Plan Langston Boulevard
What Is Plan Langston Boulevard (Or Langston Blvd Area Plan)?
It is the County’s conceptual plan to significantly densify Highway 29 (Langston Blvd) with 7-15-story buildings (and very likely taller heights derived from site plan negotiations). The PLB is a complete overhaul of this important Arlington connector to key points west; the highway itself is controlled by Virginia, not by Arlington. The overhaul adds density and new construction on a scale seen 40 years ago with redevelopment for Metro in Rosslyn, except in the Langston Blvd. case, the County ignores the core tenet of siting the new density along mass transit that can absorb the impact.
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The image above is an actual County image of an earlier, far less dense version of the plan for the intersection at Langston & Glebe (Lee Heights shops). Plan Langston Boulevard will be followed in close order with changes to allow more intense land use and much denser zoning; it envisions adding 15,000 new residents while taking steps to also slow or calm traffic with no real studies of impacts on transit, traffic, and emergency evacuation purposes. See chart below for current usages of various transit modes which ASF believes will not change. PLB adds height all along the corridor, with major "bursts" at 7 mixed use "hubs." One of the "hubs" (Cherrydale's "five corners" at Quincy) and two in East Falls Church are left out of the Plan "for now," making a mockery of its "comprehensive" nature. We suspect the two hubs at East Falls Church will eventually be added with very tall buildings, at least 10-12 stories).
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The October 24, 2023 Langston Blvd Area Plan (renamed from earlier versions called "Plan Lee Highway" and the "Plan Langston Blvd is a 40-year "vision" or "Area Plan" that is a first-ever Arlington idea for "transit-oriented development" without real mass transit. It depends exclusively on private sector improvements, through limited bonus density and base density trade-offs for "community benefits." Neither the density additions nor the community benefits projected were shown in terms of the dollar values to offer comparable trade-offs. Unlike Metro-era density plans, Langston foresees zero impacts for the County's Capital Investment Plan. How can the county add 15,000 jobs, 8,000 residential units, hundreds of thousands of feet of commercial square footage, and not spend a dime on new infrastructure and services, even on police, fire, and libraries?
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When? The County Board is poised to vote on November 11 on the final version of the plan.
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What is ASF's View? See ASF resources below, including our November 7 letter to the Board, our October 14 presentation to the Board, our slides for Williamsburg Civic Association for October 12, our remarks to the Planning Commission October 2, and a view of "A Sensible Way Forward from September 2023. ASF believes that the County and the Board should:
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first address trends that were not included in this "vision" study, including population declines, Metro ridership and finance crises, and a commercial office vacancy rate that offers potential for conversion to residential use;
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stick with by-right zoning of up to 4-5 stories (CO-2 zoning, service commercial land use);
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postpone votes until new Board members are seated in January 2024
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postpone votes until the County produces long-term analyses comparing any plan against a baseline of current (by-right) zoning, focusing especially on impacts on:
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stormwater, trees, parks/rec space, and climate;
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the County’s ten-year operating budget; and
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income gaps and racial/ethnic/socioeconomic diversity of our population.
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What Can You Do? Tell the Board to VOTE NO on this plan that vests too much authority in the private sector and neglects key planning elements. See any of the ASF letters in resources below for sample language.
1. Email the County Board at countyboard@arlingtonva.us and copy PLB project manager, Natasha Alfonso-Ahmed, at nalfonso-ahmed@arlingtonva.us.
2. Sign up to speak at the County Board Meeting on the Langston Blvd Area Plan on November 11 (no earlier than 9am).
4. Join our email list - request a briefing for your neighborhood (ASF.virginia@gmail.com); donate to ASF (“donate” button above).
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RESOURCES
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ASF Letter to the County Board on Langston Blvd Area Plan - Zoning, Land Use, November 7, 2023
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County Board Response to ASF Letter of November 7, November 10, 2023
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ASF Email to Langston Blvd. Civic Associations on Final Langston Blvd Area Plan, November 8, 2023
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ASF Verbal Testimony to Arlington County Board on PLB RTA, October 14, 2023
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ASF's September 29, 2023 Letter to the County Board
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ASF Slides for Arlington County Board October 14, 2023 at County Board Regular Meeting and RTA Vote,
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ASF Slides for Old Dominion Civic Association, October 19, 2023
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Arlington County Staff Report for Arlington County Board on PLB, October 13, 2023
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ASF Letter to Arllington County Board and PC on PLB Process, October 10, 2023
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Arlington Resident Suzanne Sundburg Letter on PLB, October 7, 2023
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ASF Remarks to Planning Commission on PLB, October 2, 2023
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ASF Presentation to Williamsburg CA, October 2023
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ASF "Sensible Way Forward" on Langston Blvd Planning, September 2023
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Arlington Request to Advertise Plan Langston Blvd Plan, September 28, 2023
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Resources from 2021-Summer 2023
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ASF's PLB Presentation to Civic Associations, Summer/Fall 2023
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ASF’s Presentation at Central Library, June 12, 2023 Here
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ASF Email to Langston Blvd Civic Associations, September 2022
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Plan Langston Boulevard Preliminary Concept Plan, August 2022
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Plan Langston Boulevard Infographic, August 2022
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ASF Letter to Arlington County Board on Plan Langston Boulevard and Site Planning, March 6, 2022
Arl Co Board Reply to ASF Letter on PLB above, March 21, 2022
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County Community Engagement Forum, December 13, 2021
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ASF Plan Lee Highway Background and Call to Action with Links to County Documents, July 2021
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ASF Info - Plan Lee Highway Short Summary of the Ins and Outs, July 2021, Attachment 1
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ASF Compilation of Resident Comments and Feedback on Plan Lee Highway, July 2021, Attachment 2
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ASF Letter to Arl Co Board - Concerns with Plan Langston Boulevard, September 30, 2021
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John M. Langston Civic Association Letter to the Board, June 2021
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Letter Sent by Lyon Village Resident to Plan Lee Highway Director, July 9, 2021
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Lyon Village Civic Association Letter to the Board, July 2021
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Old Dominion Civic Association Letter to the Board, July 2, 2021
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Donaldson Run Civic Association Letter to the Board, July 2, 2021
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Yorktown Civic Association Letter to the Board, June 23, 2021