Friday, March 20, 2009
HeraldTrib Today: March 21, 2009
I’ve spoken with planners at the county about the Buckingham Shopping Center, and they tell me that they have not heard from Georgetown Strategic Capital, so they do not know if the company is still planning to redevelop the commercial buildings on the west side of the corner of N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive. I’ve called Bob Moore, a principal with the company, and my principal contact, and have received no word on their plans.
Last month, the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board largely killed the project when they voted down the latest plans from Georgetown Strategic. However, the company has not written a letter withdrawing their application for the use permit, a step the company would take if it were to pull out completely, county planners said. Last May the company applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness, and for a “Unified Commercial/Mixed-Use Development” use permit, which basically changes the zoning on that corner from strictly commercial to retail/residential buildings that had been planned. Peter Schulz, a planner at the county, said that the county would expect at the least a quick letter from the company withdrawing their application for the use permit. The application, he said, is still open. Mr. Schulz said that a missing withdrawal letter would not stop another company from attempting to redevelop the area. The owner of the property, the Jenco group (as usual, they have no comment on this), would have the right to look to other developers if they so choose. Rebbecah Ballo, with the county’s neighborhood services division, said that she has not heard anything from Georgetown Strategic, either. She works with the HALRB which is concerned with the Certificate of Appropriateness. Georgetown Strategic is not required to send a letter withdrawing that application, she said,. The buildings on that corner are zoned “C-2” which means a developer, even Georgetown Strategic if they chose, could redevelop the space “by right” into a commercial space, but any building, or change of current facades would still have to pass muster with the HALRB.
Related stories… I have to give a First Amendment shout-out (WOOT-WOOT!) to Adam Parkhomenko who is running for the 47th District in the House of Delegates--he is one of five Democratic candidates. I have seen his yard signs on public medians along N. George Mason Drive. That’s illegal according to Arlington County election rules. Those rules say that yard signs on public spaces can only go up 31 days before the election. Yet Adam is proud to thumb his nose at it. Here’s an email from Feb. 24: “Yard Signs Are Here “Three months before the primary election to replace retiring Delegate Al Eisenberg, Adam’s campaign became the first to have yard signs out on medians throughout the 47th district.” Did you see that? He wrote, “out on medians.” Now, all he needs is someone to sue him, and he can take it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and we’ll see what they have to say about this sort of thing. The highest court has never considered political signs on medians before. I’d love to know what they would do with it. In the past, I’ve advocated for two possible changes to Arlington's rules, changes I think would allow for a more equitable use of public space: 1, allow signs for two months before primaries and anytime after Labor Day for a general election in November; or 2, the candidate can choose any 31-day period he or she chooses. 31 days before the election is too late, and too strongly favors candidates who already have name recognition, especially incumbents.
Related stories… The kids saw "Race to Witch Mountain" last weekend. The review is here, on our companion site, "The H&H Report," just in time for your weekend viewing pleasure. I will admit to thinking this site would be up and running more strongly by now. As many of you know--especially those of you who say to me, "I can get my child to write for it,"--the kids will not take the time without a little extra prodding. I am re-dedicating myself to prodding my own; if you think of it, prod yours! I take submissions from any kid who might read the report. Grown-ups may type for them, but feel free to submit in the very child-based voice that they naturally write in. I LOVE the drawings that have come with the reviews in the past. Reviews and views on anything are welcome--movies, books, plays, etc. My next prodding will be aimed at my daughter, who I hope will pen a review of the Secret Benedict Society books (a new fave in the Thurston house--or, as we like to call it "Asgard"). As well, I would happily take reviews from reviewers in the middle and high schools in Arlington. I let the police notes go for too long (about a month—sheesh!); they’re caught up, and I hope to keep them that way. See the link below. I’m working on a couple larger stories that I hope to bring to you soon. I’ve been checking out Blue Virginia lately. It’s a newish blog run by Lowell Feld, who is much more famous for his role creating the Raising Kaine blog (it helped get Kaine and other Dems. elected). He has been covering the race for the “Fighting 47th” (the House of Delegates seat that five, count ‘em FIVE, Democrats are fighting for. No Republicans have yet to get on the primary ballot.) Good stuff. Make sure you check out the comments on the BCCA meeting. Pat Hope, the president of the group, has a couple interesting announcements (the next meeting is in May—since I won’t be teaching Monday nights, I’ll be able to go). Also, I’m still looking into the American Service Center. There’s good news for breathable air, from what I can tell so far, and I am trying to get more drawings to help people see their proposed redevelopment (I know how much HeraldTrib readers love drawings). Happy Spring! (You know it's around here someplace.) I have seen small batches of robins, but I have yet to see the big flock that usually comes through for a day or two on their way to New York (or somewhere else). Perhaps I missed the big flock. If so, alas. I can't help but think the 90 percent tax on executive bonuses is wrong. Why couldn't Congress just ask Treasury Secretary Timothy Geitner to negotiate for some of the money. They probably would have gotten 50 or 60 percent of the money back, maybe more (if they threatened the 90 percent tax). I have a contract that said I should have gotten a cost-of-living adjustment to my salary. The Administration of my college contacted the faculty union and said, "Hey, we need to go back to the table." Were we annoyed? Sure, but that's the economic place the country is in. AIG and the government had a contract they had to uphold, but why not just go back to the people involved and say, "Hey, we need to go back to the table" and see what results you get. That said, Wall Street really must rethink this pay strategy that allows 40 to 60 percent of an executive's pay to be "bonus." It's not a bonus, really, if you get it no matter what, and the way it's structured now, they get it pretty much no matter what. Sure, the amount shifts, but it doesn't go from being 60 percent of a person's salary one year to 20 percent the next. And if they cannot adjust the bonus at the last minute to make room for something like, say, global economic meltdown, then what is the sense of calling it a bonus--call it what it is, "salary" and then pay them that. If there is money left over, give that as a real bonus. Headlines from Earlier in the Week: Labels: 47th, buckingham center, first amendment, Police
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
On our companion site, the H&H Report…
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Bham Shopping Center Dies in HALRB Hands
Developers hoping to raze and rebuild half of the Buckingham Shopping Center went to the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board meeting tonight asking for a simple up-or-down vote on the size and scope of the project.
“What we’re looking for tonight is an overall vote of confidence,” said Bob Moore, a principal of Georgetown Strategic Capital, the developer. But in the end, after 15 or 20 minutes of discussion, it was clear to the board members around the table that even taking the vote was not necessary. “I think this building is just too big,” said board member Charles Craig. “I still think it’s too much of a wall,” said Linda Simmons. “The massing [the overall size and shape] of the building is better, but I still think there’s still too much fourth floor,” said Robert Dudka, adding later, “There’s nothing about these buildings that says ‘Buckingham.’” “I think you’re hearing around the table a pretty strong reaction to the massing,” said HALRB Chair Isabel Kaldenbach-Montemayor, with some chagrin in her voice. The plan would raze the CVS, Glebe Market, and El Paso Café buildings on N. Pershing Drive and N. Glebe Road and replace them with two four-storey buildings of ground-floor retail and residences above. A clearly angry Mr. Moore called the process “non-collegial” and said, “There’s a total inconsistency here.” He argued that over the year that this process has gone on his company made the changes that the HALRB asked but that people on the board have changed. “It’s a continually revolving door of opinions.” He said that the HALRB drew pencil lines on models they had brought in, and his company revamped the design to match those lines. He pushed on with what he had to say as Ms. Kaldenbach-Montemayor tried to interject. Then he stood up, grabbed his coat and left with a curt “Thank you,” just as she started to speak. For the record, though their primary audience had left, people around the table still spoke and said they felt they had acted consistently and that they had done the right thing by not supporting the proposal. Board member Gerald Laporte said he has been silent for much of the Buckingham Shopping Center discussions, but he has listened. He said, “This vote doesn’t surprise me at all…I don’t think this should be a surprise to anybody.” Labels: buckingham center
Monday, December 22, 2008
HALRB Still Questions Center's Redevelopment
It’s still too tall. And too close to Glebe Road. And Pershing Drive. And the police might not like their substation. And the project is 110 parking spaces short. And no one wants you to pave over grass on AHC property. And is there enough landscaping on the sidewalks?
Buckingham’s own Bernie Berne set that last question in motion at the Historical Affairs and Landmarks Review Board meeting Wednesday night, Dec. 17. The HALRB discussed the possible development of the Buckingham Shopping Center at the intersection of N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive in which the commercial buildings on the CVS and Glebe Market corners would be razed and replaced.
Mr. Berne stood before the group and said that the zoning variance the developer, Georgetown Strategic Capital, is asking for regarding the placement of landscaping should be denied. The developer has asked to move some of the street-level landscaping onto a second floor terrace as part of a “green roof” for that level of the project.
Last month, Mr. Berne cajoled the Buckingham Community Civic Association into drafting a letter to the county board asking that they deny the change in zoning.
“It’s just not neighborhood friendly,” Mr. Berne said at Wednesday’s meeting. “I hope staff recognizes this.”
But the comments around the table indicated that people either didn’t know of, or did not notice the request.
“I don’t think we’ve heard that,” HALRB Chair Isabel Kaldenbach-Montemayor said. “I’m pretty sure that we’ve never heard that a portion of the open space would be on the second floor.”
“To be fair to you all, they [details of the landscaping] weren’t in any drawing but this,” said the architect, Scott Matties at another point. He indicated a plan from months ago, “But they were in this.”
In the other major hurdle to come up Wednesday evening, Jennifer Fioretti from the county’s transportation department said the project is 110 parking spaces short and she discussed some changes that could be made on the east side of Glebe, such as using the space behind the post office more efficiently, to make up some of the difference.
The plan had called for some extra street-level parking to come from Gates of Ballston property adjacent to the Glebe Market. However, that was shot down Wednesday, too.
“Planning staff cannot support this off-site parking,” said a county staffer at the meeting, especially given that some space has been freed up with the removal of the CVS and their requested drive-thru window.
County staff and the citizen board members also brought up issues with the height of the buildings which will have ground floor retail and apartments above. The buildings are still four-storey, flat roofed buildings, but the fourth floors have been pulled back, taking up space only at the centers of the buildings to avoid being quite so visible from the street. Some board members called for pulling the buildings even further back from the street.
Bob Moore, of Georgetown Strategic wondered aloud how they could pull back the buildings from the streets farther and make more parking.
“There’s only so much space,” he said.
In a story two weeks ago, Mr. Moore said his company was close to the breaking point on this project, that the changes were paring back the project so much it becomes economically unfeasible.
“We’d rather know now and pursue other things,” Mr. Moore said Wednesday. “If it’s [the project is] too problematic…we’d rather have a quick bullet than swing in the wind.”
Moments later he added, “We’ll try. We’ll come back and we’ll see what we can do about the green space.”
However, in a quick interview after the meeting, he did not wish to comment on whether they would return.
Related stories…
Labels: buckingham center, CVS, Glebe, pershing
Friday, December 12, 2008
HeraldTrib Today: Dec. 12, 2008
Just when it looked like things in the Buckingham Shopping Center plans were coalescing, they are not.
Recall these are the plans in which the Glebe Market, and El Paso/Popeye’s buildings would be razed and a four-storey mixed use building of ground floor retail and apartments would rise in its place.
Call it a difference in philosophy, but elected county officials did not want a drop-off prescription window near the busy, urban intersection of N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive, and the CVS pharmacy, which was to fill much of the ground floor of the new building at that corner, sees the store as suburban, and CVS’s suburban stores have drop-off windows.
So the philosophy of urban development versus suburban killed plans for the CVS.
“That space…will now be a multiple of stores,” said Bob Moore, a principal of the potential developer Georgetown Strategic Capital. They have been pursuing this project for well over a year.
Although the HALRB will consider Georgetown Strategic’s certificate of appropriateness for that corner at the Wednesday Dec. 17 meeting, neither side is expecting much success.
“Staff isn’t recommending approval of it at this point,” said Rebecca Ballo. “The ground level is really different than what we’ve been dealing with for the past year.”
For his part, Mr. Moore said, “We’re not going in for a vote.” This is just continuing what has been a “collegial” discussion he said, adding, “What we’re trying to do is to update them on all these possibilities.”
But his company, which has been drawing plans and adjusting them to try and fit the wishes of the HALRB, is near the point of pulling out altogether.
“If [the HALRB] just really can’t adapt to this change, then we’re not going to want to pursue it any further,” Mr. Moore said. “I think they don’t know what they want.”
Some of the changes include a police substation, slightly lower heights, and fewer apartments. Mr. Moore said he has been talking to Sam Chon owner of the Glebe Market, and it looks like he will return to the new building with a smaller store.
One positive note: the poor economy has been driving down construction costs, especially for the underground parking.
“It’s making it a bit more affordable,” Mr. Moore said.
The current plan would rebuild the northwest corner of the intersection first and then wait for the CVS to run-out its lease before razing that building and redeveloping it.
The county is zipping their lips on alternative uses for the patch of green space outside the Ballston Commons Mall parking garage. Staff has been pursuing the idea that the triangle at the corner of N. Glebe Road and N. Randolph Street will house a “world-class” mini-golf course. The main reason staff has said is that it fits with the pedestrian nature of the area and is an activity that can be pursued much of the year and by people of all ages.
For months however, county staff from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources; Arlington Economic Development; and Community Planning have been meeting to consider alternate uses for the 20,000 square foot site, especially after some citizens in the area voiced concerns about the lack of input from people early in the planning process. "We're still working internally to develop these [ideas],” said Scott McPartlin, the lead planner on this project. The committee that is researching will let the public know, “Hopefully really soon." Rich Dooley, a senior land use planner, said the different ideas are still going through internal vetting, but that the research and discussion is not necessarily tricky. “There’s nothing unique about this” process, he said.
For a just-posted letter on this subject, click here--ST
Ashton Heights readers may be interested to know that item #14 among the “consent items" on tomorrow’s county board meeting asks the board to accept two deeds that will allow sidewalk and storm water drainage work along N. 4th Street at its intersection with N. Irving Street. The board generally votes on consent items en masse, unless the item is removed from the consent list to be discussed at the recessed meeting next week.
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
Today's Headlines:
Headlines from Earlier in the Week:
Labels: Buckingham, buckingham center, mini-golf
Monday, November 24, 2008
HeraldTrib Today: Nov. 23, 2008
CVS might, just might, pull out of the Buckingham Shopping Center redevelopment project if they cannot get a drive-thru prescription window, and Do Chon, the son of retiring Glebe Market owner Sam Chon, might run a scaled-down Glebe Market in the new development afterall, all this according to Bob Moore, a principal at Georgetown Strategic Capital the developer working on the site.
If all of this came to be, it would be a rather large shift in the plans for the west side of N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive where the Glebe Market and CVS buildings sit.
For the year or so that these plans have been public, Georgetown Strategic has said they had committments from (and included in the plans) all the businesses west of Glebe—the CVS, ElPaso Café, Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits, Woofs Dog Training, and the Ravi Kabob—except for the Glebe Market which would close as Sam Chon, the owner, planned to retire. CVS would move across Pershing Drive once the new building was built.
I was on the phone with Mr. Moore because he had been scheduled to speak at the Buckingham Community Civic Association meeting last Monday, and I was curious to know why he wasn’t there (I don’t know that I ever got an answer). Our conversation quickly shifted to what’s at issue:
The county’s transportation and planning staff cannot support the prescription drop-off, drive-thru window that Mr. Moore said is a linchpin for CVS’s move across Pershing Drive. CVS, he said, puts these in all their suburban stores, and they consider this one “suburban.” No drive-thru, no CVS in the new building. Earlier plans for the building had the window close to Glebe Road, but the architects have moved the window about five car-lengths away from the road. The idea of this window is that drivers pull in and drop off prescriptions on the way somewhere else. Mr. Moore said that CVS reports never having more than six cars in the lane. Still, no dice from the county. “We could just see that this wasn’t going to happen,” Mr. Moore said. So he has been making the rounds to civic groups trying to drum-up support for the new drive-thru location. (He said he did make it to Ashton Heights Civic Association meeting recently.) If CVS decides not to move across the street into the new building, they will simply stay in their current building for five years (they just signed a five-year extension to their lease), Mr. Moore said. Georgetown Strategic will wait them out, offering them space in the building that will replace the current CVS building. If they do not want space in that building, they just will not be part of a redeveloped Buckingham Shopping Center. On another note, part of the plan for the shopping center was that Do Chon might open a coffee shop in the building that will replace the CVS, but now, Mr. Moore admitted, his company is talking to the father and sone about a small grocery store. What if all the plans fall through? “We’re not worried at all about the retail,” Mr. Moore said, adding that leases are plentiful.
Speaking of Georgetown Strategic and the BCCA, the group, with about seven members present, voted to write a letter to the county asking that they not allow Georgetown Strategic to move landscaping to the second floor gardens.
The developer has asked that the county rules be bent to allow them to move some of what should be street-level landscaping onto the second floor of the proposed building on the northwest corner of N. Glebe Road and N. Pershing Drive.
BCCA member Bernie Berne's winning argument to the group said that this allowed the developer to make a really nice garden for the residents who will inhabit upper floors of the building, but the neighborhood residents will have little or no landscaping (there are trees planned for the sidewalks along N. Pershing Drive and N. Glebe Road).
For his part, Mr. Moore said in an interview, "Whatever it is [that is built], it's going to look a whole lot better than it is now." He has long maintained that his company plans to improve landscaping on all four corners of the intersection.
One final note from the BCCA meeting. Donna Zadnik, from Bethel United Church of Christ, asked if I would be willing to place a flyer of their church on my web site. They are a non-profit on the corner of Arlington Boulevard and N. George Mason Drive, so what the heck? There you go, Donna.
By the way, I have seen their game night flyers on a number of occasions, and have wanted to go. Maybe I just will.
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
Headlines from Earlier in the Week:
Labels: buckingham center, redevelopment
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Business Looking to Lease Space for Buckingham Grocery Store
“We really want to work in that community,” Ms. Samayoa said. Pacific General owns a handful of small businesses including Ventura Grocery on Cockrell Road in Manassas. Ms. Samayoa described that store as a general grocery with a focus on Latino foods. Their hope is to open a similar store in the building that is planned to replace the CVS. “We want to open another one. I believe it’s time,” Alcides Ventura said. Prince William County’s economy has been hit hard by the national housing crisis and a county-wide crackdown on illegal immigration, and while many restaurants and other stores have gone out of business, the Ventura Grocery is still around. “So we’re doing pretty good in comparison to other businesses in that area,” Mr. Alcides said. He said that anyone can open a store, but maintaining it is the hard part. The store he envisions would cover about 5,000 square feet. Not only would he sell general groceries, especially fresh meats and traditional Latino foods, he also thinks a coffee shop and a cafeteria that sells prepackaged foods could work in that space. He and Ms. Samayoa said they want to reflect what the neighborhood needs and are willing to go into the community to find out what people want. One of his businesses is as a general contractor, and to save money, he is hoping to build the inside of the space himself to his specifications. Karen Vasquez, the public relations manager for Arlington Economic Development, said the county is trying to promote grocery stores in neighborhoods. A business that is both locally owned and a grocery “could have piqued board members’ interests,” Ms. Vasquez said. At the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new streetscape at the intersection, County Board Chairman Walter Tejada said he hoped the Glebe Market would be around for a long time, calling it a “landmark” that is “loved and treasured” in Buckingham. That tends to depend on who you ask. Whether the Glebe Market should be replaced with a similar grocery or something more upscale was one of the more contentious discussions at a recent community forum discussing the redevelopment. Mr. Alcides said he has met with Mr. Tejada regarding the store. Under the proposed redevelopment, the three buildings west of N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive—the CVS, Glebe Market and El Paso Café buildings—would be torn down and replaced by two large, mixed-use buildings. All but one of the businesses in the current buildings would move into the new space on the northwest corner, the site of the current Glebe Market. The Glebe Market itself will not return as owner Sam Chon plans to retire. A large question has been what type of grocery store would replace the Glebe Market, a market that serves much of the Latino population of the neighborhood. Jennie Gordon, a retail development specialist at Arlington Economic Development, said that after losing Glebe Market “we want to make sure something goes in there.” “We’ve offered to help them, Georgetown Strategic Capital, with outreach,” she said. “They haven’t taken us up on that.” She said Georgetown Strategic might have other outside help and just does not need the county’s input. “If they wanted us to help with outreach, then we would go out a little more aggressively.” Mr. Alcides heard of the possible space for the store from some of his general contracting clients in the area. He also heard of the space from a friend who once owned a grocery in Alexandria and because he participated in a home expo recently, he said. For her part, Ms. Samayoa said that county should use Day Labor sites to help men waiting to work at the corner of N. Glebe and N. Pershing. She said she understood why people would be frightened of men just standing around on the corner if you were not sure what they were doing. “I would be frightened, too,” she said. Tara Miles of Arlington Economic Development said that Pacific General is the only company she knows of that is trying to lease grocery space in the proposed new building. Ms. Miles said the BizLaunch office she directs is helping that company as it would any other that asked for assistance and that the county is not encouraging one business over another. Her office would be happy to help another looking to compete for the Buckingham Center space. Her office helps entrepreneurs with technical assistance for acquiring leased space or developing strategic and marketing plans. “We want to be able to ensure that businesses will have the right tools,” she said, adding later, “My concern…is making sure that everybody has the capacity to compete.” “They [Pacific General] are actually working on their business plan, which is the best thing to do, to start now,” even though the space will not be ready for a long time, she said. Paperwork submitted to the county from Georgetown Strategic sets construction from May 2009 to May 2010. Winning the lease for Mr. Alcides: “That’s going to be the number one priority.” Everyone spoken to said the process is still very early on and nothing is settled. Georgetown Strategic could not be reached for comment. Labels: buckingham center, redevelopment
Related stories…
Friday, June 06, 2008
Bham Center Developer Applies for Certificate of Appropriatness
The proposed buildings at the intersection of N. Glebe Road and N. Pershing Drive look too “industrial” and too “warehouse” said Design Review Committee members at their meeting Wednesday night.
“The warehouse loft aspect just doesn’t feel right…for this area,” said DRC member Charles Craig. DRC members did not like the metal facing used on parts of the building, especially on the top, fourth, floor. The "moderne" styling gives the building a factory look.
They also were not in love with drive through prescription window that the CVS would like to have in the new building, but they could live with it if it were nicely done. Also, they want a second entrance to the CVS. According to architect Scott Matties, CVS does not want a second entrance for security reasons. DRC members and county staff have said that CVS has multiple entrances elsewhere in more urban environments. Plus, making the building more handicapped accessible might require another entrance. One DRC member asked why the people in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood should have a lesser store than similar ones elsewhere. The argument was best parsed as: if they really want that prescription window, they might think a little more about putting in a second entrance. The three members of the DRC and the two county staffers, overall, did like some of the changes, including a “sunken” CVS. N. Pershing slopes downward about three feet from N. Glebe to the El Paso Café. In order to get a little more height in the building, the latest drawing shows that the developer would dig down those three feet near the intersection. The sidewalk at the intersection would be street level, and people would take steps or a ramp down to the CVS entrance. The look mimics an amphitheatre. The entrance to CVS (imagine it as the stage) sits on the corner of the building. The ramp is flat in front of the door and slopes up from there, hugging two sides of the building. The steps look a bit like four rows of bleacher seats in front of the stage. They separate the higher sidewalk from the lower ramp. As the ramp rises to meet the sidewalk, the steps taper off one-by-one. The developer’s idea for the project is to raze the Glebe Market and El Paso Café buildings, replacing them with a four-storey mixed use of retail on the ground floor, and three storeys of apartments above. The CVS, El Paso Café, Woofs Dog Training, and Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits would occupy the space where the Glebe Market and El Paso buildings are. A similar building would occupy the space where the CVS now stands. The Glebe Market is the only business not expected to return in any of the new space. Only cosmetic changes will be made on the east side (the post office side) of N. Glebe. Georgetown Strategic Capital, the developer of the building, applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness on May 21 On May 9, they applied for a Use Permit as a “Unified Commercial/Mixed Use Development,” what is known as a UCMUD and allows zoning to combine residential and commercial spaces. They must apply for the COA because the shopping center at that intersection is a county-protected historial location. The COA basically asks the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board to look at the buildings and other accoutrements (e.g. park benches) and make sure that the new construction is appropriate for the surrounding neighborhood. Receiving the COA is expected to be a months-long process. In the filing papers, Georgetown Strategic has listed May 2009 through May 2010 as the potential dates of construction. Parking may prove to be an issue. As part of the UCMUD use permit, the developer asks that the county allow one space of parking per 580 square feet of retail space instead of the zoned one space per 250 feet. As well, they are asking that the portion of required residential parking that is traditionally used for guest parking be shared between retail and residential guests. “We’re not asking for anything that doesn’t exist in the county elsewhere,” Mr. Matties said in an interview after the DRC meeting. “It’s used in Cherrydale and other areas.” Next up in the COA process: Georgetown Strategic brings their ideas to a joint meeting of the full County Planning Commission and Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (the DRC is a subcommittee of that board), June 26. Labels: buckingham center, redevelopment
Related stories on the redevelopment…
Related stories on Glebe Market…
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
HeraldTrib Today: June 4, 2008
I’m not sure how I feel as I go on hiatus after I post a story about the Design Review Committee meeting tonight.
Part of the mixed emotion is that I know I go back to teaching at Montgomery College in Rockville in the fall, and I have yet to do all I want to do with this website. I had a full school year to get stuff done, how much time did I need? However much I wanted, it wasn't enough.
Despite wanting to continue for another month or more, I still must write a final report on the year-long project around which this web site was based, and I must get my syllabi ready. I’m still reading one of my adopted texts. I just don’t have the time for it all, especially since the kids are loosed on the world in just a couple more weeks—then look out!
On top of that, I have notes and ideas for stories that are only half done—to those people who are wondering where the stories about them are, I will get to them late summer or early fall.
On top of the on top of all that, the walls of my house look terrible. I really must paint. I will be paying attention to the doings of Buckingham, but I don’t know how much I’ll be reporting until the fall draws me back. Enough complaining of lost time, already. I'll see you in the fall.
I took a wheelchair ride last month, and I have yet to put all the notes and recordings together into a decent story. That will come either over the summer, or early in the fall. Sorry, Deb, for the delay (stupid flooded basement).
Another is about the new Buckingham Community Center, the building on the Gates of Ballston property near N. Glebe at N. Henderson Road. I do not know if the discussions about it would rise to “conflict,” but some of the people who use the current space—a pair of connected two-bedroom apartments on N. Henderson Road—are bothered by the fact that the space they will have in the new building is 1,500 square feet less than what they currently have.
Also, the space has fewer offices for private discussions. Connie Sherman, the director of the center, worries about what might happen to people who need to have personal conversations such as those involving AIDS or spousal abuse. AHC Inc., which owns and is building the center, has made a space they feel is large enough. It has a huge room for community events, a computer classroom, a day care center, offices for the tenants association and for the leasing and management office. County Board Chair Walter Tejada said there are limited resources to go around, and people will have to make due with what is available. “Once you get used to something, it’s hard to let go,” he said in a recent interview. I had planned on putting out a story about this before the center’s opening in July, but it looks like now, I’ll be asking people how it’s going.
I will be a little late to the DRC meeting tonight, but that should be OK as the Buckingham Shopping Center (the intersection of N. Glebe at N. Pershing Drive) is the fourth item on the group’s agenda.
Tonight Georgetown Strategic Capital will move a little closer to razing the Glebe Market and CVS buildings and replacing them with two huge, mixed-use buildings, retail on the ground floor, and three floors of market-rate apartments above.
This redevelopment of the corner does not go before the Site Plan Review Committee Rebeccah Ballo in the county’s historic preservation office told me because Georgetown Strategic is not asking for a zoning or density changes. It will go before the Planning Commission and, as the DRC is part of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board, that board has been and will be involved, too.
County staff confirmed that the budget OKed last month has money in it to repair Barrett Elementary School's playing field. Although staffers originally said the project might get under way in the spring, it’s looking more like summer, but none I spoke with could give me a date. When we spoke last week, the project had not yet been bid.
The erstwhile beaver of Lubber Run still has no clear name, as based upon the survey a handful of you took last week. “Bucky” and “Lubby” tied, with three (!), votes each. “Big Tooth” received no votes.
Unlike Hilary Clinton, I can make THE decision, and say, “enough’s enough,” especially since I’ve seen neither hide nor hair Bucky Lubby since Mother’s Day. Call the beaver what you will, it's over.
My next-door neighbor, Scott Zoeller, called me to the mat last week when I didn’t run his picture and that of the baby robin nesting in the Norwegian blue spruce outside his townhouse. It was a cute little bugger, and has since flown the coop.
Now, Fuzzy, you can say that you are, as my son Harry says, “just a little bit famous.” Are we cool?
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
Today's Headlines:
Headlines from Earlier in the Week:
Labels: buckingham center, DRC, environment, lubber run park
Letter: Development Means Retail Upscales
1. Development = Upscaling
This seems self-evident, but a lot of people have trouble pulling the thread on the economics of re-development. Sam Chon bought Glebe Market for $1 (or whatever) and is selling it for $100. The buyer has to do something that will cover the purchase and continue to make a profit. So he seeks greater density (height) and charges new tenant stores more,which soon squeezes out Mom and Pop stores in favor of the chains who can afford the rent. This happens everywhere - you find M+Ps in older and low-rise developments where they could afford to buy; you don't find them
in Times Square.
If you track back, even the advent of the M+P was an upscale redevelopment of what was previously farmland (and no doubt people were despairing of losing THAT). You never see redevelopment of buildings to lower, less dense and retro uses. We all love the old days, and the individual and quirky M+Ps that gave a place character before the homogenizing effects of big money loans driving the developer to the common denominator. But until you can convince people to take a loss when they sell... (Nevermind, that local demand convinced the developer that
there would be a market for Trader Joes or Applebees.)
2. The above notwithstanding, Grand Int'l Mart in 7 Corners and Alexandria
may be the kind of ethnic grocery Buckingham is looking for but at a size
that can sustain the new rents.
If you have any influence with the developer, mention it. Their floorplate is larger than Glebe's, but they may be ready for a smaller application.
Reid Goldstein
The writer is referring to last week's HeraldTrib Today column. --ST
Labels: buckingham center, letter, redevelopment, retail
Friday, May 30, 2008
Letter: Why Not My Organic Market?
My Organic Market would be a great addition to the neighborhood. Not a national chain, but a local organic option to Whole Foods.
Gary Shiffman
The writer is referring to my HeraldTrib Today post of May 28. --ST
Labels: buckingham center
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
HeraldTrib Today May 28, 2008
At the ceremony dedicating the newly-renovated N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive intersection last Thursday, Arlington County Board Chairman Walter Tejada began his remarks by saying that he comes to the neighborhood often to shop and eat. He then praised the Glebe Market.
To the uninitiated, that might only have sounded like a politician glad-handing those in attendance, but it’s more than that.
The Glebe Market building will be torn down soon enough if the plans-in-progress go as scheduled. It will be replaced by a four-storey building with retail on the ground floor and market-rate apartments above. Georgetown Strategic Capital, the potential developers, have room in their plans for a small grocery store, but the question remains what type of store will replace the Glebe Market. This has led to debate within the community, and Mr. Tejada was publically throwing his support to one side. I think we now know what the county will be bargaining for as the development process progresses.
Although both sides of the argument are supported by all sorts of people, the main fault line corresponds largely to people’s backgrounds: the Spanish-speaking Latinos in the area want to see a store similar to the Glebe Market, while English-speaking people tend to prefer something more like a Trader Joe’s grocery or Yes! Organic Market.
(Sam Chon, the Glebe Market owner, is retiring and the store itself will not be reopened.)
I’ll admit here that I am with Mr. Tejada on this. I don’t want a Trader Joe’s (and a county staffer or two has told me TJ’s would not move in here anyway). I am afraid that we’ll lose the flavor of our neighborhood if we get another national chain. I am afraid that economic pressure will nudge our retail spaces toward the likes of Clarendon once the hundreds of new apartments and townhouses in the neighborhood are built. As one place goes belly-up it will be replaced by something a little higher up the economic ladder, I think.
(FYI: Buckingham will see about 1,000 new housing units once all the construction throughout the neighborhood is completed over the next five, years, or so.)
So, I'd like to see a store that has a similar content to the Glebe Market, and that has ownership close-at-hand so that it will be responsible to the neighborhood.
At the same time, I want any new store to look new. The Glebe Market does not look nice inside anymore. And I do want the county to think about what they are going to do with the men who congregate, sometimes drink or get unruly, outside the Glebe Market now. I don't want them simply rousted, but fairly dealt with.
And I'd like to know that any market we get serves the entire community, taking all backgrounds and income levels into account.
Mr. Tejada’s remarks can be heard here:
As usual in Buckingham events, the crowd at the ribbon cutting for the newly-spruced up N. Glebe Road at N. Pershing Drive intersection was made up mainly of county staffers with a few Buckinghamster and Ashton Heightites attending.
Although county board members Jay Fisette and Barbara Favola are seen in a couple photos, I forgot to mention that they were there and Mr. Fisette spoke. He praised the finished project and talked about how much he liked the Buckingham Center, the food and stores.
Ms. Favola, who is up for reelection this November, stood on and held the ceremonial ribbon.
I have to admit that I love what has been done to the streetscape. The sidewalks are nicer, the "skyline" without the wires is great. I only, still, regret that the art component was relegated to the bus shelters.
Buckinghamster Bernie Berne said that he thought the changes did little. He speaks up at many events and is known for wanting to get rid of affordable housing in the neighborhood and not liking the men who congregate outside the Glebe Market and CVS. He said the changes to the intersection do nothing to help that.
Bernie, I couldn't disagree more. I think what has (finally!) been done is great, and I'm very happy it finally happened. We can deal with other issues later.
Scroll down for the link to the story.
The county released a press release about the half-million dollar renovation to the pedestrian bridge that spans Arlington Boulevard at Jackson Street. The work started yesterday.
According to the county web site, “the project includes replacing the metal decking and fencing, improvements to the railings, painting of the bridge and railings and installing lighting and a roof over the bridge.” Traffic will be affected during non-rush hours, the press release says.
To read the press release click here.
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
Today's Headlines:
Headlines from Earlier in the Week:
Labels: buckingham center, favola, fissette, pedestrian, renovation, tejada
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Letter: Bham Center Could Use Many Stores
Great work as usual. I also enjoyed meeting you at the Buckingham redevelopment meeting. [Community Hits Hot Topics Civilly at Forum, April 2.]
My wife and I thought a bit later and regretted that we didn't mention other shops we'd like to see: the hardware store (of course), a bakery (even if it has to be a chain), a bike shop, a book store, an IT repair shop, any retail boutique. Even lawyers' office. It would be great if the corner started to look like the strip mall on Randolph St. and Lee Highway, but I guess that's too upscale for Buckingham!
Cheers,
Ken Moskowitz
Labels: buckingham center, redevelopment
Friday, April 11, 2008
Letter: Men Are Illegal Aliens
The "men on the corner" are illegal aliens, if they weren't they would go to the Arlington Employment Center. The loitering is tolerated because it is in community where low-middle income residents live. I don't see men standing on the corner in ZIPS 22201, 22207, and 22209, just to name a few.
Having men loitering on the corners is neither good for the neighborhood or business and has often led to crime. I do not go to the CVS after dark because I don't feel safe. I have often wondered if the loitering would be tolerated if the men were white or black.
I would prefer that the men hang out at the country club on N. Glebe Road or in community of million dollar McMansions on N. Military Road, but the property owners wouldn't put up with it for two seconds.
I appreciate your trying to be politically correct, culturally appropriate, etc. Sometimes you have to call it what it is.
Karen McMillan
Labels: buckingham center
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
HeraldTrib Today, April 2, 2008
I don’t know who it was—I’m going to blame housing activist Carrie Johnson because it might have been her—but somebody at the Community Forum last night brought up the need for a stop sign at the intersection of N. Pershing Drive and N. Thomas Street, and that just got me started. I couldn’t help myself. As I do when a stop sign at that intersection is mentioned, I gave the poor group of people who were convened there an earful, vented my proverbial spleen.
I know when I go off about the need for a stop sign on Pershing at Thomas that I am being very self-interested. The vast majority of Buckingham lives north of that sign, and there are other intersections that need signs, too (for starters, we could hit all the intersections along Thomas). But when given the opportunity to talk about that particular intersection, I don’t care about anyone else, I just think how nice it would be to walk safely to El Paso Cafè.
Other people in the group—again, I’m not really sure who it was as I was in my single-minded rant, and I wasn’t about to cede the floor, even to supporters—were nice enough to jump onto the cause, and I want to thank them, even if not by name.
And God Bless her, but an Arlington County transportation planner by the name of Jennifer Fioretti jumped for the bait. The poor woman. I lay into her as though I was a mini-van on its way to St. Thomas More School, and she was crossing against the light.
Even after I told her that she is the third county official I have spoken to about this (and may have even chuckled at her naïveté—things are a little hazy), she still said she would work on it.
Even after I told her what other transportation planners have said, she still wanted to take it on. She was not to be deterred.
Crazy heroics like that need some sort of honor. So, if she gets us a four-way stop at the Pershing/Thomas intersection, including zebra-striping in the crosswalks on Pershing Drive, I say we name our little park after her.
That’s right, the little park on N. Henderson Road at N. George Mason Drive should be named the “Jennifer Fioretti ‘Queen of Pedestrians’ Park.” (Its current name, if you were wondering, is “Buckingham Plaza.”)
But be prepared, Ms. Fioretti, other planners will not jump onto your wagon, you’ll have to prod them.
When they tell you that the traffic patterns indicate that vehicles will not stop for each other, tell them we in Buckingham don’t care—we want the vehicles to stop for pedestrians, and a stop sign will help that.
When they tell you that our pedestrian traffic is not that high during rush hour, you remind them to come by after hours, and at lunch time. Swing by when the kids are getting off the buses to see if we need traffic calming. Have dinner in Buckingham and see what sort of foot traffic the neighborhood (and that intersection) get.
At that corner we do not have the sort of “commuter” foot traffic, but a “we live here” foot traffic, and a stop sign will help that.
What will happen to the men on the corner… The 2000 pound gorilla in the room really is asking this question: what will happen with the men who stand at the corner of Glebe and Pershing once the Glebe Market and CVS are torn down and the new buildings are built? A gentleman named Julio, speaking Spanish, asked that very question last night at the forum. He feared for the men and seriously wondered what would happen to them, if they would be allowed to look for jobs, or if they would be arrested. The full story is below, and already someone has written a comment that reads in part: "This is a really positive step that the county is serious about getting rid of the blight that is all those men standing on the corners." The county, actually, has done little regarding this question, but it is time they got on it, seriously, and started helping the neighborhood find answers. As well, last night's forum was not intended to be a step addressing that, but really just a chance for residents to tell county staffers what was on their minds. God only knows what the county might do with that information. There was no guarantee that the county will take any steps to deal with the men who frequent the corner of Glebe at Pershing. I think it is safe to say that the men will be much less welcome when the property changes management should the proposed project for the Buckingham Center go through. As well, the parking lots will be gone, so there will be less room to stand around. Obviously, the guys who stand on the corner will not just disappear. The ones who are truly looking for work will have to go some place to find it. The ones who are up to no good will be no good someplace else. As you might be able to tell from the tone of the two people in the previous paragraph, the two halves of our split community are nowhere near one another. I do not mean to say that Julio or the anonymous commenter have the last word or speak for their respective communities, but they give an illustrative summary of the basic positions. We are going to need the county's help in getting the two halves of this community closer together. Forcing out all the men is no better answer than allowing public drunkeness and defecation (reasonable heads on all sides of this issue have agreed with me on this before). There's a lot of room in between those two extremes, and the English speaking and Spanish speaking communities will need help finding some common ground. We are going to need help from the county to find a way for men to look for work and for women (I hear this most from women) to feel safe walking to the shops on the corner. It would be better to begin this process sooner, rather than later. Today's Headlines: Headlines from Earlier in the Week: Labels: buckingham center, redevelopment
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
