and existing public spaces while improving park and recreation functions.

鈥溾�嬧�婭 think there’s a lot of really great things and I think there’s a lot of great value that all this development can bring to our community, but it really needs to be thought out in a way that it’s done well,鈥� she said.

Aurora Highlands Civic Association Representative Ben D’Avanzo, who has been reviewing the study for the association, said there are a variety of opinions in the association about the plan.

The civic association provided comments on the first draft of the study, but D鈥橝vanzo said they did not see many significant changes between the first and the second draft.

鈥淭he level of flexibility in it means it’s very hard to understand beyond where new buildings will go and generally what their height is going to be,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t’s hard to have a sense of what the future of the neighborhood will actually look like because of that flexibility.鈥�

Residents respond

Alyssa Marlow has lived in Pentagon City for over 10 years and owns a condo on Arlington Ridge Road.

Marlow said there are a lot of aspects about the Pentagon City Planning Study that she likes, but said she thinks the planning commission failed to look specifically at the infrastructure needed to support new developments and increased density.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 seem to me like they鈥檝e consulted emergency management staff to understand, do the firehouses have the ability to support that much density?鈥� she said.

Nicole Merlene is a lifelong Arlington County resident and is involved in the Pentagon City working group representing renters.

Merlene said she was happy the second draft of the study included how many new units and green spaces will be added to the area, which was lacking in the first draft.

鈥淭his is the first time ever that a planning study will include estimates on population impacts on the area which is just huge for every aspect of planning,鈥� she said.

Merlene said the county is currently not equipped to target certain communities in their engagement process, specifically those who live in apartments or condos, and individuals who have children in the school system and don’t have the extra time to review the study.

鈥淭hey do not make the feedback loop easy for those people and there is not a lot of proactive outreach,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incumbent upon a resident to know that it鈥檚 happening.鈥�

Pentagon City Resident Emily Atkinson said she had concerns over the plan reducing the amount of green spaces around her neighborhood.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of what makes this area so nice,鈥� she said.

She said she is concerned the plan will squeeze buildings between existing buildings and eliminate trees and green space.

She currently rents a condo and was considering purchasing it, but now has changed her plans.

鈥淜nowing that the view from my balcony and my windows is going to change from being trees to solid buildings and I鈥檓 assuming also block my view of the Jefferson Memorial. That鈥檚 not appealing to me,鈥� she said.

Planning Commission prepares for next steps

The second version of the draft had an online engagement window that closed on Oct. 31. It provided a three-week period for individuals to provide comments about the study.

Planning Coordinator Mattauszek said he is anticipating close to 100 comments by the end of the engagement window.

Mattauszek said they will continue to have briefings through November and December before looking to approach the county board for final adoptions of the plan.

鈥淎long the way, there’ll be additional opportunities for feedback and we do hope that in December, when we take that next major step, there will be a third new version of the plan developed that incorporates a lot of what we heard this month,鈥� he said.

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The county created and launched the program in just two months after the pandemic hit to help struggling small businesses.

Ho applied and received $7,500 to cover rent and payroll.

Nineteen months later and still hurting from the pandemic, Ho was ready to apply again when she heard the county was launching round two of the program.

But this time, she was ineligible because she had received federal COVID-19 relief funds.

鈥淵ou don’t see an ending in sight to this,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don’t know when is it going to stop or when is it going to be back to normal.鈥�

Arlington County launched a of the small business grant program this month to provide direct assistance to businesses still facing impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The will distribute $2 million to the hardest hit businesses using funds from the county鈥檚 allotment of the American Rescue Plan Act.

The program will provide 200 grants of $10,000 each to eligible businesses with 50 or fewer employees. Businesses will be selected for grants by a lottery.

Arlington County Economic Development Deputy Director Cynthia Richmond said the Small Business GRANT 2.0 program targets businesses from the hardest hit industry sectors of personal service, arts and entertainment, retail, restaurants, hotels and childcare.

But the 2.0 program disqualifies businesses that received state or federal funds to specifically target businesses that did not receive prior relief, she said.

鈥淚 hope we are going to be able to really give the money where it’s needed most in these industries that were most hurt that didn’t have the benefit of other kinds of federal and state funds,鈥� Richmond said.

Richmond said the program also aims to provide funds for businesses that may have launched during the pandemic and missed deadlines to apply for funding.

鈥溾�嬧�婭 hope we’re going to get a different kind of group this time,鈥� she said.

Arlington County Economic Development Deputy Director Cynthia Richmond says 2.0 program targets ‘hard-to-reach’ small businesses聽

The county board to approve the program.

Arlington County Commission Chair Matt de Ferranti said small businesses are still hurting and feeling the challenges of dealing with the COVID-19 delta variant.

鈥淚 still have had conversations even within the last two weeks where small business owners will look at me and say, 鈥榊eah, it’s still a real struggle,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淭heir expressions and their care for their employees really is clear from the conversations that I’ve been having.鈥�

First round of funding boosts businesses at start of pandemic

Richmond said the first iteration of the program received 1,117 applicants. The county to 393 businesses.

She said the county surveyed businesses when the pandemic started in March to determine the impacts of the COVID-19 shutdowns.

鈥淭hat gave us enough information to know that people were scared,鈥� she said.

The first program held in May 2020 established criteria and used an algorithm to distribute funds to the hardest hit businesses, according to Richmond. She said an outside group blindly reviewed the applications and distributed scores based on criteria met.

The county distributed funds ranging from $1,200 to $10,000 to businesses that received the top scores and worked down the list until all funds had been distributed.

According to Richmond, 96% of businesses that received funding last year are still operating today.

Second round of grant funds targets hardest hit industry sectors

The 393 businesses that received funds in May 2020 are eligible to reapply to the county鈥檚 2.0 program 鈥� unless they have received federal or state COVID-19 relief funds. Richmond said as of Oct. 15, the 2.0 program has received more than 300 applications.

Many business owners, including Divine Nail Spa Owner Ho, did not apply because they already received federal or state relief.

Ho received loans from the Small Business Administration to cover rent and payroll expenses. Her business has sustained only 25% of sales during COVID-19, according to Ho.

鈥淚 highly doubt that a lot of businesses qualify for that 2.0 program,鈥� she said.

She now faces new challenges including a rising cost of supplies needed to run her salon because of a worldwide shortage of products ranging from acetones to gloves, pedicure liners and sugar scrubs.

鈥淲e’re just hoping to be able to maintain and carry on until the spring,鈥� she said.

New program raises concerns over eligibility requirements

Richmond said her one concern with the 2.0 program is that there will not be enough applicants who are eligible because many businesses received federal or state money in the last year.

鈥淲hich on the one hand is a good problem to have,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut on the other hand, we鈥檙e really trying to reach the hard-to-reach.鈥�

The county increased marketing and outreach efforts, placing yard signs in both English and Spanish throughout the county as well as making in-person visits to encourage business owners to apply.

Doug Frantzen, owner of E60 Fitness on Clarendon Boulevard, received $10,000 from the county鈥檚 program in 2020.

He is not eligible to apply to the 2.0 program because he received a small Paycheck Protection Program loan through the Small Business Administration. Frantzen said if his business was eligible, he would be reapplying.

The SBA loan, combined with the grant from the county, covered less than 10% of his losses throughout the pandemic, he said.

鈥溾�嬧�媁e can use every little bit of help we can get because we’re still trying to recoup and it’s not like we’ve really had an opportunity where we can make a bunch of profit and pay back those losses because we’re still going through the pandemic,鈥� he said.

Robert Steele owns Town Car Repair on Glebe Road and is in a similar situation.

He received $3,500 from the county鈥檚 2020 program and is also ineligible for the 2.0 program because he received federal aid.

Steele said the original grant from the county 鈥渨as nice, but it just wasn鈥檛 enough.鈥�

His business was considered essential and remained open during shutdowns. He used the $3,500 for payroll.

鈥淵ou can never tell what the future is to come,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 worry about what’s coming in the fall season because that’s our downtime in my business.鈥�

Eligible small businesses take advantage of 2.0 program

John Nicholson, co-owner of Company Flowers & Gifts Too!, applied for the county鈥檚 program in 2020 and submitted an application for the 2.0 program.

鈥淧eople want to throw money at you, why not?鈥� Nicholson said.

The funds he received in 2020 covered one month鈥檚 rent.

He said his sales have been cut in half since the start of the pandemic, resulting in a reduction of half of his staff. The company continued to deliver flowers throughout lockdowns and modified the front of their shop to sell flowers without customers entering the store.

Nicholson鈥檚 wife, Marnie, who is a co-owner of the shop, said the county鈥檚 grant programs seem like opportunities that can be used to their advantage.

鈥淚 thought that it was good that they were recognizing that small businesses needed help,鈥� Marnie said.

The application window for Arlington County鈥檚 Small Business GRANT 2.0 program closes Oct. 20.

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Standard Communities, a company that works to create workforce housing nationwide, purchased the Park Shirlington Apartments on South 31st Street in 2017 in partnership with Arlington County.

The county loaned Standard Communities $6 million through its affordable housing investment fund to acquire the property.

The property鈥檚 293 units in 14 residential buildings will be renovated and committed to long-term affordable housing for the next 75 years, Standard Communities鈥� Steven Kahn told members of the Fairlington Citizens Association in September.

鈥淥ur goal when we approached the county was to say, 鈥楥an we work together and figure out a way to compete against the market-rate players 鈥� the folks who want to raise rents or build higher luxury housing here?鈥欌�� Kahn said during the meeting.

Park Shirlington will account for 293 of the 1,422 total affordable units in Arlington County in the last five years, according to the county鈥檚 2020 Affordable Housing Master plan.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a real priority for the county and there鈥檚 been a real effort to do everything to avoid displacement of current tenants so they can stay in their homes at an affordable price in the long term,鈥� Melissa Danowski, the principal development specialist for the Arlington County Housing Division, said.

Renovation project targets 70-year-old buildings

The buildings were constructed in the 1950s and have had no large-scale renovations completed in the past 20 years, according to Kahn. The phased renovations will take place during the day to allow residents to continue to live in their units, he said.

The renovation project will update appliances, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, electric and plumbing and update common areas like laundry rooms, stairwells, parking lots and sidewalks.

Danowski said Standard Communities plans to utilize low-income housing tax credits for the renovation. The company is working out the financing details with the Arlington County board.

The rent for the renovated units might fluctuate for tenants depending on their current rent, Kahn said. Rents are limited to be affordable to residents making 60% of the area median income. The tax credit program creates fixed rent numbers and sets maximum allowable rents.

Arlington County has also approved a Tenant Assistance Fund to allocate $124,000 to help tenants who may face rent increases, Danowski said.

Fairlington Citizens Association President Guy Land said the civic association has supported Standard Communities and Arlington County鈥檚 plan for the project.

He said the project鈥檚 key aspect is preserving affordable housing in the community and preventing market-rate housing from replacing it. The plan is a major commitment to affordable housing for the area, he said.

鈥淚 have described this as a win, win, win,鈥� Land said.

He said the project allows the neighborhood to maintain its current character, avoids the risk of greater density and traffic congestion and protects the current residents of Park Shirlington from being displaced.

鈥淚t’s good for the residents in Park Shirlington and it鈥檚 good in helping achieve the county’s overall goal of preserving and expanding the amount of affordable housing that’s available in Arlington,鈥� Land said.

Current residents in the dark

Standard Communities鈥� Kahn said during the Fairlington Citizens Association meeting that they are working to communicate with residents about the project and posting flyers in English and Spanish.

鈥淲e鈥檝e let them know in no uncertain terms regardless of what they hear or what the rumor mill is, we are not displacing residents,鈥� he said.

However, many Park Shirlington residents said they were unaware of the details of the renovation project and unsure of a specific timeline for its completion.

David Santoni and his rescue dog Daytona have lived at the Park Shirlington Apartments for three years. Santoni has heard about many plans for the property over the years ranging from affordable housing to building a 20-story luxury apartment building.

He said he has seen a lot of turnover of tenants and said he thinks turning the property into long-term affordable housing will be good for the community.

鈥淎 lot of it’s just the buildings falling apart,鈥� he said of the property鈥檚 current state.

Resident Janice Coleman, who has lived on the property for almost five years, said there is a definite need for renovations.

鈥淚t鈥檚 run for low-income families so I think a lot of the residents don鈥檛 speak up because we have vouchers and different programs,鈥� she said.

She said she has been aware of past plans for the property that have not come to fruition and remains skeptical the renovation project will happen.

鈥淚鈥檝e heard that a lot of times, but nothing changes,鈥� she said.

The phased renovation project is set to begin in 2022 following the county board finalizing financial details later this year. Renovations are expected to take 18-24 months.

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