NRCA Community Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
7:00 PM, Zoom
1. President’s Welcome
a. Introduction of NRCA Board members, prospective board member Joe Ventrone, and other meeting attendees.
b. Statement from Mary Ann: the community needs to lobby Arlington County to ensure the dog park remains under County funding (which will soon to be under review). She will be reaching out to local buildings to request they provide letters of support. Moving forward, Mary Ann will no longer serve as director of the dog park.

2. Arts Program Presentations
a. Deirdre Ehlen, Arlington Public Art
i. The installation of public art is a strategy in Arlington County’s efforts to create a distinct sense of place.
ii. Arlington’s art projects began in 1979 with Dark Star Park. There are now over 70 projects.
iii. In the next 3 years, Arlington Public Art is opening 12 new permanent installations and monitoring over 25 developer-led projects.
iv. On the Arlington Public Art website there is an interactive map of Arlington with all of the public art locations flagged (with information, images and video for each art site). The map can be found at: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Gov...Permanent-Collection
v. There will soon be artwork marking three major entryways into Arlington called the “Corridor of Light.”
vi. The Arlington Public Art website has public walking and driving art tour maps. The tours can be found here: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Gov...ded-Public-Art-Tours
vii. On April 9, Walk Arlington will be leading a public art walking tour from 1:00 – 3:00pm to celebrate National Walking Day. More information can be found here: https://www.walkarlington.com/national-walking-day/
viii. Deirdre can be reached at DEhlen@arlingtonva.us
b. David Carlson, Langston (Lee) Arts Center (LAC)
i. LAC is a ceramics and print-making studio and a key site for art creation in Arlington County. It is one of the last examples of revivalist art in the county.
ii. LAC has a 40-year history of public engagement and is a location for local artists to learn and share studio space.
iii. LAC’s community-based studios provide materials that many artists cannot afford on their own, and a collaborative space to continue their craft and learning together.
iv. LAC is proposing a renewed effort to reinvigorate its school and apprenticeship programs.
v. In LAC’s proposed 2023 budget, the fees that artists will pay to use the space will more than double. Now, individual users will be required to pay approx. $900 instead of approx. $400. David will be speaking about this in upcoming County budget meetings (the next of which is on March 29). LAC needs public support—letters, surveys, votes, and information sharing—to encourage the County to change this.
vi. If the County were to fully renovate the building, it would cost approx. $16 million. This is a sizeable amount of money but will anchor artists in the community and provide long-term upgrades for the building and program.
vii. Joe Ventrone: will write a draft letter of support, but encourages LAC to increase marketing and awareness for their cause and needs.
viii. Terri Prell: the LAC is in a part of the county with few community centers. This is a space that could be developed and used much more effectively by the community should it be upgraded.

c. Alli Henry, Rosslyn BID
i. Alli is the Rosslyn BID Community Planning Director. She works with the BID especially on transportation, public spaces and urban design, and development.
ii. Rosslyn BID holds over 200 virtual and in-person events every year, including outdoor markets, fitness and wellness classes, and seasonal programming
iii. Forthcoming events at the Bennett Park Art Atrium include a Rosslyn Reads Pop-Up Book Sale, Happy Hour Thursdays (March 24 and 31), Fitness Fridays (March 25 and April 1), and Family Day (March 26). More information can be found here: https://www.rosslynva.org/events/calendar
iv. In April there will be a dog event, flower cart giveaway, Earth Day happy hour, flower market, and bootcamps.
v. In May there will be bootcamps, a flower market, farmers markets, and a city social.
vi. In June there will be farmers markets and Rosslyn cinema showings.
vii. Follow the Rosslyn BID weekly newsletter or contact Alli directly at ahenry@rosslynva.org
viii. Tom Cooke: will reach out to Alli directly about public safety, as NRCA has received reports of community members feeling unsafe, especially in the evening hours.
ix. The View of DC (located at1201 Wilson Blvd.) is currently open free of charge for individuals with a government-issued ID. More information can be found here: https://theviewofdc.com/visitors/
x. Rick Froehlich: perhaps in the future, NRCA can partner with Rosslyn BID for events such that NRCA purchases the first drink for existing and new members who attend.
d. Janet Kopenhaver, Founder & Board President, Embracing Arlington Arts
i. Embracing Arlington Arts is an advocacy group promoting equitable access to the arts and culture in Arlington.
ii. In 2020, Embracing Arlington Arts did a 3-year strategic plan and devised their mission and strategies. The organization pursues its mission through the following avenues:
1. Supports local arts organizations through: a weekly podcast called “Embracing Arlington Arts Talks” (now with over 10,000 downloads), sharing study links for research, bi-weekly columns in ARLnow, and a comprehensive calendar of arts events in Arlington.
2. Informs arts patrons through: monthly newsletter updates (can sign up at https://embracing-arlington-arts.org/monthly-updates/ ) and robust media outreach and press releases.
3. Advocates on behalf of art organizations through: a quarterly check-in with the County Board, successful grassroots campaigns, information sharing, other County Board advocacy.
iii. The organization also works on collaboration, strategic planning and event locations for artists in Arlington.
iv. A long-term initiative for Embracing Arlington Arts is the creation of a public performing arts center. Currently none exist in Arlington County. The organization is looking to gain publicity and advocate for an approx. 14,000 square foot center open 7-days a week and run by a nonprofit partner. The space would be available for diverse arts and other community-focused uses.
1. Amazon underwrote Embracing Arlington Arts to hire a consultant to develop a business plan for the creation of a public arts center. The organization has just received its most recent survey results, from which 87% of responders said they would be “likely” or “very likely” to attend events at the proposed center. Many of the responders were under age 50. The organization is developing a business plan and speaking to several developers regarding new site development. It is also speaking with potential investors.
2. Embracing Arlington Arts has presented the proposal in front of every County Board member and gained support thus far.
v. For further information, the website is https://embracing-arlington-arts.org/ and Janet can be contacted at janetk@embracing-arlington-arts.org

3. Filling NRCA Board Vacancy
a. Nominee: Joe Ventrone. Joe lives in Waterview and has resided in the area for 45 years.
b. NRCA Board passed a motion to officially elect Joe Ventrone to the NRCA Board.

4. Rosslyn Area Construction Projects, Tom Cooke
a. AMES Center
i. A 6-month notice was recently served to the gas station and church. Construction is anticipated to begin in early summer or fall 2022. Both the gas station and church will return in the new building. There will be a mini convenience store in the building.
ii. Alli Henry: BID is working to put together more robust programming regarding the forthcoming developments. There is a strong push to increase grocery and specialty store access in the area.
b. RCA
i. The final tenant lease is up in June, and construction is anticipated to begin in late summer or early fall 2022.
c. Marriott
i. No development has begun yet. The project is said to be on hold but that the property may be available for purchase.
d. 1616 Ft. Myer Drive
i. This development will be moving towards the SPRC process shortly.
e. Alli Henry: Arlington County is in the process of putting together the draft CIP for removing the Ft. Myer tunnel. There will need to be robust engineering analysis prior to construction. It is anticipated the earliest time to start construction would be 2026.
f. A new restaurant will open shortly in Turnberry Tower, called Yuroku.
i. Terri Prell: it is essential that the restaurant establish access to parking for customers.
g. The Heights
i. There is ongoing discussion regarding underground parking for The Heights. This will provide 63 parking students and allow students with disabilities easier access to the building.
5. Tentative next meeting date: July 13 at 7:30pm
6. Meeting adjourned