The County is now looking at plans to redevelop the critical blocks over and adjacent to the Metro in the projects known as the Rosslyn Central Place Work Plan. This is a particularly important project for North Rosslyn to monitor, both because the Central Place blocks are central to Rosslyn and also because the Central Place planning process will likely influence the way in which the Board approaches its reconsideration of the Rosslyn Sector Plan next year. I am pasting below a memo from County Manager Ron Carlee which provides some of the County's thinking on this subject. Your thoughts on this topic would be particularly welcome now, as I have begun attending working group meetings regarding Central Place


TO: The County Board of Arlington, Virginia
FROM: Ron Carlee, County Manager
SUBJECT: Rosslyn Central Place Work Plan
DATE: September 15, 2004

This memorandum outlines the process for developing recommendations on the height and urban design issues for Rosslyn Central Place in preparation for considering three major site plan proposals.

PROJECT SCOPE:

1) Height and Urban Design Analysis: As follow up to the County Board's direction, an analysis of building heights and urban design in Rosslyn needs to be conducted to encourage better architectural style and to provide clear direction for creating an overall sculpted skyline appearance, that includes the treatment of building's base, middle, and rooftop – the fifth façade, and that provides appropriate transitions to surrounding uses, densities, open space and building heights. This is especially critical since new site plans have come forward for Central Place (See Attachment 2 for a summary of the proposed site plans).

The analysis would also consider the County Board's 2002 Resolution on Building Heights. While the analysis would focus on Central Place (two blocks bounded by Wilson Boulevard, Fort Myer Drive, 19th Street N. and N. Lynn Street), it would take into consideration the heights for the rest of Rosslyn and provide guidance for revaluating heights as a part of the Sector Plan process to achieve the sculpturing that is desired. Currently the "C-O-Rosslyn" zoning district permits a maximum height of 300 feet. This review may result in either an increase or decrease in maximum heights on different blocks.

The analysis will lead to recommendations on height and design to be used as guidance for site plans. If additional height is allowed it would be structured so that the maximum building height could only be achieved through an exceptional site plan and would only be considered on the two Central Place blocks. A Zoning Ordinance Amendment would also be required to allow any additional height.


2) Street and Transportation Analysis: Staff is in the process of hiring a consultant to evaluate transportation and street issues. The operation of buses at the Metro Station is a critical component of the Central Place development. Also, the adjacent streets will have to be carefully evaluated in order to identify adequate pedestrian facilities, to identify appropriate access and loading dock locations and to evaluate the character of streets that is desired. The working group will evaluate the recommendations developed by staff and the consultant and these will be then be input into the site plans.

PROCESS:

1) Establish an inter-departmental staff group led by Tom Miller (CPHD) with representatives of AED, DES, DMF and PRCR.

2) Establish a Rosslyn Working Group (RWG) which will consist of the existing Rosslyn Renaissance working group with the addition of:
a. 2 Planning Commission members (Convener)
b. 1 Parks and Recreation Commission member
c. 1 Transportation Commission member
d. 1 North Rosslyn Civic Association member
e. 1 Radnor Fort Myer Height Civic Association member
f. 1 National Park Service

3) The Planning Commission will appoint a member to convene the RWG.

4) A professional facilitator will be hired who will be responsible for running and facilitating the RWG meetings. The facilitator will meet with the staff and the RWG convener to develop the agendas and handouts for each meeting.

5) The purposes of the RWG are as follows:
a. Provide input and identify issues that should be considered by the staff group in the analysis of height and urban design options for Central Place.
b. Review the staff group's products and provide input into the final recommendations on the study, and to any required Zoning Ordinance amendments.
c. With the staff group, identify issues and guidelines on height for the broader Rosslyn area that should be further analyzed as a part of the Sector Plan review.
d. Convene with the Site Plan Review Subcommittee to review the details of the proposed site plans and provide advice to the Planning Commission and the County Board regarding design issues.
e. Following this study and the review of the proposed site plans, with the staff group develop a proposed work plan to update to the Rosslyn Sector Plan.

6) County Board work session: A work session with the County Board, the Planning Commission and the RWG (tentatively scheduled for October) would establish a checkpoint on progress made in the height/urban design analysis. The convener of the working group will present the work of the group to date and get feedback and direction from the County Board. The session would also provide an opportunity for the developers to present to the County Board the proposed site plans and get some preliminary feedback.

7) The working group, with the Site Plan Review Committee, will review the proposed site plans. The first Site Plan Review Committee meeting would take place at the end of September, and would likely have at least four meetings on the proposed site plans before the final County Board hearing.


RESOURCES:

1. Staff analysis and consultant work: Staff completed a considerable amount of work in the 2002 and 2003 analysis of the zoning district and Central Place. The GIS Mapping Center has also completed significant base work in Rosslyn. However, additional work is needed to address building rooflines, building design, tower placement to maximize views and to protect the views of surrounding properties. Modeling work will need to be done to examine the implications of various building heights. The applicants for Central Place projects could provide support for updating the large-scale model of Rosslyn, currently residing at the Rosslyn Renaissance's office, to assist in the height and skyline analysis.

2. GIS analysis by Mapping Center in DES.

3. Professional facilitator.

4. Consultant for transportation analysis.


PROPOSED TIMELINE:

JBG has expressed a desire to have their site plan heard by December. Due to the number of complicated issues and the number of plans, staff does not believe that the process can be competed by December (see Attachment 1 – Proposed Timeline). In addition, while the applicant has prepared preliminary designs, they will need time to revise their plans based on the guidance that comes out of the study. However an early 2005 hearing is possible. The January meeting does not usually help provide additional time because the Planning Commission meeting is usually before the Holidays. Therefore, staff recommends that the first meeting in February is probably the most reasonable schedule.



ATTACHMENT 1 – PROPOSED SITE PLANS

The following is a description of the three pending development proposals for the two blocks in Central Place:

SP #94 Rosslyn Metro Center: this site plan was the first "C-O Rosslyn" site plan approved in 1998. The approved plan for a 254,000 square feet of office, 12,000 square feet of retail space in a 299 foot-tall building includes a site plan condition for an easement to be recorded across Moore Street in the Metro Park. The easement was required to be recorded shortly after the site plan was approved. To date the easement has not been recorded. The site plan expires in January 2005 and the applicant has pursued a site plan amendment to extend the approval. The site plan amendment was filed on March, 2004 and is scheduled to be heard in September 2004. Staff has informed the owner that the site plan must meet the current expectations for "C-O Rosslyn" site plan and would be treated similar to a new application request.

SP #18 CACI: A rezoning request to "C-O Rosslyn" has been filed this week along with a site plan amendment for a 491 foot tall office building (40 stories) containing 602,130 square feet. The site plan includes the Virginia Power sub station, which will remain as is. A façade treatment of the facility is proposed with the site plan. Approximately 8,660 square feet of retail is proposed. Loading and parking would be accessed from Fort Myer Drive. Parking is proposed to be provided at 1 space per 1,000 square feet with a request to allow tandem spaces and valet parking. A large percentage of the parking would be above grade (7 floors). The office building would site atop the parking podium.

JBG Central Place: JBG proposes two buildings, an office building and a residential building with a significant retail component, public open space and access to the building's roof. The residential building would contain 466,174 square feet in a 10 F.A.R. building. The office building would contain 367,620 square feet in a 10 F.A.R. building. Approximately 90,000 square feet of retail space is proposed at the base of the buildings. The applicant is requesting that this space be exempted from density calculations based on the goals of the Rosslyn Sector Plan Addendum. Both buildings would be 450 feet tall. JBG has requested that their proposal, which was originally filed on February 2002, be heard by the County Board by end of 2004. The site plans could be considered at the February, 2005 County Board meeting. The Westfield proposal could also be on the same schedule.

As a reminder, Central Place (explained above) will be the topic for our December 5 meeting. The Rosslyn Working Group's meetings have discussed such matters as architectural quality, design, aesthetics, traffic, and pedestrian flow. Less prominent have been such issues as street-level retail, second-level retail, and residential-business interaction. The redevelopment of Central Place would fundamentally reshape the heart of Rosslyn. If done well, it could bring extraordinary new energy to Rosslyn's core area, introducing destination restaurants, quality entertainment and shopping, and amenities that would energize the Rosslyn streets throughout the week, including evenings and weekends, and make Rosslyn an exciting showcase for the County and the Commonwealth. If done badly, it will merely choke our streets with excessive new traffic, eliminate parking options, and turn the streets into dark canyons during the day, empty at night. The basic thinking is described in the entry above, and North Rosslyn will get a briefing on these topics on December 5.

The Planning Commission's Long Range Planning Committe will address Central Place on December 6. Their announcement, with all the details, is as follows:

Next Monday, December 6, 2004, there will be a Long Range Planning Committee meeting of the Planning Commission from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Rosslyn Renaissance offices,1911 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite RA-15(see meeting location below). The focus of the meeting will be on the Rosslyn Working Group activities on Central Place in preparation for the County Board Work Session scheduled for December 16, 2004. In addition, there will be a quick year end review of long range planning accomplishments and proposed work items for 2005. The Draft Agenda for this LRPC meeting includes the following:
1. Introductions
2. Year-end Overview
3. Introduction on purpose of Rosslyn Working Group (RWG).
4. Review of Process and Schedule
5. Review of Current Issues Raised and Discussed
Height - GIS Modeling efforts to date
Circulation
Ground Plane
6. Next Steps for RWG

MEETING LOCATION
The Rosslyn Renaissance officeentrance is directly off Lee Highway next door to Continental Pool.
Parking is available for free on the upper deck. The entrance to the upper deck is located off the service road on Fort Myerstreet between the Bank and the 1911 N. Fort Myer Drive. Walk down the streets and around the Continental Pool corner. Their phone number is(703) 522-6628.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks.

Claude Williamson, AICP
Master Planning Program Coordinator
Department of Community Planning, Housing &
Development - Planning Division
2100 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 608
Arlington, Virginia 22201
703.228.3525
cwilliamson@arlingtonva.us

Over the last few months, we appeared to be making tremendout progress, working with the Planning Commission and the Rosslyn Working Group on the Central Place project. At our last general meeting, North Rosslyn members unanimously told Planning Commissioner Pamela Gillen that our primary concern with Central Place was to strengthen the ground-level and second-level retail and restaurant presence in the core Rosslyn area. Gillen appeared to get this point very well, and indicated during a recent Rosslyn Working Group meeting that there was a concensus regarding the primary importance of street level retail usage. Unfortunately, the Rosslyn Working Group's proposed guidelines appear to minimize the community's concerns. As you can see below, the county planners still appear to be more focused on the way Rosslyn looks from a distance than they are about what it is like to live here. I am expressing my disappointment on this topic with County staff, and we will need to continue to actively follow this one.


"C-O Rosslyn" Zoning
E. Provisions for Additional Density and Height.

In considering the approval of a site plan the county board may permit additional density, above 3.8 floor area ration (FAR) for office, retail and service commercial uses, above 4.8 FAR for hotels and multiple-family dwellings, and above the existing density on a site when it is already greater than 3.8 FAR for office, retail and service commercial uses, or above 4.8 FAR for hotels and multiple-family dwellings, up to maximum of 10 FAR and/or height up to a maximum of three hundred (300) feet. Increases in density and height may be approved when the county board finds that the development proposals offers important community benefits identified in approved plans for the area and meets other special exception criteria of the zoning ordinance. In considering such modification, the county board may also consider characteristics of the site and the area as described in Section 36.H.5.a. of this ordinance and the plans and policies adopted for the area. Provisions of Section 36.H.5.b. through f. for approval of additional height and density shall not be applicable in the "C-O Rosslyn" district. In no case shall application of the modification of use provisions of Section 36.H.5.a. be applied to permit a density of more than 10 FAR or a height of more than three hundred (300) feet except as described below.

To enable the County to provide for adequate streets the county board may grant additional density (FAR) within the height limit up to an amount that would be permitted if any area dedicated from the site for street purposes were permitted to be counted in calculating density.

(Ord. No. 96-19, 5-11-96; Ord. No. 97-25, 11-8-97)

Guidelines - Example Language

Additional Height on the Central Place blocks (the two blocks bound by Wilson Boulevard, Fort Myer Drive, 19th Street and Lynn Street) may be allowed only to the extent that the building's upper floors are distributed in a way that will add significantly to the sense of slenderness of the building and to the visual interest to the termination of the building and that the added height will improve the appearance of the skyline when viewed from a distance, will not adversely affect light and air to the adjacent properties, and will not add significant shadows to public open spaces.

§ Upper floors should be required to be smaller than floors in the mid-section of the buildings to encourage tapering at the upper level.
§ Exempt areas devoted to public access from gross floor area calculation.
§ Sculpted architectural forms that contain large volumes of space, but no useable gross floor area should be exempted from gross floor area calculations.
§ The top of the buildings shall be massed in a manner that will create a distinctive roof or other termination of the building façade.
§ Consistent with Sec. 31.B.2.a. – structures permitted above height limit (23 feet maximum).

(The volume of the upper 1/3 of the structure above 100 feet shall be at least 15% less than the volume of the middle 1/3 of the building above 100 feet, and the volume of the lower 1/3 of the structure above 100 feet shall be at least 15% more than the volume of the middle 1/3 above 100 feet.)

In order to provide light and air between structures and to avoid excessive screening of views/vistas/view corridors, the distance between structures with heights exceeding 300 feet should not be less than xx feet.

Maximum height of building base along the street. Maximum base height should not exceed xx feet. Above a height of xx feet, a setback of at least 25 feet in depth is required.

Below-grade parking has been provided to the fullest extent feasible, and such above-grade facility is necessary due to subsurface conditions such as the presence of bedrock or other conditions that impose practical difficulties for the construction of below-grade parking facilities. The scale of the parking facility is compatible with the scale of buildings in the surrounding area; the materials and articulation of the street wall of the parking facility is compatible with buildings in the surrounding area. The ground floor level (a minimum of 30 feet) of such parking facilities that front upon Lynn or Moore Streets shall be occupied by retail, commercial or residential uses, except at the entrances and exits to the parking facility and loading areas.

To facilitate and guide the development of the two Central Place blocks by coordinating high density development with expanded mass transit facilities, improved pedestrian access to mass transit facilities, improved pedestrian circulation and avoidance of conflicts with vehicular traffic.

To provide open space (publicly accessible) of comparable size to the existing open space To preserve the pedestrian orientation of ground floor uses. To provide retail continuity along designated "retail streets".

Mid-block passage: Minimum unobstructed floor to ceiling height of 30 feet.
A minimum of 75% of the interior façade abutting the indoor connection must have clear glazing (between a height of 2.5 feet and 8 feet) with active retail or other pedestrian oriented uses (offices, service uses, restaurants, galleries or lobbies) on both sides of the corridor (except for elevators). Accessible to the public the same hours as METRO.

At my request, the Arlington Civic Federation's new president, Pat Smaldore, presented the County's new Board Chairman, Jay Fissette, with North Rosslyn's concerns about the Central Place redevelopment (below), when the two of them recently had their annual introductory meeting. Additionally, we have made progress with County Staff regarding the proposal since yesterday's posting, although more work clearly needs to be done.

Rosslyn

Retail components for the upcoming redevelopment planning. As the County Board looks to a potential major redevelopment of North Rosslyn, ensure that the new development will promote a lively 24/7-retail/restaurant/residential presence in Rosslyn's core commercial district. Some of the County's early comments suggested that the Board might be overly focused on architectural and aesthetic concerns and insufficiently concerned with increasing energy at the street level. After a great deal of work, the Planning Commission now seems to be on board with these priorities. The critical issue for North Rosslyn over the coming year, both for the upcoming "Central Place" redevelopment and also for any revision to the Rosslyn sector plan, is to ensure that any increases above 300 feet to the maximum building height under C-O Rosslyn are accompanied by assurances that the developers will provide significant (e.g., two-story) retail/restaurant opportunities and/or significant residential components. We have too many commercial and governmental buildings that do not relate to the street level, are not pedestrian friendly, and do not contribute to the vitality of Rosslyn's core.