Image: Laboratory for Architecture & Building, Inc., via Arlington County.
The proposed "sun-room" addition to the Lyon Park Community House at 414 N. Fillmore St.
The county board is set tomorrow to vote on three projects that the Merc has covered recently.
As part of their consent agenda (the projects that are voted on in one block without discussion), the county board will approve the historic designation of the Calloway Church cemetery.
It's a designation the church has sought for its cememtery for a couple years. The High View Park neighborhood--home to the church for 145 years--in north Arlington has a long history in Arlington's African-American community, which in turn plays a large role in the county's history as well.
Also on the consent agenda is a $40,348 amendment to a contract with OCULUS, the company redevelopming Penrose Square on Columbia Pike. The money covers "construction administration services." The amount includes contingencies.
"These services were identified in the original agreement as potential 'additional services,' but not originally included in the base services. During the construction of the Square, OCULUS and their team will be responsible for reviewing submittals, providing information and clarifications as needed, conducting inspections and observing construction work to ensure that the Square is completed as designed," the staff report says.
The regular meeting items include a discussion and vote on the plan to keep the garden-style apartments at Buckingham Village III rentals, and to make Community Development Block Grant and Affordable Housing Investment Fund loans to AHC, Inc., a local, non-profit, low-income housing provider. Those funds, not to exceed $6 million, will help AHC purchase and redevelop the "Shell Station Property" at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Greenbrier Street.
The county board also will look at a proposal to expand the Lyon Park Community House, originally built in the 1920s (they started construction in 1924 but had to halt construction until 1925 when the community raised another $800 to finish it! $800!).
Although the staff report on this item says they have heard that neighbors worry of garbarge and parking, the civic association and Historical Affairs and Landmarks Review Board are both supporting the measure. LPCA wrote in a letter to the board that the renovations will extend the life of the facility and will bring it into ADA compliance.
Tomorrow the county board will consider a use permit that allows for a parking waiver. The county manager is recommending approval, with six conditions.
Among those are the open hours of the building and its maximum occupancy, especially when the venue is rented for events such as weddings.
