The Council made a major leap forward with its recent vote on the FCHC project, particularly because it scratched “affordable housing” off the City’s big to-do list. There is a lot more to be done on that project, as well as the City center and other related projects around town, but the big decisions have already been made.
In fact over the last few years, the Council has made a number of moves on development, open space (Hamlett tract, Lee Street, West End) and residential infill development (substandard lots) that have taken a number of long-standing issues off the table.
So now what? How should the Council fill its time over the next two years? Should it just devolve into “Dave & Nader Verses the World: An Extended Pre-Election Slugfest” – or are there real priorities that can be addressed? I might suggest the following for the Council consideration:
- Zoning Code Rewrite: This is already in process – and it is both critically important and likely to ignite nasty battles within the City. Our zoning code is extremely out-of-date, but you can already hear the litany of those whose properties will be impacted by changes: “you’re taking my property rights”, “this is a solution in search of a problem”, “I like everything just the way it is”, etc. It will take a lot of courage and focus for the Council to get through this – and there will be plenty of opportunities for bomb-throwers.
- New High School: GMHS is old and will need to be replaced soon (and that has nothing to do with condos or expanding school populations). The new Washington-Lee High School is going to cost Arlington something like $150 million. Replacing GMHS won’t be that much, but no one should be surprised with $75-$80 million. Where is that money going to come from – and how soon thereafter will we have to replace TJ? This is going to be a multi-year planning effort that will require the Council and the School Board to work closely together and stay on the same page.
- Rectangular Playing Fields: Pocket parks are nice, but kids need more places to play sports. Continually telling ourselves that “it is a problem” isn’t getting us anywhere. The City is going to need to make some big – and likely expensive – moves to acquire or better utilize big acreage. Per my prior post, I would start by putting artificial turf at Madison and Roberts Park ASAP – and triple the utilization at a pretty low cost. But that is just me.
- Develop other parts of the City: It is time to focus again on West End and the Gordon Road triangle. Where is the hotel that we have always wanted there – and how can we better utilize the south side of Route 7 along that strip? The south side of City Center is basically cooked now – and development on the north side will probably take another decade (at least). The Council should spend time thinking again about development in other parts of the City.
What would you add to the list?
