Hi Neighbors,

I just wanted to let you know that I and other Atrium Board Members will be meeting with the AC Board tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a great opportunity to solidly present the community's point of views regarding ongoing and planned development in an extended conversation with the AC Board. So I greatly welcome any succinct talking points and arguments you have regarding Rosslyn Highlands Park or the Wilson School as we hope to clearly represent the values of the neighborhood.

Cheers,
Neda Bolourchi
Atrium Board, VP

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Neda Bolourchi,

If Rosslyn wants any chance of growing as a balanced community, where business will flourish because of the vitality of its community, then Rosslyn absolutely needs parks and green space for its residents. Lack of parks and green space repels families from choosing to live in Rosslyn.

Residents of all ages, including our teenage sons, use the park each day. The park is a community gathering place and provides a much needed venue for relaxation and exercise.

As a parent, Highland Park is one of the last tools needed to raise a family in the fast paced social media world. Our neighborhood park give us an added reason to get out, see our neighbors and the neighborhood kids, and to connect, destress, and therefore feel more invested in the community. The park itself, is the neighborhood.

I play basketball with my sons almost every evening. It would be a great loss if we were no longer had a park within walking distance of our residence.

Anna Duran sent an email to the NRCA board and others with a list of suggestions based on topics that have been brought up at various meetings and communications. Here are excerpts from this list. Please use the NRCA forum to add your own opinions and topics to help in the discussions that will shape your community!


Excerpts from Anna Duran's email to the NRCA board:

Ask if an economic analysis of the area has ever been conducted for the parcel in question prior to the LOI (letter of intent).

Ask why traditional funding measures have not been pursued for Firestation 10, and if so, why not?
Background: Fire station 10, one of the oldest in the county, was suggested to be renovated or rebuilt in 2012 by the County’s own admission; here we are in 2015, with the station not accounted for in the budget. Click here to read this report

I assume that you will cover the public/private tower-style fire station issues material you gleaned from NYC stations? I'm also interested what sort of success feedback on Alexandria Station at Potomac Yards cited by some board members and an example.

One thing we learned from the planning commission session was that whatever park footage we end up with (if the Penzance deal goes forward, it will be situated over a parking garage. That was news to me. An amendment was made to the WRAPS report that suggests information should be included examining maintenance costs and challenges to such a park and the garage. A similar park in Chicago was cited as "very expensive." What sort of budget will it take to maintain such a park? Has it or will it be in the park planning?

The proposed deal potentially violates the County’s Natural Resources Management Plan, which mandates “zero-loss of County owned natural lands,” Priority 1 Recommendation, 2010. The plan was adopted 5-0 under leadership of Chairman Jay Fizette.
"Recommendation 1: Adopt a general policy goal of “Zero-Loss” of County-owned natural lands. Although County-owned general open space accounts for approximately 1,296 acres and includes 142 individual parks and 34 public school properties, the estimated “natural lands” remaining within that total is fewer than 250 acres. With extremely limited opportunities in the future to add to that inventory, it is critical to establish a policy that protects natural lands from loss or development." http://arlingtonva.s3.amazonaw...-Management-Plan.pdf

Rosslyn, at 30.8%, has the highest commercial vacancy rate in Arlington (8% higher than the county average) with our sky-line dominating, 1813 N Moore 35-story office tower still empty, and at least three similar office and residential towers in the works within .4 miles of Rosslyn Highlands Park’s location, not to mention smaller housing projects such as 19Nineteen Clarendon Blvd, and the proposed expansion of affordable housing at Queens Court across from the park. This is not the time to sacrifice irreplaceable public land in an experimental public-private partnership. Article: http://www.bizjournals.com/was...-empty.html?page=all

Katie's talking points written up for the past Tuesday's planning commission are relevant: and may be downloaded as a WORD document by clicking here.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Paul Derby,