Crystal City Civic Association (CCCA)
A Voice for Crystal City Residents
Wednesday March 29th at 7:00 we will hold our March Meeting. The meeting will be hybrid at 251 South 15th Street (normal location) and on zoom. The link to register for the zoom meeting is here.
The Arlington County Police will make a presentation. An additional presentation will be added.
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
Learn all about Route 1 Proposed Changes!
VDOT is studying REMOVING the bridges over 15th and 18th Streets. Both intersections are proposed to be ‘at grade’.
Come to the June 15, 2022 Livability 22202 Route 1 Workshop to learn about the Livability 22202 Route 1 Working Group and VDOT proposals to address these issues and to share your ideas and concerns. Register in advance for this virtual meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Can’t attend the meeting? The meeting recording and presentation will be posted to the Livability 22202 Working Group page for your review.
Also plan to attend the VDOT PIM (Public Information Meeting) #2 on June 21st at 6:30 pm. In case you cannot attend, you will be able to review the meeting recording and presentation through the VDOT meeting website. Send your ideas and comments to VDOT by July 15.
Many of you are aware of the ongoing VDOT feasibility study on Route 1 which began in October 2020. VDOT and the commercial community have not budged from the position that Route 1 should be brought down to grade, despite intensive efforts by the community and Livability 22202 to propose other options. VDOT’s Phase 2 Virtual Public Information Meeting on April 28 at 6:30 PM is based on this position.
SO WHERE ARE WE?
● Safety of crossing Route 1 for pedestrians and cyclists has been Livabiity22202’s primary goal for the last two years. You can read the background and learn about our efforts on our Livability 22202 website. Lowering Route 1 to grade with a traffic intersection at 18th Street poses the greatest risks; safety crossing Route 1 must be ensured. We do not believe that the current VDOT plan ensures such safety, especially at 18th Street. The VDOT proposal is inconsistent with Arlington County’s Vision Zero initiative.
● Livability 22202 has worked extensively with 2 pro bono urban architects to encourage VDOT to look more at the people side of this project than the car side. We want the best outcome possible for this feasibility study for the entire community: residents as well as commercial interests .
● Therefore, we have set forward 3 main priorities for Phase 2:
1. Ensure safety crossing at 18th Street with one or more proposals:
a. Pedestrianize 18th Street (remove travel lanes on 18th between Eads and Clark/Bell to provide a park-like environment for cyclists and pedestrians and a safe crossing; include a Barnes Dance, where all traffic is stopped and pedestrians can cross in any direction, including diagonally)
b. Feasible bicycle/pedestrian underpass
c. Bicycle/pedestrian overpass
2. Make the Right of Way on Route 1 overall 165’ to make an at-grade Route 1 a true boulevard.
3. Create a new park between 15th St and the multimodal facility and between Route 1 and Clark/Bell to connect the green ribbon open space areas in Crystal City.
You can find the detailed proposals and explanation in the link: 2022-04-25 18th Street Study.pdf (dropbox.com)
Our proposed ideas offer an opportunity to create a “Green Ribbon” by pedestrianizing 18th Street between Eads and Clark/Bell. This element would ideally extend parks from Virginia Highlands park to the Water Park, given plans for the Metro Market park from 18th to Crystal Drive. But the 18th street crossing of Route 1 is critical for any Bike/Pedestrian pathway.
SO WHAT CAN YOU DO?
● Register for the April 28 VDOT Public Information Meeting on Phase 2.
● Talk up the meeting and the proposal to bring Route 1 down to grade with all of your friends and acquaintances so they are informed.
● Express your concerns and share your ideas at the meeting.
● If you agree with Livability 22202’s ideas, support them publicly and say so at the April 28 meeting and to friends and acquaintances. We have worked long and hard to defend community interests and seek the best outcome. This is your best opportunity to weigh in before the plans become ingrained in the system.
● Let the Arlington County Board know where you stand and ask for their support for the Livability 22202 positions
We did it, folks! We collected approximately 5,390 lbs of goods for AFAC during our 3-week campaign.
In the Spirit of Giving, the National Landing BID, Livability22202 Civic Associations and Sustainable Scoop Partnered to Organize a Thanksgiving Food Drive for Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Running November 1-21 , with 21 donation locations across the 22202 zip code, approximately 5,390 lbs of goods were collected in just three weeks for the 22202 Thanksgiving Food Drive for the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Box drop off sites were set up at multi-family buildings, private residence spaces, and businesses across the area to garner substantial contributions of dry and canned goods. In addition, weekly scheduled collection services were held at multiple locat
The three Livability 22202 civic associations, the Sustainable Scoop, and the National Landing BID partnered to bolster the community-wide giving effort. Throughout the month of November, Amazon driver, Jose Solcruz, picked up large quantities from many participating buildings for delivery to AFAC, and Dweck delivered from many of its buildings. The Crystal City/Pentagon City Rotary Club organized collections at a local Giant. Phoenix Bikes, the Rotary Club, and the Military Childrens Six Foundation helped with collections and deliveries at Melwood. Advent Lutheran Church collected throughout the week. The Burke & Herbert Bank combined food donation collections with a coat drive.
The mission of AFAC is to feed community members in need by providing access to nutritious supplemental groceries for people living in Arlington, VA who cannot afford to purchase enough food to meet their basic needs. With thanks to this multi-generational community event, AFAC is able to head into a fruitful Thanksgiving serving those most in need.
COVID-19 has changed all of our patterns recently, including community outreach and awareness of development projects in Arlington County. The County has recently issued an ordinance on public meetings that will limit in-person participation in SPRC, Planning Commission, and County Board meetings. Since we in the 22202 zip code may experience the majority of development plans that will come before the Board, it is important that we all stay informed and make our views known during the early stages of planning. Luckily we have a good partner in JBG Smith.
In advance of the expected SPRC meeting to be held by the County on JBG Smith’s development plans for 101 S. 12th Street, JBG Smith is offering voluntarily an informal briefing open to the public for information purposes and questions. The Crystal City Civic Association is sponsoring this meeting since the development will be done in Crystal City in order to ensure substantial outreach to the community during the COVID-19 crisis which has made face to face meetings impossible. Anyone who plans to attend the virtual SPRC meeting (potentially in July) should plan to attend this virtual meeting.
JBG will be hosting this virtual meeting on WebX June 8 from 7-8 pm with a 20-25 minute presentation by JBG Smith followed by a Q and A period. The participation will be by pre-registration only for security purposes and is open to 22202 residents and other invited guests,
including County planners. In order to attend, please register on the link below. Registrants will be sent the link prior to the meeting and only registrants will be allowed to view the virtual meeting, in order to avoid internet bombing. Registrants who prefer to attend by phone can use the phone number below to call. In the same way that County Board virtual meetings are currently being held on the COVID crisis, a chat feature will be available to submit questions or comments that will be answered after the briefing.
Here’s the attendee link to register and audio dial-in information as well:
Date and time: Monday, June 8, 2020 7:00 pm
Duration: 1 hour
Description: JBG SMITH development team is pleased to provide a project overview of 101 12th Street to our community neighbors.
Audio conference: To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the event, or call the number below and enter the access code.
+1-415-655-0001
Access code: 477 254 163