Arlington County Government, VA Board Wrap-Up, 7 Nov 2017

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From YouTube: Board Wrap Up: October 2017

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Board Vice-Chair Katie Cristol and her guest, Board Member Libby Garvey discuss important decisions made at the October Board meeting.

Budget Forecast: 0:52
Accessory Dwelling RTA: 5:55
Washington Blvd GLUP 11:12
Next Gen 9-1-1 17:12
Central Library Upgrade 22:14

A

Hello and welcome to County Board wrap-up, our monthly look at some of the important decisions the Arlington County Board takes at its monthly meetings. I'm Kara Donnell your host and with me here today sitting in for board, chair Jay Fassett is our Lincoln County Board Vice Chair Katie crystal along with her board colleague, Libby Garvey, and on today's show, we're gonna be talking about the upcoming budget, glup sand, RTA's next gen 9, 1, 1 and alot. More we're gonna explain what that means.

A

We will explain what that means, because it's a lot of acronyms all the time Katie Libby. Thank you both for being here. Let's start out, we can't believe it is budget season again. It seems like we talk about this all the time, but the county manager did share his budget forecast with the board at this past month meeting. And how would you characterize the outlook for the next fiscal year where.

B

Do things stand at this point sure, so we are looking at a budget gap, at least on the county side of the ledger and we're anticipating schools will identify their own budget gap as well. That doesn't mean that the economic picture isn't a good one in Arlington County. We do expect modest growth and assessments. The county manager is assuming at this time no change to the tax rate.

B

We do have the lowest tax rate in Northern Virginia, and we intend to keep it in that sphere, but even assuming that operations and services largely continue at the existing levels. With the expansion of some transit service on Columbia Pike, we are expecting pressures from both an increase in the funding required to Metro and then from the increase required in meeting the needs of more students at our public schools. I.

A

Was just gonna say: that's really kind of the big the elephant in the room, so you know we need this additional funding for both schools and for Metro and the budget that the manager proposed doesn't even take ApS into account. At this point right.

B

So the manager has not yet proposed a budget that will come a little bit later in the process. Our next action as a board is to give direction to the manager. Basically, what that does is set some parameters around what it is that we expect him to bring to us with his recommendations, which then will spend the spring deliberating on really unpacking a lot of deep dives and deliberative conversations, our own, the adopted budget. We hope so it is correct that we've not yet seen ApS is or the superintendent's proposed budget.

B

They go through that same cycle, the superintendent first, the board gives direction. The superintendent purpose is a budget, and then the school board adopts it. Theirs happens a little faster than ours does so that we can take the information about their means and roll it into or incorporate it into. The overall adopted County budget and.

C

I think what you're gonna, what you heard, though that's a little different, because this is gonna be I. Think my twenty second budget kept the school I think we're doing a lot more talking about long term. We weren't, you know looking ahead sort of a sense that we can't keep doing things just the way we've been doing them. We need to do them a little differently and we're not gonna want to do that suddenly, but to kind of look at. Are there some ways we can do things differently?

C

Get some efficiencies change a little bit, how we approach things and while metro and the schools they are the elephant, the room, if you want, but it's an elephant, we talk about a lot. Absolutely we talk about a lot and for schools. Not only is it the increase in students, it's the new schools. So when you put in a new school, so increasing students is like you have to hire teachers.

C

When you put in a new school, that's a new principal, it's a new building, it's a new library, it's so there's its instead of just kind of gradually going up. You kind of take a step up, so that's one of the things we're gonna be dealing with, but.

A

We did talk about. You know that gap. What are some of the things you're looking at at this point? Granted it's still very preliminary at this point. This is really just the start of the discussions. How are we gonna kind of bring that together and get everyone on the same page? So.

B

The manager has been in conversation with his department heads for a number of months, and now we've started to a rather staff has started to take this question to the public. What can we live without? What's really important for us to protect? Are there areas that we'd like to see grow and at the expense of which other programs, the county manager's office, has been engaging in a series of roundtables all around the county?

B

I know there was one last night, just at a lynx tim brown community center on lee highway to ask people exactly those questions he's also been meeting with our commissions, who are folks who study particular areas. The budget really deeply and often have especially informed feedback to give us about. As Libby was saying what things we might do differently, what areas we could refine and what areas really needs some attention in this upcoming budget now.

A

You mentioned the budget roundtables. This is something that's very new this year. It's that really hearing hearing from the community different factors of the community. This early in the process in this kind of smaller intimate roundtable setting. Let's talk a little bit about sure.

B

They actually began last year and last year they were often joint with APs I. Do think that a number of them has expanded and grown this year, because I think our citizens are interested in coming to participate. The other way that we take feedback, of course, is by comments online, which is something that we always encourage people to do. We know we know not. Everybody can attend a meeting at 7 p.m.

B

sometimes that's witching hour for dinner or a good time, but we're really interested in really honestly continuously iterating continuously improving continuously finding more ways for people to engage. So this really builds on some work that began last year. Sometimes.

C

These smaller groups, we think, can get better conversation going and people really a little bit more intimate, and you can really talk about things because sometimes we just it feels a little bit like it's theater. We say this, they say you know and but to really communicate. I think we're trying to do that. More and I think that's really healthy. Have.

A

You heard that of the dialogue has been going.

C

Well, yes, I heard from some people: I don't know about you Katie, but I've had some folks say they really they're they're liking, it so we'll see and the discussions.

A

Will continue whatever.

C

A

The Board also considered several requests to advertise at the October meeting, the first one being concerning accessory dwellings. So let's talk a little bit, you first approve those accessory dwellings almost a decade ago and we're revisiting those now. Why well.

B

In that almost a decade, we've seen very few of these accessory dwellings in Arlington County and so we're revisiting the ordinance and potential changes to the zoning ordinance that might allow more flexibility so that we get more of them, and this is probably a great opportunity to talk about why we want to see more accessory dwellings and, in fact, what they are they're, probably most recognizable to people as English, basements or granny.

A

Flats, exactly and.

B

They're an exciting opportunity for Arlington to think about how to introduce some affordability into our single-family neighborhoods and how to allow more people to age in place. We know that the average rent for an accessory dwellings, the ones that we have is about $1,000 a month which is much more affordable than a lot of other rental housing options. We also know it's a great income stream and in fact the majority of people who have these accessory dwellings are seniors.

B

So it's a great way to bring in a little bit of an income stream off your house and it's a great way to introduce diversity and a little more affordability of housing forms into our neighborhoods. That said, we want to do that in a way that protects what people love about the neighborhoods. The way they look and feel the number of cars they might express, I expect on their streets and the number of kids we expect for our schools.

B

So we want to shape this zoning ordinance amendment in a way that encourages accessory dwellings, but is also responsive to some of the concerns we've heard from the communities specifically.

A

Talking the parking things, these are not areas that have the big parking garages for the condo buildings or what-have-you. These are often those smaller side streets.

B

When single-family homes- and you know- and because this is a zone, awareness amendment that would apply to most of our single-family neighborhoods, it's important to know they're, not all concentrated around transit. So often when we add more people more housing units, we do so in a really coordinated way where those people can take transit and don't have to rely on cars. The accessory dwellings will be permitted and in neighborhoods or the access to transit isn't quite as robust, ok,.

A

And what's interesting, you didn't actually take action on this at the meeting, but rather went through that RTA or rather request to advertise. Tell me a little bit about this process. Why we even go through this process? Absolutely.

B

So the advertisement of the scope of changes that we might consider before the board, the actual advertisement itself- is required by state law, but the board waiting in to shape what the language of that advertisement is. Isn't it's a practice? That's evolved in Arlington, because we've learned that you cannot take a policy action outside the scope of what you've advertised so doing these RTA's. These requests to advertise hearings lets us as board members shape the parameters of what it is that we will then be considering with the community I think it allows for a discussion.

B

That's more focused where people feel like the concerns that they're interested in raising they have room to raise, and it gives us as board members a little bit of a preview about some of those issues we really are seeking tours with the community with staff yeah.

C

I know I think.

B

So I think it improves.

C

The advertisement and one of the things we talked a lot we're always consulting our attorney because, as Katie said, we can't go broader. We can go narrower from what gets advertised, okay, so and and every now, and then we'll advertise something in realized which we did I think with the exotic species. So you always said you got to go back. You have to even riad vert eyes if you want to make something broader, but if you make it smaller, it's okay, so we try.

C

When we do, the author's say is to make it the request authorized. We try to make it pretty broad and again it's to get people to comment and look at it and, in fact, I've found that when we actually have something comes before the board and we vote on it, people pay attention.

C

Otherwise people are likely to not pay attention till it comes to it later and then it's kind of too late to make some of the some of the changes. So it's really part of our communication process. It.

A

Really just kind of get everybody on the same page to start that discussion so.

A

Where do we go from here, specifically with the accessory dwellings and then the other request to advertise that we have this absolutely so.

B

What we advertised is public hearings by the Planning, Commission and County Board, and those will take place in November. It's an opportunity to further refine the proposed zoning ordinance amendments which I should mention, are actually the recommendations of a workgroup. We're really grateful to our citizen leaders, our commissioners and those who have engaged with them through an accessory dwellings, workgroup that did recommend these changes to us. So the conversation continues. There'll be formal hearings by the Planning Commission and the county board in November and we'll look forward to making some changes in November.

B

We hope to encourage this use.

A

Well, we're gonna take a short break now, but when we come back, we're going to be talking glup and the future of 911s.

C

A

Welcome back to County Board wrap up where we're chatting today with County Board, Vice Chair Katie crystal and board member Libby Garvey about some of those key issues that came before the County Board at its October meeting. Welcome back to both of you. Now we mentioned we teased the glup or rather general land-use plan for those not on the acronym train and the board set up public hearings on three different general land-use plan. Amendment requests: let's specifically talk about the Washington Boulevard. What is on the table here? Absolutely.

B

Well, it probably makes sense to back up and talk about what is the glove anyway right. So the glove is our general land-use plan. As you mentioned, it is essentially the primary policy guide for development and how land will be used in Arlington. It establishes the extent and the location of different land uses whether they be mixed commercial, residential and we are actually required by state law to have a general land use plan. So it's a guiding document that we really return to often when it comes to development and redevelopment of property in Arlington County.

B

We the reason we're considering an amendment to the glove or the reason we consider an amendment for any amendment to the glove is that we have a request from property owners for parcels that lie outside of an existing sector plan, in this case the Virginia square sector plan. So generally, if you're gonna redevelop a parcel in Rosslyn or Boston, or Virginia Square or somewhere along the route 1 corridor in Pentagon, City or Crystal City. We have policy guidance that the community has worked together to shape exactly in the form of sector plans or area plans.

B

This is an area this area around Washington, Boulevard and Kirkwood. That is a little bit outside of that community process, and so it merits its own community process and that's what we're considering today is those three different parcels, two of which are currently the home of some major Civic and community institutions, the American Legion and the YMCA. So that's what's on the table right now, what.

A

Are they looking to change? What are we what's really the grand swell they're looking.

C

To what we call up, glup, which which is to increase the density and increase with it, because yet another yeah, yet another acronym, you know- and it's can us talking about so we have your sector plans and site plans in certain areas. Other areas we don't and it's usually where there's a lot of density and growth and basically we're growing and becoming more urban. And if you drive along that section of Kirkwood along Washington Boulevard, it's clear that we're about to get more a little more dense, a little more.

C

It's kind of the the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the VFW's post there that was built in the 40s I think it was, and the Y is clearly you know really needs to be renovated and changed in the whole area has a feel of decades ago. So we're gonna they're asking for more nesting in part because both of those nonprofits like many nonprofits, they are cash-poor and resource rich.

C

So the the property they're on has become really quite valuable, because this is a very desirable place to be, but they don't have a lot of cash to make the improvements that they need to. So what they would like to do is partner with a developer and be able to get more value on that land, which generally means building up some and it's I. Think if you look along Washington Boulevard, that's very appropriate, but you need to be careful that you step down and protect the neighborhoods, which is what we always want to do.

C

So that's kind of how we found ourself here and then there is also a private developer. So it's three different interests on that one spot. So it's been very involved, for you know, staff and our citizens to work through and.

B

There's a community interest here, as well as a developer interest which, as Libby was describing this really does have the feel of a type of development that we no longer strive for in Arlington. It's very automobile oriented, for example, that one two story sure.

A

Yeah well parking lot and working and smoking less is the.

B

More important point right, and so we really are seeing this is an opportunity to create a more pedestrian oriented place that better reflects that sort of welcoming environment, more harmonious transition to the neighborhood that we've so deliberately tried to achieve in other parts of the county. So you know it's I, think about it. Not only is the opportunity to modernize these civic institutions but to achieve that sort of pedestrian bike accessible nature that we see elsewhere, even just in Virginia Square,.

C

And we do hear from folks who are concerned about the debt with the density which we understand, but you know Virginia is what they call a by Wright State and if we don't allow a little more density on these sites, I think both the VFW and the wire likely to not be able to afford to do the upgrades that they need to do and it may actually force them into selling the property. If they sell the property it could be bought by any sort of non.

C

You know a profit-making put and suddenly we're gonna lose these two. You know really valuable community resources, so sometimes I think Pete and I had totally understand it. People don't want things to change, but unfortunately, that's not really an option. It's something's got to change so we're trying to manage it as well as we can for the good of everybody and.

A

This is, this is a chance also for the public to then provide feedback.

C

Process as we change as we grow and change how they want to do what.

A

Is staff recommend it through this process that we do move forward with some of these stuff.

B

C

B

Where the RTA meets a glove change, so we did advertise some changes and we'd encourage people who are interested, especially those who live in the neighborhood or those who care about the future of these institutions to check out the proposed plan that staff has developed. It's pretty comprehensive, it's more than just your average board report. You know dry words on a page. There are a lot of maps there a lot of circulation plans.

B

There are a lot of visions for how the mature trees would be expected to be protected, and- and so that's a it's a little bit more accessible, sometimes than our average board report might be. We'd encourage those who are interested to check out that special proposed special glove plus study for Washington, Boulevard and Kirkwood right.

C

And, unlike the advertisement for the affordable Wehling units, that's coming back to us in November I believe this is not gonna. This won't come back to us. The glove changes won't come back until it's actually a site plan, so it could be actually years before we that do the follow up, though,.

A

If you will so, there is.

C

A lot of time for people to weigh in okay.

A

So this will be a long-term process that we are talking about for quite some time. But let's move on to a very interesting partnership, so to speak, an MoU for another one of our acronym memorandum, acronyms.

C

A

One with the city of Alexandria and this one concerns 911 services.

C

A

Interesting to me.

C

Well, good, it's it's I! Think it's great! You know we remember back to 9/11, and one of the issues was what they call interoperability, which meant that sometimes the firemen who were there safe from Arlington couldn't talk to the firemen from the district or from Alexander, because everybody came to the scene of that event and what we found was the radius people couldn't emergency responders, couldn't always talk to each other and they'd be end up using cell phones rather than their own radios.

C

So that was where one of them, one of the lessons from 911, was that we need to be able to work together better and we need to have equipment that can work across jurisdictions. So everybody's been improving in the region on that and we've actually come quite a long way and of course we buy for, like our 911 systems and emergency emergency call systems that over ears changes and needs to be upgraded and we're at that point so Alexandria and we cooperate with Alexandria quite a bit.

C

In fact, with some of our fire stations really on, the border run run to calls in Alexandria almost more than they do in Arlington. Yet there are lling ttan, but also Alexandria fire stations run calls in, and it's one of those things that the more we work together, the better it is, and we realize both Arlington and Alexandria at the same place needing to upgrade their systems and get it in the budget and behind it present. Why don't we work together and really make it seamless?

C

So when we get, we have a memo vendor at a Memorandum of Understanding which our board okay, that's got to be okayed by the City Council in Alexandria, and then it has to be worked out. Administrative Lee, but what will happen it happens now, but not as easily once we get the same system together, an emergency call in Arlington. If there's a problem for us respond, it could go instantly to Alexandria and vice versa. So the the person on the end of the line having the emergency won't be aware of it, but it will.

C

The call will be instantly taken to the place that can respond the fastest and the best. It also gives us backup. So we have our own 911 one Center and we have a backup system, because every now and then something happens and should that be a problem, then it'll go instantly to Alexandria and Alexandra can respond for us and handle the calls, or vice versa. Sometimes you have an evacuation of a building.

C

Sometimes something happens and the more backup you have the more resilient the system is so it also will save money because we're going together. So it's making us I think better service for money in an area. That's really important. It's important for our 9-1-1 calls to be able to handle, be handled efficiently and well and I think we're gonna prove that and.

A

We're not talking about just to be clear, we're not talking about merging the two services we are not talking about cutbacks to streamline. This is just kind of working, a continuity type of system.

C

Right and we have always cooperated what it is doing is making the cooperation even easier. We always have supported each other and in fact the region does. If you look at, we have agreements their agreements actually throughout the region. I'm on that Council of Governments, emergency preparedness, Council and one of the things we look at a little bit is the agreements around the whole region.

C

So we all work with each other and have memorandum of understanding of different kinds in emergency management, sometimes in the past that, like at 911 they're, even legal barricades, so who could get sued for what, if they cross this line or that line and we're basically trying to erase all of that and make it seamless so that we can just it's basically one regional team, so you're separate, but you also are cooperating and working together, much better and as we get larger and the issues get more complex, the faster and more efficient and more cooperative, we can be the better we'll serve our folks.

C

B

One other interesting development about the next generation on one, in addition to the improvements of the interoperability or mutual aid agreements that we have. That Libby mentioned is the next generation piece of that which is to try to create 911 systems. And you see it happening all across the United States that are more responsive to our wireless age. So allowing people to text to 911, for example, or send videos and.

C

Trace the calls, because originally 911, if it came from your Olay online, they knew exactly where you were as soon as you pick up the phone and that.

A

Was a problem and that problems for a longest so.

C

That's getting fixed yeah, there's a whole lot to break to bring it up and they do call it next generation, 9, 1, ok and.

A

Then this this will now allow for texting for video for photos for all of those GPS locations, modern, modern, a cell phone mobile. You know technology to really help to improve these.

C

Does this say this system say in Arlington and for somebody we don't have our fire? Trucks are out somewhere else and we need to go to Alexandria instead of like having to make a separate, physically sort of make the call it just instantly. It goes over there. Ok, so.

A

And speed better odds is better for speed of response with emergency services at the bottom line. All right! Well, that's one important upgrade, but another upgrade that is going that was approved was to kind of a beloved institution for Arlen Toni ins, and that is Central Library. Let's talk a little bit of you know what are some of the updates that are gonna happen? Why are they needed? What? What can the public expect? Absolutely so.

B

Folks might be surprised to find that Central Library, which feels like one of the beating hearts of Arlington Civic fabric, actually has not had a significant interior upgrade since the 1960s.

B

So this is overdue and it's an opportunity to really make sure that one of this, the most heavily trafficked spaces in our library systems, is more welcoming, lively and importantly accessible to everyone.

B

So folks will see a number of new spaces new meeting rooms, a multi-purpose maker lab, which is something that I know a lot of folks in the community in our small businesses, and a lot of our students are really excited about a redesigned public computer area, upgraded electrical systems, important and perhaps most importantly, more a.da improvements, Americans with Disabilities, Act or accessibility improvements to make sure that everyone who's experiencing Central Library feels welcome there, no matter what kind of mobility challenges they might have and.

C

You know our library is about so much more than lending books or having computers. We I think we want an award just recently for the lending library for the egg for the tool. So we have a tool shed. You can borrow garden tools, we have an energy lending library which we also won an award for, and that, like you, can borrow lend one of these machines that I'm gonna forget the word.

C

But it notes your house where, where the cold is coming out and where it's hot, where you've got the heat leaves yeah and those are those are difficult and expensive to buy or do in people. But you can just go right to the library and check one out.

A

Cool people never would expect to find in a public library.

C

Yes, if you haven't, visited our library lately check it out, cuz there's a lot going on it's about a whole lot. More than just you know, books and and distant things and.

A

But the library will stay open through this whole time, so the public should not worry about this to this closing for the renovations. No, this will happen during the public process and have a nice refresh when we're all doing.

B

It it'll be, you might need to pardon our best, but.

A

You certainly come.

B

And enjoy the library for the foreseeable future.

A

Wonderful well, that brings us to the end of another County Board wrap up Katie and Libby. Thank you so much for joining us again today to talk about some of the actions from the October board meeting. We will see you again next month and remember that all County Board meetings are indeed open to the public and they're live streamed right here on ATV. You can find the schedule and information on speaking at a board meeting on our website at county board.

A

Arlington Va us to learn how you can get involved in county government or to make sure your voice is heard on the issues visit us at topics. Arlington Va us / engage our civic engagement web page. That's where you can share your ideas and learn how to get involved in the county issues we'll be back with another county board, wrap-up after Thanksgiving, so enjoy the holiday. We'll see you again soon.