Scott Sklar, AHCA President, brought meeting to order at 7:30 pm.
Scott mentioned that two potential newsletter editors have left, and the editor for the Lyon Park newsletter has stepped up to help us again. We need an editor for our newsletter! To be the editor one needs to have an IBM PC to work with the software, 85% of the format of the newsletter is set, with four articles left to be filled in. Once done the final newsletter will need to be emailed to the printer.
Brent Burris, our Open Spaces, Playgrounds and Parks Subcommittee Chair, was not here, but Scott mentioned there our concerns with outstanding temporary easements with county construction designs and what the latest is with Mosaic Park.
Jim Terpstra the AHCA Neighborhood Historian mentioned that our civic association will turn 100 years old in 2021. Now is a good time to start planning for this historical milestone. He is is gathering and reviewing the historical records of the Ashton Heights Civic Association and is putting them in order. Any neighbors who might have old AHCA newsletters/documents please share copies/originals with him. He will also be looking for someone to help scan his historical docs into electronic files. He will put a blurb in our newsletter.
Greg Morse the Schools Committee Co-chair mentioned that the County Board and School Board have created a joint working group to evaluate the Career Center site and to figure out how to accommodate an additional 700-800 seats at this location. Caroline Rogus and Polly Hall are AHCA reps on respective Arlington County Committees as AHCA will be keeping an eye on this. Also the revamping of the elementary school districts in Arlington County is seems to be heating up again with the School Board.
Brooke Alexander of our Tree Canopy and Native Plants Subcommittee brought two Red Bud whips to give away.
Scott mentioned that this year was going to be Scott’s 8th and final term as President, but since Julia Tanner has stepped down from as incoming shadowing President to assume the AHCA Presidency in May 2020, we now need another candidate to shadow for a year so as to step up to transition as President.
Gretchen Reinemeyer the Arlington Director of Elections and Registrar gave a talk about how Arlington is preparing for the 2019 Election. She showed a video about Election Security and took questions from the floor.
Presentation from P&H Investments re building design proposal for Joyce Motors Site at North 10th Street and North Irving Street location. This will include 240 rental apartments and 200 parking spaces in an underground garage, 3000 Sq ft Retail, with 7 – 10 street parking places, for what they call a “destination cafe” with outdoor seating. The facade of Joyce Motors will be included in the building facade including the white tiles and the pattern of the garage doors. The name of the building being proposed is The Joyce. At the south end of the building, along North 10th Street, the zoning allows for a height of 55 ft or 6 floors. The zoning allows at the north end of the building, closer to Wilson Blvd, a height of 110 ft or 11 floors. The alterations to the sector plan is the “taper line” of the building. Currently if the taper line is enforced, the building design would be too choppy along the roof line of the building. If the taper line were extended, the roof line of the building would be more gradual. This is the exception they are requesting to the Sector Plan. This proposal was being shared with us to get our input. We did not hear any major concerns from the floor, but there was a question about public accessibility to any green space on the site. This proposal will be shared with the county representatives in a few weeks. There is hope that construction can begin in about two years in 2022.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00 pm and AHCA members mingled, finished up the food and put away chairs.
Respectfully submitted by, Jodie Flakowicz, October 20, 2019.