Anonymous wrote:So bottom line is that Williamsburg becomes even richer; Swanson and Stratford become THE middle schools for the "we love diversity, just not too much" W-L crowd; Gunston emerges relatively unscathed, and between the redistricting and future development Kenmore and Jefferson are screwed.

I don’t see how TJ gets screwed?
They basically stay the same.

But yes- Kenmore got screwed. Pretty building though.

So bottom line is that Williamsburg becomes even richer; Swanson and Stratford become THE middle schools for the "we love diversity, just not too much" W-L crowd; Gunston emerges relatively unscathed, and between the redistricting and future development Kenmore and Jefferson are screwed.

Anonymous wrote:To be fair, most of us had no idea about the plan. We were busy with jobs and little children. And our civic association presidents didn't even report back to us on it and just voted and acted how they personally felt (there is literally nothing in our CA minutes about the neighborhoods plan for he entire year prior to the vote to adopt). The plan as written certainly did not reflect what the majority of SFH would have voted for. Additionally, the plan was enacted when the streetcar was coming. In fact it's mentioned in the plan over 100 times. I think the plan needs to be revisited now that the streetcar has been scrapped. That certainly changes what kind of density the area can handle. Infill development here can't be allowed. The infrastructure can't support it.

Just like at the national level, this is what the nefarious they are counting on. From the neighborhood civic association to the county level to the national level, if you care then you have to find ways to engage. Convincing parents in our neighborhood that boundary decisions made now would impact their preschool and kindergarteners, but getting involved matters. Spend a term or two on your civic association board, I can almost guarantee they need more volunteers. If everyone sits back and says "but I'm busy", then nothing ever gets done.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP above, one more issue to mention - townhouses at barcroft apartments. A certain person in the affordable housing lobby mentioned that someday the apartment complex's owners could sell out and build luxury townhomes. That is what happened in westover. But, this is not north arlington. The affordable housing lobby would lose their mind making sure that never happened. They would find a way to buy the entire or more acres with loans and gifts from everywhere because the Pike Plan has so many incentives to keep the complex low income. And, such a sale would be hidden from public view until it was a done deal and nothing can be done about it. Indeed it is a special conservation district in and of itself. And, with the Pike Plan, the Board has a a lot of power to stop any developer from making it into luxury housing. The housing conservation districts the Board just acted on is already in effect for the Pike for a long time now.

You all on the Pike supported the Pike Plan, or failed to realize the affordable housing lobby was pulling the wool over your eyes. Now you get to live with it.

To be fair, most of us had no idea about the plan. We were busy with jobs and little children. And our civic association presidents didn't even report back to us on it and just voted and acted how they personally felt (there is literally nothing in our CA minutes about the neighborhoods plan for he entire year prior to the vote to adopt). The plan as written certainly did not reflect what the majority of SFH would have voted for. Additionally, the plan was enacted when the streetcar was coming. In fact it's mentioned in the plan over 100 times. I think the plan needs to be revisited now that the streetcar has been scrapped. That certainly changes what kind of density the area can handle. Infill development here can't be allowed. The infrastructure can't support it.

I posted earlier about the townhome plan in Barcroft, as per the development plan. No idea if those are meant to be affordable, but I was hoping market rate. Anyhow, the number of affordable units would have to be drastically increased to replace the ones that are being lost. I don't think much can stop the gentrification of the Pike, at least east of Four Mile Run. It just keeps spreading, though slowly. Barcroft apartments might be an eyesore and may end up being the biggest island of affordable units, but the area is just too close in to avoid gentrifiers. Frankly, I think this has been said before, but the affordable housing advocates really ought to champion mixed income housing. These buildings full of poors don't help anyone. I mean, look at the Shell and Arlington Mill. Mixed income would actually make those neighborhoods way nicer. We can only hope that Gilliam Place will actually be for seniors and some families, not another way to cram 400 people into a 4 acre parcel, like mentioned in another thread...

Anonymous wrote:PP above, one more issue to mention - townhouses at barcroft apartments. A certain person in the affordable housing lobby mentioned that someday the apartment complex's owners could sell out and build luxury townhomes. That is what happened in westover. But, this is not north arlington. The affordable housing lobby would lose their mind making sure that never happened. They would find a way to buy the entire or more acres with loans and gifts from everywhere because the Pike Plan has so many incentives to keep the complex low income. And, such a sale would be hidden from public view until it was a done deal and nothing can be done about it. Indeed it is a special conservation district in and of itself. And, with the Pike Plan, the Board has a a lot of power to stop any developer from making it into luxury housing. The housing conservation districts the Board just acted on is already in effect for the Pike for a long time now.

You all on the Pike supported the Pike Plan, or failed to realize the affordable housing lobby was pulling the wool over your eyes. Now you get to live with it.

To be fair, most of us had no idea about the plan. We were busy with jobs and little children. And our civic association presidents didn't even report back to us on it and just voted and acted how they personally felt (there is literally nothing in our CA minutes about the neighborhoods plan for he entire year prior to the vote to adopt). The plan as written certainly did not reflect what the majority of SFH would have voted for. Additionally, the plan was enacted when the streetcar was coming. In fact it's mentioned in the plan over 100 times. I think the plan needs to be revisited now that the streetcar has been scrapped. That certainly changes what kind of density the area can handle. Infill development here can't be allowed. The infrastructure can't support it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No really I’m very serious. Slow claps. You all believed and achieved. I didn’t understand when I bought in south Arlington, that education was a zero sum game in APS. I’m clear about it now. I’m truly happy for you all.

Let me get this straight. You bought in Arlington, knowing that for the most part schools were zoned by neighborhood. Some outliers like Buckingham being bused to Swanson and the Williamsburg island, but overall Arlington has been built around neighborhood schools at least in the twenty years that I've lived here.

Knowing this, you bought in a part of Arlington that it sounds like has less stellar schools, and you're upset that APS didn't turn the entire system on its head to bus kids all over the place thus improving your kids' school for you? I'm not sure where the righteous indignation comes from. Either you bought in a neighborhood you liked and which had schools that worked for you, in which case you shouldn't be upset that people all over Arlington did the same thing by buying in neighborhoods close to schools that work for their family. Or, you bought hoping that the system would bend to your will, in which case you can't really be upset that you lost that battle.

NP - We live in S Arlington and will apply to every choice elem, because we're zoned for Barcroft. Any choice school is better. I would love to hope we'll be rezoned to the new school because we live east of Mason, but that seems like a poor plan. Barcroft is the most under capacity school in S Arlington, I think. We bought in S Arlington because of the choice option as a fall back, but hoping the school we were zoned for got better. It's only gotten worse. But then, that huge apartment complex, also called Barcroft is supposed to become townhouses? And Food Star is set to become nice apartments. Change is coming!

Dp - WTF?!?!?! Are you talking about?
Seriously, where on earth did you get that Barcroft apts is going to turned into town homes? I need to know where you heard this, but it can not be a credible source.
Sure, if Barcroft were gone -Wakefield, Barcroft, and Randolph would see a substantial shift in their demographics. Yes.
Except NO, because it ISN’T going to happen.
Unless your name is Delashmutt and you have some news to share...
I’m guessing not.
There are plans to ADD MORE AFFORDABLE APTS to BARCROFT APARTMENTS. HUNDREDS MORE!

Please, for the love of god, go read the the Columbia Pike plan.
Barcroft apts is a lynchpin in the affordable housing mafia’s agenda. I guarantee the development rights have been transferred. It’s a hill they will die on. It’s 57 acres and it will remain a blight on Arlington for years to come.
Oh, and guess what? Our lovely county voted just voted to conserve housing districts. So those older apartments can’t be turned into sfh’s now. Just voted on.

You people really have no clue.

NP. My spouse and I voted in the primaries and guess what, our candidate came in dead last. I don't know why all these people just assume "democrat" means doing the right thing (and trust me when I say, we are not Trump supporters). Who the hell told these stupid CB members do conserve housing districts. Didn't the papers say something like 14 of them?


SERIOUSLY--we all need to vote these people out of office now.

Vote them out and replace them .... With similar minded people. That's all that happens. Want an actual change? Stop pretending yo be so liberal.

To an earlier question, Christian Dorsey’s kids go to ATS. Eric Gutshall has kids at Drew Montessori. Both Choice.

Katie Cristol has no kids. Libby Garvey and John Vihstadt’s kids are grown - and attended when, frankly, APS was a different school system.

On School Board, new member Monique O’Grady is a big choice advocate and had kids in Montessori. Barbara Kanninen had a kid at HB. I think the others’ kids were neighborhood.

PP above, one more issue to mention - townhouses at barcroft apartments. A certain person in the affordable housing lobby mentioned that someday the apartment complex's owners could sell out and build luxury townhomes. That is what happened in westover. But, this is not north arlington. The affordable housing lobby would lose their mind making sure that never happened. They would find a way to buy the entire or more acres with loans and gifts from everywhere because the Pike Plan has so many incentives to keep the complex low income. And, such a sale would be hidden from public view until it was a done deal and nothing can be done about it. Indeed it is a special conservation district in and of itself. And, with the Pike Plan, the Board has a a lot of power to stop any developer from making it into luxury housing. The housing conservation districts the Board just acted on is already in effect for the Pike for a long time now.

You all on the Pike supported the Pike Plan, or failed to realize the affordable housing lobby was pulling the wool over your eyes. Now you get to live with it.

Ok, let's educate here:

1. Barcroft elementary has a new principal. School had been on a upward trajectory for a while and more and more local sfh parents were sending their kids. Then a new principal came and undid everything, she was a disaster and good riddance. Good luck new lady, we are rooting for you, but already sent kiddo elsewhere.

2. The barcroft apartments' owner has already sold development rights. Long gone. The plan is to add more garden apartments and infill. Same for all areas on western Pike, see Columbia hills. Affordable housing developers tried to do more infill for one area, but vocal locals forced them to back down, for now. They will be back. When the time comes for additions to barcroft apartments, if the sfh community cares anything about schools, density, property values and well, the right of children to get a decent education regardless of how much money they have, then fight those plans. People in north Arlington do it.

Read the Pike plan, the whole central and western Pike is deliberately zoned to prevent gentrification of any kind. All housing and commercial properties are meant to serve the poorer community and no one else. Period. And the board is working on more ways of forcing affordable housing on mixed use commercial developments.

John Vihstadt is the only reasonable person on the board, but he is only one vote so nothing stops the developers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a Swanson house that was never up for a moved. I’m incredibly mad that they are leaving our school SO overcrowded. As a McK family, I should be used to this BS, but it still stings.

Did you hear Nancy talk about how nice the trailers are? It sounds like everyone will want to be in them.

I mean... we’ve bought them, so we need to use them.

Hate to say it, since I hate seeing trailers at my kids elementary school, but the kids and the teachers actually like being in trailers. They can get out on the playground at irregular times when they want, and don't have the principal always checking up on them. Only downfall is the rainy days walking to the main building. I think we need to plan to build more capacity, but trailers are not as bad for the classroom as you would imagine.

McK parent here. Trailers themselves are not bad, it's what the loss is in exchange. Our kids lost a whole playing field, for example. Swanson lost tennis courts, parking space, field space. It's the trade-offs. Not to mention that trailers mean more kids, which means more burden on other parts of the school including cafeteria space, auditorium space for assemblies and so on. Extra kids also means less options for participation in extra curriculars since more kids are competing for the same spots.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a Swanson house that was never up for a moved. I’m incredibly mad that they are leaving our school SO overcrowded. As a McK family, I should be used to this BS, but it still stings.

Did you hear Nancy talk about how nice the trailers are? It sounds like everyone will want to be in them.

I mean... we’ve bought them, so we need to use them.

Hate to say it, since I hate seeing trailers at my kids elementary school, but the kids and the teachers actually like being in trailers. They can get out on the playground at irregular times when they want, and don't have the principal always checking up on them. Only downfall is the rainy days walking to the main building. I think we need to plan to build more capacity, but trailers are not as bad for the classroom as you would imagine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No really I’m very serious. Slow claps. You all believed and achieved. I didn’t understand when I bought in south Arlington, that education was a zero sum game in APS. I’m clear about it now. I’m truly happy for you all.

Let me get this straight. You bought in Arlington, knowing that for the most part schools were zoned by neighborhood. Some outliers like Buckingham being bused to Swanson and the Williamsburg island, but overall Arlington has been built around neighborhood schools at least in the twenty years that I've lived here.

Knowing this, you bought in a part of Arlington that it sounds like has less stellar schools, and you're upset that APS didn't turn the entire system on its head to bus kids all over the place thus improving your kids' school for you? I'm not sure where the righteous indignation comes from. Either you bought in a neighborhood you liked and which had schools that worked for you, in which case you shouldn't be upset that people all over Arlington did the same thing by buying in neighborhoods close to schools that work for their family. Or, you bought hoping that the system would bend to your will, in which case you can't really be upset that you lost that battle.

NP - We live in S Arlington and will apply to every choice elem, because we're zoned for Barcroft. Any choice school is better. I would love to hope we'll be rezoned to the new school because we live east of Mason, but that seems like a poor plan. Barcroft is the most under capacity school in S Arlington, I think. We bought in S Arlington because of the choice option as a fall back, but hoping the school we were zoned for got better. It's only gotten worse. But then, that huge apartment complex, also called Barcroft is supposed to become townhouses? And Food Star is set to become nice apartments. Change is coming!

Dp - WTF?!?!?! Are you talking about?
Seriously, where on earth did you get that Barcroft apts is going to turned into town homes? I need to know where you heard this, but it can not be a credible source.
Sure, if Barcroft were gone -Wakefield, Barcroft, and Randolph would see a substantial shift in their demographics. Yes.
Except NO, because it ISN’T going to happen.
Unless your name is Delashmutt and you have some news to share...
I’m guessing not.
There are plans to ADD MORE AFFORDABLE APTS to BARCROFT APARTMENTS. HUNDREDS MORE!

Please, for the love of god, go read the the Columbia Pike plan.
Barcroft apts is a lynchpin in the affordable housing mafia’s agenda. I guarantee the development rights have been transferred. It’s a hill they will die on. It’s 57 acres and it will remain a blight on Arlington for years to come.
Oh, and guess what? Our lovely county voted just voted to conserve housing districts. So those older apartments can’t be turned into sfh’s now. Just voted on.

You people really have no clue.

Well, you are also incorrect on a number of points. The Barcroft Apartments, which are largely zoned Randolph and are not actually located within the Barcroft Civic Association, are not covered by the Housing Conservation District. My guess is that you are correct that they have transferred the development rights and/or there are so many other tools being used here that there is no additional need for an incentive to prevent redevelopment of this property, therefore your assertion that they plan to add hundreds of apartments on that same site is a bit suspect. Also, these rights are divorced from the property even if it's sold, so it's not like they could just suddenly build more units if the current owners sell. Basically, whatever is happening at this site, it's not under risk of being redeveloped any time soon. For either townhomes or high density low-income housing.

You really need to read the pike plan. Really.
They have little outlined areas where the proposed builds will
Someday stand.
It’s not suspect. It’s the long term plan.
The shell was a dress rehearsal for building into hilly topography.
Yes, they can’t add high rises- as the rights were transferred.
But they can add more garden apts.
they can. And they will.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No really I’m very serious. Slow claps. You all believed and achieved. I didn’t understand when I bought in south Arlington, that education was a zero sum game in APS. I’m clear about it now. I’m truly happy for you all.

Let me get this straight. You bought in Arlington, knowing that for the most part schools were zoned by neighborhood. Some outliers like Buckingham being bused to Swanson and the Williamsburg island, but overall Arlington has been built around neighborhood schools at least in the twenty years that I've lived here.

Knowing this, you bought in a part of Arlington that it sounds like has less stellar schools, and you're upset that APS didn't turn the entire system on its head to bus kids all over the place thus improving your kids' school for you? I'm not sure where the righteous indignation comes from. Either you bought in a neighborhood you liked and which had schools that worked for you, in which case you shouldn't be upset that people all over Arlington did the same thing by buying in neighborhoods close to schools that work for their family. Or, you bought hoping that the system would bend to your will, in which case you can't really be upset that you lost that battle.

NP - We live in S Arlington and will apply to every choice elem, because we're zoned for Barcroft. Any choice school is better. I would love to hope we'll be rezoned to the new school because we live east of Mason, but that seems like a poor plan. Barcroft is the most under capacity school in S Arlington, I think. We bought in S Arlington because of the choice option as a fall back, but hoping the school we were zoned for got better. It's only gotten worse. But then, that huge apartment complex, also called Barcroft is supposed to become townhouses? And Food Star is set to become nice apartments. Change is coming!

Dp - WTF?!?!?! Are you talking about?
Seriously, where on earth did you get that Barcroft apts is going to turned into town homes? I need to know where you heard this, but it can not be a credible source.
Sure, if Barcroft were gone -Wakefield, Barcroft, and Randolph would see a substantial shift in their demographics. Yes.
Except NO, because it ISN’T going to happen.
Unless your name is Delashmutt and you have some news to share...
I’m guessing not.
There are plans to ADD MORE AFFORDABLE APTS to BARCROFT APARTMENTS. HUNDREDS MORE!

Please, for the love of god, go read the the Columbia Pike plan.
Barcroft apts is a lynchpin in the affordable housing mafia’s agenda. I guarantee the development rights have been transferred. It’s a hill they will die on. It’s 57 acres and it will remain a blight on Arlington for years to come.
Oh, and guess what? Our lovely county voted just voted to conserve housing districts. So those older apartments can’t be turned into sfh’s now. Just voted on.

You people really have no clue.

Well, you are also incorrect on a number of points. The Barcroft Apartments, which are largely zoned Randolph and are not actually located within the Barcroft Civic Association, are not covered by the Housing Conservation District. My guess is that you are correct that they have transferred the development rights and/or there are so many other tools being used here that there is no additional need for an incentive to prevent redevelopment of this property, therefore your assertion that they plan to add hundreds of apartments on that same site is a bit suspect. Also, these rights are divorced from the property even if it's sold, so it's not like they could just suddenly build more units if the current owners sell. Basically, whatever is happening at this site, it's not under risk of being redeveloped any time soon. For either townhomes or high density low-income housing.

Anonymous wrote:I have heard really good things about Barcroft. Now I am starting to worry that it might not be that great. We thought the Barcroft -> Kenmore -> Wakefield pyramid would be a good one. Now I am not sure what to do - sounds like there are some good choice options for elementary but then what?

Please go visit the school, meet with the principal and talk to current parents (of both younger and older kids) before making judgments about a school based on an anonymous forum.