Strategic aquisition land in APS

[Anonymous]

Hey, APS, you might want to snap this one up:

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5941-4th-St-S-22204/home/11258499

You could have a second entrance/exit to the Kenmore property. Make these owners a fair offer, and you have solved this problem for less than 1 million and you don't even need to deal with Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, APS, you might want to snap this one up:

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5941-4th-St-S-22204/home/11258499

You could have a second entrance/exit to the Kenmore property. Make these owners a fair offer, and you have solved this problem for less than 1 million and you don't even need to deal with Fairfax.

A once in a blue moon opportunity that could actually significantly address the one objection to increasing capacity at Kenmore (traffic). Everyone should forward the listing to every school and county board member immediately. I can already hear the excuses not to pursue: the neighbors won't like buses coming down their street; there's not enough time to vet the idea in the community; County acquisition process is too long to be able to act quickly enough; no land acquisition funds in the County's budget; we don't need it; yadda yadda yadda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey, APS, you might want to snap this one up:

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5941-4th-St-S-22204/home/11258499

You could have a second entrance/exit to the Kenmore property. Make these owners a fair offer, and you have solved this problem for less than 1 million and you don't even need to deal with Fairfax.

A once in a blue moon opportunity that could actually significantly address the one objection to increasing capacity at Kenmore (traffic). Everyone should forward the listing to every school and county board member immediately. I can already hear the excuses not to pursue: the neighbors won't like buses coming down their street; there's not enough time to vet the idea in the community; County acquisition process is too long to be able to act quickly enough; no land acquisition funds in the County's budget; we don't need it; yadda yadda yadda.

The McK and Ashlawn PTAs could buy it for APS. They would get a great HS out of the deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey, APS, you might want to snap this one up:

https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5941-4th-St-S-22204/home/11258499

You could have a second entrance/exit to the Kenmore property. Make these owners a fair offer, and you have solved this problem for less than 1 million and you don't even need to deal with Fairfax.

A once in a blue moon opportunity that could actually significantly address the one objection to increasing capacity at Kenmore (traffic). Everyone should forward the listing to every school and county board member immediately. I can already hear the excuses not to pursue: the neighbors won't like buses coming down their street; there's not enough time to vet the idea in the community; County acquisition process is too long to be able to act quickly enough; no land acquisition funds in the County's budget; we don't need it; yadda yadda yadda.

The McK and Ashlawn PTAs could buy it for APS. They would get a great HS out of the deal.

Haha those PTAs would buy it so APS couldn't have it....keeping their kids at W&L and Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

This makes too much sense for APS to ever pursue it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This makes too much sense for APS to ever pursue it.

This, sadly.

[Anonymous]

It is a nice piece of property, but it doesn't really address the access issue. The "problem" with Kenmore (per the neighbors) is that it needs a second access point that does not stem off Carlin Springs. This property would open up a second access point, but drivers would still need to take Carlin Springs to reach it. What APS needs to solve the neighborhood complaints is an access point off Manchester Street, so that some traffic can access the Kenmore site without taking Carlin Springs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a nice piece of property, but it doesn't really address the access issue. The "problem" with Kenmore (per the neighbors) is that it needs a second access point that does not stem off Carlin Springs. This property would open up a second access point, but drivers would still need to take Carlin Springs to reach it. What APS needs to solve the neighborhood complaints is an access point off Manchester Street, so that some traffic can access the Kenmore site without taking Carlin Springs.

That's what the neighborhood will continue to say because it is the least likely thing to ever happen and keeps them in the clear for anything ever happening at Kenmore. Multiple access points off Carlin Springs still helps traffic on Carlin Springs because everyone isn't trying to get in and out at the same point. Widening Carlin Springs at the point of the school property could provide a bus/turn lane onto the property, at least for those approaching from the north. (Yes, APS could give-up several feet at the border of its property to provide space for that) Pedestrian/bike path bridges over 50 would facilitate students walking and biking from Arlington Forest. Heck, dig a tunnel under Carlin Springs for safer pedestrian access by even the youngest students attending CS elementary, as well as middle schoolers.

Traffic issues, obviously, stem from amount of traffic - but also the flow of traffic. Increasing opportunities for flowing in and out of the main traffic on the road improves the flow of traffic overall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a nice piece of property, but it doesn't really address the access issue. The "problem" with Kenmore (per the neighbors) is that it needs a second access point that does not stem off Carlin Springs. This property would open up a second access point, but drivers would still need to take Carlin Springs to reach it. What APS needs to solve the neighborhood complaints is an access point off Manchester Street, so that some traffic can access the Kenmore site without taking Carlin Springs.

That's what the neighborhood will continue to say because it is the least likely thing to ever happen and keeps them in the clear for anything ever happening at Kenmore. Multiple access points off Carlin Springs still helps traffic on Carlin Springs because everyone isn't trying to get in and out at the same point. Widening Carlin Springs at the point of the school property could provide a bus/turn lane onto the property, at least for those approaching from the north. (Yes, APS could give-up several feet at the border of its property to provide space for that) Pedestrian/bike path bridges over 50 would facilitate students walking and biking from Arlington Forest. Heck, dig a tunnel under Carlin Springs for safer pedestrian access by even the youngest students attending CS elementary, as well as middle schoolers.

Traffic issues, obviously, stem from amount of traffic - but also the flow of traffic. Increasing opportunities for flowing in and out of the main traffic on the road improves the flow of traffic overall.

And I'll add that CB/SB quickly dismissing the value of this property will again be shortsighted -- even if it isn't the end all/be all solution for a no-traffic issue scenario, it can absolutely be a helpful PIECE of an overall solution. And you need to grab the pieces when they're available. You know, long-term vision - which APS and CB utterly lack.

[Anonymous]

They need to buy it even if it's just for future additional parking or field space. Good grief, how frequently do they get a chance for an adjacent parcel of that size? Very rarely I would bet.

[Anonymous]

I wish I was liquid enough to buy right now and hold it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They need to buy it even if it's just for future additional parking or field space. Good grief, how frequently do they get a chance for an adjacent parcel of that size? Very rarely I would bet.

THIS.

If Arlington had any foresight whatsoever they would’ve started eyeing adjacent properties years ago.

[Anonymous]

This property, which is next to the 4th St property, is also for sale: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5919-3rd-St-S-22204/home/11279919

No need for eminent domain, just buy them now while you can!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This property, which is next to the 4th St property, is also for sale: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5919-3rd-St-S-22204/home/11279919

No need for eminent domain, just buy them now while you can!

That would make 4 exit/entrances right onto Carlin Springs...come on APS is it really that hard to do the right thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This property, which is next to the 4th St property, is also for sale: https://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5919-3rd-St-S-22204/home/11279919

No need for eminent domain, just buy them now while you can!

That would make 4 exit/entrances right onto Carlin Springs...come on APS is it really that hard to do the right thing?

That doesn't help them because they need an ingress/egress point somewhere other than Carlin Springs -- that was ultimately what derailed it as a potential high school site. That site is already one of the biggest, if not the biggest, school site APS owns. There is no point in making it even bigger to the tune of a million dollars a parcel (once you include acquisition-related costs in addition to purchase price) when they can't develop the site further.