Plan Lee Highway - Land Use Scenario Area 1 and Area 5

For planners who evidently have never walked this area or looked at topographical maps, this a steep hillside of the Cardinal Condominiums. Their pool is on the top of the hill and their driveway along the bottom. You'd need an electric mountain bike to peddle up that steep proposed trail next to it and it would be a real thrill going down and trying to stop at the bottom. I doubt the Cardinal would make their pool public or give up their driveway. But they might declare the steep unusable hillside public if the county would mow it.

In this purple 10 story area are another 40 units of the market affordable Ancient Oaks Apartments and the 76 units of the Larkspur Apartments. Arlington recently spent tons of taxpayer money towards acquiring and renovating the Larkspur Apartments which were formerly part of the Ancient Oaks Apartments.

Building this 15 story rise would require demolishing 56 units of the market affordable Ancient Oaks Apartments and displacing about a hundred residents can't afford to pay more. Where will they live? Oh, and it's in Watershed Resource Protection Area so building a high rise there would likely be challenged under Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Protection Act.

Now that planners recognize the stormwater challenges at the Lyon Village Shopping Center they've retreated from plans and renderings showing its buildings right up to the sidewalk on Lee Highway and Spout Run Parkway. But they've failed to consider or even mention the environmental and storm water runoff implications of their proposed street grid. For Scenario A, the total length of proposed new streets is 5,193 ft., measure using GIS maps using county GIS maps. A typical street could be say 46 ft wide (two traffic lanes, two 5 ft bike lanes, and two 5 ft sidewalks) not counting planting strips. That totals 238,878 sq. ft. (or 5.5 acres) of paved surface. Scenario B covers only slightl less surface area. For reference, McCoy Park is 1.14 acres. Essentially the new street grid's total area of paving equivalent to about 5 McCoy Parks. The storm water system in the middle of Area 5 (West) is already at capacity. There is an underground branch of Spout Run that bisects Area 5 ( West), running north under Lee Highway at the east end of the 7-11 parking lot across the core to a stream (between the Ancient Oaks Apts on the west and the Adams House and Circle Condominiums on the east), then under I-66. Labeled segment 17 in Arlington's 2012 Stormwater capacity study, it contains a several hundred ft long section of 36 in. pipe that was surcharged (over conveyance capacity and water rising in the manholes) for a 10 year 24 hour storm. That storm sewer and stream drains much of East Lyon Village, a long section of Lee Highway, and much of Area 5 (West). In 2020, we had 7 days with over two-inches of rainfall. A two inch rainfall on the unneeded new street grid would total about 300,000 gallons of storm water runoff. And that doesn't include the runoff from the massive high rise density proposed.

None of these plans address the fact that Lee highway is really difficult to cross for pedestrians in this area, and the few crosswalks that there are are unfriendly. Making Lee Highway easier to cross would make it easier for residents to access transit, dining, shopping, etc in Rosslyn and Courthouse on foot. We don’t need new high rises; make the neighborhood work for the people who already live here.

These plans seem totally divorced from both the actual needs of the community and the topography of the land itself - they include roads running into ravines, eliminating existing homes, and building the type of luxury Rosslyn condo buildings that do nothing to improve quality of life or increase diversity and economic opportunity in our neighborhood. As a home owner raising a family in North Highlands, I disapprove of giving more land and opportunity to high rise developers who will charge insane rent and drive out long time owners and lower-income residents.

This proposed street next to Adams House Condominiums would eliminate the parking lot for all 67 units in Adams House. Where are all these people going to park?

To be resilient and renwable no construction should include concrete or steel, due to their climate change inducing embodied energies. If concrete and steel were nations, they would be 3rd and 4th in greenhouse emissions. Designing without concrete roads, without concrete structural systems, and without steel structural systems would constitute a bold resilient and renewable vision for the corridor.

I urge that there be no neighborhood sacrifice zones. Building community is better done iteratively, than with a clean slate. Existing community members should drive this process, not the consultants.

This land use category is extremely vague! The analysis deserves to be at a finer grain, based upon existing conditions, not the urban design ambitions serving the 1%.

I suspect the reason the plan posits the tallest height buildings up against I-66 is to give penthouse dwellers views across the Potomac. This is catering to the desires of the 1%, in order to increase profits, not to address community needs.

Your survey form is far from intuitive. You hid the scroll bar to move between pages under a notification, which is a sure way to inhibit responses!

I support having more retail along Lee Hwy and this is a great area for it.

Hey Arlington, Rosslyn called and they want their 70s vintage master plan back. Since when has it been successful to rely on developers to make key infrastructure "investments" that benefit anyone other than their bottom line. Perhaps you should throw in a bunch of concrete skywalks and a Brutalist fountain to top everything off. This is the opposite of an organic, holistic approach to land use that is sensitive to any stakeholders other than the guys with the big bucks who can apparently "influence" planners and government officials.

No roadways composed of concrete and steel should be included in a 21st century project. If concrete and steel were nations they would be the world's third and fourth largest contributors to climate change based on their embodied energies. Besides, no new road should take the place of existing affordable housing, as Arlington County doesn't yet have an anti-displacement policy.

Adding commercial and retail to an existing vibrant and intact residential community would seem to be counterproductive and destabilizing to the entire area.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

Why does Arlington County want to take away my American Dream in order to let developers profit from apartment buildings that will never be affordable? I grew up in rural Virginia. My father worked away from home four to five days each week to ensure my sister and I could go to college, the first people in our family to do so. I worked hard, got a degree, moved to Northern Virginia, and attended grad school at night after work (on my own money) in order to stay competitive and get ahead here. My husband’s grandparents were immigrants who came here with the clothes on their backs right after the great depression and worked hard to support their children. My father-in-law was ROTC in college and went on to a full military career in order to put his children through college. Our ability to live in Lyon Village is based not only on our own hard work and sacrifices, but on the hard work and sacrifices of our parents and grandparents, the essence of the American Dream – work hard to ensure your children and their children have a better life than you. I’m sure our stories sound familiar to many people renting apartments in Arlington right now. People who too hope to live the American Dream and provide a better life for their children and grandchildren. This is also the story of everyone I know in Lyon Village. Our parents weren’t rich, we weren’t handed money to buy these houses. And yet everyone calls us selfish and wants to take away our American Dream. It isn’t right and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How would you feel if this happened to you, or your children, or your grandchildren after your years of hard work and sacrifice? Everyone who lives in Lyon Village bought our houses for the same reasons the County wants a multitude of people to live here – access to public transit, parks, shops, restaurants, walkability, etc. But be aware, the existence of the parks, shops, and restaurants, the wide sidewalks, the bike lanes, bus routes, etc. are largely due to the commitment of Lyon Villages residents who have spent years of their lives committed to improving Arlington and the Clarendon-Courthouse community, which just 15 - 20 years ago looked nothing like it does today. And don’t forget, our houses are 98 years old. They existed for 50 years before the Metro was even built. But now you want to condemn us for living in houses too close to Metro because today’s model of urban planning is not being fulfilled? Additionally, Lyon Village already gave up over 40 homes and streets in the 1970s to widen Lee Hwy, now you want us to give up more? We love living here and bought our houses assuming the county would stick to the GLUP and zoning that have been in place for years. If the county is allowed to implement this plan, when will it stop? Will it start chipping away at Lyon Park, or Ashton Heights, or Radnor-Ft. Meyer Heights, or how about Colonial Village? The existing GLUP and zoning remain should remain as they are along the northern edge of Lyon Village. The existing C2 and RA8-18 areas provide sufficient land for the construction of new apartments without the need to demolish single-family homes and the American Dreams of those who live there. The changes proposed in this plan should not be allowed to happen. And they definitely should not be allowed to happen under the guise of “affordable housing” or “missing middle” or “equity” when we all know that the developers will never build affordable units here. In the past 15 years, there have been literally dozens of apartment buildings with thousands of units built in the R-B corridor. And what have we learned? More units do not equal affordability because if it did, we would not have the need for the affordable units this plan is proposing. But more units do equal wealthier developers, more crowded schools, and severely strained public utilities and services. Please protect my American Dream and the American Dream of my neighbors. And please protect the reputation of Arlington and the Arlington Way.

There seems to be an idilic mentality of thinking that if you make driving around an area horrible that it will somehow encourage people to increase their use of public transportation. Not all people have the ability to always use public transportation. It is a LACK of proper planning to encourage increased density along with NARROWING roads and not expect long-term traffic nightmares. The DC area has been in the top two WORST AREAS of CONGESTION NATION-WIDE. Why do we want to perpetuate such troubles? Improve public transportation FIRST.

Will any of these scenarios create more affordable and equitable housing in the area than what is currently available? Additionally, what are the local environmental impacts of such high density buildings? A cost benefit analysis needs to be conducted before any of these plans are finalized or considered for the county.

Please do not destroy our single family neighborhoods our privacy and the main reason for living in Arlington to begin with

PLEASE do NOT put higher rise buildings within the Lyon Village neighborhood. Single family home PRIVACY will be LOST by residents/occupants in the higher buildings being able to see into single home back yards and homes and single home lot damage will be increased from disrespectful pedestrians (already happening, but will get worse).

This feedback system may look pretty, but it is tedious to use. If the goal was to discourage feedback, you have succeeded. It is outrageous and dishonest to use a method for submitting feedback that discourages participation. Note that virtually all of the comments submitted do not agree with what you are doing. It is particularly troubling to see feedback on your fancy maps that point out that ground truth makes what you have indicated on the map impossible. You have not taken the time to learn about the your subject. Your plans reflect great ignorance. I think you should give the county its money back. Your work product is largely worthless.

Lee Highway and the surrounding neighborhoods cannot handle the degree of density that is being proposed, especially not if the number of lanes is being reduced. New development in this location should be limited to far less than 10 stories.

Is this plan seriously suggesting rezoning the Lyon Village community house in favor of multi-family housing? This historic building is a vital part of the fabric of the comminity. It should be designated as a community resource and left alone.

How does the county plan to accommodate the additional cars from a 10 story building, while simultaneously reducing the number of lanes on route 29? This is already a very busy intersection due to the traffic from I-66 and Spout Run.

This section of Harvard/21st St should not be rezoned to allow development up to 4 stories. 21st is a narrow residential street that cannot handle the additional traffic such a building would create. Even in its current state, it is not possible for residents to parallel park on both sides of the street without blocking through traffic. Additional housing would exacerbate this problem and endanger residents, as it would block access for ambulances, fire trucks, and other service vehicles.

Biking or walking on Lee Highway under I-66 is not pleasant or inviting. This study does not but should identify ways to increase east west pedestrian or bike traffic between Area 4 and 5.

Have any studies been done on whether tall buildings like those proposed along I-66 reflect highway noise back into neighborhoods on the other side of the highway (like Maywood)? What steps could be taken to mitigate any additional noise?

Can the County develop a range or estimate of the number of seats that APS will need to create under each of these Scenarios? Could the planners ballpark the maximum number of housing units and types that could be created under each of these scenarios and apply the corresponding Student Generation Factor to develop a rough estimate? I don’t see how anyone (myself included) could weigh in on what density scenario is appropriate (if any) without considering the impact on APS, which (if I understand correctly) has the largest budget allocation in the County yet is currently experiencing capacity issues.

The area north of Lee already has market-rate rents similar to those the County considers "affordable." Tearing up this area will be wasteful, fruitless, and cruel. The new housing will not be affordable without a subsidy at the taxpayers' expense. The current occupants will be displaced for no good reason. The only winners will be the out-of-state billionaires driving this process.