Taller Buildings Coming to Pike

June 18, 2012

Arlington County: Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Area Plan.

The county is shooting for a “bold” vision for Columbia Pike that will increase the height and density of buildings while saving 4,500 units of affordable housing. The county board voted Saturday to advertise the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Area Plan and conduct public hearings on it in July.

Over a 30-year period, the Pike would see 4,500 new residential units in its “nodes” and 6,000 new residential units elsewhere, adding up to 26,000 total residences along that stretch of south Arlington. The “nodes” are the major intersections where development will be heaviest.

This latest plan considers changes to the residential neighborhoods between nodes, and the board only voted to advertise these changes, not to accept them.

As well, the county hopes to save 4,500 units of affordable housing along the Pike. The units may be “committed” affordable, meaning the property is guaranteed to remain affordable for an agreed to number of years, or “market rate” affordable meaning the units are older or in worse condition or in a bad location so that they rent more cheaply than similar apartments.

In all of this, one thing is certain: buildings along the Pike will get taller if the plan is implemented. The plan itself calls for more buildings at the six-, eight- and 10-storey height. However, more height might also be available through what’s called transfers of development rights, or TDRs.

Using current rules and working with housing partners, planner David Cristeal said the county reaches about 3,150 affordable units. The gap, the 1,500 units more that they want to save, will be filled using various incentives, especially TDRs.

Under a TDR, a company can build affordable housing on one site and add the lost development rights--or recoup the lost income--by building more floors on a building in another location than would normally be allowed.

In the parlance of development, the “sending site” gets the affordable housing, while the “receiving site” gets the bonus height. The rule of thumb is that the receiving site gets at least three times the space of the affordable units on the sending site. In this case, the county needs 4,500 receiving units to allow for the 1,500 affordable units they are trying to save.

Board member Jay Fisette put forward a motion that was accepted saying the nodes on the Pike should receive the “bulk” of the 4,500 units.

This had John Snyder concerned. Snyder is the Treasurer of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, an active member in forming the plan.

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Comments (21)

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While you're at it

Google 'streetcar accidents Toronto'

Barry 330 days ago

Google "streetcar accidents'

Google "streetcar accidents" and read how wonderful Portland has hundreds each year involving streetcars and streetcar tracks.

L 330 days ago

Articulated Buses

Want to see what 21st Century articulated buses look and ride like, google 'Las Vegas Ace Bus'.

Ted 332 days ago

Artist's Depiction - Where?

What is the approximate location on the Pike that's depicted by the artist?

Tom 333 days ago

More Charades

Even the artist's depiction is a charade. Pike will be a canyon filled with ugly tall buildings like 5500.

More Charades 333 days ago

Media Coverge of Anything

The local media trade ad revenue and access to public officials and local VIPs in the private sector for silence on issues like articulated buses on the Pike.

Since Mercury doesn't run ads it's all about access.

They all want to emulate Scott McCaffrey, who's on the Executive Committee of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Editor of a multi-jurisdiction local newspaper. Scott doesn't allow more than one innocuous comment to appear in any of his news blogs every week.

Want to read about articulated buses, go to the Arlington Yupette blog.

BTW, June 21st is the last day for public comments about Pike transit. They go to info@piketransit.com

L 334 days ago

Articulated Buses on the Pike and Crystal City

Arlington Yupette blog is the only local blog or media outlet that has featured articulated buses. I think they have all been told not to by the VIPs they interview.

DH 334 days ago

Second the Motion

I want a streetcar on the Pike, the Wright streetcar..Why do I have to visit the Arlington Yupette blog to see what one looks like?

Terri 334 days ago

Wright streetcar

I want a Wright streetcar on the Pike. Check it out on the Web. Where's the artist's depiction, Steve?

Wright streetcar 334 days ago

Pike Wiil Be aACanyon

The Pike is gonna be a canyon linded with ugly brick buildings. TDRs are gonna be used to illegally move low wage minority workers from upscale neighborhoods to the Pike. County will pressure long time owners of older buildings to sell for redevelopment. Affordable housing will be unaffordable for retail and restaurant workers.

And, as usual, the major decisions will be made by non-residents and rubber stamped by the County Board (who won't be around to experience the bad outcomes).

karenisjane 334 days ago

How high will they go?

I'm all for redevelopment, but this is terrible:

"In all of this, one thing is certain: buildings along the Pike will get taller if the plan is implemented. The plan itself calls for more buildings at the six-, eight- and 10-storey height. However, more height might also be available through what’s called transfers of development rights, or TDRs.

Using current rules and working with housing partners, planner David Cristeal said the county reaches about 3,150 affordable units. The gap, the 1,500 units more that they want to save, will be filled using various incentives, especially TDRs."

So we're talking 12-15 story buildings on the pike just so we can cram more affordable housing in? 3150 affordable units and 10 story buildings sound reasonable. But no, we're talking buildings 4-5 stories taller than the Halstead (8 stories) just to influence developers to include more affordable units? Way to completely undermine a successful redevelopment of the Pike. Is the only way to comment through attending in person hearings/meetings?

Duped 334 days ago

Massive Censorship

You are absolutely correct. County Board is leaning hard on the local media to prevent citizens and taxpayers from finding out how good the Las Vegas articulated ACE buses are. Meaning - "You are off the Chamber's Board of Directors if you dare mention 'Las Vegas Articulated ACE Bus' in your newspaper or it's blog".

Pete 335 days ago

Pike Density

During the Pike Charette the community was quite clear about what we wanted fro density. Now the Arlington County Board wants to break their promise to us. Nice to know what the word of the County Board is worth.

John Antonelli 335 days ago

Google "Las Vegas ACE Bus"

Hey everybody, word is that the County Board is massively censoring information about articulated buses, so do a Google search on "Las Vegas ACE Bus" and watch the YouTube videos. It's a streetcar on rubber tires.

Articulate 335 days ago

Reality vs. Artist Renderings

Streets, buildings, street trees, sidewalks, medians, street lighting, community parks are generally neglected almost everywhere in central and south Arlington. This is consistent with 'planning' that sees every middle class neighborhood as a redevelopment opportunity. Why fix or maintain anything if it's going to be torn up or torn down in 5, 10, 15 years?

L 336 days ago

Please Be Real About the Pike

How about getting real, rather than showing us artist renderings? If Zimmerman has his way the Pike will be a canyon with dying trees, ugly buildings (like 5500), crumbling sidewalks, terrible traffic, and run down postage stamp parks like the overused and unmaintained park at the Pike and Walter Reed.

Pike Rider 336 days ago

TDR - Illegal Resegregation

Why doesn't Mercury report that the transfer of development rights as practiced by Arlington County (removal of minorities from upscale neighborhoods and concentrating them in affordable housing neighborhoods) is illegal according to Virginia's fair housing laws?

Larry 336 days ago

Please Show Us the Transit Alternatives

OK, we're seen what a streetcar would look like. Show us what an articulated bu would look like on the Pike

Alternatives 336 days ago

Increasingly Absurd

Steve can't show us an artist's depiction of what an articulated bus traveling down the Pike would look like because there are NO artist's depictions. No artist depictions of double deck buses rolling down the Pike either

Five hundred million dollars, $500 million dollars, spent on a corrupt County Board vanity project where $100 million would buy us an articulated bus system and $25 million would buy us a hybrid double deck bus system, neither of which would be powered by burning mountaintop coal.

L O L 336 days ago

County Governmetn PR

Steve, why did you stick around the County Board meeting for hours taking notes if what you are going to post on this blog about Saturday's CB meeting is PR generated by the County Manager's Office?

Pike Resident 336 days ago

Show Us the Alternatives

Can we please see a depiction of what an articulated bus traveling down the Pike would look like?

TG 336 days ago

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