Monday, June 08, 2009
Adventure Park, Town Center, or Mini-golf Considered for Glebe/Randolph Corner
This post has been edited twice for clarification since its original post yesterday. Sorry for the confusion and inconvenience. --ST After about a year of analysis, county planners want to see if an adventure park, a town center, or a mini-golf course would work best in the empty space at the corner of N. Glebe Road and N. Randolph Street, a triangle of grass next to the Ballston Commons Mall parking garage. Last week the county engaged the services of Brailsford and Dunlavey, a facilities planning firm, to analyze which of the three, if any, would hit the county’s goals to activate the space with an aesthetically pleasing design. At the same time, the programming held there would have to be revenue neutral. County planner Scott McPartlin said B&D, the firm that helped plan Washington Nationals’ baseball park, will be looking at the financial feasibility and marketability of all three ideas. “There are good examples of all three [ideas] nationwide,” Mr. McPartlin said. “I’m hoping the results [from B&D] will be good,” he said. But if not, “we go back to the drawing board.”
It would not be the first time back. In October 2007, the county posted a request for interest in a mini-golf course at the site, and in the spring and summer of 2008, the Buckingham Community Civic Association pushed back, saying that the idea was being forced on the community without enough community input. County planners have maintained that part of their jobs is to narrow choices to those likely to succeed in the space, and that there will be opportunities for input. In 2008, the county, deciding internally to look closer at the matter, put together an interdepartmental team from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources; Arlington Economic Development; and Community Planning to reinvestigate the use of the space. Buckingham Community Civic Association President Pat Hope, a leader in the push back a year ago, said that he still wants the county to ask the basic question: “What does the community want?” before they push forward with any idea. A charette regarding the best use of the space, he said, should include the Bluemont, Buckingham, Ballston and Ashton Heights neighborhoods as well as commissions and committees that would have a stake in the project. Mr. Hope said he takes issue with the idea that the park must be “activated.” “I haven’t gotten past the original discussion of ‘what do you want here?’” he said. The question to the community would ask whether they want an active or passive park or something else. “I’m happy that [the offerings are] more than mini-golf, but I still want a discussion,” he said. He warned the planners that the “worst thing that could happen” is 15 people show up at the county board meeting saying that they don’t like any idea put forward. “We ought to be the ones to drive this discussion,” he said. [Other civic leaders could not be reached before this posting. –ST] The current plan is that B&D will finish their analysis by the end of the summer, and public discussions over the different ideas would occur in the fall, Mr. McPartlin said. The town center might be a space to hold performances, civic meetings, shows or ceremonies, Mr. McPartlin said. In April, he said the idea that the county had decided only on performance space was a “rumor.” Today, he said that the county is keeping any possible uses of a town center open, even ice skating, though the Kettler Capitals Iceplex sits atop the parking garage adjacent to the park space. “That’s why we hired B&D, to look at the feasibility,” Mr. McPartlin said. “We’re looking at these ideas as examples. We’re not excluding any one [idea].”
The adventure park might include rock climbing and huge climbing structures such as that found at the City Museum of St. Louis or Port Discovery in Baltimore. This might also include a skate boarding park or a wave pool where people could surf or kayak, Mr. McPartlin said.
He cited the historic and educational possibilities of mini-golf as a reason to recommend the idea. The “Earthscapes” 9-hole mini-golf course at the Science Museum of Minnesota allows players to see the role of water in shaping the surface of the earth. “This 30,000 square-foot course gives the words ‘water hazard’ a whole new meaning!” their web site says. In Philadelphia, players putt through the liberty bell and into Independence Hall. A partnership with a private company most likely will be required in such a way that the company can make a profit while servicing the needs of Arlingtonians. Part of the decision-making will come down to how the financing is structured with a partner, Mr. McPartlin said.
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Labels: ballston, mini-golf, park, redevelopment
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Summer Flashback: Founders Square and Mosaic Park
County moves to change an EPA "Brown Field" into a LEED certified block. In a PowerPoint presentation to the Hyde Park during the July 16 Board of Directors meeting, developer John Shooshan and attorney John Kinney presented the final renderings of the Founders Square site plan. The redevelopment to replace the Metro bus yards recently sailed through the Planning Commission with 9-to-1 approval. On Saturday, July 19, the Arlington County Board swiftly gave Founders Square a final OK. We expect construction to commence by early winter, 2008. It’s a huge project and it will take years to complete. The evolved, second-generation schematic renderings of Founders Square show increased emphasis on ground floor retail and open public spaces, parkway and sidewalk cafes. There’s now a twenty-foot wide walkway between Quincy and Randolph that cuts through the middle of the project. It is clear that Ashton Heights voices were heard on this matter. An “axis-to-the-mall” pass-through in this block has been discussed for decades. Lo and behold, it is finally here. When? Construction of the one story retail annex on Quincy (for now, the recycling lot) could start as early as this winter. Chicken shack “Super Pollo” has a long lease but agreed to transfer to the one-floor, neighborhood-facing retail area. The super-secure Department of Defense tower for DARPA and the 12 floor residential tower on Quincy are slated to start construction by spring 2009. In Phase Two: a 15 floor office building (now the Shell station) and its 17-to-19 story residential tower at the corner of Quincy and Wilson will open in 6 to 7 years, given the current market conditions. What’s New? Environmentally-aware Hyde Park residents, rejoice! The aging asphalt bus yards are an EPA “brown field” classification – not good. Founders Square as a development site was just awarded a LEED Platinum level certification. That’s an unprecedented designation for new eco-savvy projects, and it will be right next door. A total of 51 percent of the 5.35 acre site footprint is green space, open to public. The developers noted the site’s many green areas are being designed by a “world-class” landscape architect firm. They plan two edgy slim-panel water curtain fountains that look great in a slide. We’ll see. The buildings themselves will be LEED Silver rating when they are finally erected. What's the Nicest Feature? We return to that important new sidewalk/promenade that cuts through that huge block. It will be dramatically paved with translucent, recycled glass block. The 20 foot wide glass path is edged with the two fountains, space-age lighting and lined with sidewalk cafes and benches. It promises to be a unique destination in its own right. With final approval in hand, there’s still time for a few site amendments. The County wants a larger, greener, more expensive Mosaic Park (which will be discussed here next month) and they are willing to trade extra stories in nearby towers for a few developer-provided amenities. Let’s start with a quote from County Board Chair Walter Tejada: “Founders Square replaces a bus garage that paid no property taxes with an outstanding mixed-use development that will provide transit-oriented offices, homes and shopping in the heart of Ballston. In addition, residents will get a bigger, better Mosaic Park.” Mr. Tejada refers to the community benefit of the land exchange that will significantly expand Mosaic Park in granting bonus density and height for Founders Square. These days, Mosaic Park is a spare 1.08 acre playground for kids but as a landscaped “park” it is a bit of an odd-duck. Bordered by Quincy Street, 5th Street and Pollard Streets, the park’s few trees are immature and the parched lawn is just heavily-mowed crabgrass for the most part. There is a climbing wall and a 3-D Spider Web that look like props from “The Jetsons.” Fortunately, the two modish climbing apparatus are often teeming with kids. That is good; it is in use. A further expansion of Mosaic Park with new landscaped areas dotted with benches and some donated amenities (to be announced) would be a huge neighborhood benefit. The two tall residential towers going up at Founders Square will be directly across from it on Quincy. Fifty-one percent of the entire footprint of Founders Square is open space and it will flow seamlessly into Mosaic Park for added pedestrian greenway. Good for Ballston. When? We’re all eager to view the landscape plan for Mosaic Park, but a final design is at least a year away. When completed, Mosaic Park will cover two-and-one-half acres. The new areas of expansion are the current asphalt Metro parking lot and the tiny, in-fill property that Mack’s garage sits on. The county already owns cleared land fronting Pollard Street. Once the Metro buses move, likely by spring 2009, their parking lot on Quincy will then convey to the county. Mack’s faces eviction and will have to relocate. The landscapers will then fill-in behind the bulldozers. Gone is any further discussion of relocating the recycling station across Quincy Street. A new county drop-off location will be announced soon. (Informed gossip: it may be an area near the new high school.) What’s New? The land swap may not be finished. The county is negotiating with the folks who own Gold’s Gym, for property they own that could evolve into the northern edge of the park. It’s currently their rear parking lot. The county is serious about Ballston having an open green area in our burgeoning downtown’s busy southern corner. What's the Nicest Feature? Its location! Just across the street from Founders Square planned glass block sidewalk parkway, the new park is welcome transition into a residential neighborhood, just as the multi-use park next to the main library on Quincy blends into its surrounding area. The Shooshan Company’s contributions, above and beyond the land exchange, means the new park is sure to feature some nice amenities. I take the name literally and would enjoy a collection of outdoor public art pieces composed of mosaics being an unusual focal point to attract and entertain park visitors. They can call it … Mosaic Park! --Tom Lauria Labels: ballston, hyde park, park
(August 2008)
View Larger Map
Piecing Together Mosaic Park
(September 2008)
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Friday, September 21, 2007
Mini-Golf Plans Progressing
"I am happy to state that we do, we finally got [the easement],” Mr. McPartlin said, "I don't know that it's been recorded yet, but it's been signed, which is the big deal." He said it was signed by the mall’s owners (Forest City Enterprises) at the end of August.
Rather than simply sending out a request for proposals for a developer to make a basic golf course, the county might go the route of a request for qualifications, in an attempt to find a company who could become a partner in the development. That partner would take on some of the financial burden while building a course that matches the urban setting around it.
"For the type of first-class course that we want, we just don't have the funding for that,” Mr. McPartlin said. He added that the county has the money from the original site plan to put in a regular mini-golf course, but he said county staff thought that would not fit the setting.
County staff came to the civic association meetings over the past year with the idea for the golf course and asked if the associations liked it; staff did not ask what the associations wanted, but if they liked what was offered. This has bothered some people in Buckingham, among them, Pat Hope, the president of the Buckingham Community Civic Association. That sentiment, and questions about the choice of mini-golf, was echoed by others at the BCCA meeting on Monday, Sept. 17. Mr. McPartlin does not deny it.
"That is exactly what we did. That is the truth,” Mr. McPartlin said. “This was a unique process, different than some of our parks, to take advantage of this opportunity.”
His office went to civic associations (that's a large pdf file) with the idea of the golf course, and asked if the associations liked it. One reason for this process was the pressure his office felt from higher in the county, he said. "We did receive clear direction [from the county board] to do something to activate this corner."
He said that a “passive” corner, one filled primarily with trees, plants and benches would not work on that corner, with two large streets and the wall of the parking garage making up the three sides of the triangle. Professional landscape architects told him people would not make the trip to that corner to sit, he said, adding that non-use could spell a haven for rodents and loose garbage.
He has said that county staff considered other uses—an outdoor ice rink, a climbing wall—but that the mini-golf had the longest season and was a multi-generational activity.
He added that the Ashton Heights Civic Association (the property is part of the Ashton Heights neighborhood) loved the idea and sent a letter to the county board stating this.
Mr. McPartlin and Pat Hope have both said that meetings are being planned for residents of the neighborhood to voice their opinions. Mr. Hope said he hopes to involve the Bluemont Civic Association as well.
"I respect Patrick's opinion. Patrick an I have been in communication....I will be attending a BCCA meeting in the near future, most likely this fall, to learn more about the public space needs of the Buckingham community. All I can really say is I respect his opinion." Mr. McPartlin paused for a few moments. "Any concern they have is valid to me." He said again that nothing is etched in stone.
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Labels: ballston, mini-golf, park
