South Arlington and North Arlington Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea of increasing density in some of the Yorktown zone forgets the complete lack of amenities and infrastructure up that way, at least in some parts. You need a car to get everywhere and it's not easy access to the metro and there are no stores or anything within walking distance. You'd really need to "urbanize" the area a little with some more practical infrastructure to make it attractive to anyone not set on full-on suburban life. I'm not talking about Lee Highway, which does have those things and is appropriately included in the planning for adding housing units.

there's this thing called bus that the poor use in place of driving or walking. and then there's this thing called bike...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The idea of increasing density in some of the Yorktown zone forgets the complete lack of amenities and infrastructure up that way, at least in some parts. You need a car to get everywhere and it's not easy access to the metro and there are no stores or anything within walking distance. You'd really need to "urbanize" the area a little with some more practical infrastructure to make it attractive to anyone not set on full-on suburban life. I'm not talking about Lee Highway, which does have those things and is appropriately included in the planning for adding housing units.

I don't live up there, but I do sometimes think there is a bit of schadenfreuden at the idiot of trying to get AH into those SFH neighborhoods.
However, I've heard residence of North Arl try to explain why it isn't a good idea on Lee Highway, and that's a crock of shit. Buses can run of Lee Hywy as easy as Columbia Pike.

[Anonymous]

Sorry ^^^ that should say idea not idiot

[Anonymous]

There are quite a few older homeowners that think this is a swell idea. They have lived in the county for 30+ years and need help to afford to stay. Their taxes have out paced their fixed income and would like to age in place.

Need help to age in place? Hahahaha!
Not if you are an elderly homeOWNER!
My wonderful elderly neighbors just sold their non-updated SFH that they paid off ages ago (and had bought for around $20,000) they are taking almost a million $ - and beach front home in the Carolinas is already in place. The last thing they need is help to "afford to stay". Good for them!

Current young families will never get to experience this unfortunately (extremely unlikely I'd say)....
So please don't worry about the finances of elderly homeowners in Arlington.
(As PP wrote: the "help needed" refers to lifelong elderly renters.)

[Anonymous]

Listen all, unless you live on the pike don't worry about affordable housing. 2 days after the board paid lip service to geographic distribution, the board approved the courthouse plan which the county's own housing commission opposed because it did not call for more affordable housing!!!

So, geographic distribution isn't going to happen. It will only be on the pike. For every CARD or other group opposing a new development, VOICE will scream racists and NIMBYs and shame everyone down like they did last week.

In case you were not paying attention, "my voice counts" suggests that the Latino community's leaders were left out of the process here. Quite the contrary, VOICE and the developers were the ones who wrote the new affordable housing plan. The committee was deliberately stacked that way. The only voices that counted were theirs.

[Anonymous]

^^^ I've literally sat in meetings where retired gs whatever's complained about their taxes and don't want to sell. They want to rent out part of their home.
Is rather see them get tax relief, that upon sale of the home - the county can settle up.

[Anonymous]

So, if you want change, vote mcmenamin. I went to some campaign event he held. He supports affordable housing, but not at the expense of schools and economic development. He may give vilstadt an ally on the board once those two idiots are off thE board. Cristol is just another Mary Hynes. Dorsey has some sense to him, so may be good too.

As a lifelong democrat I find our party's management of this county appalling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Listen all, unless you live on the pike don't worry about affordable housing. 2 days after the board paid lip service to geographic distribution, the board approved the courthouse plan which the county's own housing commission opposed because it did not call for more affordable housing!!!

So, geographic distribution isn't going to happen. It will only be on the pike. For every CARD or other group opposing a new development, VOICE will scream racists and NIMBYs and shame everyone down like they did last week.

In case you were not paying attention, "my voice counts" suggests that the Latino community's leaders were left out of the process here. Quite the contrary, VOICE and the developers were the ones who wrote the new affordable housing plan. The committee was deliberately stacked that way. The only voices that counted were theirs.

The young middle class SFH owners who are getting screwed aren't paying attention. It is was it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, if you want change, vote mcmenamin. I went to some campaign event he held. He supports affordable housing, but not at the expense of schools and economic development. He may give vilstadt an ally on the board once those two idiots are off thE board. Cristol is just another Mary Hynes. Dorsey has some sense to him, so may be good too.

As a lifelong democrat I find our party's management of this county appalling.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, if you want change, vote mcmenamin. I went to some campaign event he held. He supports affordable housing, but not at the expense of schools and economic development. He may give vilstadt an ally on the board once those two idiots are off thE board. Cristol is just another Mary Hynes. Dorsey has some sense to him, so may be good too.

As a lifelong democrat I find our party's management of this county appalling.

What about Clement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, if you want change, vote mcmenamin. I went to some campaign event he held. He supports affordable housing, but not at the expense of schools and economic development. He may give vilstadt an ally on the board once those two idiots are off thE board. Cristol is just another Mary Hynes. Dorsey has some sense to him, so may be good too.

As a lifelong democrat I find our party's management of this county appalling.

What about Clement?

I don't trust Clement. She runs every year and tries to re-invent herself to get elected. I suspect she will say whatever now to get the votes but won't follow through-- remember, she is close buddies with Chris Zimmerman (aka the man who pushed the streetcar while making $ consulting to the streetcar companies on the side). I'm a dem but voting for McMeniman and Dorsey. I don't trust Cristol either-- she lobbies for charter schools and has no kids of her own. Frankly, I just worry that she is too out of touch to be able to address the school overcrowding issues. On the plus side, it takes Arlington FOREVER to do anything, so chances are the AH proposal will be dead before it is ever implemented (along with the aquatics center, streetcar, etc.). Unfortunately, this also means that it make take FOREVER to also fix the school issue!

[Anonymous]

Dorsey and mcmeniman - seems like the best shot for level headed decision making.

You are right about Cristol. She's totally onboard with maximum density of affordable housing and more interested in tailoring policy for childless millenials. We definitely need DINKS in the county, but not at the expense of better school policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The idea of increasing density in some of the Yorktown zone forgets the complete lack of amenities and infrastructure up that way, at least in some parts. You need a car to get everywhere and it's not easy access to the metro and there are no stores or anything within walking distance. You'd really need to "urbanize" the area a little with some more practical infrastructure to make it attractive to anyone not set on full-on suburban life. I'm not talking about Lee Highway, which does have those things and is appropriately included in the planning for adding housing units.

there's this thing called bus that the poor use in place of driving or walking. and then there's this thing called bike...

Yes, why bother with placing high density housing near any amenities because everyone will just ride their bike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen all, unless you live on the pike don't worry about affordable housing. 2 days after the board paid lip service to geographic distribution, the board approved the courthouse plan which the county's own housing commission opposed because it did not call for more affordable housing!!!

So, geographic distribution isn't going to happen. It will only be on the pike. For every CARD or other group opposing a new development, VOICE will scream racists and NIMBYs and shame everyone down like they did last week.

In case you were not paying attention, "my voice counts" suggests that the Latino community's leaders were left out of the process here. Quite the contrary, VOICE and the developers were the ones who wrote the new affordable housing plan. The committee was deliberately stacked that way. The only voices that counted were theirs.

The young middle class SFH owners who are getting screwed aren't paying attention. It is was it is.

We're some of us are paying attention. We plan on voting, but a lot of this still feels futile. The deck is stacked against us: stalled careers, high priced homes, and student loan debt.

[Anonymous]

I''m a dem but voting for McMeniman and Dorsey. I don't trust Cristol either-- she lobbies for charter schools and has no kids of her own. Frankly, I just worry that she is too out of touch to be able to address the school overcrowding issues.


This. I am completely with you.