Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Yes, this! Playing footsie with NIMBYs is a losing game for anyone who cares about solving problems. When local NIMBY groups say they want “better planning,” “smart growth,” or “budget forecasts,” it’s all subterfuge. They could get each and every one of those things, and they’ll still be unsatisfied. Because their real goal is to oppose new development, anywhere, full stop. They don’t like tall buildings, they don’t want more people to live here, and they don’t want the look of their neighborhoods to change (even if the residents change as the wealth required to live there surges).

Maybe Susan will learn that lesson as a board member after she sees the usual NIMBYs rally against every affordable housing project that comes to the board, despite their insistence that they “support affordable housing.”

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The boomers are slowly checking out of Arlington through death or moving to nicer places. They are losing their political power daily. About 60% f the households in Arlington now live in rentals and by about 2030, it will be 75%. Even the Expanded Housing Options now being challenged will result in more rentals than homeownership. Plans are proceeding for several affordable housing buildings, including the high rise that will replace the garden style Leckey Apartment behind the Lee Heights Shops. DiFerrante and Cunningham will be the only members who live in single family houses, and they have shown no concern for owners of single family houses.

Arlington's board is becoming more in tuned with renters and homeowners in multifamily housing. Lame members like Garvey who lives in Fairlington will pay her usual lip service to single family owners until another renter gets on the board.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Yes, this! Playing footsie with NIMBYs is a losing game for anyone who cares about solving problems. When local NIMBY groups say they want “better planning,” “smart growth,” or “budget forecasts,” it’s all subterfuge. They could get each and every one of those things, and they’ll still be unsatisfied. Because their real goal is to oppose new development, anywhere, full stop. They don’t like tall buildings, they don’t want more people to live here, and they don’t want the look of their neighborhoods to change (even if the residents change as the wealth required to live there surges).

Maybe Susan will learn that lesson as a board member after she sees the usual NIMBYs rally against every affordable housing project that comes to the board, despite their insistence that they “support affordable housing.”

Perhaps Susan will actually listen to the residents of Arlington and their wants and needs rather than pretend to care? The residents of Arlington county choose to live here because it is a wonderful suburb of DC - they do not want to live in a city. There are some board members and potential board members that are so progressive that they are trying to sell off every inch of this county to developers that will get rid of everything that makes Arlington so nice to live in. And their motivations are not for the residents as we have seen by Cristol's exit right into a job with a big developer. They are using this county for their own personal agendas.

Who is "they"? A common NIMBY mistake is to assume that everyone thinks exactly as they do. You're ignoring the many Arlington residents who told the County, in survey responses and feedback forms and public testimony, that they support the missing middle initiative. Not to mention that you're ignoring majority of Arlington voters who resoundingly rejected Audrey Clement's anti-MM campaign. Some home owners definitely fit your description, to be fair. Neither they nor you speak for all Arlington residents or even most of them.

Side note - Katie's new job isn't with "a big developer." It's with a non-profit business improvement district, much like the Langston Boulevard Alliance. She can apply her experience as an Arlington county board member to help make Tysons less car dependent, more transit accessible, and an overall better place to live and work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Yes, this! Playing footsie with NIMBYs is a losing game for anyone who cares about solving problems. When local NIMBY groups say they want “better planning,” “smart growth,” or “budget forecasts,” it’s all subterfuge. They could get each and every one of those things, and they’ll still be unsatisfied. Because their real goal is to oppose new development, anywhere, full stop. They don’t like tall buildings, they don’t want more people to live here, and they don’t want the look of their neighborhoods to change (even if the residents change as the wealth required to live there surges).

Maybe Susan will learn that lesson as a board member after she sees the usual NIMBYs rally against every affordable housing project that comes to the board, despite their insistence that they “support affordable housing.”

Perhaps Susan will actually listen to the residents of Arlington and their wants and needs rather than pretend to care? The residents of Arlington county choose to live here because it is a wonderful suburb of DC - they do not want to live in a city. There are some board members and potential board members that are so progressive that they are trying to sell off every inch of this county to developers that will get rid of everything that makes Arlington so nice to live in. And their motivations are not for the residents as we have seen by Cristol's exit right into a job with a big developer. They are using this county for their own personal agendas.

Who is "they"? A common NIMBY mistake is to assume that everyone thinks exactly as they do. You're ignoring the many Arlington residents who told the County, in survey responses and feedback forms and public testimony, that they support the missing middle initiative. Not to mention that you're ignoring majority of Arlington voters who resoundingly rejected Audrey Clement's anti-MM campaign. Some home owners definitely fit your description, to be fair. Neither they nor you speak for all Arlington residents or even most of them.

Side note - Katie's new job isn't with "a big developer." It's with a non-profit business improvement district, much like the Langston Boulevard Alliance. She can apply her experience as an Arlington county board member to help make Tysons less car dependent, more transit accessible, and an overall better place to live and work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Yes, this! Playing footsie with NIMBYs is a losing game for anyone who cares about solving problems. When local NIMBY groups say they want “better planning,” “smart growth,” or “budget forecasts,” it’s all subterfuge. They could get each and every one of those things, and they’ll still be unsatisfied. Because their real goal is to oppose new development, anywhere, full stop. They don’t like tall buildings, they don’t want more people to live here, and they don’t want the look of their neighborhoods to change (even if the residents change as the wealth required to live there surges).

Maybe Susan will learn that lesson as a board member after she sees the usual NIMBYs rally against every affordable housing project that comes to the board, despite their insistence that they “support affordable housing.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Yes, this! Playing footsie with NIMBYs is a losing game for anyone who cares about solving problems. When local NIMBY groups say they want “better planning,” “smart growth,” or “budget forecasts,” it’s all subterfuge. They could get each and every one of those things, and they’ll still be unsatisfied. Because their real goal is to oppose new development, anywhere, full stop. They don’t like tall buildings, they don’t want more people to live here, and they don’t want the look of their neighborhoods to change (even if the residents change as the wealth required to live there surges).

Maybe Susan will learn that lesson as a board member after she sees the usual NIMBYs rally against every affordable housing project that comes to the board, despite their insistence that they “support affordable housing.”

Perhaps Susan will actually listen to the residents of Arlington and their wants and needs rather than pretend to care? The residents of Arlington county choose to live here because it is a wonderful suburb of DC - they do not want to live in a city. There are some board members and potential board members that are so progressive that they are trying to sell off every inch of this county to developers that will get rid of everything that makes Arlington so nice to live in. And their motivations are not for the residents as we have seen by Cristol's exit right into a job with a big developer. They are using this county for their own personal agendas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Yes, this! Playing footsie with NIMBYs is a losing game for anyone who cares about solving problems. When local NIMBY groups say they want “better planning,” “smart growth,” or “budget forecasts,” it’s all subterfuge. They could get each and every one of those things, and they’ll still be unsatisfied. Because their real goal is to oppose new development, anywhere, full stop. They don’t like tall buildings, they don’t want more people to live here, and they don’t want the look of their neighborhoods to change (even if the residents change as the wealth required to live there surges).

Maybe Susan will learn that lesson as a board member after she sees the usual NIMBYs rally against every affordable housing project that comes to the board, despite their insistence that they “support affordable housing.”

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The funniest thing to me about the Arlington elections is that the progressives pushed for ranked choice voting, didn’t like the outcome and so banned it. I will never stop laughing at that.

I thought that they used Rank choice yo make sure Coffey got in.

Anonymous wrote:The funniest thing to me about the Arlington elections is that the progressives pushed for ranked choice voting, didn’t like the outcome and so banned it. I will never stop laughing at that.

Anonymous wrote:Susan will likely struggle to find that any plan or proposal is sufficiently planned or researched, because when your political base is built upon opposing stuff, it's sorta hard to figure out what you should be for. That and she seems to desperately want to be part of the Democratic establishment, which is gross. At least John Vihstadt had the courage and decency not to pretend to be some he wasn't.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a recent article on the Langston Blvd redevelopment plan (which has now replaced MM as their hot topic) current Arlington County Board: https://www.arlnow.com/2023/10/16/arlington-county-board-sets-hearings-for-next-month-on-langston-blvd-plan/

Quote from current board member de Ferranti:

"This is a burning priority for me and so, this almost rises to level of office vacancy rate for me,” de Ferranti said,..."

(FYI: Arlington County’s office vacancy rate was 23.7% in the first quarter of 2023 per ArlNow article.)

And this word salad from Libby Garvey:

“The more we can figure out some tools, and continue to work on getting better tools and continue monitoring, that will get us closer to our goals.”

Um, what?

Can't fix existing problems but let's go ahead a make another mess over here on Langston Blvd. This is what we are dealing with folks.

The comment section is brutal - very detailed analysis that the County Board is taking a "ready, fire, aim" approach. But what else is new?

Ah yes, the Arlnow comments section. NIMBYism at its finest!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone following? If so, share your thoughts on the candidates. I like Susan Cunningham but not sure about the other 3 options. There at 2 seats open, so not sure about the 2nd choice.

Vote Maureen. It’s time someone cares about renters

Are you kidding? Between pickle ball courts, dog parks, and missing middle, all this county does is court renters.

Seriously. The political math is already tilted towards renters, and the trend is only going in one direction.

But this thread is pointless - the two winners will be the ones who win the Dem primary. As is tradition.

What about providing more housing and expanded services for the unhoused in Arlington?