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Plan Langston  Boulevard

PLB map graphic updated name oct 2021.png

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Read the New Preliminary Concept Plan Released August 2022 Here

Sign up to speak at Open Door Mondays with a County Board Member here.

Watch the December 2021 Community Engagement Forum here

ASF analysis of the new PCP coming soon!

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The County released an August 2022 Preliminary Concept Plan (PCP) for a new planning effort that will greatly change the Langston Boulevard corridor running west of Rosslyn to the Arlington border with Falls Church.  (The effort was launched in 2016 as Plan Lee Highway.)  A draft scope of work was published in 2018.  From 2016-2021, residents believed the county would cluster height and density at busy intersections with Kirkwood, Glebe, and Harrison, and look for ways to make the corridor bike- and pedestrian-friendly.   However, in May/June 2021, the county revealed major new density with key highlights:

 

  • 5-10 story buildings for the whole corridor

  • 15 stories at/near the Spout Run shopping center

  • one stormwater facility at Westover Park but no other major upgrades despite saw major floods in 2019;

  • no new parks, only small new green spaces provided through ad hoc private development

  • unspecified plans for new transit and new through roads; no projections on traffic caused by major infill far from Metro Metro;

  • Mixed-use towers next to single-family homes only one block from the Boulevard

  • Claims that no new schools will be needed

 

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ASF Ask:  The county says this is a 40 year plan.  ASF has therefore asked that the county halt planning to provide comparative analyses for the 40-year timeline, against the baseline of 2022, when PLB was projected to be approved by the board.  We seek baseline info for 2022, along with projections for 2032, 2042, 2052, and 2062.  ASF requests these comparisons look at "by-right" or current zoning vs. the Plan Lee Highway Scenario A vs. Plan Lee Highway Scenario B and clarify population numbers, along with:

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  • Impacts on stormwater, tree canopy and park/recreation space.These analyses must incorporate effects of climate change;

  • Impacts on ten-year county operating budget;

  • Impacts on income distribution by quintile, as well as racial-ethnic breakdowns for each quintile

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See resources below for more info, sign up for our email list, email us at ASF.virginia@gmail.com to request a briefing for your neighborhood, and share concerns with the following individuals: 

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Details of the 2021 concept overlay, including land use, stormwater control, and revisions to the corridor itself can be found here.  According to detailed 2021 maps of the five areas covered (Area 1 and 5, Area 2, Areas 3 and 4), some homes would have to be removed by eminent domain to expand "connectivity" as Langston Blvd is narrowed.  Preliminary inspection of the new 2022 PCP shows only minor reductions in maximum height, without indicating that height will be added back in through the bonus density process.  The 2022 plan also assures us "nothing will be done without owners' permission," which overlooks financial incentives, redevelopment pressures on renters, and livability issues that have continuously resulted in voluntary and involuntary relocations in other densification endeavors, including Columbia Pike.  The refusal to plan for real parks, schools, major water and stormwater and mass transit -- which persists from the 2021 to the 2022 plan -- means taxpayer will find the bill come due once populations start swelling.  Older garden apartments will be redeveloped, resulting in a net loss of affordable housing.  There was significant pushback in community briefings in July 2021 and a video engagement December 2021.  See also the county's summary of community feedback from fall 2021.

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RESOURCES

Arl Co Board Reply to ASF Letter on PLB above, March 21, 2022

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