The following represents the position adopted by the membership of the Buckingham Community Civic Association on April 25th 2011:

The Buckingham Community Civic Association requests that any planning documents for the block containing the American Service Center site on the west side of N. Glebe Road include the following elements:

1.     Adhere to the maps and text of the “Concept Plan” of the 1980 Ballston Sector Plan and the 2006 Buckingham Community Civic Association Neighborhood Conservation Plan.  These documents contain the following desirable features:

Ballston Sector Plan

• Neighborhood Preservation Area throughout the block, except for a narrow strip adjacent to Glebe Road and the site containing the Hyde Park building.

• Commercial strip adjacent to Glebe Road, except for the site containing the Hyde Park Building.

• No more than three new buildings, all of which would be near Glebe Road.

• Large open space with canopy trees between all new buildings and the existing low residential buildings along the east side of N. Thomas Street and the south side of N. Carlin Springs Road.

• Double row of trees along Glebe Road.

Buckingham Community Civic Association Neighborhood Conservation Plan

• No further exceptions to the Neighborhood Preservation Area that the Ballston Sector Plan’s Concept Plan describes. Any new high-density construction along North Glebe Road should taper downwards toward the adjacent existing residential buildings along N. Thomas Street, N. Henderson Road and N. Carlin Springs Road and should contain a wide landscaped buffer between the neighborhood’s existing buildings and all new buildings.

• Construct a pedestrian bridge across North Glebe Road at the Goodyear store site or another site near N. Carlin Springs Road.

2.     Additional requests:

• The General Land Use Plan (GLUP), zoning and any site plans on the block under study should seek to preserve existing residential buildings and should not permit any increased heights and densities on the sites that those buildings occupy.  There should be no increases in planned densities on the sites of any existing residential buildings in the study area.

• The GLUP, zoning and site plans on the block should encourage the development of open space buffers between any new development and all existing residential buildings.  Planning for open space within the block should concentrate open space to the greatest extent possible in areas that are adjacent to existing residential buildings, including The Carlin, Hyde Park and smaller buildings.

• Transfer planned building heights and densities from the west side of Glebe Road to the east side of Glebe Road.

• Do not provide height or density increases or bonuses for any special purposes, such as affordable housing.

• Locate any new streets within the block near commercial buildings, rather than near existing residential buildings.

EXPLANATIONS OF REQUESTS

1.     Adhere to the maps and text of the “Concept Plan” of the 1980 Ballston Sector Plan and the 2006 Buckingham Community Civic Association Neighborhood Conservation Plan.  These documents contain the following desirable features:

Ballston Sector Plan

• Neighborhood Preservation Area throughout the block, except for a narrow strip adjacent to Glebe Road and the site containing the Hyde Park building.

Explanation:  

The Concept Plan shows a “Neighborhood Preservation” area between a strip of development along the west side of Glebe Road and the existing residential buildings along N. Carlin Springs Road and N. Thomas Street.

• Commercial strip adjacent to Glebe Road, except for the site containing the Hyde Park Building.

Explanation:

The Concept Plan shows a strip of commercial development adjacent to the west side of Glebe Road on the block between N. Carlin Springs Road and Hyde Park.

The Sector Plan recommends commercial and office development (rather than residential development) along the Sector’s major thoroughfares, especially near the Parkington Shopping Center (now Ballston Common) to aid the County’s and the Sector’s economic development.  Ballston’s development has largely adhered to this recommendation.

• No more than three new buildings, all of which would be near Glebe Road.

Explanation

The Concept Plan shows only three new large buildings within the block.  The Carlin, which is located in the Neighborhood Preservation area, should count as one of these buildings, although it is not near Glebe Road.

• Large open space with canopy trees between all new buildings and the existing low residential buildings along the east side of N. Thomas Street and the south side of N. Carlin Springs Road.

Explanation

An illustration in the Concept Plan shows that the Neighborhood Preservation area should contain open space with many trees.  The Preservation area therefore protects and enhances the adjacent residential neighborhood.

• Double row of trees along Glebe Road.

Explanation

The Concept Plan shows a double row of street trees along much of the west side of Glebe Road.

Buckingham Community Civic Association Neighborhood Conservation Plan

No further exceptions to the Neighborhood Preservation area that the Ballston Sector Plan’s Concept Plan describes. Any new high-density construction along North Glebe Road should taper downwards toward the adjacent existing residential buildings along N. Thomas Street, N. Henderson Road and N. Carlin Springs Road and should contain a wide landscaped buffer between the neighborhood’s existing buildings and all new buildings.

Explanation

Recommendation #4 in the Buckingham Community Neighborhood Conservation Plan summarizes and supports those elements in the Ballston Sector Plan that serve to protect the existing residential buildings from the impact of planned high-rise buildings on the block.

The Arlington County Board made an exception to the Concept Plan when it approved the construction of The Carlin, a high-rise building on N. Carlin Springs Road that is adjacent to a three story garden apartment building (Ballston Gardens) and that is not adjacent to N. Glebe Road. The Carlin is located within the Concept Plan’s Neighborhood Preservation area.  The recommendation expresses the neighborhood’s desire to have no further incursions into the Neighborhood Preservation Area that the Concept Plan illustrates.

•  Construct a pedestrian bridge across North Glebe Road at the Goodyear store site or another site near N. Carlin Springs Road.

Explanation

Recommendation #20 in the Buckingham Community Neighborhood Conservation Plan states that Arlington County planners should continue to pursue plans to build an overhead walkway across N. Glebe Road at either the Goodyear store site or a nearby site, such as the on the side of N. Carlin Springs Road that contains an Exxon station.

The site plan for Ballston Tower (attached to Ballston Common) provides an entry to a pedestrian bridge across Glebe Road at N. Carlin Springs Road.  This would permit pedestrians to avoid the hazardous crossing of Glebe Road when accessing Ballston Common and the Ballston Metro Station.  The County allocated funding for this bridge, but later used the funds for other projects. A new commercial building at the Goodyear store site constructed in accordance with the Ballston Sector Plan can serve as an entry point to the bridge.

2.     Additional requests:

• The General Land Use Plan (GLUP), zoning and any site plans on the block under study should seek to preserve existing residential buildings and should not permit any increased heights and densities on the sites that those buildings occupy.  There should be no increases in planned densities on the sites of any existing residential buildings in the study area.

Explanation:

Demolition of residential buildings will displace tenants of those buildings.        

• The GLUP, zoning and site plans on the block should encourage the development of open space buffers between any new development and all existing residential buildings.  Planning for open space within the block should concentrate open space to the greatest extent possible in areas that are adjacent to existing residential buildings, including The Carlin, Hyde Park and smaller buildings.

Explanation:

Open space buffers enhance views from residential buildings and minimize invasions of privacy by occupants of new buildings.  The Ballston Sector Plan provides for these buffers near the smaller buildings.  Hyde Park and The Carlin should also contain these buffers.

• Transfer planned building heights and densities from the west side of Glebe Road to the east side of Glebe Road.

Explanation:

The transfer would decrease building heights and densities near existing residential buildings on the west side of Glebe Road and increase building heights and densities on the east side of Glebe Road.  The east side of Glebe Road in the American Service Center area is closer to Metro stations and is further from existing residential buildings than is the west side of the Road.

• Do not provide height or density increases or bonuses for any special purposes, such as affordable housing.

Explanation: 

The County has already permitted increases in planned building heights and densities for affordable housing in the Buckingham area at The Carlin and at Buckingham Village I.  These increases have adversely impacted surrounding residential areas by removing open space buffers.  It is important to recognize that Buckingham contains a larger concentration of existing affordable housing than do most other neighborhoods in Arlington County.

• Locate any new streets within the block near commercial buildings, rather than near existing residential buildings.

Explanation:

Delivery trucks and waste disposal vehicles will utilize any new streets within the block.  Residents of existing buildings need protection from the noise and air pollution that these vehicles and others will create.

Bernie Berne

President

Buckingham Community Civic Association