North Rosslyn Civic Association
December 6, 2018 Community Meeting Minutes

The meeting took place at the Holiday Inn and began at 7:10 following a short period when dues were collected from new and current members. Board members, John Hummel, Terri Prell, Rich Froehlich, Sylvia Kendra and Judy Brand were present and constituted a quorum.

John introduced two NRCA sponsors, Christopher Raines, General Manager of the Rosslyn Holiday Inn and Fatima Amir, co-owner of the Hair Gallery, and presented them with letters of appreciation, which they graciously accepted.

Guest speakers: Bob Bushkof with the Dittmar Company and Michael Foster, architect, described the planned redevelopment of the Rosslyn Holiday Inn. They showed detailed renderings of the proposed plan that includes two new towers of 26 and 38 stories with residential, hotel and office space. Clearly the proposed plan would be a major transformation of the neighborhood’s appearance. The plan will be submitted to the County for what they expect to be a lengthy process before it is approved. The speakers described the plan as fulfilling the intent of the Rosslyn Sector Plan to make Rosslyn a destination rather than simply a place to work and live, providing an event location, a luxury hotel, and an upscale restaurant. The plan includes conformity to Federal ADA guidelines for public access and Arlington County codes for height and proximity to other buildings. A traffic study prepared for Dittmar concluded that the project would only create “minor increases in delays” in the area that is already highly congested. The speakers provided no data for their conclusion. They emphasized that Dittmar would be solely responsible for the project and would be available during and after construction.
Many questions and concerns were raised by the audience., some of which included traffic congestion, during and after construction, significant reduction of green space on 20th Street, concern about getting in and out of the neighborhood, and removal of on street parking spaces. Turnberry Tower residents voiced concerns about light reflection, close proximity to TT and noise from the loading dock during refusecollection. All four Dittmar representatives left their cards with their contact information.

John summarized Rick Froehlich’s financial report. The Association is financially solvent.

The election of 3 Board Members began when the 3 applicants: Rick Froehlich, Jonathan Dromgoole, and Naomi Mercer introduced themselves. There were no write in candidates. All 3 applicants were unanimously elected. Their written bios were provided.

Other community issues were raised: an acceptable dog park for off leash pets and the need for a community library. Residents were encouraged to work with the BID and other community organizations to emphasize these issues.


Next Community Board Meeting scheduled for March 7, 2019, with the Principals of HB Woodlawn Secondary School and the Stafford School discussing the 2019 opening of the new school.

The meeting ended at 8:45.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Brand, Secretary