Tues. June 16, 6:30 pm is the LAST chance for the public to voice their thoughts on Preserving & Enhancing Rosslyn Highlands Park as the County Board takes up the WRAPS report and votes to bring up the package for finalization in July.

Of note:

The plan of trading public park space for private development violates the County’s Natural Resources Management Plan of 2010, which mandates “zero-loss of County owned natural lands,” Priority 1 Recommendation (adopted 5-0 under leadership of Chairman Jay Fizette, link here: http://arlingtonva.s3.amazonaw...Management-Plan.pdf).

--While the concept of "a park" is included, there are NO specifications or actual plans showing size, location, etc., and, given current building plans, we're likely to lose at least of the 1/3 the space;

--We don't have any guarantees of what the park will actually be (tot lot, older kid lot, basketball court);

--What remains of the park will be put on top of a parking garage;

--Although the current plan states that there there might be a secondary tot lot built as part of the Queens Court Affordable Housing (across the street from Wilson School/Rosslyn Highlands Park), conversations with County Board members indicate that some members would rather eliminate the current tot lot and merge it with the new small one proposed for Affordable Housing area, thereby separating the tot lot space from the rest of the open space by 18th Street.

This is problematic and gets to the bigger picture of how this plan fails the Rosslyn area:

1) The County has failed to adequately plan for long term needs for parks AND public safety for our area, AND

2) As I said in my statement to the Working Commission last Tuesday, Queens Court currently has 39 one bedroom and studio units. Proposed plans suggest upwards of 300 new units, the majority of them 2 and 3 bedrooms, stated to be “for families.” That is a HUGE influx of new families to the area - while we are looking at cutting the only existing, active, playable park space in Rosslyn?? It makes no sense, and a tot lot on the APAH grounds will not be enough to serve the APAH residents or the larger neighborhood.

Our small park space, once lost, will not be regained.

Join us in asking the County Board to PRESERVE (at 30.000 square feet) & ENHANCE Rosslyn Highlands Park - together, we can do better than the proposed plans and work together with the community and the County to revitalize the existing space.

Here is a link for a flyer with the details for the June 16 County Board Recessed meeting on WRAPS; print it, post it in your condo, around the neighborhood, or share on your social networks! https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfr...60715.pdf?1433717598

Please email with questions and to let Friends of Rosslyn Highlands Park know if you can attend on Tuesday--the park needs an overflow crowd! (email: SAVERHP@gmail.com saverhp@gmail.com).

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What: Arlington County Board Recessed Meeting, “Request to Advertise” the Western Rosslyn Area Plan
When: Tuesday, June 16, 6:30 pm
Where: Arlington County Board Room, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Room 307