HCA Meeting 1/3/2019
Huntington Community Association Meeting
January 3, 2019
AGENDA
1. Welcome and Introductions:
Art Ovalle, President
Caitlin Wilson, Treasurer
David Sears, Secretary
Attendance: 24
2. Guest Speaker(s):
Rosa (from Wesley Housing Development Corporation), and Sara Mariska (from Womble Bond Dickinson law firm, representing Wesley), requested a letter of support for the changes listed below to The Arden development project at 2317 Huntington Avenue.
126 workforce and affordable units proposed in lieu of 139 units (of which 15% were workforce units).
Conversion of 3,534 square feet of retail to 7,500 square feet of office.
Wesley Homes will use the 7,500 sq ft for its own headquarters and office space
179 parking spaces (15 for office) in lieu of 191 parking spaces (10 for retail)
19 visitor parking spaces
Simplify open space areas as follows:
Corner of Huntington Avenue and Biscayne Drive
Seat wall and bench converted to two benches
Green plaza shape made smaller
Interpretative plaque relocated to the building’s face
Eastern Side of Property
Concrete paver plaza converted to natural lawn area with vegetation
Biscayne Drive
Concrete steps removed in favor of a sloping natural lawn with stepping stones
Elevations modified (primarily window placement) to accommodate the new unit mix.
Discussion:
The overall footprint of the site hasn’t changed from earlier drawings or presentations.
Wesley Homes owns the site as of Oct 2018.
Wesley envisions completing the project by Fall 2021.
The Average Mean Income standard for residency will be 40-80% (half the residents will be at 40-60% of the AMI for the area, while half will be at 60-80% AMI).
Wesley will plant 75 trees on the site (including perimeter and open deck plantings).
3. HCA Committee Reports:
Mount Vernon Council of Community Associations (MVCCA)
General Council Meeting – Art Ovalle
No notes: Art wasn’t able to make the December meeting.
Planning and Zoning - Ray Novitske
Transportation - Jeff Woodward
no meeting notes but some discussion on other neighborhood issues
VDOT needs to look at revising traffic light schedules at the Biscayne Avenue-Huntington Avenue intersection, especially with the Wesley Homes project having a driveway (and thus more traffic) coming down the hill.
At the next Transportation meeting, Jeff will bring up the lane markings for Route 1 northbound traffic that turns left onto Huntington.The markings are unclear and it’s unsafe.
Art Ovalle will continue to press for the levee construction team to address the wear & tear on lower Mount Vernon.
Environment and Recreation - Alan Ruof
The E&R committee needs a new chairman and deputy if anyone wants to volunteer.
Huntington Levee:flood plain recertification should be done by April
Education - Caitlin Wilson
No meeting in December
Budget and Finance – Christoph Schmid
No meeting yet for January but the February meeting should happen before the next HCA meeting.
Neighborhood Watch – Nick Lombardo
The next training will be 7pm on Tues, 5 February, at the Mount Vernon Police Station (2511 Parkers Lane Alexandria, VA 22306). All are encouraged to attend even if you’ve attended before.
To notify Nick of any issues:neighborhoodwatch.huntington@gmail.com
4. New Business/Action Items:
Discuss/Vote on Letter of Support for the Wesley Housing Development – The Arden
The vote was in favor of supporting the changes, 14 Aye – 0 Nay
Caveats included:
Wesley should make a commitment to occupy the office space they’ve set aside in the building
Wesley should put in writing that site residents will not get permission to park their cars on neighborhood streets
Discuss the possible relocation and design of the “Welcome to Huntington” sign.
Kudos to Christoph Schmid for all his work repairing and enhancing the current sign.
Art Ovalle and Ray Novitske are looking at designs for a more visible sign in a median on Huntington Avenue.
Art has posed the issue with VDOT and also investigated multiple funding sources, including potential proffers from developers as well as grants from the district.
5. Old Business/Updates:
Huntington Club Condominiums Redevelopment Project - 2601 Indian Drive
Riverside Apartments Redevelopment Project – 2000 Huntington Avenue
Initial ground-breaking could be in the first quarter of 2019, with actual construction work beginning later in the year.
Dim Light Program Update – Farrington Avenue
Huntington is #3 in the VDOT queue of lighting projects
Kathryn Street needs lights as well, though we think this need should be a separate issue from the Dim Light program.
HCA Flyer Handout – Postponed until Spring
6. Upcoming Local Events in Fairfax County:
Fairfax County Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC) Public Hearing – Wednesday, January 9, 2019, at 7:30pm.For more information please visit: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/planning-zoning/environmental-quality-advisory-council
7. Other Community Issues: None raised.