Post on 06-Apr-2018
CCOLUMBIA PIKE INITIATIVEA REVITALIZATION PLAN–UPDATE2 0 0 5
CDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY PLANNING, HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT
Planning Division
2100 Clarendon BoulevardSuite 700Arlington, VA 22201
Tel 703. 228. 3525Fax 703. 228. 3543Web www.arlingtonva.us
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECCONTENTS
F A I R
F A X
C O
U N
T Y
F AI R F A X C O U N T Y
F A L L S C H U R C H
A L E X A N D R I A
FORT MYER
ARLINGTON
NATIONAL
CEMETERY
CHAIN BRIDGE
KEY BRIDGE
ROOSEVELT BRIDGE
ARLINGTON MEMORIALBRIDGE
14TH ST.BRIDGES
R I V E R
PENTAGON
NATIONALAIRPORT
POTOMAC
WILLIA
MSBURG
BLVD
YORKTOWN BLVD
ARLINGTON
BLVD (
RT 50)
WALTER
REED
D
R
COLUMBIA
PIKE
WASHINGTON
BLVD
66
INTERSTATE
LEE
HWY
MILITA
RY RD
GEO
RGE M
ASO
N DR
SHIRLEY
H
WY
(I
-395
)
23RD ST
JEFF
ERSO
N D
AV
IS H
WY
RID
GE
R
D
WILSON
BLVD
LORCOM LANE
GEORG
E WASHINGTON M
EMO
RIAL PKW
Columbia Pike Corridor Location Map
Columbia Pike Corridor
D I S T R I C T O F C O L U M B I A
GLEBE
RD
N
INTRODUCTION......................... 3
LANDUSE,ZONING&URBANDESIGN ..... 9
Zoning............................... 17
GeneralLandUsePlan................... 18
HISTORICPRESERVATION ............... 19
HistoricBuildings ....................... 20
PARKS&RECREATION.................. 23
HOUSING............................... 27
TRANSPORTATION...................... 31
TransitImprovementsand
ProposedParkingLocations................ 31
BicycleandPedestrianImprovements......... 34
StreetImprovements..................... 35
ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT.............. 39
CONCLUSION........................... 45
APPENDIX.............................. 46
Acknowledgments
ArlingtonCountyBoard
ArlingtonCountyAdvisoryBoardsandCommissions
ArlingtonCountyPublicLibrary,VirginiaRoom
ColumbiaPikeCivicAssociationsandTaskForces
DepartmentofCommunityPlanning,HousingandDevelopment
DepartmentofEnvironmentalServices
DepartmentofParks,RecreationandCulturalResources
ArlingtonEconomicDevelopment
ColumbiaPikeRevitalizationOrganization
Dover,Kohl&Partners
Ferrell,MaddenandAssociates
WashingtonMetropolitanAreaTransitAuthority
VirginiaDepartmentofTransportation
AllInterestedCitizens
2|Contents
SpecialThanks
DepartmentofCommunityPlanning,HousingandDevelopment,PlanningDivision SusanBell ClaudeWilliamson BobBrosnan RichardTucker JimSnyder MargaretTulloch CitizenReviewers IntaMalis TomGreenfieldColumbiaPikeRevitalizationOrganization TimLynch
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
The community came together duringthe 2002 charrette to develop its visionforthePike.
INTRODUCTION
Purpose
T hisdocumentrepresentsthemostcurrentoverallframe-work for the revitalization
of Columbia Pike. It reconcilesthe vision for the Columbia Pikecorridor expressed in the ColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization Plan,adopted by the Arlington CountyBoardonMarch12,2002,withthespecific design recommendationsformulated during the 2002 com-munity-based charrette process andarticulatedintheFormBasedCode,adopted on February 25, 2003. Inaddition,itprovidesupdatesonpolicyand implementation initiatives rec-ommendedintheoriginalplan.Allaspectsofthepolicydescribedinthisdocument have, at one time or an-other,beenadoptedbytheArlingtonCountyBoard.
RefinedPolicyFramework
TheunderlyingvisionforColumbiaPike remains largely unchanged.That is, the goal continues to bethe transformation from an aging,auto-oriented, suburban, commer-cialstripbackintothemorevibrant,pedestrian-friendly, “Main Street”
destinationthatitoriginallywasandcouldbeyetagain.Theendgoalisanimproved,enhancedandwalkableMainStreetforSouthArlington.Aplace where people can live, workandplay–aplacethatisthecenterofthecommunity’ssocialandeconomiclife.
Whathaschanged,then, isnotsomuchthevision,butrathertheways
and means of achieving the desiredresults.The2002revitalizationplanforesawthecreationofanurbande-signmanual toguide and shapede-velopmentalongthePike.However,after further discussion among theCounty Board, the community, ur-ban design experts and staff, it wasdecidedinsteadtopursueamorein-novative,cutting-edgeapproach.
Introduction| 3
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECWorking with the consultant
teams of Dover, Kohl & PartnersandGeoffreyFerrellandAssociates,staff and over 700 members of theColumbiaPike community partici-patedinanintensive,highlyproduc-tivecharrette fromSeptember6-12,2002.Duringthecourseofthiscol-laborative visioning process, specificdesignprescriptionsemerged.Theserecommendationswerethendistilledand graphically and verbally repre-sentedby the consultants inwhat isnowtheFormBasedCode,apartoftheCounty’sZoningOrdinance.TheCode,withitsbuildingenvelopedia-grams,heightlimitations,streetscapeplans and other recommendationsand requirements is thus an expres-sion of the community’s goals in adetailed, cohesive format. BecausetheCodethusprovidespredictabilityfor thecommunity,aswell asprop-ertyowners,developersandinvestorsinterestedinredevelopingsitesalongthe Pike, it allows the developmentreview process to be streamlinedand accelerated. Furthermore, andperhapsmostimportantly,itprovidesthe community with the certaintythattheevolutionofthecorridorwillmatchitsdesiresforthefuture.
HistoricalContext
ColumbiaPikeisoneofArlington’soldest thoroughfares. Significantdevelopment began in the early1900s, following improvementsin road conditions and rail service.Streetcar service came to the areabyWorldWar Iwithabranch lineconnecting theRosslyn andNauckneighborhoods through Fort MyerthatcrossedthePikeatWalterReed
and Four Mile Run Drives. Thestreetcar stop at the intersection ofColumbia Pike and Walter ReedDrivebecamethefocalnodeofearlycommercial development. By themid-1920s, a grocery, several cafes,drugstores and a stationery shopwere located betweenWalterReedDrive and Glebe Road. By thistime, Columbia Pike was also ser-vicedbyafledglingbuslinethatranfrom the Barcroft neighborhood to
EarlycommercialdevelopmentwhereSouthBartonStreetmeetsColumbiaPike.
4|Introduction
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECWashington, D.C. Following thetrendsofthetimes,buseseventuallyreplacedstreetcars.
In the 1920s and 1930s, com-mercial buildings generally wereconstructed close to the streetwithentriesanddisplaywindowsforretailshopsonthegroundfloor,reflectingthe importanceofpedestrian accessand trade. The upper stories oftencontainedofficespaceorapartments.Thebuildingsweregenerallynarrowandbuiltclosetogether,formingthecontinuous“streetwall”characteris-ticofanurbanenvironment.Parkinglotswerenotprovidedbecause fewpeopleownedcars,thoughtherewason-street parking in front of busi-nessesalongthetwo-laneroadway.
A new form of retail develop-ment, the neighborhood shoppingcenter,becamepopularinfollowingyears when developers recognizedthat they could increase sales andprofitsbyincreasingconsumercon-veniencewith“one-stop”shopping.Developers recognizedthegrowingimportance of parking and high-lighted convenient on-site parkingintheiradvertising.Theseshoppingcenters often were provided as anamenity tonewresidential subdivi-
sions. The centers were visuallyintegrated with the neighborhoodsthrough unified architecture, signcontroland landscaping,withpark-ingareasprovidedon-site.Tenantsin neighborhood centers includedgrocery stores,bakeries,drugstores,cleaners, beauty shops and similarbusinesses. Because grocery storesdrew the most customers, they be-
camethekeytenantsandanchorsofthecenters. TheArlingtonVillageandWestmontneighborhood shop-ping centers opened in 1938 and1941 respectively. These centerswere located close to residentialdevelopment and many customerswalked to these stores, completinga number of errands in one trip.
Introduction| 5
TheArlingtonTheaterandothercommercialbuildingsfromthemidtolate1930s,visibleinthisearlyphotographoftheintersectionofColumbiaPikeandWalterReedDrive,stilllinethePiketoday.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECAutomobile-orientedretailingin-
creased in the 1930s and 1940s onColumbiaPikeandelsewhere.Auto-related uses included gas stations,service centers and car dealerships,alongwithotherbusinessesdesignedtoaccommodateautousage,suchasshopping centers and drive-in res-taurants.Theseuseswerefrequentlybuilt within existing commercialareas, breaking up the continuous“streetwall”inordertoprovideeasyvehicleaccessandparking.Becausepedestrian access was not a chiefconcernofthesebusinesses,formerlycompact shopping areas began tospreadout,formingstripsalongthethoroughfares.
After World War II, additionalneighborhood shopping centers,primarily associated with residen-tial development, were built alongColumbia Pike to serve the area’srapidlyexpandingpopulation.ThePike was widened to four lanes toimprovetrafficflow,virtuallyelimi-nating all on-street parking. Themajorityofexistingofficespacewasbuiltbetween1961and1972atscat-tered locations along the Pike and9thStreetSouth.Newcommercialconstruction on Columbia Pike in
the 1970s and 1980s consisted pri-marilyoffastfoodrestaurants,con-venience stores and drive-throughbanking facilities. These facilitiesare all free-standing buildings sur-rounded by parking, which furtherfragmented Columbia Pike’s com-pact, urban character and contrib-utedtoitstransformationintoastripcommercial area. Today the imageofColumbiaPikeisthatofanolder,neglected, auto-oriented, suburbancommercial strip with a randomassortmentofretail,officeandresi-dentialuses.
ExistingConditions
Currently,this3½-milelongcor-ridor is one of the most diverse inthe Baltimore-Washington region,both in terms of the character ofits development and its population.The Pike has a mixed commercialandresidentialcharacter.Thecom-mercial and non-residential devel-opment,muchofwhichis25to30yearsold,includesshoppingcenters,motels, free-standing office build-ings, restaurants, auto dealerships,gas stations and churches. There isapproximately1.5millionsquarefeet
ofgrosscommercialfloorareaalongthePike,representingonlyabout37percent of the total by-right devel-opment potential. The residentialdevelopment, much of which is 50to 60 years of age, includes single-family and semi-detached homes,townhouses, and a largenumberofgarden andmid-rise apartment andcondominium buildings. Many oftheseolderbuildingsareconsideredhistoric by the County’s HistoricPreservation Office. The commercialand residential development alongthePike is linkedbyanagingnet-workofsidewalksandroads,whichis in the process of being updatedandupgraded.
Interest in the Pike has beenbuilding,however, and severalnewdevelopment projects have recentlybeen approved. For instance, theColumbia Center Condominiums,located at 2906 Columbia Pike,will include over 250 residentialunits. The Majestic Oak project at3501 South Glebe Road will pro-vide an additional 13 single-fam-ily and 13 townhouse units, whilethe Townhomes at Alcova Rowlocated at 4013-1029 ColumbiaPikewilloffer22townhouseunits.
ThePikeisnolongerthepedestrian-friendlyMainStreetitoncewas.
6|Introduction
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
Additionally,theColumbiaHeightsgardenapartmentsat52298thRoadSouth are being redeveloped. Theproject will retain 109 units as af-fordable rental units. The remain-ing units have been demolished inordertoconstructthe96-unitSierraCondominiums, 10 units of whichwill be affordable forhouseholds at60percentof the area’smedian in-come.TherearealsoseveralprojectspendingalongColumbiaPike.
In terms of its population, soonto increase due to new develop-ment,thecorridorhasarichculturaland ethnic diversity. According tothe 2000 Census, nearly 72,000
residents, representing roughly38 percent of the County’s entirepopulation, livewithin the23cen-sus tracts located a ½-mile, or 15-minute walking distance, from thePike.Asoneofthetopdestinationsfor immigrants within the entireBaltimore-Washingtonregion,near-ly 128 countries of national originarerepresented.Indeed,thecorridorishometoalmost57percentoftheCounty’stotalHispanicpopulation.In2000, themedianhousehold in-come of the approximately 32,000householdsinthisareawasestimatedat $64,000 and the overall dispos-ableincomewithinthecorridorwas
$1.74billion,ofwhich$720millionis directed towards retail sales.ThecommercialandresidentialdiversityofthePike,coupledwiththemulti-ethnic character of its population,will serve as the foundation for are-planned, revitalized corridor–areturntothebasiccharacterandfunctionality of the Main Street ofyesteryear,butwithrenewedvitalityandvibrancy.
PlanningContext
In response to the progressivedeterioration of the character andfabricofColumbiaPike,ArlingtonCounty decided to take proactive
NEARLY72,000RESIDENTS,REPRESENTINGROUGHLY38PERCENTOFTHECOUNTY’SENTIREPOPULATION,LIVEWITHINTHE23CENSUSTRACTSLOCATEDAHALF-MILE,OR15-MINUTEWALKINGDISTANCE,FROMTHEPIKE.
Auto-orientedretail,includingfastfoodestablishmentsandshoppingcenters,dominatesmuchofthePiketoday.
Introduction| 7
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
measures to reverse the trend andbringnewinvestmenttothePike.In1985,theColumbiaPikeRevitalizationPlanwasdraftedandincludedrecom-mendationson landuseandzoning,urbandesign,parks andcommunityfacilities,transportationandthelike.The following year, the CountyBoard adopted land use and zoningrecommendationsforthecorridor,in-cludingtheestablishmentofaSpecialRevitalizationDistrict,withthegoalofestablishingaframeworkforcom-munity preservation and revitaliza-tion. The boundaries of the origi-
nal Special Revitalization District,whichweresubsequentlyalteredandexpanded,encompass thearea todayknownas theColumbiaPikeTownCenter.In1989,theCountyBoardadopted the Columbia Pike 2000: ARevitalizationPlan,which includedacomprehensive analysis and recom-mendations on urban design, openspace, the retail market, circulationsystems,transitionalareasandrelatedrevitalization issues. In 1998, theCounty Board announced the cre-ationoftheColumbiaPikeInitiative.Thegoalofthisinitiativeistocreate
asafer,cleaner,morecompetitiveandvibrantColumbiaPikecommunity.
Through the course of numerousmeetings with the community in2000 and 2001, a long-range visionandplanwasestablishedthatfocusedoneconomicdevelopmentandcom-mercial revitalization, land use andzoning, urban design, transporta-tion and public infrastructure, aswell as open space and recreationalneeds. The development of the re-sulting two-volume Columbia PikeInitiative–ARevitalizationPlan,adopt-edin2002,wasacooperativeeffortbetweenCountystaff,theColumbiaPike Revitalization Organizationand the residents and business andproperty owners based in this area.Followingtheadoptionof thisplan,the community participated in anintensive charrette in fall 2002 thatproducedspecificdesignrecommen-dationswhichbecamethebasisoftheFormBasedCode,adoptedin2003.Thisplan,then,buildsuponthislonghistory of visioning and planning,providingarefinedandupdatedsetofgoalsandimplementationstrategies.
THEGOALOFTHISINITIATIVEISTOCREATEASAFER,CLEANER,MORECOMPETITIVEANDVIBRANTCOLUMBIAPIKECOMMUNITY.
TherevitalizedTownCenterwillbeanattractivelocalandregionaldestination.
8|Introduction
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECTheVision:SouthArlington’sMainStreet
T heColumbiaPikeInitiative–ARevitalizationPlanoutlinedavision for a new, revitalized
ColumbiaPike–avisionthatwascon-firmedandrefinedbythecommunitythroughthesubsequentcharrettepro-cessandcodifiedintheresultingFormBasedCode.Thebasicpremiseofthevisionistocreateavital“MainStreet”for adjacentneighborhoods throughalivelymixofuseswithshopfronts,side-walkcafes,andothercommercialusesat street level, overlooked by canopyshadetrees,upperstoryresidencesand/or offices. In the past, the ColumbiaPike corridor functioned as a “MainStreet”forSouthArlington.Throughthe implementation of visionary, yetpractical, land use, zoning and urbandesignstrategies,itcanbeyetagainavibrant, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-useenvironment.
Corridor-WideConcept
The overall vision for ColumbiaPike has changed very little sincethe adoption of the Columbia PikeInitiative–ARevitalizationPlan;how-
ever various specific elements haveevolvedoverthepasttwoyears.Theresulting refined, revised vision isperhapsbestunderstoodbyfirstex-amining the overarching, corridor-
wideconceptandthenanalyzingthemore specific concept plans for theindividualnodes.
The corridor-wide concept re-volvesaroundanenhancedandim-
proved “Main Street” linked by afuture bus rapid transit or streetcarsystemandconsistingoffour,major,mixed-usedevelopmentnodeslinkedtogether by existing apartment andtownhouseresidentialcommunities.The focal nodes include a TownCenter, a larger-scale, mixed-usedistrict serving as the heart of theColumbiaPikecommunity;aVillageCenter with medium-scale, mixed-use development and communityparks;aNeighborhoodCenterwithsmaller-scale development and suchfocal features as theArlingtonMillCommunity Center and Four MileRun Park; and a Western Gatewaywithlarger-scaledevelopmentandaresidential focus. The County hasalso identified a potential EasternGateway located near the Pentagontobestudiedfurtheratalaterdate.
IndividualConcepts
TownCenterThe Town Center will serve as
theheartof the“MainStreet”andthe greater community, creatinga regional draw through its enter-tainment, cultural, restaurant andretaildestinations.Thisareawillbe
LANDUSE,ZONING&URBANDESIGN
SuccessfulMainStreetsinclude:
• Mixed-usedevelopmentdistricts(retail,office,residential,cultural)
• Publicspaces
• Streetfrontageatapedes-trianscalewitharticulatedground-floorretail
• BuildingsorientedtoColumbiaPike
• Placementofbuildingsatthebackofsidewalks
• Buildingsbuiltclosetogetherformingacontinuous“streetwall”characteristicofanurbanenvironment
• Parkinglocatedundergroundortotherearofbuildings
• Appropriatetransitionstoresidentialneighborhoods
• Enhancedpublicandpedestriantransportation
• Enhancedstreetscape
Suchelementsarecriticaltotherealizationofthecommunity’soverarchingvisionforthePike,whichis:
• Avibrantcommunitywithsafeneighborhoodsandactiveretailandofficeuses,aswellasavarietyofhousingoptionsandtypes,allinvolvingamixofrenovation,re-vitalizationand/orredevelopment
• Anethnicallydiverseandculturallyrichcommunity
• Acommunitythatcanbeeasilyaccessedbypublictransportationandonfoot
• Acommunitywithwell-de-signedandattractivebuildings,streetscapes,publicartandopenspacesthatlinkthecommercialcorridorwiththeneighborhoods
• Acorridorwithdistinctcom-mercialmixed-usedistricts
LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign| 9
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECCOLUMBIAPIKECORRIDORILLUSTRATIVEPLAN
10|LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign
COLUMBIAPIKECORRIDORCONCEPT
Theplansandrenderingsfoundthroughoutthisdocumentareforillustrativepurposesonlyandrepresentoneartist’sideaofhowColumbiaPikecoulddevelop.Illustrativeplansshouldnotbetakentorepresentexactlywhatcanorwillbedevelopedinanygivenarea.Forspecificguidance,consulttheFormBasedCode.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECcharacterized by pedestrian-scale,mixed-use development, includ-ingoffice, residential, cultural andgroundfloorretailofferings.Giventhe unique, historical resources inthisarea,theCountywillencour-agepropertyownersanddevelopersto preserve the historical architec-tureastheyaddnew,high-qualitybuildingstothefabricofthePike.Likewise,theCountywillencour-age property owners and investorsto build upon existing amenities,suchastheartists’studioabovetheArlingtonCinema‘N’DraftHouseand theeclecticmixof restaurantsandshopsthatcurrentlyexistsalongthePike.
Futureamenitieswillincludeabusrapid transitor streetcar systemandthree public squares to be locatednear the intersection of 11th StreetSouth and South Irving Street, theintersection of Columbia Pike andWalter Reed Drive and betweenBarton andCleveland Streets alongthe Pike. These squares will allbe places where people can meet,congregateandrecreate. The larg-est andmost importantwill be thesquare located between Barton andClevelandStreets. Thissquarewillbe carefully designed to be an ap-pealingandexcitingpublicspacethatcouldbeused for concerts, festivals
LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign| 11
TOWNCENTERILLUSTRATIVEPLAN
TOWNCENTERCONCEPT TOWNCENTERBUILDINGHEIGHTS
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
12|LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign
VILLAGECENTERILLUSTRATIVEPLAN VILLAGECENTERCONCEPT
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECandothercommunitygatherings.AstheTownCenterobviouslywillbeadesirableplacetolive,workandvisit,accesswillbefacilitatedthroughthecreation of new streets parallel toColumbiaPike,includinganexten-sionof11thStreetSouthfromSouthClevelandStreettoGlebeRoad.
VillageCenter
TheVillageCenter, locatedat theintersectionofGeorgeMasonDriveand Columbia Pike, provides formedium-scale, mixed-use develop-ment, including office, residentialand neighborhood-serving retail.The Village Center will also boastasmallpublicsquareneartheafore-mentioned principal intersection.This very visible, centrally locatedsquarewillanimatethesurroundingareabyprovidinga space for socialand recreational activities withintheveryheartoftheVillageCenter.OthernotableamenitiesinthisareaincludeAlcovaHeightsParktothenorthandDoctor’sRunParktothesouth. These parks will link thesurrounding neighborhoods withthe Village Center. They will alsocontinue to provide valuable openspace for the immediate and largercommunities.Theday-lightingandrestoration of Doctor’s Run southofthedevelopmentdistrictwilladdto the environmental and aesthetic
LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign| 13
VILLAGECENTERBUILDINGHEIGHTS
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
character of the area. Enhancedstreetscapewill furtherconnect theneighborhoodswiththecommercialdevelopment centered at the mainactivitynodeandnearbyparks.
NeighborhoodCenter
The Neighborhood Center willbe characterized by smaller-scale,mixed-use development along thePike to the west side of Four MileRun with proposed park or openspace, such as a plaza, to the east.Mostofthedevelopmentinthisarea
will be residential in characterwithneighborhood-serving retail on thegroundfloor.Allsuchdevelopmentshould be oriented toward the Pikeinordertofosteralively,pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and encouragepeopletostroll,shopanddinealongthePike.The redesigned,expandedArlington Mill Community Centerwillbringpeopletothisareafromupanddownthecorridorandwillserve,asdoesitsprecursor,asamajorgath-ering place and focal point. Giventhenumberofrecreational,parklandandopenspacesinthisarea,includ-
14|LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign
NEIGHBORHOODCENTERILLUSTRATIVEPLAN NEIGHBORHOODCENTERCONCEPT
NEIGHBORHOODCENTERBUILDINGHEIGHTS
3-6Stories2-5Stories2-3StoriesCivicUse–HeightdeterminedbyPublicProcessInterpretivePark
Street,FourMileRunFourMileRunParkRevitalizationDist.Bound.4StoriesAlley
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign| 15
WESTERNGATEWAYCONCEPT
WESTERNGATEWAYBUILDINGHEIGHTS
WESTERNGATEWAYILLUSTRATIVEPLAN
ing theArlingtonMillCommunityCenter,FourMileRunParkandtheproposed interpretive park, redevel-opment should be guided in such awayastobuilduponandstrengthentheconnectionsbetweenthesevalu-ablecommunityresources.
WesternGateway
The Western Gateway linksArlingtonandFairfaxCounties.Assuch, it is important that this loca-tion provide a distinguishing anddistinctive entrance to Arlington.New signagewelcomingvisitors totheCountyandtheColumbiaPike“Main Street” will go a long waytowardsaccomplishingthisgoaland
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECimprovingtheoverallappealofthisgatewayarea.High-qualityarchitec-turewithretailonthegroundlevelandhousingabovewillalsohelptoboth beautify and reinvigorate thisarea.Intermsofspecificdesignele-ments,thebuildingheightsalongthesouthsideofthePikemaybehigherherethaninotherareasofthecorri-dor,giventhecurrentheightofsomeof the apartment buildings in thisvicinity. Improved streetscape willalsoenhancetheaestheticsandfunc-tionality of the Western Gateway,while fostering connectivity withthe other activity centers along thePike.
EasternGateway
The eastern end of the corridor,withitsviewsofthePotomacRiverand the District of Columbia, hasthe potential to be an impressive,monumentalgatewaytotherevital-izedColumbiaPike “Main Street.”Working in conjunction with thefederal government, a major land-owner in this area, the County isdiscussing plans for this location,whichwillincludetheconstructionof various monuments and histori-
cal centers, aswell as an expansionof Arlington National Cemetery.Whilesomeoftheplansarestillverymuchunderdiscussion,approvalhasbeen granted for others, includingthe National Air Force Memorial.On September 15, 2004, groundwas broken for the memorial, tobe located on approximately threeacresofthefareasternportionofthepromontory now occupied by theNavy Annex. Designed by JamesIngo Freed of Pei, Cobb, Freed &Partners,thememorialwillconsistofthreestainlesssteelspiressoaringtoaheightof270feet.CompletionofthememorialisslatedforSeptember18,2006.
The Navy Annex, which domi-natesmuchofthisarea,iscurrentlybeing used as office space for theCommandant of the Marine CorpsandasswingspaceforDepartmentofDefense staff during the renovationof the Pentagon. The renovationwork should be complete by 2010,andtheCommandant’sofficewillberelocated to the Pentagon. At thistime,theNavyAnnexbuildingswillno longer be needed for their cur-rentuseandareplannedtoberazed.AftertheNavyAnnexsiteiscleared,
Arlington National Cemetery willexpand across SouthgateRoad intothis area. A portion of the NavyAnnex alsowill be sought as a sitefortheconstructionofanArlingtonHeritage Center, including a BlackHeritage Museum, an ArlingtonHistory Museum and an ArlingtonCounty9/11Memorial.Thiswouldbeanespeciallyappropriatelocationforaheritagecenter,asitwas,from1863 to 1888, part of Freedman’sVillage, a community of formerslaves established on the ArlingtonEstate and administered principallybytheFreedman’sBureau.Inordertofreeupmorelandinthisareatoaccommodate these different pro-grams, Columbia Pike is plannedto be straightened and widened atits eastern end. The County willcontinue to study and plan for theredevelopment of this area andthe creation of a bona fide EasternGatewaytothePikeinconjunctionwith the federal government andotherinvolvedparties.
16|LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign
THEEASTERNENDOFTHECORRIDOR,WITHITSVIEWS
OFTHEPOTOMACRIVERANDTHEDISTRICTOFCOLUMBIA,
HASTHEPOTENTIALTOBEANIMPRESSIVE,
MONUMENTALGATEWAYTOTHEREVITALIZEDCOLUMBIA
PIKE“MAINSTREET.”
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
FormBasedCode:AnImplementationStrategy
TheFormBasedCode representsthe primary tool for the realizationof the aforementioned revitaliza-tion objectives for Columbia Pike.In February 2003, the Code was
adoptedby theCountyBoard.TherecommendationsoftheCodediffervery little from what was proposedin the Columbia Pike Initiative–ARevitalization Plan, except in termsof building height maximums. TheCode regulates land development,settingcarefulandclearcontrolson
buildingform,withbroadparametersonbuildinguse,toshapeclearpublicspace,includinggoodstreets,neigh-borhoods and parks, with a healthymixofuses.
TheCode,apartof theCounty’sZoning Ordinance, is intended toserveasasetofalternatedevelopmentregulations that emphasize properbuilding form, enhancement of thepedestrian experience, and compat-ibility with traditional Main Streetprinciples.Throughtheadoptionofthe Code, development proposalswill be evaluated either through anadministrative review process or aSpecialExceptionUsePermitbasedontheconformancewithtraditionalbuilding principles expressed in theCode,suchasbuildingenvelopeandarchitectural standards. The Codedoes not rely on typical, traditionaltypesof zoning regulations, such assetbacksandspecificdensityrecom-mendations. All properties that arezoned S-3A, RA14-26, RA8-18,RA7-16, RA6-15, C-1, C-2, C-3,C-O and C-O-1.0 and are locatedwithin the Columbia Pike SpecialRevitalization District will beeligible to utilize this tool withoutrezoning. In addition, all propertiesin zoning districts not listed above
LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign| 17
ZONING
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
that are within the Columbia PikeSpecial Revitalization District canbe rezoned to CP-FBC, ColumbiaPike Form Based Code District, inordertobeabletousetheCode.Itis expected that theCodewill spurredevelopment by creating morecertain approval criteria, a shorterreview period and anticipated eco-nomicincentivestiedtotheCode.
Tohelpimplementtherefinedvi-sion for thePike, theGeneral LandUsePlan(GLUP)wasamendedandother Zoning Ordinance changeswereadopted.Mostnotably,basedontherecommendationsoftheColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization Plan,theboundariesoftheColumbiaPikeSpecial Revitalization District werealtered and expanded to includethree additional revitalization areas,the Village Center, NeighborhoodCenterandWesternGateway.TheGLUPwasalsoamendedtoreflecttheCounty’sdesire fornewopenspacesnorth of Columbia Pike betweenSouth Cleveland Street and SouthBarton Street south of ColumbiaPike; between South Quincy StreetandSouthMonroeStreet;andatthesoutheast intersection of ColumbiaPike and South Columbus Street.
In conjunction with these changes,various reconciliations between theGLUP and the underlying zoningdistrictswereexecuted.TheMasterTransportationPlanwasalsoamend-
ed to better match the County’soverarching goals for the corridor(seeTransportationsection).
18|LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign
GENERALLANDUSEPLAN(Changessince2002)
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
LandUse,Zoning&UrbanDesign| 19
HISTORICPRESERVATION
P reservingandenhancingthehistoric, character-definingelements of Columbia Pike
isasignificantcomponentofthevi-sion for this area, andwill becomemoresoasthecorridorevolveswithincreasingmomentum.Thepreser-vation of the remaining significanthistoric resources along the Pike isimportant for various reasons. Forone, these buildings represent adirect, physical link to the historyand past of this rapidly changingarea.Morespecifically,thesebuild-ings represent a connection to theheydayofthiscorridorwhenittrulywasaMainStreet. Thepropertiesalso embody the compact urbanform, continuous “street wall” andattractive streetscape layout whichonce defined the Pike as a MainStreet and which can serve as amodel for how it can be yet againa vibrant community center anddestination,notmerelyautilitarianthoroughfare. Preservation is alsoa proven catalyst for revitalization.That is,many areas resembling theColumbia Pike corridor have usedpreservationdevelopmenttoachieveahighlevelofcommercialandretailactivity which, in turn, created a
MANYAREASRESEMBLINGTHECOLUMBIAPIKECORRIDORHAVEUSEDPRESERVATIONDEVELOPMENTTOACHIEVEAHIGHLEVELOFCOMMERCIALANDRETAILACTIVITYWHICH,INTURN,CREATEDASYNERGYFOSTERINGTHEREVITALIZATIONOFSURROUNDINGRESIDENTIALAREAS.
TheformerArlingtonTheater,constructedinc.1940intheArtDecostyle,isstilltodayanotableculturalandarchitecturallandmarkalongthePike.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
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Other Noteworthy Historic Buildings12. 1440 Columbia Pike, VDOT Central Control Building13. 1724 Columbia Pike, house14. 1726 Columbia Pike, house15. 1802 Columbia Pike, house16. 1806 Columbia Pike, house17. 1827 Columbia Pike, house18. 1833 Columbia Pike, house19. 1905 Columbia Pike, St. John’s Baptist Church20. 2217 Columbia Pike, Trinity Episcopal Church21. 2601-2705 Columbia Pike, Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center22. 2704 Columbia Pike, Arlington Post Office/Ski Chalet23. 2919 Columbia Pike, St. Coletta Thrift Shop24. 3233 Columbia Pike, Westmont Shopping Center25. 3507 Columbia Pike, Arlington Presbyterian Church26. 4029 Columbia Pike, house27. 4200 Columbia Pike, Barcroft Apartments28. 4700-4714 Columbia Pike, Barcroft Shopping Center29. 5104 Columbia Pike, Frederick Courts Condominiums30. 1031-1041 South Edgewood Street, Edgewood Shops 31. 1400 South Edgewood Street, Arlington Village Condominiums32. 4068 South Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington Mill Site
COLUMBIA PIKEHistoric Building and Facades
Historic Buildings to be Preserved 1. 2338-2344 and 2408 Columbia Pike, commercial buildings 2. 2500-2530 Columbia Pike, Arlington Village Shopping Center 3. 2624 Columbia Pike, Arlington Animal Hospital 4. 2628 Columbia Pike, Birds N’ Things 5. 2900 Columbia Pike, Old Dominion Bank/Blanca’s Restaurant 6. 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington Theater 7. 3014 Columbia Pike, Charles Building 8. 805 South Walter Reed Drive, Fillmore Gardens Apartments
Historic Facades to be Preserved 9. 2801-2811 Columbia Pike and 927 South Walter Reed Drive, Elkins Building10. 2906-2922 Columbia Pike, Arlington Hardware11. 900 block of South Walter Reed Drive, commercial buildings
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HistoricbuildingstobefullypreservedthroughtheFormBasedCodeinclude:
1. 2338-2344and2408ColumbiaPike,commercialbuildings
2. 2500-2530ColumbiaPike,ArlingtonVillageShoppingCenter
3. 2624ColumbiaPike,ArlingtonAnimalHospital
4. 2628ColumbiaPike,BirdsN’Things
5. 2900ColumbiaPike,OldDominionBank/Blanca’sRestaurant
6. 2903ColumbiaPike,ArlingtonTheater
7. 3014ColumbiaPike,CharlesBuilding
8. 805SouthWalterReedDrive,FillmoreGardensApartments(Theportionofthepropertysouthof9thStreetmayberedeveloped,onconditionthatpreservationisimplementedforthepor-tionnorthof9thStreet.)
HistoricfacadestobepreservedthroughtheFormBasedCodeare:
9. 2801-2811ColumbiaPikeand927SouthWalterReedDrive,ElkinsBuilding
10. 2906-2922ColumbiaPike,ArlingtonHardware
11. 900blockofSouthWalterReedDrive,commercialbuildings
Althoughnot listedintheFormBasedCode, the community has also identi-fiedothernoteworthyhistoricproper-
tiesthatcontributetothecharacterandintegrityofthePikeandshouldalsobeconsideredif,andwhen,thesesitesareredeveloped.Thesesitesinclude:
12.1440ColumbiaPike,VDOTCentralControlBuilding
13.1724ColumbiaPike,house14.1726ColumbiaPike,house15.1802ColumbiaPike,house16.1806ColumbiaPike,house17. 1827ColumbiaPike,house18.1833ColumbiaPike,house19.1905ColumbiaPike,St.
John’sBaptistChurch20.2217ColumbiaPike,Trinity
EpiscopalChurch21.2601-2705ColumbiaPike,
FillmoreGardensShoppingCenter22.2704ColumbiaPike,Arlington
PostOffice/SkiChalet
23.2919ColumbiaPike,St.ColettaThriftShop
24.3233ColumbiaPike,WestmontShoppingCenter
25.3507ColumbiaPike,ArlingtonPresbyterianChurch
26.4029ColumbiaPike,house27.4200ColumbiaPike,
BarcroftApartments28.4700-4714ColumbiaPike,
BarcroftShoppingCenter29.5104ColumbiaPike,Frederick
CourtsCondominiums30.1031-1041SouthEdgewood
Street,EdgewoodShops31.1400SouthEdgewoodStreet,
ArlingtonVillageCondominiums32.4068SouthFourMileRun
Drive,ArlingtonMillsite
HISTORICBUILDINGS
20|HistoricPreservation
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECsynergy fostering the revitalizationofsurroundingresidentialareas.
This section provides updatedstrategies and tools, including theForm Based Code and national andlocalhistoricnominations,toprotectimportant historic resources alongthePike.
FormBasedCode:IntegratingthePastwiththeFuture
ThehistoricsiteslistedintheFormBasedCodeasbuildingsandfacadesto be preserved through the SpecialException Use Permit process aretobefoundonthepreceedingpage.Recognizingthechallengesassociatedwith incorporating historic proper-ties intoredevelopmentprojects, theCodeallowsdeveloperswhopreservethesespecialhistoricpropertiesaddi-tionalheightandmodificationsofthestreetscapeandrequiredbuildinglinerequirements. Flexibility is key inmakingsuchredevelopmentprojectsfeasibleandillustrateshowtheCodecanhelptoprotecthistoricandarchi-tecturalresources,whileallowingfortherevitalizationandmodernizationof the corridor. The practicality ofthisapproachhasbeendemonstrated
with the approvalon June12,2004by the County Board of a mixed-useprojectthatpreservedthefacadeof 2906-2922 Columbia Pike, theArlingtonHardwaresite.
NationalandLocalHistoricNominations
Listing on the National Registerof Historic Places does not protecthistoric buildings from alteration ordemolition, but does serve as a re-quiredthresholdforpropertyownersto apply for federal and state creditsfor the rehabilitation of historicbuildings.Nonetheless,buildingsontheRegisteraregenerallymorelikelytoberestoredandreusedthanotherolder buildings. Local designationoften offers the strongest protectionagainstradicalalterationandoutrightdemolition. At this time, however,there is little community supportamongColumbiaPikebusinessown-ersforthecreationoflocaldistricts.
Some community leaders in thesurrounding residential areas havepursued National Register listingsforbuildingsintheirneighborhoods.Forinstance,thoseindividualbuild-ings and complexes currently listed
on the National Register along theColumbiaPikecorridorare:ArlingtonVillage (April 2003), Commons ofArlington (May 2003), ColumbiaForest (February 2004), Harry W.GrayHouse(February2004)andthePenroseHistoricDistrict(November2004).Additionally,theCountyhascompleted other National Registernominations, including one for thehistoric buildings situated at theintersection of Columbia Pike andWalterReedDrive,whichhavenotyetbeensenttothestateforconsid-eration.Inthefuture,otherresiden-tial and even commercial propertiesmay be nominated for inclusion ontheNationalRegister.Similarly,theCounty may pursue the creation ofnewlocalhistoricdistrictsinthisareaatalaterdate,shouldthecommunityexpresssufficientinterest.
Perhaps the primary benefit oflisting a historic property on theNational Register is that it conferseligibilityforfederalandstatehistoricpreservationtaxcredits.TheFederalRehabilitation Tax Credit Programallowsfora20percenttaxcreditoneligiblerehabilitationexpenses.Thecredit is a dollar-for-dollar reduc-tion of federal income tax liability.
FLEXIBILITYISKEYINMAKINGSUCHREDEVLOPMENTPROJECTSFEASIBLEANDILLUSTRATESHOWTHECODECANHELPTOPROTECTHISTORICANDARCHITECTURALRESOURCES,WHILEALLOWINGFORTHEREVITALIZATIONANDMODERNIZATIONOFTHECORRIDOR.
HistoricPreservation| 21
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
Properties eligible for the programmustbeincome-producingandlistedontheNationalRegistereitherindi-viduallyorasacontributingbuildingin a historic district. The buildingdoes not have to be listed on theNational Register before inceptionoftheproject;howeveritneedstobe
nominated prior to the completionof a 24-monthproject period. Thesize of the credit is calculated as apercentageof theeligible rehabilita-tion expenses. In addition to thisprogram,thefederalgovernmentalsooffersataxdeductionforpreservationeasements.
ThestateofVirginiaoffersaStateHistoric Rehabilitation Tax CreditProgram similar to the aforemen-tioned federal program. It differs,however, in several respects. First,thestatetaxcreditisvaluedat25per-cent of a qualifying sum reinvestedintoahistoricbuilding.Second,thebuildinginquestionmayormaynotbe income-producing. Third, thequalifying reinvestment sum mustonlyequalone-halfoftheproperty’sadjustedbasis(thevalueofthebuild-ing, not the land) for a commercialproject, and only a quarter of theadjusted basis in the case of privatehomes. Fourth, the property doesnothavetobelistedontheNationalRegister,justproveneligibleforlist-ing.Likethefederalgovernment,thestate also offers tax deductions forpreservationeasements.
TheCounty’sHistoricPreservationProgramandVirginiaDepartmentofHistoricResourcesstaffsareavailabletoprovideinformationandmaterialsto property owners and developersabout these tax credit and easementprogramsandassistthemincomplet-ingthenecessarypaperwork.
Thec.1881ItalianateHarryW.Grayhouse,locatedoneblockoffthePike,isrecognizedbothforitsarchitecturalmeritandforitsimportancetotheAfrican-AmericanhistoryofArlington.
22|HistoricPreservation
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
TheCountyprovidesanumberofparksandrecreationalfacil-itiesalongtheColumbiaPike
corridor. These offer a wide varietyof features, amenities and programs,which are integral to sustaining thehighqualityoflifeArlingtonresidentshave come to expect. There are, ofcourse,opportunitiestoenhanceandexpandthecurrentofferingsandtheCountyisactivelyengagedinpursu-ing such possibilities. This sectionprovidesanupdatedlistofcurrentandfuture projects, alongwith strategiesfor ensuring that the community’sopen space and recreational needsaremetas thePike is rethoughtandredeveloped.
FormBasedCode:NewOpenSpacesandStreetscapes
The County’s open spaces arewell-liked and well-used by localresidents.AsurveyconductedbytheDepartmentofParks,RecreationandCultural Resources in 2002 foundthat39percentofArlingtonhouse-holds attend outdoor concerts, 36percent regularly participate in fes-tivalsandevents,andapproximately33percentregularlyattendartisticor
theatricalperformances.Givensuchahighlevelofinterestandparticipa-tion,theCountyshouldcontinuetoexpanditsofferingsandincorporatemore public space for events, suchas festivals, along the Pike. TheCounty’s Public Art Master Plan,adoptedinDecember2004,recom-mendsthatthesenewopenspacesandstreetscapesalsoberegardedaspri-
oritysitesforpublicart.TheCountyis, indeed, committed to providingpurposeful, not leftover spaces, asactive,urbanplaces.RecentGeneralLand Use Plan amendments havereflectedtheCounty’sdesirefornewopenspacesnorthofColumbiaPikebetweenSouthClevelandandSouthBarton Streets, south of ColumbiaPike between South Quincy and
PARKS&RECREATION
THECOUNTYISINDEEDCOMMITTEDTOPROVIDINGPURPOSEFUL,NOTLEFTOVERSPACES,ASACTIVE,URBANPLACES.
ThisrenderingoftheWesternGatewayareaexpressesthecommunity’sdesireforusableopenspacesandenhancedstreetscapes.
Parks&Recreation| 23
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECSouth Monroe Streets, and at thesoutheast intersection of ColumbiaPike and South Columbus Street.In thisplanand in theFormBasedCode,exact locationsfortheafore-mentionedopenspacesareprovidedandfurtherdefinedassquares,civicgreens, public plazas, urban parksand streetscapes. It is expected thatmostof thesenewopen spaceswillbe provided through and synchro-nized with the approval of rede-velopment projects, aswas the casewiththesmallsquareinfrontoftheEckerdDrugStore,nowhometothesuccessful Columbia Pike FarmersMarketandotherlocalevents.
ExpansionandImprovementofExistingParksandRecreationalFacilities
Some of the specific facilitieslocated along the Pike includeArlington Heights Park, AlcovaHeights Park, Cleveland Park,Doctor’s Run Park, Towers ParkandtheCarverCommunityCenter/HoffmanBostonEducationCenter.TheCountyiseitherinthemidstoforplanning toupdate and improveseveralotherfacilities,including:
ProjectsUnderway
ArlingtonMillCommunityCenterThiscommunitycenter,locatedat
4975ColumbiaPike,offersprogramsrelated to recreation,educationandhumanservices.TheCountyiscur-rentlyworkingwithanarchitecturaland engineering team to design anew, larger community center toreplacetheexistingone.Atroughly72,000squarefeet,thenewcenterisintendedtobetterservetheneedsofthisdiversecommunity.Thelargerfacilitywill offer an expandedmix
of its already popular recreational,educationalandhumanservicespro-grams. Inadditiontoacontinuingeducation high school, the centerwilloffer adult education andearlychildhoodprograms.Variousrecre-ationalopportunitieswillbeofferedinarangeofspacesthatwillincludea gymnasium, game room, art stu-dio, computer lab, senior lounge,fitness room,classroomsandmulti-purpose meeting rooms. Planningand design will continue through2006 with construction anticipatedtobeginmid2007.
BuiltontheroadbedoftheformerWashington&OldDominionRailroad,theW&ODTrailintheVillageCenterisverypopularwithbicyclists,walkersandjoggers.
ConstructionofanewArlingtonMillCommunityCenterisslatedtobeginin2007.
24|Parks&Recreation
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECWalterReedCommunityCenter
Construction of the new WalterReedCommunityCenter,tobelo-catedonthesiteofthecurrentcenterat290916thStreetSouth,isunder-way and expected to be completedby spring2006.Thecenterwillbebuilt in an environmentally sensi-tive manner to meet Leadership inEnergy andEnvironmentalDesign,orLEED, certification standards. Itwill encompass 30,000 square feetof recreation and senior program-ming space, including a canteen,game room, arts and crafts work-shops, gymnasium, teen lounge,quiet room, multi-purpose room,recreational technology lab andex-ercise studio. A separate section ofthe buildingwill serve as an adult,day healthcare facility. The ameni-ties for this area include large andsmall activity rooms,a separateen-tranceconvenient fordrop-offsandpick-ups, administrative offices, arestarea,clinicandprivateenclosedgarden.
TyrolHillPark-PhaseOneTyrolHillParkisa3.3acreneigh-
borhoodparklocatedintheColumbiaHeights West neighborhood. A
MasterPlan for the parkwas com-pletedin2003usingNeighborhoodConservation Program Funding.PhaseOneoftheMasterPlanimple-mentation, currently scheduled tobegin in September 2005, includesrelocation and replacement of theexisting volleyball and lighted bas-ketballcourts, installationofa looptrail, addition of a third park en-trance,newsitefurnishings,amodestplaygroundexpansionandenhancedlandscaping. The improvementswill enhance the function of theparkthroughbetteraccessibilityandamoreoptimalarrangementofuses(seePossibleFutureProjectssectionforphasestwoandthree).
PossibleFutureProjects
FourMileRunThe acquisition of the southwest
side of Four Mile Run to create awestern entrance to the Four MileRunParkandBikeTrail isa long-term County goal. A feasibilitystudy,currentlybeingundertakenbythe Columbia Forest neighborhoodwith Neighborhood ConservationProgram funding, will explore thefeasibility of relocating the Four
FourMileRunisanimportantnaturalresourcefortheColumbiaPikecommunity.
Parks&Recreation| 25
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECMile Run Trail to the southwestsideofthestreamforatleastpartofthe length between George MasonDrive and Columbia Pike. Publicaccesstotheareaunderconsiderationinthestudyiscurrentlyplannedtobe acquired through the voluntarygrantingofeasementsbythecurrentpropertyowners.
Arelatedgoalistheidentificationof funding sources for the creationof a Four Mile Run interpretivepark that will educate users aboutthe impact of thebuilt communityontheFourMileRunvalleyanditsrelationshipwiththePotomacRiverand, ultimately, the ChesapeakeBay. This interpretive park wouldbe an appropriate location for artrelatingbothtotheFourMileRunand Columbia Pike corridors. TheCounty’s Office of NeighborhoodServiceshasalreadycommissionedaconceptualstudyofartandinterpre-tive elements for this location, andthis study could serve as apointofdeparturefor furtherartisticexplo-rationofthesite.
WashingtonBoulevardTrailTheWashingtonBoulevardTrail
willbeashared-use,pavedtrailcon-necting Arlington Boulevard andColumbiaPike. The trailwill runparallel to and east of WashingtonBoulevard and will travel throughTowers Park before connecting toColumbiaPikeatSouthRolfeStreet.Thetrailwillbeanimportantassetfor both the bicyclists and pedes-triansof this area. Construction isslatedtobeginin2005.
TyrolHillPark-PhasesTwoandThree
Phases Two and Three of theTyrolHillParkMasterPlan,notyetfunded,callfortheinstallationofacomfortstation,picnicshelter,pavedgathering space, entry feature andfencing enhancements, along withadditionallandscaping.Completionofthesetwoimplementationphaseswill improve the usability of theparkfortheneighborhoodandwillalso greatly enhance the beauty ofthepark’sstreetfrontage.
26|Parks&Recreation
Together, County staff and the community developed this Master Plan for Tyrol HillPark.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC HOUSING
Thisisagoodexampleofsomeofthehigh-quality,older,garden-styleapartmentsfoundalongthePike.
A wide range of housing op-portunities, for both rentersandowners,existsalongthe
Columbia Pike corridor. Given thecurrent regional market conditions,characterized by a housing marketdriven by robust job growth and acontinued interest in living close totheDistrict,theColumbiaPikecor-ridor offers significant potential foradditional residential redevelopment.Favorable interest rates encouragerenters to purchase homes, town-houses and condominiums. Low
interest rates alsoprovidedeveloperswithafinancial incentivetodevelopnewpropertiesandredevelopexistingones. The near term future for thePikecouldbemorefavorablethanithasbeeninmanyyears.Thatis,recenteconomic expansion has increasedrealestatepropertyvaluesthroughouttheCounty,therebyspurringinterestinreinvestment.TheColumbiaPikeCorridor stands to benefit from thisinterest,inpartbecausepropertyval-uesarenotashighasintheRosslyn-Ballston or Jefferson-Davis Metro
corridors and the Pike is beginningto be perceived as a better value inrelationtotheincreasinglyexpensiveMetrocorridors.
Ownershipopportunitieshaveex-panded from existing single-familyhomestoincludenewertownhouses,condominiums,andevennewhous-esoninfilllots.Pricesvarywidely,with condominiums offering thebestopportunityforhouseholdswithmodestincomestoenterthemarket.Recent conversions, such as theBrittany andShirlingtonOverlook,
OWNERSHIPOPPORTUNITIESHAVEEXPANDEDFROMEXISTINGSINGLE-FAMILYHOMESTOINCLUDENEWERTOWNHOUSES,CONDOMINIUMS,ANDEVENNEWHOUSESONINFILLLOTS.
Housing| 27
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECofferfirst-timebuyers an affordablealternative to higher-priced singlefamilyhomesand townhouseswithprices starting in the low to mid$200,000s.
In terms of rental properties,existing apartments, totaling ap-proximately9,716asofApril2005,providethebulkoftheavailablesup-ply.Ontheonehand,thereislittleincentiveforsomeoftheownersofolder apartment complexes to sellwhatareperformingassets.Insomeinstances,thesamefamiliesorbusi-ness have owned these complexesfordecades,arecarryinglittleornodebt and wish to avoid incurringsubstantialcapitalgainstaxesbysell-ing their properties. On the otherhand,marketforcesarebeginningtoshift. That is, there is a mountingeconomic incentive for owners torenovate their properties, many ofwhich are reaching 50 to 60 yearsofagewithplumbing,electricalandheatingsystemsandotherinfrastruc-turethatarefastapproachingtheendoftheirusefullife,andconvertthemintocondominiums.
Whilemany citizens living alongColumbiaPikearesupportiveoftherevitalization of the area, some are
alsoworriedabouthowrapidlyrentshavebeenincreasingandthepressurethisisplacingonlowandmoderateincome households. Furthermore,the number of apartment buildingsconverting to condominiums isincreasing. The conversions offerownership opportunities for firsttimepurchasers,butdisplacementforthoseunabletoaffordthesalespric-es.ItisthereforeimportantthattheCounty continue to support effortstomaintainandpreservetheafford-able housing supply in and aroundthe surrounding neighborhoodsalongColumbiaPike,whileencour-agingtheoverallrevitalizationofthecorridor.The challenge is to effec-tivelybalance thesedualobjectives.Arlington County is committed toproviding to households of all in-comelevelsanopportunitytoliveinsafe,decent and affordablehousing.Atthesametime,theCountyseekstoenhancecommercialgrowththatwill provide diverse employmentopportunitiesforitscitizensandex-pandservicestoresidents.
28|Housing
TheMonterey/Sierraredevelopmentprojectpreserved96affordablerentalunits,whilecreating new homeownership opportunities in the Columbia Heights West neighbor-hood.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECFormBasedCode:IncreasingHousingOpportunities
TheFormBasedCodeisdesignedto create a vital “Main Street” andestablishes the framework for theconstructionofnewhousingofvari-ous types within the revitalizationdistricts along the Columbia Pikecorridor. As the Code emphasizesthe benefits of mixed-use develop-ment, much of this housing stockwill be incorporated into projectswith office and retail space. Thismixed-use development will pro-vide a new housing option for thecorridor and will perhaps, throughcompetition, spur reinvestment inolder, existing housing. Interest indevelopinghousingalongthePikeisincreasingandseveralnewdevelop-mentprojectsinvolvingmultifamilyandtownhouseunitshavebeenap-provedorareunderreview.
PubliclyAssistedEfforts
The County has funded severalrental housing development pro-posals along Columbia Pike overthe years through its CommunityDevelopmentBlockGrant(CDBG)andAffordableHousingInvestment
Fund(AHIF)Programs.Since1982,the County has assisted with 13projects involving the acquisition,rehabilitation and/or partial rede-velopment of properties along thecorridor.Inall,theCountyinvested$18,591,446 in the rehabilitationandconstructionoftheseproperties.The projects, in their entirety, costapproximately $123,436,783. Eachof these developments has or had aportionoftheunitssetasideforlowor moderate income households ascommitted affordable units. Thetotalnumberofrentalunitsinvolvedis1,254,ofwhich1,085arecommit-tedaffordableunits.
AlthoughtheCountyhasinvesteda significant amountofCDBGandAHIF resources in this area, lever-aging nearly $33 million in non-Countydollarsintheprocess,theserevitalization efforts are only justbeginning to be replicated by pri-vateownersofrentalhousingstock.Ownersofsomeofthenewerhigh-rise complexes, such as WildwoodPark and Wildwood Towers, haverecentlycompletedrenovationssansCounty assistance. These newerapartmentcomplexesaremorelikelyto command the higher rent levels
WhiletheCountyisinterestedinencouragingnewdevelopmentalongthePike,itisalsocommitted to preserving the stable, single-family neighborhoods that border the cor-ridor.
Housing| 29
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECneededtojustifysubstantialrehabili-tationthansomeoftheolderapart-mentbuildings.TheCounty,work-ing in conjunction with propertyownersandthecommunity,isintheprocessofdevelopingmoreeffectivestrategies,suchastheColumbiaPikeHousingInitiative,tohelpovercomesuch concerns and impediments tothe renovation and rehabilitationofthe older rental housing along thePike.
ColumbiaPikeHousingInitiative
The Columbia Pike HousingInitiative,introducedinTheColumbiaPikeInitiative–ARevitalizationPlan,isaprogramthatseekstoenhancethequalityof lifealongthecorridorbyimproving existing housing and byexpanding housing options. At thecoreofthisinitiativeisthedevelop-mentofahousingrevitalizationplanwith development strategies thatwould lead to specific “bricks andmortar” projects. The plan wouldmeet the following objectives: thepromotion of mixed-use develop-mentwhereappropriate;thecreationof housing stock that is diverse intermsofbothtypeandaffordability;
thepreservationof affordablehous-ing;thecreationofhomeownershipopportunities;theprovisionofhous-ing-relatedservices;andthemainte-nanceofsoundhousingconditions.
Specificareasoriginally identifiedin2002tobestudiedinclude,butarenotlimitedto,theColumbiaHeightsWest Neighborhood, FillmoreGardens, Foxcroft Terrace andBarcroft.Theplanwillbedesignedto complement and further theob-jectives of other County policiesand community activities, includ-ing the Columbia Pike Initiative,the County’s Affordable HousingGoals and Targets, the ColumbiaHeightsWestNeighborhoodActionPlan and the severalNeighborhoodConservationPlans.
Inordertocompletethistask,theCounty will organize a planninggroup consisting of communitystakeholders, including interestedcitizens, civic association repre-sentatives, landowners, tenants andthe Columbia Pike RevitalizationOrganization,toworkwithCountystaff throughout the process. TheCounty also anticipates contractingwith a private consultant with ex-pertise in real estate and affordable
housing todevelopachievable, site-specific strategies, including devel-opment scenarios for various typesofpropertieslocatedthroughoutthecorridor. These strategies, whichwould complement and enhancethegoalspreviouslyoutlinedbytheCountyinthisandotherplans,wouldthen be implemented as propertiescome through the redevelopmentprocess. It isexpected that thepro-cessofdevelopingandimplementingsuch strategieswill result inamoreknowledgeablecommunitywithre-gardstohousingredevelopmentandaffordable housing issues, efficientmethodsofleveragingprivateinvest-ment inhousing, thecosts involvedinsuchrevitalizationeffortsandthechallengesofmaintainingaffordablehousing and options for future de-velopment.Itisanticipatedthatthisworkwillcommenceduring2005.
30|Housing
THECOUNTY,WORKINGINCONJUNCTIONWITHPROPERTYOWNERSAND
THECOMMUNITY,ISINTHEPROCESSOFDEVELOPING
MOREEFFECTIVESTRATEGIES,SUCHASTHECOLUMBIA
PIKEHOUSINGINITIATIVE,TOHELPOVERCOMESUCH
CONCERNSANDIMPEDIMENTSTOTHERENOVATIONAND
REHABILITATIONOFTHEOLDERRENTALHOUSING
ALONGTHEPIKE.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC TRANSPORTATION
As Columbia Pike originatedas a transportation corridorand continues to function
as a major transportation artery,transportation recommendationsconstituted a substantial portion ofthe implementation recommenda-tions outlined in the Columbia PikeInitiative–A Revitalization Plan. Therefined,revisedtransportationstrat-egy forColumbiaPikediffers littleinsubstancefromtheoriginal.Thatis,itcontinuestofocusonsupport-ingtheoverarchingvisiontoremakethe corridor into a “Main Street”forSouthArlington.Theprinciplesguiding the development of thisstrategy include enhancing publictransit in the corridor, prioritizingtheneedsofpedestriansandbicyclistsand managing the street system topromotesafetyandsupportplannedand future development. Since theadoptionof the plan in 2002,withthesupportoftheCountyBoardandthecommunity,substantialworkhasbeendonetoimplementthisvision.
FormBasedCode:FromThoroughfaretoMainStreet
The community design charrette
andtheresultingFormBasedCoderedefined the concept of “street”for Columbia Pike. The “street”now represents the entire publicspace between building faces, notjust a travelway for vehicles. Thestreetistobesharedbypedestrians,
bicyclists, public transit riders anddrivers.Itisexpectedthatmanykeytransportation improvements willbeimplementedthroughredevelop-mentprojectsusingtheFormBasedCode.
When theFormBasedCodewas
adopted in February 2003, therewere still unresolved questions re-garding the width, design and useofstreetspacealongColumbiaPike.Atthattime,theCountyBoardes-tablished the Columbia Pike StreetSpacePlanningTaskForce to con-
TRANSITIMPROVEMENTSANDPROPOSEDPARKINGLOCATIONS
Transportation| 31
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YLO
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TS B
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UTA
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9th RD S
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MILE
RUN
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SO
UTH
GEO
RGE
DRIVE
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AN
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LPH
ST
RANDOLPHELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
DOCTORS RUNPARK
QU
EB
EC
ST
14th ST
S
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S12th
ST S
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T
S
RE
ED
DR
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RW
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11th ST
S
12th ST S
13th ST S
IRV
ING
14th ST S
15th ST S
16th ST S
GA
RF
IELD
WALTER REEDCENTER
GA
RF
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11th ST S
S H
IGH
LAN
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12th ST S
13th ST S
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PIE
RC
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HOFFMAN-BOSTENCENTER
13th RD S
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14th RD S
S R
OLF
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S S
CO
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AY
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CO
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PIKE
9th ST S
TOWERS PARK
S A
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MS
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AD
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WA
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S V
EIT
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OU
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HO
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T6th ST S
BOULEVARD
WASHING
TON
HENDERSONHALL
ARMY-NAVYCOUNTRY CLUB
11th ST S
12th ST S
13th ST S
13th RD S
12th ST
S O
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S O
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S O
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ST
LAN
CA
ST
ER
HA
RR
ISO
N
VENCOR HOSPITAL
LONG BRANCHNATURE CENTER
GLENCARLYNELEMENTARY
SCHOOL7th ST S
7th RD S
7th
RD S
6th PL S
7th PL S
8th
S
T S
8th R
D S
8th PL S
S
HA
RR
ISO
NN
HA
RR
ISO
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JEF
FE
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ON
7th S
T
S
ILLI
NO
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S G
RE
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IER
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S FR
EDERICK S
T
EMERSON
DIC
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ON
8th
R
D S
TYROLL HILLPARK
GLENCARLYNPARK
S DINW
IDD
IE S
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S
EDISON ST
10th ST S10th ST S S COLUMBUS ST
S BUCHANAN ST
S JE
FFER
SO
N S
T
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FOREST
DR
S F
RE
DE
RIC
K
ST
12th ST S
11th
12th
RD S
11th RD
ST S 12th
ST
S
WAKEFIELDHIGH SCHOOL
S DINWIDDIE ST
13th
ST
13th RD
S B
UC
HA
NA
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T
S
CH
ES
TER
FIEL
D R
D
S C
OLU
MB
US ST
14th ST
CARLINS
PR
ING
S
ROADS
S FLOR
IDA
ST
DINWIDDIE
FAIRFAX COUNTY
DEFENCECOMMUNICATIONS
AGENCY
0
0 1/4 1/2 13/4
1200 2400 3600 4800
SCALE IN FEET
SCALE IN MILES
N
Arlington Transit (Routes Established as Part of PikeRide)
Super Stops (Enhanced Bus Stops Under Design)
Proposed Parking Locations
S GREENBRIER ST
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
sider these issues and develop rec-ommendationsforthelengthofthePikefromJoyceStreettotheFairfaxCounty line. The citizen-led TaskForce included representatives fromthe ten original civic associationsnearthePike,aswellasrepresenta-tives fromvariousCountyadvisorygroups and commissions. Staff andconsultant support was provided.The Task Force met for nearly ayear,heardfromvariousexpertsandstrove to balance competing needsforalimitedamountofstreetspace.
In February 2004, the CountyBoard accepted the Columbia PikeStreet Space Planning Task Force
Report. The County Board thenrevised the Master TransportationPlantoincludeanewColumbiaPikestreetspacevision.Newstreetpro-files were created for different sec-tionsofthePikeanddocumentedinaseriesofdetailedcrosssections(seeAppendix).Thenewstreetconfigu-rations are intended to reduce thespeedoftraffic,minimizepedestriancrossingdistancesandincreaseside-walkspace.They includenarrowedtravel lanes, a five-lane street (withthecenterlaneeitheraleftturnlaneor landscaped median), on-streetparkinginthecommercialareasandbicyclelanesalongmostofthePike.
ThenewstreetprofilesalsoestablishtheRequiredBuildingLinesusedintheFormBasedCode.Tocomple-ment the recommendations of theTaskForce,theCounty’sPublicArtMaster Plan, adopted in December2004, recommends that an artist inresidence be retained to assist withintegrating art projects into futurestreetscapeplanningalongthePike.
SubsequenttotheStreetSpaceTaskForceprocess,theCountyManagerestablished the Columbia PikeImplementationTeam,consistingofmany of the same citizen membersas the Street Space Planning TaskForce,toadvisestaffonimplementa-
TheseconceptsforSuperStopdesignsexpresstheCounty’sdesiretoimprovetheaestheticsandfunctionalityofthepopularColumbiaPikebusline.
32|Transportation
THERECOMMENDATIONSWEREINTENDEDTOREDUCE
THESPEEDOFTRAFFIC,MINIMIZEPEDESTRIAN
CROSSINGDISTANCESANDINCREASESIDEWALKSPACE.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECtion. This group has been meetingtoreviewimprovementprojectscur-rentlybeingplannedorimplemented.For projects such as the streetscapeand utility undergrounding pro-posedbetweenGarfieldandMonroeStreets and between WakefieldStreet and Four Mile Run Drive,the street space “vision” cannot befullyachievedatthistimebecauseofexistingbuildings and right-of-waylimitations.Thefullcrosssectionsofthe improved streetscape will mostlikely be realized as sites redevelopalong the corridor. For now, how-ever, the Implementation Team issuggesting interim approaches torealizeasmuchofthevisionaspos-sible,givenexistingconditions.
Transit
Columbia Pike is the busiest lo-cal bus corridor in Virginia, withconnections at its eastern end tothe Pentagon and Pentagon CityMetrorail stations. In the ColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization Plan,itwasrecommendedthatthealreadyhighleveloftransitservicealongthePikebeenhancedthroughimprovedbus stops, transit information and
busservices.Itfurtherrecommendedthat discussions continue regardingahigher-capacity formof transit toservicethePikeinthefuture.
InSeptember2003,busserviceinthe corridor was restructured andpromoted under the name of PikeRide. Three levels of service arenow provided. Metrobus continuestooperateregionalservicebetweenthe Pentagon and the Annandaleand Culmore areas of Fairfax
County.Metrobus also provides anArlington-focused service to thePentagonCityMetrorailstationthatis synchronizedwith theBlueLineschedule.ArlingtonTransitprovideslocalizedservicesconnectingseveralneighborhoodswithactivitycentersintheCounty.Anewcross-CountyArlington Transit route also linksthe western part of Columbia Pikewith the Ballston, Clarendon andCourthouseareas.Otherbus-related
ImprovedsidewalksandnewmediansenhanceboththeaestheticsandsafetyofthePikeforpedestrians,bicyclistsandmotoristsalike.
COLUMBIAPIKEISTHEBUSIESTLOCALBUSCORRIDORINVIRGINIA,WITHCONNECTIONSATITSEASTERNENDTOTHEPENTAGONANDPENTAGONCITYMETRORAILSTATIONS.
Transportation| 33
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
improvements include new, low-floor Metrobuses, better passengerinformation atbus stops, the intro-ductionofSmartTrip readersonallMetrobuses and the installation ofa system, currently in the testingphase,thatgivesprioritytobusesat
trafficsignals.To improve comfort and safety
for bus riders and further promotethe Pike Ride service, Arlingtonhas hired an architectural firm todesignnewbusstopsandsheltersat24 locations along Columbia Pike.
Called“SuperStops,” theseareen-visioned to be attractive, hospitablespaceswithpassengeramenitiessuchasrealtimebusinformationandoff-vehiclefarecollectionservices.TheCounty plans to start constructionoftheSuperStopsbyfall2005.The
County continues to work withFairfaxCountyandtheWashingtonMetropolitanAreaTransitAuthority,orWMATA,inplanninglong-termtransitinitiativesforthelengthofthecorridor.Thejurisdictionsarecoop-eratingtogetheronthePikeTransitInitiative,a studyof transitalterna-tives. The alternatives currentlyunder consideration include busrapid transit and streetcar technol-ogy.BothalternativeswouldoperateonColumbiaPike inmixedtraffic,connecting the Pentagon/PentagonCityareawiththeBaileysCrossroadsareaofFairfaxCounty.
PedestrianandBicycleInitiatives
Given the objective to make theColumbia Pike corridor an attrac-tive “Main Street,” considerationof the pedestrian experience is acentral tenet of both the ColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization PlanandthesubsequentStreetSpaceTaskForcerecommendations.Improvingsidewalksandpedestrianfacilities isa priority, as is providing for safercrossingsofthePikeandotherprin-cipal roadways. Some such projectsarecurrentlyunderwayorhavejust
Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements
FOUR MILE RUN
LONG
BRA
NC
H
6th ST S
5th ST S
5th RD S
6th
RD
S
5th RD S
IVY
ST
ST
PAT. HENRYELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
LIBRARY
9th ST S
8th ST S
CAREERCENTER
S IR
VIN
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RO
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9TH ST S
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ALCOVAHEIGHTS
PARK6th S
T S
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8th ST S
8th RD S
9th ST S
S S
TAFFO
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ST
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CK BARCROFT
ELEMENTARYSCHOOL
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UTH
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RANDOLPHELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
DOCTORS RUNPARK
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S12th
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IRV
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HOFFMAN-BOSTENCENTER
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BOULEVARD
WASHING
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HENDERSONHALL
ARMY-NAVYCOUNTRY CLUB
11th ST S
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13th RD S
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LONG BRANCHNATURE CENTER
GLENCARLYNELEMENTARY
SCHOOL7th ST S
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RD S
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10th ST S10th ST S S COLUMBUS ST
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ST
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RD S
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ST S 12th
ST
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WAKEFIELDHIGH SCHOOL
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13th
ST
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CARLINS
PR
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A S
T
DINWIDDIE
COLUMBIA PIKE
FAIRFAX COUNTY
DEFENCECOMMUNICATIONS
AGENCY
0
0 1/4 1/2 13/4
1200 2400 3600 4800
SCALE IN FEET
SCALE IN MILES
N
On-Street Bicycle Lanes (Included in Street Space Recommendations)
Shared-Use Path (Included in Street Space Recommendations)
Parallel Bicycle Routes (Under Design)
New Crosswalk with Flashing Signal
Signalized Intersection (Under Design)
Signalized Crossings (To be Studied)
Existing On-Street Bicycle Routes
Existing Shared-Use Paths
Proposed Shared-Use Paths
S GREENBRIER ST
BICYCLEANDPEDESTRIANIMPROVEMENTS
34|Transportation
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECbeen completed. For instance, arecent intersection project at GlebeRoadhasimprovedsidewalksinthevicinityofthiscrossroads.Arelatedproject,involvingtheunderground-ing of utility wires, the rebuildingand widening of sidewalks and theplanting of trees to improve thestreetscape in the Town Centerarea between South Garfield andSouth Oakland Streets, is alreadyunder way. Another utility under-grounding, sidewalk enhancementand landscapingprojectplanned forthewesternpartofColumbiaPike,betweenSouthWakefieldStreetandFourMileRunDrive,isexpectedtobeginsometimein2005.
Other pedestrian-focused proj-ects that have been completed re-cently include the construction ofnew sidewalks and curbs on SouthGarfieldStreetand9thRoadSouth,ashortstretchofsidewalknearSouthRolfe Street and a sidewalk along-side the Virginia Department ofTransportation(VDOT)facilitynearthe Navy Annex. A center medianandanewcrosswalkwithaflashingpedestriansignalhavebeeninstallednearFrederickStreet.NeartheeastendofColumbiaPike, a signalized
pedestriancrossingisbeingdesignedforSouthScottStreetinconjunctionwith VDOT. Based on a recom-mendation of the Columbia PikeImplementation Team, the CountyisalsodiscussingwithVDOTapro-posal to re-stripe thecrosswalksonColumbiaPikewithahighly-visibleladderdesign.
The Columbia Pike Initiative–ARevitalization Plan recommendedestablishingbicycle routes through-outthecorridor,includingbikewaysalong parallel streets and, wherepossible,bike lanesalongColumbiaPike itself. The Street Space TaskForcehasidentifiedareaswhereon-streetbicyclelanesaretobeprovided
in the future. At the present time,funding has been identified for thecreationofparallelbikewayson9thand 12th Streets between Quincyand Cleveland Streets. Anticipatedimprovements include enhancedsignageandnewpavementmarkingstodelineateandhighlightthebike-ways,asneither9thnor12thStreet
FOUR MILE RUN
LONG
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Street Improvements
6th ST S
5th ST S
5th RD S
6th
RD
S
5th RD S
IVY
ST
ST
PAT. HENRYELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
LIBRARY
9th RD S
9th ST S
8th ST S
CAREERCENTER
S IR
VIN
G S
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GLE
BE
RO
AD
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UT
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9TH ST S
8TH ST S
7TH ST S
6TH ST S
ALCOVAHEIGHTS
PARK6th S
T S
7th ST S
8th ST S
8th RD S
9th ST S
S S
TAF
FO
RD
ST
6th ST S
WO
OD
STO
CK BARCROFT
ELEMENTARYSCHOOL
7th RD
S W
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IELD
ST
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STS B
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MAS
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RUN
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MASON
SO
UT
H
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RGE
DRIVE
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AN
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ST
RANDOLPHELEMENTARY
SCHOOL
DOCTORS RUNPARK
QU
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ST
14th ST
S
13th ST
S12th
ST S
16th S
T
S
RE
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DR
IVE
WA
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NO
RW
OO
D
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LSO
N
11th ST
S
12th ST S
13th ST S
IRV
ING
14th ST S
15th ST S
16th ST S
GA
RF
IELD
WALTER REEDCENTER
GA
RF
IELD
11th ST S
S H
IGH
LAN
D S
T11th ST S
12th ST S
13th ST S
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OE
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E
HOFFMAN-BOSTENCENTER
13th RD S
14th ST S
14th RD S
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TS
QU
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CO
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9th ST S
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AD
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AY
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S V
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OU
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HO
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6th ST S
BOULEVARD
WASH
ING
TON
HENDERSONHALL
ARMY-NAVYCOUNTRY CLUB
11th ST S
12th ST S
13th ST S
13th RD S
12th ST
S O
RM
E S
T
S O
DE
ST
S O
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ST
LAN
CA
ST
ER
HA
RR
ISO
N
VENCOR HOSPITAL
LONG BRANCHNATURE CENTER
GLENCARLYNELEMENTARY
SCHOOL7th ST S
7th RD S
7th
RD S
6th PL S
7th PL S
8th
S
T
S
8th RD S
8th PL S
S
H
AR
RIS
ON
NH
AR
RIS
ON
JEF
FE
RS
ON
7th S
T
S
ILLI
NO
IS ST
S G
RE
EN
BR
IER
ST
S FR
EDERICK S
T
EMERSON
DIC
KE
RS
ON
8th
R
D S
TYROLL HILLPARK
GLENCARLYNPARK
S DINW
IDD
IE S
T
S
E
DISON ST
10th ST S10th ST S S COLUM
BUS ST
S BUCHANAN ST
S JE
FFER
SO
N S
T
10th PL S
FOREST
DR
S F
RE
DE
RIC
K
ST
12th ST S
11th
12th
RD S
11th RD
ST S 12th
ST
S
WAKEFIELDHIGH SCHOOL
S DINWIDDIE ST
13th
ST
13th RD
S B
UC
HA
NA
N S
T
S
CH
ES
TER
FIEL
D R
D
S C
OLU
MB
US ST
14th ST
CARLIN
SP
RIN
GS
ROADS
S FLOR
IDA
ST
DINWIDDIE
COLUMBIA PIKE
FAIRFAX COUNTY
DEFENCECOMMUNICATIONS
AGENCY
0
0 1/4 1/2 13/4
1200 2400 3600 4800
SCALE IN FEET
SCALE IN MILES
N
Proposed New Streets (Added to the Master Tranportation Plan)
Additional Proposed New Streets (Shown in Form Based Code)
Neighborhood Traffic Calming Projects (Planned or Recently Completed)
Intersection Realignments (Proposed)
Left Turn Lane (Under Design)
Intersection Project (Completed)
S GREENBRIER ST
S. GREENBRIER ST
S. ABINGDON ST
10th ST S
S HARRISON ST
S IRVING ST
11th ST S
STREETIMPROVEMENTS
Transportataion| 35
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
hassufficientwidthtoaccommodatefull-fledgedbikelanes.Staffisstudy-inghowbikewayscanbeaccommo-dated in theone-way sectionof9thStreetSouthbetweenSouthIvyandSouth Irving Streets. The BicycleAdvisory Committee is involved indevelopment of the bikeway plans,with implementationslatedtobeginbysummer2005.Additionally,anew
traffic signal planned for installationattheintersectionof12thStreetandGlebe Road will further improvebikewaycrossingsattheintersection.
Otherbicycleprojects inthecor-ridor include the creation of theWashingtonBoulevardTrailandpos-siblerelocationofapartoftheFourMile Run Trail. The WashingtonBoulevard Trail will connectArlingtonBoulevardandColumbiaPikefollowingapathgenerallypar-alleltoWashingtonBoulevard.Thetrailwillbelocatedontheeastside
of Washington Boulevard and willtravel through Towers Park beforeconnecting to Columbia Pike atSouthRolfeStreet.Constructionofthisshared-use,pavedtrailisantici-patedtobegin in2005. As for theFourMileRunTrail,theColumbiaForest Neighborhood ConservationPlan includes a recommendation toexplorethepossibilityofrelocatingaportionofthistrailoraddingaseg-ment to itonthewest sideofFourMile Run between Columbia PikeandSouthGeorgeMasonDrive.A
Plannedorrecentlycom-pletedneighborhoodtrafficcalmingprojectsinclude:
•ColumbiaHeightsWest:SouthDinwiddieStreet
•ColumbiaForest:SouthFrederickandSouthColumbusStreets
•Barcroft:SouthBuchananandSouthWakefieldStreets
•DouglasPark:SouthQuincyandSouthMonroeStreets
•AlcovaHeights:SouthMonroeStreet
•ArlingtonHeights:SouthHighlandStreet
•ColumbiaHeights:SouthClevelandStreet
Proposednewconnectingstreets:
•9thRoadSouthfromSouthWayneStreettoSouthWalterReedDrive
•9thRoadSouthfromSouthGarfieldStreettoSouthHighlandStreet
•11thStreetSouthfromSouthEdgewoodStreettoSouthMonroeRoad
•SouthClevelandStreetfrom9thStreetSouthtoColumbiaPike
•SouthIrvingStreetfromColumbiaPiketonew11thStreetSouth
• SouthAbingdonStreetfromColumbiaPiketoSouthFourMileRunDrive(minor)
• 10thStreetSouthfromnewSouthGreenbriarStreettoSouthJeffersonStreet
• SouthGreenbriarStreetfromColumbiaPiketonew10thStreetSouth
• SouthHarrisonStreetfromColumbiaPiketonew10thStreetSouth
Safetyimprovementsarebeinginstitutedatvariouskeyintersections.
36|Transportation
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECpreliminary study funded throughthe Neighborhood Conservationprogramisunderwayatthistime.StreetSystem
The Columbia Pike Initiative–ARevitalizationPlanrecommendedthattraffic impact studies be conductedfor major new developments alongColumbia Pike. This requirementhas been included in the adminis-trative regulations for Form BasedCode developments greater than100,000squarefeet.
Theplanrecommendedimprove-ments to several intersections alongColumbia Pike, including addingleft-turnlanesatSouthGlebeRoad,realigning the South HighlandStreet and the South BuchananStreet/SouthFourMileRunDriveintersections, and rebuilding theWashingtonBoulevardinterchange.The Glebe Road intersection hasbeenimproved,withleft-turnlanesnow operational in all directionsat that intersection. The SouthHighlandStreetintersectionisbeingstudied in relation to an approvedFormBasedCodeprojectatWalterReedDrive.BasedontheColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization Plan,the undergrounding and sidewalk
project near Four Mile Run wasredesigned to include the interimrecommendation to add a left-turnlane.Furtherstudyisbeingdonetosee whether it is practicable at thistime to implement the longer-termrecommendation to realign SouthFourMileRunDrivewhereitmeetsSouthBuchananStreet.TheCountyis continuing toworkwithVDOTon the redesign of the WashingtonBoulevard interchange to make itfeasible under the currently pro-grammedleveloffunding.
Theplanrecommendsthatneigh-borhood traffic calmingprojects beconsideredintheneighborhoodsad-jacenttoColumbiaPiketodealwithbothexistingtrafficimpactsandthepotentialeffectsofnewdevelopment.Traffic calming includes such mea-suresasspeedhumps,trafficcircles,texturedcrosswalks,curbbumpoutsor nubs and gateway treatments.Since adoption of the ColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization Plan,severaltrafficcalmingprojectshavebeenplannedfororcompletedintheneighborhoodsborderingthePike.
The Columbia Pike Initiative–ARevitalizationPlan also recommendsthatmanyofthedrivewayentrances
alongColumbiaPikebeconsolidat-ed or eliminated. The Form BasedCodetakesastepinthisdirectionbyrequiringthatmostaccesstoparkingand loading for new developmentsbe from side streets and alleys, notdirectlyfromthePike.
Severalnewlocalconnectingstreetswere mentioned in the ColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization PlanandweresubsequentlyincorporatedintotheMasterTransportationPlan.Additional new street segments areshown on the Form Based CodeRegulating Plans and County staffis currently working to reconcilewhat is shown in the Code withwhat is represented in the MasterTransportationPlan.Itisanticipatedthatthesestreetswillbeconstructedas new development occurs. Onesuch development, the approvedmixed-use project at the corner ofColumbia Pike and Walter ReedDrive, includes a portion of a new11thStreetSouth.SurveyanddesignworkforthisnewstreetisunderwayandthestreetsegmentisexpectedtobecompletedbytheCountyasnewdevelopment comes on line. Otherdevelopments being considered inthisareacouldresultinthecomple-
tion of additional segments of thenew 11th Street. These and othernew two-lane street segments willimprovelocalcirculationforvehiclesandpedestriansandwillhelptoreal-izetheoverallvisionofthePikeasaMainStreetforSouthArlington.
ParkingStrategy
The Columbia Pike ParkingStrategywasadoptedbytheCountyBoardinFebruary2003afteritwasdetermined that a flexible, diverseandcreativeapproachtoparkingwasneeded in order to implement thegoalsandobjectivesoftheColumbiaPike Initiative–A Revitalization Plan.Thisstrategyisnowintegratedintotheoverallcomprehensivetranspor-tation plan for the corridor whichemphasizeswalking,transituse,andbiking.Belowisthelistofparkinggoals forColumbiaPike, aswell asa general summary of the imple-mentationstrategies(amoredetaileddescriptionof theparkingstrategiescanbefoundinacompaniondocu-ment, the Columbia Pike ParkingStrategy).
Transportation| 37
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
ParkingGoals
• Enable people to park once at aconvenient location and access avariety of commercial enterprisesin pedestrian-friendly environ-ments by encouraging sharedparking.
• Create a coordinated, managedapproachtoparkingthatincreasesthe visibility and accessibility ofparkinganduniformityofparkinginformation,whether theparkingisprovidedpubliclyorprivately.
• Reduce diffused, inefficient, sin-gle-purposeparking.
•Avoidadverseparking impactsonneighborhoods adjacent to rede-velopmentareas.
•Maximizeon-streetparking.• Provide flexibility for redevelop-
ment of small sites and for thepreservationofhistoricbuildings.
• Promote early prototype projectsusing flexible and creative incen-tives.
Implementation
The Parking Strategies that wereadopted in February 2003 includeestablishingminimumrequirements
for parking; mitigating impacts inresidentialareas;studying,onacon-tinuousbasis,parking-relatedissues;establishing areas or zones wheresharedparkingopportunitiesshouldoccur(seeTransitImprovementsandProposed Parking Locations map);investing in public-private partner-ships; maximizing on-street park-ing;andimprovingsignage.Otherrelated strategies include enhancingpedestrian amenities, improvingtransit options, and amelioratingbicycleparking.
In response to anumber of these strate-gies, the County has acomplished thefollowing:• Instituted a residential permit
parking program in the DouglasParkandColumbiaForestneigh-borhoods in order to mitigateparkingshortagesinsinglefamilyneighborhoods adjacent tohigherdensity development areas alongthePike.
• Hired a parking coordinator toprovide on-going analysis andleadershiptoachievetheCounty’sparking goals throughout theCountyandalongthePike.
• Developed low or no cost Trans-
portation Demand Management,or TDM, strategies to encouragedevelopers and businesses to of-fer occupants and/or employeestransit,ridesharingorcarsharing,bicyclingandwalkinginformationand subsidies, to reduce vehicletrips,and,hence,parkingdemand,wherepossible.
TheCountyiscurrentlyorcontinuouslyworkingonthefollowing:• Making prudent investments of
Countyresourcestomeetinterimandlong-termparkingneeds.
• Adding on-street parking spacesalongColumbiaPikeandonpro-posed new streets based on therecommendationsoftheColumbiaPike Street Space Planning TaskForceReport.
38|Transportation
THECOLUMBIAPIKEPARKINGSTRATEGYWASADOPTED
BYTHECOUNTYBOARDINFEBRUARY2003AFTERITWAS
DETERMINEDTHATAFLEXIBLE,DIVERSEANDCREATIVEAPPROACHTOPARKING
WASNEEDEDINORDERTOIMPLEMENTTHEGOALS
ANDOBJECTIVESOFTHECOLUMBIAPIKEINITIATIVE–A
REVITALIZATIONPLAN.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
One of the challenges facedon Columbia Pike is tooffset the economic and
marketfactorsthathavehinderedthePike’s economic growth over recentdecades, while taking advantage ofthe opportunities presented by thetransformationof the regional econ-omy from a traditional governmentindustrybasetonewtechnologyandfederalparadigms.TheCounty’splanfor thisareamustreflect theneedtostrikeabalancebetweenstrengthen-ing neighborhood-serving businessesand injecting additional incomethroughnewresidential,businessandoffice development. With the rela-tively small amount of land directlycontrolledbytheCounty,motivatingprivatepropertyownerstoparticipateremains a formidable obstacle andunderscores theneed tooffer incen-tives. The market gap between theMetrocorridorsandColumbiaPikeisbeginningtolessenaslandpricescon-tinuetoriseandlargersitesdisappearalong the more developed corridors.Asaresult,theneedforCountyeco-nomic assistance is diminishing, butstillremains.
Inordertorealizethecommunity’soverallvisionforthePikeandcreate
aplaceto live,workandplay,bothresidentialandcommercialdevelop-mentmustbestimulated.Severalres-identialandmixed-usedevelopmentprojectsarecurrentlyunderreview.Opportunities to attract new com-mercialdevelopmentandinvestmentto theColumbiaPikecorridorwillbecloselytiedtotheabilitytoofferClassAofficespaceatafullservicepricepoint below those rents askedin the County’s Metro corridorsandsurroundingmarkets.ColumbiaPikedoeshaveanimpressiveexisting
technologyinfrastructure,thankstotheall-opticalbroadbandcommuni-cationnetworkadministeredbytheAT&T Central Telco office at 900SouthWalterReedDrive,whichal-lowsittocompeteinalimitedarenawithfewerthanadozenothermajorurban technology areas nationallywheresuchinfrastructureisinplace.Nonetheless, at present, there is norealmarket forClassAcommercialoffice space along the Pike. It isthought, however, that demand forsuch spacewill follow thedevelop-
INORDERTOREALIZETHECOMMUNITY’SOVERALLVISIONFORTHEPIKEANDCREATEAPLACETOLIVE,WORKANDPLAY,BOTHRESIDENTIALANDCOMMERCIALDEVELOPMENTMUSTBESTIMULATED.
HighqualityarchitecturewithgroundfloorretailwillhelptorevitalizeandreinvigoratetheVillageCenter.
EconomicDevelopment| 39
ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECment of successful residential andretailprojects.
Defensecontractorsandhigh-techfirmsarelogicalprimarymarketingtargets, while association and non-profit headquarters also representpotential sectors to pursue. Thelocation of Columbia Pike relativeto thePentagonand theDistrictofColumbiatotheeastandthehigh-tech companies situated in FairfaxCountytothewestissignificant.
Intermsoftheexpandingdefensesector, proximity to their federalgovernmentclienteleisappealingtodefensecontractors.Intermsof thehigh-tech industry, the metropoli-tan Washington area is recognizednationally as being one of the pre-ferredlocationsforhigh-techoffices,although the District of Columbia,FairfaxandPrinceWilliamCountiesarecurrentlymoresoughtafterloca-tions than Arlington County. Oneimpediment facing the Pike is thedearth of large blocks of “ready togo”commercialspace,suchasthoseavailable in Crystal City and othernearbylocations.Suchspaceisveryattractivetoprospectivetenantswholiketobeabletoactuallyviewtheirofficespaceandwillrarelycommitto
abuildingonpaper.Atthisjuncture,a“speculative”commercialbuildingonColumbiaPikehasthepotentialto succeed, but would be virtu-allyimpossibletofinance.Proactivemeasuresmustbe taken inorder toclosetheeconomicgapbetweenthisand other corridors and allow thePiketorealizeitsfullpotential.
FormBasedCode:CatalystforReinvestment
Investors are starting to turn toColumbia Pike as a more afford-able alternative to the increasinglyexpensive, highly-developed Metrocorridors.InvestorsarealsodrawntothePikebecauseoftheFormBasedCode,whichoffersamorepredict-
NewermultifamilyhousingalongtheeasternendofthePikeisasignthatinterestinthisareaisbuildingwithinthedevelopmentcommunity.
INVESTORSARESTARTINGTOTURNTOCOLUMBIAPIKE
ASAMOREAFFORDABLEALTERNATIVETOTHE
INCREASINGLYEXPENSIVE,HIGHLYDEVELOPED
METROCORRIDORS.
40|EconomicDevelopment
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
DEVELOPERSAREALSOLEARNINGTHATMIXED-USEDEVELOPMENTCANBEAVERYLUCRATIVEPROPOSITION.
abledevelopmentprocesswithade-greeofcertaintynotfoundinthesiteplanprocessthatguidesdevelopmentalong other corridors. Developerswho use the Form Based Codeknowup-frontwhat canor cannotbebuilt,aswellaswhatthetimingwillbefortheapprovalofapotentialproject.ProjectsarereviewedeitherthroughanadministrativeprocessorastreamlinedSpecialExceptionUsePermit process.Developers are alsolearningthatmixed-usedevelopmentcanbeavery lucrativeproposition.Whereas mixed-use developmentcanbechallengingtopursueundermore traditional zoning, the Codeencourages and facilitates such de-velopmentandcouldprovidegreateropportunities for additional densi-ties than the current zoning. Priorto the adoption of the Code, therewere few if anymixed-usepropos-als along the Pike. Now, however,there are one approved and severalpendingmixed-useprojectsthatwillbring new commercial, residential,officeandculturalattractionstothecorridor and undoubtedly serve ascatalysts for additional investmentandreinvestment.
RedevelopmentIncentives
WhiletheFormBasedCoderep-resentstheprimarytoolforstimulat-inginterest inthedevelopmentandredevelopment of the Pike, thereare several other instruments theCounty isusing to spur investmentinthecorridor.Mostoftheprogramsrecommended in theColumbia PikeInitiative–ARevitalizationPlanarebe-ingcontinuedinarevised,updatedform.Others, suchas thecommer-cialrevolvingloanfund,abandonedbecause it was determined that theCountycannotprovidedirectfinan-cialassistancetoprivateentities,havebeensucceededbyotherprograms.
ColumbiaPikeDevelopmentFundThe County Board established a
developmentfundfortheColumbiaPike corridor in 2002, and it isrecommended that the Countycontinue to support this fund. Thefund was conceived of as a sourceof public “seed money” to fundpublic projects and to help narrowthe feasibility/profitability marginfor development projects that havevarious public components associ-ated with them. The primary goal
of the fund, which was allocated$1million,wastoleverageCountydollarsinordertoachievethegoalsof theoverallplan for thecorridor.Examplesofwaysinwhichthefundwas originally intended to be usedincluded: the facilitation of privateredevelopment through public ac-quisition (or participation in thedevelopment)ofselectpropertiesforpublicuse/facilities;thedevelopmentof financial participation strategiesto satisfy public parking needs; thepromotionof transitenhancements;wherepermittedwithpublicfunds,the funding of infrastructure sitecostsbeyondthefinancialfeasibilityof a project; and the acquisition ofright-of-wayfornewtransportationinitiatives and the possible realign-mentofkeyintersections.
While the fund has not yet beenusedtosupportsuchinitiatives,ithasinsteadbeenusedtopromotecom-munity involvement in the processofrefiningtheoverallvisionfortheredevelopmentof thePike.Perhapsmostnotably, the fundwasused tohire a consultant team to lead thesuccessful public charrette in 2002.The fund was also used to providethecitizentaskforcethatdeveloped
EconomicDevelopment| 41
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC
42|EconomicDevelopment
theColumbiaPikeStreetSpaceplanwithconsulting services andexpertanalysis. The fund also helped tokeepthecommunityup-to-dateonthe plans for the corridor through
the publication of the ColumbiaPikeCorridorRedevelopmentPlanNewsletters, which focused on re-centaccomplishmentsandupcomingevents.
In the future, the fund could beusedtopromotepublicinfrastructurethat would not otherwise be con-structed and should take advantageofmarketopportunities.Useof the
fundrequiresapprovalonacase-by-case basis by the County Managerand/or County Board and a finan-cialanalysissupportingtheneedandpublic purpose to be accomplished.Selected projects will have clearpublicpurposesandbenefits forthecorridor andwillhelp to transformthecorridorbothvisuallyandfunc-tionally,aswellaseconomically.
TaxIncrementPublicInfrastructureFund
The Columbia Pike Initiative–ARevitalization Plan recommendedthedesignationof aTax IncrementFinancing District along the Pike.While theCounty has decided notto pursue this mechanism, a TaxIncrement Public InfrastructureFund (TIPIF) was successfullyimplemented, and the recently ap-proved Columbia Center projecthas already taken advantage of itsbenefits. The County determinedthat it was necessary and desirableto establish a policy for investmentinpublic infrastructuredesigned tosupport and complement particularkey private development projectsandfurtherassociatedpublicameni-tiesalongthePike.TheTIPIFisde-
Approvedin2004,ColumbiaCenterwillbeamixed-usecondominiumprojectneartheintersectionofColumbiaPikeandWalterReedDrive.
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECsignedtoprovidefinancialassistancetothosesignificantprojectsthatareanticipatedtobetheonesthatmosteffectively initiate and anchor theentireColumbiaPike revitalizationeffort.Inaddition,theTIPIFmaybeused to provide funding for publicinfrastructure that supports the en-tirecorridorrevitalizationeffort.
TheTIPIFisdesignedtogivetheCountytheflexibilitytodeterminewhichprojectsshallreceivefinancialassistancebasedonqualifyingcrite-riaincluding:theamountofprivateinvestment;thetypeofdevelopmentbeing undertaken; the communitybenefit toaccrue fromthecomple-tionoftheproject;theabilityofthepublic investment to leverageotherprivate investments; the likelihoodof theprojectbenefiting frompub-lic infrastructure investment; andtheabilityof thepublic investmentto make it possible for the privatedeveloper to achieve an acceptablereturnontheprivateinvestmentop-portunity.
TheTIPIFonlyappliestoupto85percentofthetaxincrementcreatedby the initialprivate investment,asanyfutureincreaseintaxesresultingfrom higher assessments over and
above the initial bump-up in valuecausedbytheprivateinvestmentwillbeaccruedtotheCounty’sGeneralFund.Any initial funding requiredforpublic infrastructure investmentmaybemadeusingexistingCountyresources. Tax increment financingis a veryuseful tool, as it leveragesfuturetaxrevenuestoallowthepri-vate investment that will generatethoserevenuestotakeplacetoday.
RehabilitationTaxExemption
The Columbia Pike Initiative–ARevitalizationPlanalsorecommendedreevaluatingtheRehabilitationTaxExemption in light of the ever-in-creasingeconomicchallengesfacingsmaller property owners interestedintherevitalizationoftheirproper-ties. InFebruary2003, theCountyadoptedchangesespeciallydesignedto aid the smaller property ownerconsidering new investment andconstruction. The changes, whichtrytobuilduponthegreaterflexibil-ityprovidedbythenewFormBasedCode, include substantially broad-ening the dollar value of projectseligible for theexemption thatwillbe available for five years; increas-
ing theemphasisonnewconstruc-tionbyeliminatingthereplacementsquare footage constraint presentlyfound in the ordinance; expandingthe areas in the corridor in whichsuch exemptions may be claimed;andstipulatingthat$10millionwillreplace$1millionasthecaponas-sessableimprovements.Theprimarypurpose of the Rehabilitation TaxExemption ordinance is to stimu-late the upgrading, expansion andreplacement of aging commercialbuildings indesignatedcommercialdistrictssuchasthis.
TechnologyZone
InJanuary2000,theCountyBoardapprovedaTechnologyZoneintheTownCenterareaofColumbiaPikethat offered qualifying technologybusinessesa50percentreductioninBusiness Professional OperationalLicense(BPOL)taxesforaperiodof10 years. Changes enacted in 2003were designed to encourage rein-vestmentbymaking the rehabilita-tion taxexemptionmoremeaning-fulandapplicable,particularlywhenlinked with the other incentivesand actions being proposed for the
INJANUARY2000,THECOUNTYBOARDAPPROVEDATECHNOLOGYZONEINTHETOWNCENTERAREAOFCOLUMBIAPIKETHATOFFEREDQUALIFYINGTECHNOLOGYBUSINESSESA50PERCENTREDUCTIONINBUSINESSPROFESSIONALOPERATIONALLICENSE(BPOL)TAXESFORAPERIODOF10YEARS.
EconomicDevelopment| 43
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVECColumbiaPikecorridor.Theexist-ingTechnologyZoneordinancewasrevised to stimulate investment bytechnology industries within desig-natedportionsofthecorridor,usinga reduced BPOL tax rate for tenyearsasanincentive.Theordinancewas also changed to include all oftheareaswithin the revisedSpecialRevitalization District boundar-ies, designating them as QualifiedTechnology Zones. This approachallowsthetaxincentivetofunctionas aneconomic supportmechanismtopromotenewbusinessinvestmentin these areas, complementing theexisting and planned revitalizationinitiatives.
SmallBusinessAssistanceNetwork
Extensive research has been con-ducted by BizLaunch, ArlingtonCounty’s Small Business AssistanceNetwork, and the Columbia PikeRevitalization Organization sinceSeptember 2004 in order to proac-tively provide business resources tomeet the needs of small businessesalongColumbiaPike. Tocontinuethiscommitment,BizLaunchwillbeconducting one-on-one interviews
with businesses along ColumbiaPike beginning April 2005. Thesurvey has the complete endorse-ment of Arlington’s Small BusinessCoordinatingCouncilwhichconsistsof thirtymembersof smallbusinessservice providers and small busi-ness owners throughout ArlingtonCounty. The goal is to visit everysmallbusinesswithinthecorridortoassesstheirbusinessneeds.
Itisanticipatedthatthisdirectcon-tacteffortwillnotonlyprovidein-putregardingadditionalservicestheCounty should consideroffering toaddress smallbusinessowners’ con-cerns, butwill also introduce thesebusinesses to BizLaunch, and theservicesalreadyofferedbyArlingtonCounty, including counseling, re-searchandeducation.Theinforma-tion collected through the surveywill be used at Arlington’s SmallBusiness Coordinating Council’sThirdAnnualSmallBusinessExpotobeheldinJune2005.
ParkingStrategy
In order for the various businessestablishments along the Pike tomaintain and expand their clientbasesasthecorridorisredeveloped,it is important toensure theprovi-sion of convenient, adequate park-ing.Recognizingthis,Countystaffdevised theColumbiaPikeParkingStrategy,whichwasadoptedbytheCounty Board in February 2003.This strategy includes various flex-ible parking solutions, such as en-couraging public participation inthecreationofsharedparking.TheCountyisalsocommittedtomakingprudent investmentsof its resourcestomeetinterimandlong-termpark-ing needs. The development andimplementation of this strategy isimportant to the financial viabilityandoverall success of thePike as aMainStreetanddestinationforshop-ping, dining and attending culturalevents (for further information, seetheTransportationSection).
EXTENSIVERESEARCHHASBEENCONDUCTEDBYBIZLAUNCH,
ARLINGTONCOUNTY’SSMALLBUSINESSASSISTANCE
NETWORK,ANDTHECOLUMBIAPIKEREVITALIZATION
ORGANIZATIONSINCESEPTEMBER2OO4INORDER
TOPROACTIVELYPROVIDEBUSINESSRESOURCES
TOMEETTHENEEDSOFSMALLERBUSINESSES
ALONGCOLUMBIAPIKE.
44|EconomicDevelopment
COLUMBIAPIKE INITIATIVEC CONCLUSION
T he Columbia Pike corridorwasoncetheMainStreetofSouth Arlington, a vibrant,
pedestrian-oriented,mixed-usecom-munity center and regional destina-tion.Withcarefulplanningandthecoordinated efforts of communitystakeholders,itcanbeyetagainasuc-cessful,livableandfunctional“place,”notmerelyathoroughfare.Whilethetransformation of this aging, auto-oriented, suburban,commercial stripis certainly not something that canbe accomplishedovernight, thepro-gressive, urban design requirementsoutlinedintheFormBasedCodeandtheColumbiaPikeStreetSpacePlan,alongwiththeupdatedvisionimple-mentationstrategiesprovidedherein,establishthenecessaryframework.
Together the community-gener-ated Form Based Code and theCounty’spolicyrecommendationslaythe foundation for the new, revital-izedColumbiaPike.TheCodewillensure a better-defined, more ser-viceable, physical form for the Pike,while the policy recommendationswill ensure that the Pike meets theneedsofallmembersoftheimmedi-ate and larger community. That is,these recommendations will make
certain that the remaining historicresources linking the present to thepast are incorporated into the rede-veloped Pike; that new open spacesand recreational facilities are wovenintothefabricofthecorridorsothatresidents and visitors alike will havemeaningful places to gather, relaxandreestablishaconnectionwiththenaturalworld;thatbothexistingandfuture housing will be safe, decentandaffordable;thatthetransportationnetwork will be expanded and im-proved to accommodate pedestrians,bicyclistsandtransitriders,aswellasmotorists;and,lastly,thatinvestmentandreinvestmentinthePikewillbeguidedinsuchawayastoretainandexpandexistingbusinesses,whileat-tractingnewoneswhichwillbroadenemploymentopportunitiesandbolsterthelocaleconomy.
Evennow, interest and investmentinthePikeisincreasingsteadily.Asnew projects are approved, the de-sired urban form and physical infra-structure of the corridor will begintotakeshape.Atthesametime,thecommunity’s historic preservation,parks and recreation,housing, trans-portationandeconomicdevelopmentplanswillstarttocometolife.The
redevelopment of the corridor willserveasacatalystfortherevitalizationofnotonlythePikeproper,butalsothesurroundingcommunity.Induetime,theColumbiaPikecorridorwillyetagainbeSouthArlington’sMainStreet.
ForFurtherInformation:
HistoricalPlanningDocuments,including:ColumbiaPike2000–ARevitalizationPlan(1990)
ColumbiaPikeInitiative–ARevitalizationPlan,VolumesIandII(2002)
CurrentPlanningDocuments,including:TheColumbiaPikeSpecialRevitalizationDistrictFormBasedCode
GeneralLandUsePlan
NeighborhoodConservationPlans
MasterTransportationPlan
PublicArtMasterPlan
OtherDocuments,including:ColumbiaPikeCorridorRedevelopmentPlanNewsletter,Issues1and2(Fall2002)
ColumbiaPikeStreetSpacePlanningTaskForceReport
Conclusion| 45