Arlington County asked Columbia Pike residents what they wanted to see in neighborhood development last week. The response? They want it all. From graceful tree-lined walks, to affordable housing, to street trolleys, to short buildings, to architecture that isn’t an eyesore — Columbia Pike residents had a long wish list for county planners working on the Pike during the county’s weeklong design workshop.
“You would be treating the general public better if you tore the Fillmore Gardens Apartments down,” Connie Crigler, a Realtor who has been a Pike resident since 1942, told lead planner Victor Dover. She was referring to a low-income apartment building classified by the county as “historic” and affordable.
But preserving affordable housing was one thing for which County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said he heard a lot of support.
“That is a really strongly held value here,” he said.
Christopher Miller, a Pike resident, said he thought the planners cared more about businesses than they did residents. He also objected to the plans for development on his quiet suburban street.
“You put a big tall building in, you start blocking my sun,” he said. “If I can’t grow a garden in my back yard, what’s point of living here?”
One thing was certain — planners had their work cut out for them. Dover said that residents wanted both expensive improvements — such as a street trolley and walking areas — and preservation of affordable housing for low-income families.
“Participants confirmed that they want to have their cake and eat it, too,” he said, adding that he was glad residents had set the bar so high for his team.
Officials hosted the workshop — called a charrette — to educate and collaborate with locals about the county’s residential development plan for Columbia Pike, an Arlington corridor that is home to more than 50,000 people.
The final session presented plans, maps and paintings of what the future of Columbia Pike could look like, based on ideas from county planners and the workshop’s participants. About 120 audience members, wearing large “I Like the Pike” buttons, listened attentively to the two-hour work-in-progress presentation from county planners.
Officials will now polish the neighborhood plan before submitting it to the Arlington County Board for approval early next year.
Many of those who attended the workshop ended up approving of the direction planners were taking.
An instant electronic poll taken at the workshop’s final presentation showed that 80 percent approved of the county’s draft plans.
“That never happens,” Dover said. “Usually in these town planning meetings you’ll get a 51-49 split.”
