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Letter from the President – Winter 2017

The Yorktown Civic Association Executive Board (YCA EC) has been busy tracking local issues and communicating with key stakeholders. Issues related to high school boundary changes, unusually high water bills, dangerous intersections, street lights, Lee Highway revitalization, Garden City Shopping Center, and graffiti have filled my inbox the last full months.

On October 27th, I sent a letter to the School Board stating the Yorktown Civic Association position on the high school boundary refinement proposal. In the letter, I stated that we were opposed increasing enrollment at Yorktown High School. I mentioned that the Yorktown High School building, common areas, gymnasium, athletic fields, parking lots, and the overall footprint were significantly smaller than Washington & Lee and Wakefield High Schools. We also felt that increasing the enrollment at Yorktown would have negative effects on parking and traffic in our neighborhood. Please go to the Yorktown Civic Association website (yorktowncivic.org) to view the letter. On December 1st, the School Board decided to refine the high school boundaries which will result in more students at Yorktown High School. For more information about the boundary changes, please go to the School Board website.

Over the last few months, hundreds of local homeowners have complained on Nextdoor and Facebook about their unusually high water bills. Some water bills were three times higher than a similar period a year ago. Several residents contacted the Utility Service Office to complain about their high water bills. After receiving unsatisfactory responses from the head of the office, the residents contacted the county ombudsman (Robert Sharpe), and County Board members. The highest levels of the county government are now aware of this issue but, unfortunately, utility bills have yet to be adjusted.

The Lee Highway Alliance (LHA) is now incorporated in Virginia as a non-profit 501(c)(4). The purpose of the Alliance is to [promote] revitalization and community development through civic engagement of the residential and business communities and interests along Lee Highway. I was selected as a board member and participated in the first official board meeting on January 7th.

Several residents expressed their concerns about dangerous intersections in our neighborhood. Harrison Street and 26th Street and North George Mason Drive and Yorktown Blvd are the
two intersections at the top of most resident’s list. I contacted Arlington County Transportation and Engineering and Operations Division and received an e-mail stating that neither intersection
meets the threshold for a traffic light. I will continue to work with the county to try to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in and around these intersections. Finally, please prepare for
the next snow event and do your best to clear your sidewalks. If you, or someone you know, needs help shoveling snow, please post a request for help on Nextdoor Yorktown or on Facebook.

Sincerely,
Mike Cantwell
President, Yorktown Civic Association
mtcantwell@msn.com

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Snow Removal

Be a Good Neighbor: Snow Removal

 

Snow and Ice Removal – All property owners (private residents and businesses) are required to remove snow and ice from public sidewalks adjacent
to their property:

  • Must be removed from the entire width of the sidewalk up to a maximum of 36 inches (to accommodate wheelchairs, strollers, etc.)
  • Must be removed within 24 hours after the snow stops falling, when accumulations are less than 6 inches, and within 36 hours when 6 or more inches of snow accumulate.
  • Noncompliance could result in a civil penalty and fine of $50 for sidewalks less than 200 linear feet in length or $100 for more than 200 feet.

If you know of a resident who is unable to clear their sidewalks because they are physically unable to shovel snow, please contact a member of the YCA Executive Committee. If you are just tired of shoveling, try connecting with your neighbors on the Yorktown Civic Association Facebook page or on Nextdoor Yorktown.

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Upcoming Yorktown Civic Association Meeting

Scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, 2017

The next meeting of the Yorktown Civic Association has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 1, starting at 7:30 p.m. in Yorktown High School, Patriot Room (enter from door 8 near the athletic field parking lot). Here’s the agenda:

Arlington County Ombudsman Robert Sharpe

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School Board Fast-Tracks High School Boundary Change Intended to Increase YHS Enrollment

Meeting Set for Monday, October 17 2016

On October 6, the Arlington School Board approved the process for the rapid adoption of high school boundary changes intended to increase the enrollment at Yorktown High School by at least 200 students. When the high school was rebuilt, the building was designed to hold 1600 students. The fall 2016 enrollment is just under 1900 students. The proposed changes would bring the enrollment to 2200 students or more.

APS will discuss the proposed boundary changes at 7 p.m. on Monday, October 17, in the YHS cafeteria. The final plan is scheduled for presentation to the School Board on November 3, 2016, with implementation of the new high school boundaries starting with the 2017-18 school year.

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Neighborhood Event Set for October 22, 2016, at Chestnut Hills Park

Join the YCA on Saturday, October 22 from 10AM to 2PM for a Neighborhood Day event at Chestnut Hills Park on Harrison Street.

The event will feature food trucks, musical entertainment (for both children and adults), a bounce house, arts and crafts, and a meet-and greet with great Arlington community organizations! More details, will be posted to the Yorktown Civic Association Facebook page.

Contact Amelia (amelia.i.frenkel@gmail.com) if you have any questions or would like to volunteer.

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Additional Improvements Planned for Chestnut Hills Park

In December 2012, funding was approved for frontage, safety and beautification improvements to Chestnut Hills Park through the County’s Neighborhood Conservation program. That funding was in addition to maintenance funding that resulted in the rebuilding of the park’s “tot lot” playground area. That work was completed in late 2014. The Parks department determined it was best to complete that work prior to performing the improvements funded through the Neighborhood Conservation program.

Information on the now-completed tot lot playground improvements can be found at: Chestnut Hills Park Preschool (2-5) Playground Redesign

A meeting was held on Thursday, August 13, 2015, to review the plans for the additional improvements.

Updated plans May, 2016

As approved by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee, the scope for the additional improvements is as follows:

Implement frontage and beautification improvements along the existing Chestnut Hills Park to promote pedestrian safety, increase curb appeal and unify the entire park. Improvements to the frontage of the site include: a new, set-back fence encompassing the lots on either end of the park with gated entrances as well as improved ADA accessibility to the site.

Pedestrian improvements could potentially include crosswalks with nubs for traffic calming, 3-5 Carlyle lights between the fence and the sidewalk and pervious paving along the edge of the sidewalk in certain areas to provide a wider surface.

Interior improvements include: new bences, an accessible pathway for the portable toilet, a new enclosure for the portable toilet and walkways connecting the lots on either end of the park with the central playgrounds.

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Football Field and Track to Close for Synthetic Turf Replacement

The civic association has been notified by Arlington County that both the football field and track at Greenbrier Park/Yorktown High School will be closed from June 13 through August 1, 2016, for replacement of the synthetic turf and other improvements.

The $1.6 million improvement project was approved by the County Board on April 16, with the cost being split between FY 2016 Pay-As-You-Go Parks maintenance capital funds and funding from Arlington Public Schools. $674,000 of the total was awarded to Fieldturf USA Inc for installation of an EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) and silica sand replacement field, which is expected to be “softer than crumb rubber and is less abrasive on turf fibers than rubber,” according to a press release from Arlington County.

In addition to installation of new turf, the project includes the addition of new inlaid game field markings (including mid-field logo and end zone lettering), replacement of corner flags, combination football/soccer goals, and discus cage, as well as necessary repairs to the field base. The total approved by the Board also includes expenses related to design, survey, construction and project management.

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County Board Approves Marymount Dormitory and Classroom Project

On July 9, 2007, the Arlington County Board approved plans to allow construction by Marymount University of a classroom building, dormitory and underground parking garage on the block currently used for surface-level parking at the corner of 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive. The approval came after months of meetings on the project, and ultimately a modification that eliminated one of the project’s major components, a proposed auditorium, along with wider building setbacks. Project construction is expected to begin by mid-2008.

A very detailed discussion of the project can be found on the county’s website at:

Marymount University Use Permit Updates

For additional information on the project, see:

Video of July 9, 2007, County Board hearing

Staff Report to County Board

After a discussion on the final project plans at the May 2007 civic association meeting, the executive committee voted to support the revised project design.

The project was first proposed in early 2006. On June 8, 2006, Marymount released the details of an amendment to the use permit application that would increase sidewalk widths and building setbacks, as well as reduce building sizes somewhat. However, the building height was not changed — the roofline of the new structures would match that of the adjacent St. Mary’s church. At the civic association’s October, 2006, meeting, the membership voted to oppose that version of the project.

YCA Oct. 2006 resolution on Marymount project

Under that proposal, the new building setbacks would be about 40 feet from the existing curb line. The dormitory would include 60 – 4 person suites. The underground parking structure would provide for a net increase of 210 spaces over the number provided by the current surface lot. The auditorium is expected to accomodate seating for 300.

The original use permit amendment application described the layout of the project as follows: “The classrooms and student housing surround a 350-seat theater/auditorium and are separated from it by internal passages reminiscent of narrow European streets. A campanile [freestanding bell tower] at the 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive intersection creates an identity for the University while also serving as a community gathering landmark. A landscaped plaza at Old Dominion Drive provides a gathering space for students, and a pedestrian bridge over Yorktown Boulevard allows direct, safe access to the Main Campus.”

The entrance to the new underground parking ramp would be located on Yorktown Boulevard, directly across from the entrance to the existing Marymount parking structure. A service entrance and loading docks would also included on the Yorktown Blvd. side of the project.

To read the complete Traffic Impact Analysis on the project, follow this link (NOTE: the PDF file is very large — 20 MB — and may take several minutes to open depending on your connection speed): Marymount TIA [PDF],