from the co-chairs - mvcca · hensive plan: embark richmond highway is part of the fairfax forward...
TRANSCRIPT
MVCCA BOARD
Co-Chairs David Dale .................................... 703-340-7971
Diane Donley .................................. 703-780-2804
Katherine Ward ............................. 703-660-6220
Secretary Brian Leclair ................ [email protected]
Treasurer Stephen Markman ........................ 703-360-1157
Editor open .....................................................................
BUDG David Voorhees ............................ 703-765-7551
COAF open .....................................................................
EDUC Judy Harbeck ............................... 703-780-1883
E&R Cathy Ledec ................................. 703-346-0814
HHS open [email protected]
PL/Z Karen Pohorylo ............................ 703-780-7825
PS Bob McDonald .............................. 703-868-5874
TRANS Frank Cohn ................................... 703-780-5698
SFDC Ellen Young ................................... 703-930-7617
FCFCA Katherine Ward ............................ 703-660-6220
Webmaster Karen Keefer ................................. 703-623-6699
Mount Vernon Council of Citizens’ Associations Website: www.mvcca.org
MVCCA GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES January 27, 2016, at Mount Vernon Government Center PRESIDING: Co-Chair David Dale. ATTENDING: Co-Chair Diane Donley, Co-Chair Katherine Ward, Secretary Brian Leclair, Cathy Ledec (E&R). Voting Representatives (9) from: Clusters at Woodlawn, Hollin Hills, Huntington Community Association, Montebello, Pavilions at Huntington Metro, Spring Bank, United Voice at Kings Crossing, Wellington, and Wellington Heights. Elected and Appointed Officials and Staff: Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck, Chief of Staff Brett Kenney, Mount Vernon District Tree Commissioner Eleanor Quigley. The meeting was called to order at 8:00 p.m. THE AGENDA as published in the January 2016 Record was adopted. SECRETARY’S MINUTES of December General Council meeting were approved as published. TREASURER’S REPORT was approved as published. COMMITTEE REPORTS B&F: There are no minutes this month. ED: As printed in January Record. E&R: As printed in January Record. Next meeting will be held on February 3, 2016, at the South
County Government Center, 8350 Richmond Highway. The Fort Belvoir Residential Communities Initiative Team will pre-sent and discuss the planned project in the Mount Vernon District and the environmental items highlighted in the report issued to the public and available at: http://www.belvoir.army.mil/environdocssection2_ArmyRCI.asp
FROM THE CO-CHAIRS
Chairman Bulova and/or Supervisor Storck and/or a member of their staffs have been invited to address the General Council on February 24, 2016 regarding the elimination of
Proffers.
Supervisor Storck’s first Town Hall Meeting will be held on February 27, 2016, at Walt Whitman Middle School on Parkers Lane. The MVCCA will host a table at the event.
Stop by and say hello.
The North Hill Development is beginning to move along and the Developer is expected to attend Supervisor Storck’s
Town Hall Meeting and provide updates on the project.
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2 THE RECORD ► FEBRUARY 2016
P&Z: There are no minutes this month. PS: As printed in January Record. TRAN: As printed in January Record. The committee has been asked to look into the potential
impact that Fort Belvoir’s forthcoming construction will have on traffic on Pole Road, Jeff Todd Way, and Sacramento Drive.
The committee is also discussing ways to improve traffic
congestion and speeding along the George Washington Parkway and Richmond Highway.
SFDC REPORT: As printed in January Record. FAIRFAX FEDERATION REPORT: As printed in January Record. CO-CHAIR REPORT Co-chairs, P&Z and E&R Committee Chairs attended a
workshop on the proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments that was held for the Planning Commission at the Government Center on January 20, 2016, to provide feedback regarding the proposed zoning ordinance amendments.
The Record has been published in a single-column format and
is posted on the Website. The Council is encouraged to view both the two-column and single-column layouts and provide feedback regarding their preferences.
A text-only format will be explored to provide the opportunity for readers with disabilities to access the on-line version of The Record.
MEMBER ASSOCIATION TIME Commissioner Quigley informed the General Council:
Fairfax County planning and zoning officials addressed the Tree Commission on January 26, 2016.
Street trees, open space, and pocket parks are critically important to aesthetics of Mount Vernon. The new ordinance proposes not less than 20% of gross area should be land-scaped open space. Perhaps this could be increased. The current zoning allows for 100% of the open space to be above the street level. The new ordinance recommendations reduc-es this to 50% allowable above street level. The Commission-er would like to see this percentage improved to allow for even less to be above street level.
Commissioner Quigley stated that current zoning allows for 100% of open space to be above-grade, although the proposed zoning ordinance amendment calls for 50% of the
Council Minutes
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open space to be above grade. This is an improvement over current language.
Huntington Community Association: Intense interest contin-
ues regarding Huntington levee. While the levee can help mitigate flooding of houses from the types of storms that have happened in the past, it is not designed to offer protection from flooding that is caused by storms that are greater than a 100-year event (a storm that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year). Info is found on-line at: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/huntingtonlevee/
Spring Bank Civic Association: Novus Residences LLC’s
development at the corner of Fairview Drive and Richmond Highway is expected to begin in the near future now that Novus has made its formal application to proceed. A Spring Bank representative has attended all meetings between the developer and Fairfax County staff, and the civic association is comfortable with the direction of this project. The application was sent to MVCCA’s P&Z Committee for review. The General Council approved and supported this project from the beginning, and sees no reason to alter its support.
SUPERVISOR TIME: Supervisor Storck will publish a document outlining his staff
and formal commitments regarding how they will serve the Mount Vernon District.
For office hours, staff information, news, and more, please
visit the Mount Vernon Advisor: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/mountvernon/documents/17_jan_2016.pdf
Supervisor Storck’s goal is to respond to 95%-98% of constitu-
ent communications within 24 hours. Mount Vernon’s 29th Annual Town Meeting will be held on
Saturday, February 27, 2016, from 7:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Walt Whitman Intermediate School.
Brett Kenney on Embark Richmond Highway and the Compre-
hensive Plan: Embark Richmond Highway is part of the Fairfax Forward Comprehensive Plan updating and is focused on implementing the recommended Route 1 Multimodal Alter-natives as it pertains to mass transit. The Comprehensive Plan will need to be amended in order to support the mass transit projects of BRT and Metro along Route 1. The Embark Liaison Task Force, which includes County staff and appointed citizens has had a bumpy start. Mr. Kenney offered to arrange for the County staff to update the General Council on its program and progress.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Brian Leclair, Secretary.
highly important to educational development from infancy to school-age and to the targeted development of wrap-around services for students and families. These things have been shown to be highly effective to closing achievement gaps and enhancing educational development of disadvantaged populations, yet it is this very population that has been bused away from neighborhood support, impeding both parent and student attachment and involvement in schools. The FCPS demographic data as provided by Sneed again shows that both the West Potomac and, particularly, the Mount Vernon Pyramid have much higher percentages of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students than County averages; nearly all our schools are well over the “tipping point” already so that some reassignment would still retain diversity. Sneed and Holleb discussed enhancements to methodology and tools used to project enrollment on a school-by-school basis, to suggest boundary alignments, and to track student residence compared to school attended. For example, FCPS now is using a Geographic Information System (GIS) with access to student identification numbers (SIN) providing residence, school attended, demographic, and program infor-mation. This ability to synthesize information across the County provides much better information for not only boundary information, but program location, bus routes, and enrollment trends for both numbers and demographics. Recognizing the importance of special programs and staffing related to special populations has been critical and required the addition of instructional expertise. Nearly 14% of FCPS students attend schools outside their boundaries because of special programs including Advanced Academics (AAP); certain emotional, physical, or intellectual disabilities; language immersion; and pupil placement. Models predicting future enrollment are also evolving to track data on a micro basis, down to neighborhoods and the birth-to-kindergarten enrollment ratio. While FCPS projections for growth as a system has been extremely accurate, GIS and SIN data, coupled with improved predictive data, should allow better under-standing of enrollment trends in specific schools or areas. Both emphasized that parents and citizens should familiarize themselves with the Facilities and Planning websites and especially the “Dashboard,” which provides user-friendly information on many subjects (refer to http://www.fcps.edu/fts/dashboard/15-16dashboard.html). On related matters, Sneed stated that it remains the goal to open the new Fort Belvoir Elementary School for the 2016-2017 school year, although there have been environmental and weather issues impacting the already ambitious timeline. At present, he believes the Fort Belvoir schools will be able to accommodate all base-
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COMMITTEE REPORTS
BUDGET AND FINANCE
Minutes of the Budget and Finance Committee Meeting Wednesday, February 10, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.
Present: David Voorhees (Committee Chair), Hollin Hall Village, Huntington, and Potomac Valley-Riverbend. The committee reviewed the recent proffer issue, but will need more information to reach any conclusions regarding the legislative changes proposed by the General Assembly. The committee also discussed the upcoming 2017 Advertised Budget, which is scheduled for dissemination on Tuesday, February 17, 2016, and reviewed last year’s Budget Committee resolution and presentation. The next meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 25, 2016, at the Mount Vernon Government Center. The speaker will be the Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer to discuss the 2017 Advertised Budget. The public is invited to attend this meeting. The Budget and Finance Committee will also meet for its regularly scheduled meeting on March 2, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mount Vernon Government Center to draft a budget resolution on the 2017 Advertised Budget.
EDUCATION The Education Committee met at 8:00 p.m. on February 3, 2016, in the library of Whitman Middle School. Associations represented included: Collinwood on the Potomac, Collingwood Springs, Huntington, Newington Forest, Riverside Gardens, Spring Bank, Stratford Landing, Sulgrave Manor, and Wessynton. Mount Vernon District School Board Member Karen Corbett-Sanders and several community members also attended. Presenters were Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Facilities and Transportation staff members: Kevin Sneed, Special Project Administrator, Design and Construction Services; and Aimee Holleb, Assistant Director, Facilities Planning Services. The Chair provided Sneed and Holleb copies of MVCCA’s two recent resolutions on neighborhood schools and reiterated the Committee’s belief that the boundary process should be all-inclusive and include all school levels in a holistic manner. Moreover, an important goal should be returning to the neighbor-hood school model. The Chair noted that research indicated that community, parent, and student attachment to local schools is
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resident elementary age children, including growth from the proposed additional residence units. Sneed also announced that new construction will adhere to high environmental standards according to nation-wide standards simi-lar to Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), but tailored specifically to schools. Renovations and additions will also meet such standards; for example, Hollin Meadows will be equipped with all LED lighting for both cost saving and environ-mental protection. In addition, FCPS expects that once renovations and capacity enhancements are completed in our area, most trailers at all schools, and the modular at Waynewood, will be removed. Sneed reported, however, that less than half of trailers are used for full-time classes; the rest are used for art, music, special programs, SACC, etc. He expects that many principals will wish to retain some trailers for such uses. Information on specific schools can be reviewed in the Dashboard above and in the new Capital Improve-ment Program (CIP), which projects five years, but undergoes review on an annual basis (refer to http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/cip.shtml). The next meeting will consider a position on the Fairfax County Advertised Budget as it relates to education funding and support. Members are encouraged to attend the meeting sponsored by the Budget & Finance Committee on February 25, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., at the Mount Vernon Government Center community rooms. Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Joseph Mondoro will present the County budget. Next meetings: February 25, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. – Special budget meeting with
Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Joseph M. Mondoro to discuss the 2017 Advertised Budget, which comes out on February 16, 2016.
March 2, 2016, at 8:00 p.m. – Education Committee meeting at Whitman Middle School library.
ENVIRONMENT & RECREATION The E&R committee met on February 3, 2016, at 7:15 p.m. Attending were representatives from Belle View Condominium, Collingwood-on-the-Potomac, Engleside, Huntington, Mount Vernon Civic Association, Pavilions at Huntington Metro, Riverside Estates, Stratford Landing, Tauxemont, United Voice at Kings Crossing, Wellington, Wellington Heights, Westgrove, Williamsburg Manor (nonvoting), Mt. Vernon District Planning Commissioner, 9 members of the Fort Belvoir Residential Communities Initiative Team (guests), and E&R Chair. Announcements include (1) Supervisor Storck will host Mount Vernon’s 29th Annual Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, February 27,
2016, from 7:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Walt Whitman Middle school, (2) Town Hall Meeting with Senators Surovell and Ebbin and Dele-gate Krizek has been rescheduled to Saturday, February 20, 2016, from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Hayfield Elementary School, (3) Town Meeting with Senators Surovell and Ebbin and Delegate Paul Krizek has been rescheduled to Saturday February 20, 2016, from 12:30-2:00 p.m. at Walt Whitman Middle school; and (4) Huntington Levee Public Meeting set to provide an update on the Huntington Levee plans to be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. at the Huntington Community Center, 5751 Liberty Drive, Alexandria, VA. The Fort Belvoir Residential Communities (FBRC) Initiative team presentation was led by Casey Nolan and Oliver Lee from Clark Realty Companies, LLC, with area-specific technical input provided by other team members. They covered the history and background of the RCI effort, which is intended to improve the quality of life for service members and their families by eliminating the deficit and inadequate Army family housing in the U.S. The program is intend-ed to upgrade housing for military personnel by partnering with private industry for renovation, construction, and management to bring best practices, expertise, and private capital to make things happen. FBRC is a 50-year partnership between the U.S. Army and Clark Realty Capital with over 12 years of successful history improving the housing and amenities on Fort Belvoir. Since 2003, FBRC has built and renovated more than 1,888 housing units, while also add-ing neighborhood centers and amenities, including a significant redevelopment in Woodlawn Village (adjacent to the parcel being discussed tonight). There is also a focus on providing single-story fully accessible homes for Wounded Warriors in Woodlawn Village that incorporate universal design concepts. FBRC environmental accomplishments include (1) 100% Energy Star new homes; (2) first Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building in Fairfax County and on any military base; (3) first town center on any military base; (4) exceeded RCI-required tree replacement of 1:1 with 2:1 replacement. The project site is 53.5 acres and is located on the northeast sector of Fort Belvoir Army Installation. Further, this is east of existing Woodlawn Village, on the northern side of Pole Road, across the street from the Engleside Community. The Supplemental Environ-mental Assessment (SEA) covers the Woodlawn East Parcel, which is 31 acres of the 53.5 acre total. The purpose of the SEA is to identify and evaluate potential environmental impacts of the Proposed Action, which is to construct on-base housing for rent to military families. FBRC team noted that professional surveys and studies were completed in order to accurately evaluate the environ-mental and historical context of the parcel. All impacted resources are handled by related mitigation practices provided by local and state ordinances, or the Installation. All land disturbing activities will be conducted in compliance with federal, state, and local envi-ronmental laws and regulations to reduce potential impacts. All of
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the projects would utilize best management practices and mitiga-tion measures to reduce impacts to biological resources, including vegetation and wildlife. Now that the public comment period is closed, what happens next? (1) All agency and public comments received on the SEA will be evaluated and considered for the final SEA, (2) Preparation of an official response memorandum will be available for comments received, (3) Final SEA will be distributed to Fort Belvoir and Army for review and final decision, (4) With Army approval, parcel to be incorporated in to the FBRC ground lease, and 5) Construction activities to begin in 2017. Committee members asked questions about the outreach process followed for announcing the 30-day public comment period on the SEA (Nov. 13 – Dec. 14, 2015). The RCI team referenced the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, which include mailing and emailing notice using the contact lists main-tained by Fort Belvoir. Notices were also published in area newspapers and paper copies distributed to nearby public libraries. Members commented that this process appears to have excluded direct contact with neighboring communities, Fairfax County Park Authority, Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, and other directly impacted stakeholders. Further, the FBRC team stated that this presentation to the MVCCA E&R Committee could be included as a direct contact outreach activity, except that this February 3, 2016 meeting occurred after the public comment period closed; it is not clear if questions raised tonight would be formally considered. A committee member asked whether the project site is in a Resource Protection Area (RPA). A team member from Wetland Studies and Solutions Inc. (WSSI) replied that on-site examination of the project area indicates that it is not in an RPA. RPA maps accessible on-line show no RPA on the project site, though the Fort Belvoir Map included in the presentation (date unknown) shows an RPA on the majority of the site. Another Committee member added that the County’s Comprehen-sive Plan references “Restoration and reforestation of the RPA is encouraged to the greatest extent possible”. A FBRC team mem-ber noted that RPA referenced by this is adjacent to and including Plantation Drive, and along the Jackson Abbott Wetland Refuge. Work is ongoing to plant trees to reforest this area. WSSI team member noted that on-site verification of the RPA indicated that the RPA is not present on the project site. This Committee member also noted that, over the many years that Fort Belvoir has been at this location, they have established and added to conservation areas and wildlife corridors that will remain undeveloped. These provide connections between Huntley Mead-ows Park (HMP), Jackson Abbott Wetland Refuge (2300 acres), and Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge. Fort Belvoir was commended for this work, with special note of the construction of an under-the-
road wildlife crossing near the Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge. Notwithstanding the importance of all these previous conservation efforts, this is a separate project and mitigation for this project effort is considered separately from these earlier efforts. A draft plan for the design of the community including + or - 100 units to be constructed was shown. A member noted that the draft design presents traditional suburban design principles that are seemingly not aligned with development objectives along the neighboring Route 1 corridor that are focused on densification. It was then noted by another committee member that traditional suburban design principles are less effective at storm water man-agement, and no tree preservation areas appear to be noted. A committee member expressed concern that by clear-cutting 31 acres and creating so many new impervious surfaces, stormwater runoff is likely to increase. In addition, newly-planted trees do not provide the same quality or extent of ecological services as estab-lished, native trees. A committee member noted that buffer areas around wetlands appear minimal and increasing this to protect the wetlands and wildlife living therein is recommended throughout. Could the community be designed to reduce the environmental footprint and incorporate more technologically advanced, environ-mentally sustainable design principles? The team noted that the community layout and plan shown is a draft and suggestions are welcome. Regarding the hydrology of the area, a committee member asked whether the FRBC team can ensure and document that there will be no adverse impacts on water flows in and out of the highly sensitive conservation area that is Huntley Meadows Park. There is no hydrological study included in the SEA. This area of HMP has a rare ecosystem recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia as the largest example of Coastal Plain Depression Swamp; this ecosystem includes rare plants and wildlife. It was the opinion of the WSSI team member that there would be no impact, but there was no reference to a formal hydrological study or report to support this opinion. A committee member asked about the analysis of alternatives, and the FBRC team described some of this, which included looking at other areas on base. Regarding historical and cultural resources, the FBRC team did not have any direct contact with the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA). While the SEA noted that there were no historical and cultural resources in the project area, this has not been fully veri-fied since historical and cultural resources that have been deter-mined by the FCPA to be publicly significant were documented in December 2015 along the Dominion power line easement on contiguous Huntley Meadows Park property. These may extend onto Fort Belvoir property in the project area. It was recommended that the FBRC team directly consult with the FCPA to research this further to ensure no damage to these publicly significant historical and cultural resources that may not have been identified but may be present on contiguous Fort Belvoir property.
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With regard to air quality, a committee member noted that the SEA makes conflicting statements and these should be aligned with the facts. More vehicle traffic will result in higher emissions. The FBRC team agreed and noted that the increase is found to be not material. The assumptions made and studies done in the original environmental assessment should be more clearly referenced and described in this SEA. The Mount Vernon District Planning Commissioner recommended that we submit comments on the project that capture discussion points and questions from tonight and submit these to Supervisor Storck. While the public comment period is closed, submission of a resolution is more likely to receive a response from Fort Belvoir. A motion was made, seconded, and voted unanimously (12-0) to prepare a resolution that summarizes questions raised tonight for consideration by Fort Belvoir. Lastly, we had a brief discussion of bills HB 770 and SB 549 that are being considered by the Virginia General Assembly. These bills would eliminate residential (including mixed-use residential) proffers from re-zonings. This will negatively impact development projects along the Route 1 Corridor in the Mount Vernon District, an area that is poised for re-development and re-vitalization based on recommendations from the Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analy-sis. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors issued a position statement in opposition to this legislation at its February 2, 2016, meeting in the form of a letter to Fairfax County Virginia General Assembly representatives recommending their votes oppose this legislation. At the MVCCA’s P&Z Committee meeting on February 1, 2016, P&Z voted in favor of the preparation of a letter to state that committee’s opposition to this legislation. A motion was made, seconded, and a unanimous vote occurred (12-0) to support this P&Z action item. Next meeting: March 2, 2016, at Mount Vernon Government Center, Room 3, 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA. Guest speaker: Huntington Levee project team. Future meeting dates: April 6, 2016, May 4, 2016, June 1, 2016, July 6, 2016, August - no meeting.
PLANNING & ZONING Members Attending: Eleanor Quigley, Wellington Heights; Karan Cerutti, Mount Vernon Civic Association; Malcolm Northam, Tauxemont; Cathy Ledec, Pavillions at Huntington Metro; Janet McMillan, Engleside Civic Association; Leah Chapla, Stratford Landing; Alix Kauffman, Collingwood Springs; Bill Cleveland, Collingwood on the Potomac; Christopher Low, Montebello; Don Martin, Hollin Hall Village; John Joyce, Hollin Hall Village; Richard L Johnson, Wellington; Bruce Bade, Hollin Hall; Queenie Cox, Gum Springs
Guests Attending: Jana Lee Spinberg - Huntington Club Condo; Beau Gunn, Hunter Dawkins, Tim Mason, and David Berry - Johnson Development Associates, Inc.; Inda Stagg and Lynne Strobel - Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh PC; Earl Flanagan - Mount Vernon District Planning Commissioner Joint Meeting with Transportation Committee
Embark Richmond Highway Update See Transportation Minutes. Planned Fort Belvoir Residential Project See Transportation Minutes. Update: The Planning & Zoning Chair, Karen Pohorylo, spoke with Chris Landgraph from Fort Belvoir regarding the lack of outreach regarding this project. He stated that he would review the process and add to the communications list, if need be. Separate Planning & Zoning Meeting
Brookside Motel Property, Second Presentation for a Storage Facility See Planning & Zoning Minutes, November 2015. Update: Johnson Development Associates, Inc., and their repre-sentative revisited the committee to request a letter approving the concept of a storage facility. The presentation added environmen-tal improvements, including storm water management, clearing out the stream, additional vegetation and bike path, optional green roof, and possible dedication of a portion of the property to the Fairfax County Park Authority. The current Comprehensive Plan does not allow for this type of use on Richmond Highway. Any Comprehensive Plan changes and rezoning need to be done concurrently. A letter was written approving the concept. The developer will continue to work with the Planning & Zoning Committee if this moves forward. (Vote 10-2) HB770 and SB549 Limiting Current Residential Proffer System Currently, these bills would remove cash proffers, and the ability for localities to impose or require limitations on or requirements on building materials, finishes, and methods of construction or design features on any new residential development. The bills moved too quickly through the General Assembly to adequately review or comment. The bills have passed both the House and Senate; however, they are still being amended as they go through the process. The Planning & Zoning Committee voted (and E&R supported) writing a letter of concern regarding the impacts of these bills. (Vote 9-3) Goals & Objectives for 2016 The Planning & Zoning Chair will review a list of goals and objec-tives with the committee at the March meeting. One suggestion from the committee was assigning two committee members to monitor proffers.
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Next Meeting: March 7, 2016, at Mount Vernon Government Center, 7:30 p.m. Presentation from McGuireWoods LLP re: Snowden Farm property redevelopment.
PUBLIC SAFETY The Public Safety Committee of the Mount Vernon Council of Citi-zens’ Associations conducted its monthly meeting on February 4, 2016, in the Sherwood Regional Library, Meeting Room #3. (The committee’s standard meeting room in the Government Center was unavailable.) The meeting was called to order at 7:33 p.m. with the following communities represented: Clusters at Woodlawn, Collingwood on the Potomac, Hollin Hills, Mount Vernon Civic Association, Potomac Valley River Bend, Riverside Estates, Southwood, Stratford on the Potomac IV, Wellington Estates, and Westgrove. There was no guest speaker for the meeting. Old Business: The committee discussed the “Run, Hide, Fight” strategy for surviv-ing active shooter incidents. While the Run, Hide, Fight concept has been adopted at national, state, and county levels, the general populace is largely unaware of it. There is a difficulty in adapting it to suit both the adult workplace and the public school system. Schools have particular difficulties in combining existing fire safety architecture and practices (which have resulted in no school fire fatalities in over 50 years) and active shooter countermeasures. The members of the Public Safety Committee will begin exchang-ing emails to work out a draft resolution on this matter. The committee discussed drafting a Public Safety Committee mission statement. The committee will begin exchanging emails on ideas for the mission statement. The committee discussed possible resolutions on the staffing levels of police officers in the Mount Vernon Police District, and on the pay levels for Fairfax County police officers. The obvious difficulty in advocating for increased staffing and increased pay lies in the sources of funding. The committee will begin working on resolu-tions on police staffing and pay, with the initial emphasis on staff-ing. New Business: The committee briefly discussed the utility of social media to quickly disseminate public safety information to the public. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:41 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mount Vernon Government Center in Community Meeting Room #3.
TRANSPORTATION The MVCCA Transportation Committee met at 7:30 p.m. on Feb-ruary 1, 2016, in the Community Rooms of the Mount Vernon Government Center on Parkers Lane. The Embark Richmond Highway process and Fort Belvoir housing were presented in joint session with the Planning and Zoning Committee before each committee proceeded with its respective meeting. The meeting was chaired by Frank Cohn. Katherine Ward, Co-Chair Liaison; Planning Commissioner Earl Flanagan; and representatives of the following citizens’ associations were in attendance: New Gum Springs, Huntington, Marlan Forest, Mount Vernon Manor, Riverside Gardens, Southwood, Waynewood, Wellington, Wessynton, Westgrove, Williamsburg Manor North, and Woodley Hills. Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Karen Pohorylo led a portion of the joint meeting and later participated in the Transporta-tion Committee’s meeting. Frank Cohn presented a briefing to the two committees on the Embark Richmond Highway process. The Embark Advisory Group’s charter is to speak for community interests, provide local and subject expertise, act as a sounding board for the County staff, advise staff of community concerns, relay information to and inputs from stakeholders, assist staff in developing “best solutions,” and assist in public outreach activities. He, Earl Flanagan, and Dale Johnson, also present at this meeting, are the three Mount Vernon District representatives on the 13-member Embark Advisory Group. The others are: six members of the Southeast Fairfax Develop-ment Corporation (SFDC) Board of Directors, even though the SFDC organization maintains that it is not a participant in Embark; three Lee District representatives; and one at-large representative, Tim Sargeant. Co-Chairs of the Embark Advisory Group are Walter Clarke and Dick Knapp, both affiliated with SFDC. The focus of Embark is to implement Phases I and II of the approved option to Richmond Highway selected by the Multimodal Alternatives Analysis completed last year. This includes widening of Richmond Highway from VA-235, the Mount Vernon Memorial Highway to Napper Road; separate bus rapid transit lanes (BRT) from Huntington to Fort Belvoir; and extending Metrorail from Huntington to Hybla Valley. Environmental assessments and Comprehensive Plan amendments will require about 48 months, setting the length of the Embark Advisory Group’s charter. As it now stands, the configuration of the bridges now being constructed over Accotink Creek will effectively end BRT lanes at that point and funding constraints are seen as delaying the beginning of BRT construction to 2026/2028 and Metro construction into the 2040s. Our Mount Vernon District members are concerned that these func-tions are being totally controlled by the County staff. The Fairfax County Staff presence has outnumbered the Advisory Group members at meetings held to date and staff members actually schedule meetings, chair them, and publish minutes with the Advisory Group Co-Chairs serving only to recognize speakers.
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Advisory Group operations began in July 2015 with the intent of having monthly meetings, but there have only been three meetings since then, and those meetings are not being scheduled at conven-ient times and with enough advance notice to permit citizen involvement. For example, at the time of this Transportation Committee meeting, the date and time of this month’s Advisory Group meeting had not yet been set. Transportation Committee members charged our three representatives to start to energize the Advisory Group by insisting that the Staff schedule meetings at times convenient for citizen interaction and that it publish an annual schedule of monthly meetings. Commissioner Earl Flanagan provided us copies of a detailed spreadsheet compiled in 2003 itemizing the impact on adjacent property owners of widening Richmond Highway from I-495 to VA-235 North and diagramming the Richmond Highway cross-section contained in the Comprehen-sive Plan. Planning and Zoning Committee Chair Karen Pohorylo presented information on a plan for additional Fort Belvoir military family hous-ing north of Pole Road and just south of Huntley Meadows Park. This expansion of Woodlawn Village would add approximately 102 units. Concern was voiced within both committees that there were serious environmental issues with the envisioned siting for this project. It appears that sensitive wetlands could be compromised. While Fort Belvoir has its own master plan, the Fort Belvoir staff has been receptive to MVCCA concerns in the past. A letter will be sent from an MVCCA Co-Chair to Supervisor Storck that requests that he address our concerns with the Post Commander to activate a dialogue and seek possible changes related to environment, traffic, and school overcrowding. The separate Transportation Committee meeting addressed traffic challenges on the George Washington Memorial Parkway that have been aggravated in recent years by increased traffic volume caused in part by the expansion of Fort Belvoir activities and resi-dent population and partly by increased congestion along Rich-mond Highway. The traffic circle in front of the Mount Vernon Estate generated a number of issues. While no one present suggested replacing the four-way stop signs at the intersection of Parkway, VA-235, Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, and the exit from the estate’s behind-the-wall parking with traffic lights, that intersection and the yield signs on the circle giving priority to traffic entering the circle were discussed at length. We had no historical evidence of vehicular or pedestrian accidents, but the Committee seemed to feel that, absent polite and careful drivers, serious prob-lems could only be a matter of time. Susan Hume of Wessynton submitted a substantial list of unsafe driving practices observed at the circle. Steps that were suggested focused first on the right-turn-only lane approaching the stop signs from the Parkway. Additional warning signage further from the intersection and painted on the pavement was proposed to warn tourists unfamiliar with the intersection and allow them to get into the correct lane more easily and reduce the frequency with which
drivers in the right turn lane cut in front of cars heading west on Mount Vernon Memorial Highway from the correct lane. It was also suggested to consider barriers that would prevent improper straight through driving from that turn-only lane. The yield sign on the circle is a problem because, normally, traffic on a circle has the right of way over vehicles entering the circle. Increasing the visibility of the yield signs seems to have been acceptable. In all its aspects, the flow and safety of traffic at the circle would be improved by police enforcement presence and ticketing. The discussion also addressed three other problem intersections on the Parkway: Morningside Lane, Belle View Boulevard, and Belle Haven Road. Frank Cihak led the discussion, using diagrams to illustrate the problems with each intersection. Frequent acci-dents at Morningside Lane characteristically happen when an impatient driver on Morningside tries to turn north onto the Parkway without waiting for a clear view of oncoming traffic and encounters a speeding driver on the Parkway not paying attention to intersec-tion traffic. During rush hour traffic conditions, sight distances are inadequate at this point. Solutions suggested were warning signs on the Parkway, which was supported, or making this intersection right-turn-only for traffic both entering and leaving Morningside, which was not supported. It was recognized that this latter initiative would not be welcomed by the adjoining communities and could generate unforeseen cut-through traffic on adjacent streets. Belle View Boulevard is also the scene of numerous accidents. The traffic island between oncoming lanes in the Parkway is too narrow to protect cars turning left from Belle View to the Parkway and southbound Parkway traffic turning right into Belle View block sightlines and confuse drivers’ judgment regarding speed and clearance from oncoming Parkway traffic. Our Co-Chair Liaison reminded us of the advanced stage of planning for flood abatement measures at this point that could severely compromise any inter-section improvements to the Belle View intersection that we might advocate. She also recommended that the Chair speak with the Belle View Condo Association President to get more details on this matter. The Belle Haven Road intersection needs more stacking distance to accommodate cars turning left from the Parkway northbound into Belle Haven Road. Advocacy for safety improvements requires historical statistics to demonstrate a compelling need. If we have difficulties securing accident statistics from the Park Service, the Transportation Committee is prepared to draft an MVCCA Co-Chair letter to Congressman Don Beyer seeking his help in requesting the Park Service to provide traffic flow and accident data for the full length of the Parkway south of Old Town Alexandria and to partici-pate with the MVCCA Transportation Committee in implementing necessary safety measures at problem intersections. Don Hamlin from Riverside led a discussion about the importance of facilitating rush hour traffic flows along Richmond Highway to reduce both time lost in commuting and cut through traffic through
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neighborhoods such as Gum Springs and on the George Washing-ton Memorial Parkway. He suggested improving traffic light sequencing along Richmond Highway. When FCDOT installed the traffic light control hardware, they programmed the lights for morn-ing rush hours, afternoon rush hours, and “Other.” However, they promised to conduct additional light programs later. The existing programs preceded BRAC expansion of Fort Belvoir and did not address weekend shopping traffic congestion. FCDOT needs to do that additional programming. Widening of Richmond Highway has long been a focus of the Transportation Committee and needs to remain at the top of our priority list until we have six lanes plus rapid transit lanes the length of Mount Vernon and Lee Districts. Grade-separated intersections would also improve traffic flows. At least three grade-separated intersections had been considered in the past. These were inter-sections at Penn Daw to handle North and South Kings Highway and Richmond Highway; a connection between Old Mount Vernon Highway (VA-235) and Buckman Road over Richmond Highway; and a fully grade-separated cloverleaf intersection, including a new entrance to Fort Belvoir at the Richmond Highway end of the Fair-fax County Parkway. These all benefited from favorable terrain contours or available public land to reduce construction costs, yet all were rejected because they were deemed too expensive or related development schemes went away. The Neighborhood Outlook section of the January 28 to February 3 Mount Vernon Gazette contains a helpful article listing develop-ment projects having transportation impact along and near Richmond Highway. The next meeting of the Transportation Committee will be in Community Room #3 in the Mount Vernon Government Center on Parkers Lane at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 7.
SFDC
SFDC and the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce will present Economic Outlook 2016 on April 14, 2016, from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., at the Belle Haven Country Club. A buffet breakfast is included, followed by a moderated panel (see the January Record for the complete list of panelists) presenting information and trends in the local economy. Through March 31, the cost is $35 person (after this date, the cost increases to $45). All are welcome!
FAIRFAX FEDERATION A long-time member of the Fairfax Federation Board, Dr. Charlie Dane, passed away on January 25, 2015. He worked tirelessly for equality in education throughout the County, served as the Brad-dock District representative to the Fairfax County Organ and Tissue Donation Commission, and was retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As Treasurer of the Federation, he arranged for its first and continued audit process. Dr. Dane was awarded the Federation’s Citizen of the Year Award in 2010. The 66th Annual Citizen of the Year Awards Banquet will be held on April 3, 2016, at the Tyson’s Crowne Plaza. This year’s award goes to Olga Hernandez. Among her many volunteer activities she served as the President of the Virginia League of Women Voters, a board member of the Girl Scouts USA, a Virginia Help America Vote Act board member, and she served on the Fairfax Bi-Partisan Election Improvement Commission. More details of what is happening with the Fairfax Federation can be found on their website: www.fairfaxfedertion.org.
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JOINT ENVIRONMENT & RECREATION / EDUCATION / TRANSPORTATION
PROPOSED MVCCA (E&R-EDU-TRANS) 2016-J01: Joint Resolution that Submits Mount Vernon Council of Citizens’
Associations (MVCCA) Comments on the Fort Belvoir (Belvoir) Residential Communities Initiative (RCI) Project Supple-
mental Environmental Assessment (SEA)
1. WHEREAS the Fairfax County (County) Comprehensive Plan Recommendation No. 1 for the Lower Potomac Planning District LP4 states “Proposed development or redevelopment on Fort Belvoir should be undertaken in cooperation with the County; plans for this should be supported only if they are consistent with the County Goals and Comprehensive Plan”; and 2. WHEREAS the County Goals and Comprehensive Plan recommendations in LP4 for Parks and Open Space, Environment, and Heritage Resources must be addressed with respect to this project to determine consistency; and 3. WHEREAS the Mount Vernon (MV) District Supervisor relies on guidance from the MVCCA as the only District-wide commu-nity organization focused on environment and recreation (E&R), education (EDU), and transportation (TRANS) matters on development or re-development compliance with County Goals and Comprehensive Plans; and 4. WHEREAS Fort Belvoir outreach efforts announcing a 30-day public comment period (Nov. 13-Dec. 14, 2015, including the Thanksgiving holiday) apparently excluded direct contact with the MVCCA, MV District Supervisor, Fairfax County Agencies, Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), and neighboring communities resulting in inadequate time to provide substantive comments on this significant and very complex project before the public comment period closed; and 5. WHEREAS MVCCA review of the SEA indicates that various important education, environment and recreation (including historical and cultural resources), and transportation issues have been overlooked or inadequately assessed; and 6. WHEREAS critical elements are missing from the SEA and actions related thereto including:
a. Hydrological and biological studies of the area to ensure no adverse impacts on
i. Water flows in and out of HMP with whom Fort Belvoir shares a property boundary; ii. Any area of Coastal Plain Depression Swamp on HMP and Fort Belvoir property;
iii. Rare plants and wildlife that are documented on contiguous HMP property and likely also occur on Fort Belvoir property;
b. Direct collaboration with the FCPA, Friends of Huntley Meadows Park, and Friends of Historic Huntley to ensure protection of recently documented, publicly significant historical and cultural resources on contiguous HMP prop-
erty that likely extend onto Fort Belvoir property; c. Direct collaboration with the MV and Lee District Supervisors, MVCCA, Fairfax County Agencies, adjacent and
nearby neighborhoods, and neighbors on all aspects of the project; 7. WHEREAS new housing units will likely produce significant numbers of school-age children; some will be assigned to a new on-base elementary school, though it is not clear if these students can be fully absorbed on-post, with middle school students assigned to already overcapacity Whitman Middle School; and 8. WHEREAS there will be increased traffic flowing onto Pole Road, aggravating existing turning hazards at the documented
dangerous intersection of Pole Road and Jeff Todd Way; and 9. WHEREAS this project proposes to clear cut more than 5,400 trees on a 31-acre site that is environmentally valuable and
Committee Resolutions
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strategically significant to this region of the Mount Vernon District adversely impacting: a. Water quality, through loss of storm water filtering and absorption functions;
b. Quality of life, through loss of green space and the “urban heat island” effect;
c. Rare plant and wildlife communities, through loss of strategically significant d. natural habitat (possibly including Coastal Plain Depression Swamp), documented to support numerous wildlife
species; and e. Air quality, by eliminating the filtering and carbon sink functions performed by trees; and
10. WHEREAS our military should be housed in high quality, technologically advanced, and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods and homes to the maximum extent feasible. However, the draft design of the neighborhood does not appear to integrate smart growth principles, is not near public transit, and needs to devote attention to minimizing adverse environmental impacts and should thus include:
a. Reduction of the environmental footprint; b. Increasing the buffer area around wetlands and all contiguous property boundaries including Huntley Meadows
Park (HMP), Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, and Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge to protect sensitive natural habitat, wildlife, and water quality;
c. Designating Tree Save areas across the project site as well as off-site, so that this project would expand contiguous natural biological corridors between HMP, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge and Accotink Bay Wildlife Refuge; and
A. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the MVCCA recommends that
1. A full Environmental Impact Statement be undertaken to address the critical information gaps and recommenda-tions noted above; and
2. If it is found that the adverse environment and recreation, education, and transportation impacts are deemed too significant to adequately mitigate, then the project should be dropped or substantially redesigned;
B. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MVCCA requests that the MV District Supervisor
1. Work with our federally elected officials including Congressmen Beyer and Connolly, and the MVCCA to ensure that the MVCCA’s requests described herein are implemented within the project design;
2. Submit the comments within this resolution for written response; 3. Strongly encourage the use of this resolution in decision-making by the Fort Belvoir Residential Communities
Initiative (RCI) team, the Fort Belvoir Base Commander or her designee, or other Department of Defense officials; and
C. BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the MVCCA requests that Fort Belvoir and the US Army:
1. Strongly seek out opportunities to assist cash-strapped Fairfax County Public Schools; this could be through equipment donation, partnerships, mentoring, and / or, perhaps, providing bus service to students living on base to access on- and off-base schools; and
2. Collaborate with VDOT to evaluate and implement measures to reduce the high accident rates at the Pole Road and Jeff Todd Way intersection, to include the placement of a traffic light at this critical intersection.
PASSED BY THE MVCCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2.12.2016
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COMMITTEE CALENDAR
MVCCA Council—Feb 24, 8:00 p.m., MVGC Community Rm MVCCA Board—Mar 10, 7:30 p.m., MVGC Supvrs Conf Rm
Comm Date Time Place Chair
*BUDG 2/25 7:00 MVGC D. Voorhees
BUDG 3/2 7:30 MVGC D. Voorhees
COAF TBD open
EDU 3/2 8:00 WWMS/Lib Harbeck
E&R 3/2 7:15 MVGC, Rm. 3 Ledec
HHS TBD open
PL/Z 3/7 7:30 MVGC Pohorylo
PS 3/3 7:30 MVGC, Rm. 3 McDonald
TRAN 3/7 7:30 MVGC, Rm. 3 Cohn
* February 25, 2016, at 7:00 p.m., MVGC Commumity Room – Special budget meeting with Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Joseph M. Mondoro to discuss the 2017 Advertised Budget, which comes out on February 16, 2016
The Record is published monthly except August by the Mount Vernon Council of Citizens’ Associations,
P.O. Box 203, Mount Vernon, VA 22121-0203.
NEXT COUNCIL MEETING
Wednesday, February 24, 8:00 p.m. Mount Vernon Government Center Parkers Lane, Alexandria
AGENDA Call to Order
Guest Speakers Approval of Agenda Approval of Secretary’s Minutes Approval of Treasurer’s Report Committee Reports
Co-Chair’s Report on Board Actions
Published Items and Resolutions
New Business Member Association Time Mount Vernon Supervisor Time
Other Elected Officials and Public Time
Adjournment
Treasurer’s Report