Category: Housing

September Newsletter and September 14 Meeting

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Message from CCCA’s President

On September 14th (Wednesday)  at 7pm we will have our next CCCA meeting. We will have an update from JBGS on all of their construction projects, a presentation by the County transportation staff on alternatives for Metro.  We will have one more presentation that has not been confirmed.

Mark your calendars for Nov 16th and Jan. 18th for our next two meetings. All will be hybrid.  If you have suggestions for topics, please email me. We are always trying to find presentations!

Register in advance for the September meeting at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkde2tpjgoHd0_eY7447i31YOTx8meHtQX 

– Eric Cassel, CCCA President

Click here to download the September Newsletter

https://www.crystalcitycivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CCCA_Newsletter-No.-9-September-2022.pdf

CCCA August 2022 Newsletter

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Click here to download

Message from CCCA’s President

Livability22202 is looking at the problem of crime in the area. We are meeting with the police and are looking for volunteers to work on the issue. If you are interested, please email me at: [email protected].

Last month we did a survey on potential names for the two parks at the Amazon HQ2 sites:  MetPark and PenPlace.  The results are here.  Overall, the names chosen are likely candidates for the final names.

Lastly, have a great summer! Be sure and take some time off and enjoy life!

– Eric Cassel, CCCA President

Happy Fourth of July!

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July Newsletter is Out – click here to download

July 4 Announcement of Road Closures and places to View the Fireworks: See inside the Newsletter for details

Message from CCCA’s President

We have a survey about Park Names! Three parks around the new Amazon HQ2 need names. In the map below are the 3 parks. Park 1 is next to Eads and just north of the Whole Foods. Park 2 is the redesigned park. And the 3rd park is essentially inside the Amazon Property where the Helix will be. Please take a survey below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T2M8VX3

The Livability 22202 Housing Working Group wants to hear from renters in our zip code. Please take a few minutes to share your recent living experiences, rent increases, what you enjoy and what is challenging here. You can do so anonymously if you wish! Here is the link.

Route 1 continues to be a major commitment for me. We had a great meeting on the 15th and VDOT’s meeting on the 18th was interesting, but we had problem with not enough space outside the roadway. Sidewalks, bike lanes and trees are important for a road. We are working hard to get the best solution for our neighborhood.

– Eric Cassel, CCCA President

CCCA June Newsletter is Out

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Click here to download.

Message from CCCA’s President

Thanks to everyone who joined us virtually and in person for our May meeting on transportation.  Our next regular meeting will be in September, but we will have a special meeting on June 15 to cover Route 1. This meeting will be for all three civic associations. We will cover all the different alternatives for 18th street and Route 1!

 Register here.

The County 10-year investment plan was recently released and 3 Crystal City Parks were included. We have a significant number of new parks in the planning stages, but funding has been uncertain.

With summer approaching, please maintain personal awareness, as crime will increase. While our area does not have high crime rates, it does happen. A purse was recently stolen just outside of Long Bridge Park on Crystal Drive. A violent attack with weapon took place outside Bowlero on 23rd St on May 23.

Finally, be sure to visit our website (https://crystalcitycivic.org) or our Facebook page. (We always need people to help with social media!)

– Eric Cassel, CCCA President

CCCA May Newsletter is Out

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Once again, filled with lots of information on what’s happening in our area. Don’t forget, you can get this Newsletter and email update in your in box and vote at meetings by becoming a member of the CCCA for $10 annually. Local businesses may become Associate Members without a vote.

President’s Corner
May 18th Meeting and More Issues than Normal

  1. On May 18th at 7:00, we will have a presentation by the County on Transportation. We will also have
    an in-person report from an Amazon representative on their HQ2. Lastly we will have a short
    presentation by Dweck on their new buildings. Join us in person at 251 18th St S or register in
    advance     for this meeting.
  2. Last week the County Board approved the Helix, three office buildings and the rest of the
    development for Amazon at PenPlace. Besides my comments before the County Board, NBC4
    interviewed me.
  3. The County is developing a new graphics tool for all things construction/development. There will be
    a meeting on Monday May 16th at 7:00. This should be a good tool for all residents.
  4. The bringing down of Route 1 has generated several alternatives for 18th Street. VDOT made a
    presentation on Thursday and we will be having a meeting on the various choices.
  5. The County is proposing to change the way Storm-Water is going to be billed to residents.
    Switching to a Storm-Water Utility will mean Crystal City Property Owners will see net bills will fall and
    single-family owners will see an increase, but the method of payment will change.
  6. The Civic Federation is proposing numerous changes to the County Government Structure. For
    example, one recommendation is to increase the number of County Board Members from 5 to 7.

See more in the Newsletter.

Eric Cassel, CCCA President

Melwood and Affordable Housing

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Melwood Industries has proposed to the County a Tier 1 review of a proposal to build on its current vacant lot at 750 S 23rd Street.  This would be a state‐of‐the‐art mixed‐use building that:

  • Provides a home for Melwood programming, particularly workforce development programming:
  • Provides affordable housing inclusive of people with disabilities; and
  • Creates a communal space for the 22202 neighborhood and people with
  • disabilities

Livability22202 has advocated for more affordable housing and believes this would be a worthwhile study.  Tier 1 only would give approval for a more indepth review under Tier 2.  The CCCA will invite Melwood to present when/if the study goes to Tier 2.  See the initial Melwood proposal presented to the AHCA meeting January 12.

CCCA December Newsletter 2021

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Read the Newsletter here.

With apologies for the length of this month’s Newsletter,  here you go.  So much for this being a slow time of year! Check out the meetings and all of the issues.

1.  Survey:  Every month in the President’s report, we will have a survey. The idea is to get some feedback from you and provide a venue for you to impact how we spend our time in meetings. The first survey is:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/M8Y839WThere are only a few questions and they should not take more than a minute or two.   Eric Cassel, CCCA President

2.  Construction Reminders:  

  • 1900 Crystal Drive construction: Saturday December 4, 3 am -9 pm/Sunday December 5, 7 am – 9 pm (backup dates December 11-12 and 18-19), crane on 20th Street
  • Altaire construction:  Saturday –December 11, 4 am-9 pm (backup date Saturday December 18), Crane work at 400 11th Street; CLOSURE at 12th Street (between S Eads St and Army Navy Dr; 550

3.  REMINDER:  Annual Dues Payment coming Up Soon:  Annual dues are paid for the calendar year, so payment of $10 will be due no later than February 28 for members to remain on the mailing list as voting members to receive the monthly Newsletter and Updates.  Renew online by PayPal or send a check to our new Treasurer Steve Miller, 1300 Crystal Drive #408S, Arlington VA 22202.

CCCA October 2021 Newsletter

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Click here to download.https://www.crystalcitycivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CCCA_Newsletter-No.-10.pdf

Some Highlights:

1.  Save the Date:  CCCA Annual Meeting, November 17, 7-9 pm. So far, we’ve confirmed that we will have our annual CCCA elections and a presentation by Amazon on its operations in 22202 and its plans for PenPlace.  Stay tuned for details in early November

2.  Construction Alert: On October 9-10, 18th Street between Crystal Drive and Bell Street will be closed to accommodate installation of construction cranes for the 1900 Crystal Drive development project.  Construction will not be very noisy, but will start at 3 am on Saturday and 7 am on Sunday and last until 9  pm.  Traffic engineering services will provide traffic control and ensure pedestrian safety. 

3.  COVID Booster Shots:  Arlington County Public Health is now offering COVID-19 vaccine boosters for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to certain people at least 6 months after their Pfizer primary series. Appointments are required at Arlington Public Health Clinics. Visit vaccinate.virginia.gov to find additional locations and appointments near you.  Pharmacies are offering them too.  And don’t forget your flu shot.

4.  Metro Proposals:  Be sure to read about the six multibillion-dollar alternatives to improve the capacity and reliability of the Blue, Orange and Silver lines.

Livability22202 Meeting on County Planning and Affordable Housing

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 Good meeting February 9 of the three 22202 civic associations: Arlington Ridge, Aurora Highlands, and Crystal City.

7:00 pm:  Matt Mattauszek, Arlington County Master Planner, Crystal City/Pentagon City Planning Coordinator, provided a detailed overview of the county planning activities for 2021 in 22202. The year will be very busy as development ramps across our community.

7:30 pm: Kimberly Driggins, Executive Director of the Washington Housing Conservancy, explained what the WHC is, its funding by Amazon to acquire Crystal Houses for $377M, and the affordable housing parameters for Crystal Houses.  The acquisition will lead to the preservation and creation of 1,300 affordable homes.

8:00 pm: The Livability22202 Housing Working Group provided a summary and highlights of the Livability Housing report issued in December, the ongoing county Missing Middle Study and Housing Report, and the Working Group’s meetings with County Board members.

The meeting was recorded and can be viewed here when available. Currently viewable on the CCCA Facebook page.

This information is also posted on livability22202.org

Breaking News: Crystal Houses and Housing Affordability

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Great News! The Washington Housing Conservancy has bought Crystal Houses on S Eads Street with a major grant from Amazon and JBG Smith will manage it. The conservancy’s mission — and the Crystal House project — aim to create spaces for individuals and families who may make too much money to qualify for government housing assistance but do not earn enough to afford high-demand real estate markets. https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/01/06/amazon-arlington-affordable-housing/

With Amazon’s flexible capital, WHC was able to execute the purchase of Crystal House in under two months, an expedited timeline for commercial real estate transactions. WHC’s finance partner, the Washington Housing Initiative, and Impact Pool, created by developer JBG SMITH, provided commercial real estate expertise and an additional loan of $6.7 million.

Amazon announced its Housing Equity Fund, a more than $2 billion initiative to preserve and create more than 20,000 affordable housing units in the Puget Sound region in Washington State, Arlington, Virginia region, and Nashville, Tennessee—three communities Amazon calls home. The first investments include $381.9 million in below-market loans and grants to the Washington Housing Conservancy to preserve and create up to 1,300 affordable homes on the Crystal House property on S. Eads Street. Over the next five years, rent prices for 75 percent of the units at Crystal House will drop to help residents who are making less than 80 percent of the area’s mean income of $126,000. Read the Amazon announcement here: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/community/amazon-launches-2-billion-housing-equity-fund-to-preserve-and-create-over-20-000-affordable-homes