ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA. County Board Agenda Item Meeting of September 19, 2015

Transcription

1 ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA County Board Agenda Item Meeting of September 19, 2015 DATE: September 11, 2015 SUBJECT: Request for an Amendment to the Master Transportation Plan Map to Add a New Segment of 18th Street North west of North Quantico Street. C. M. RECOMMENDATION: Deny the proposed request to amend the Master Transportation Plan Map to include a new segment of 18 th Street North west of North Quantico Street. ISSUES: Should the Master Transportation Plan (MTP) Map be amended to add a new segment of 18 th Street North west of North Quantico Street? SUMMARY: A property owner, Hitt Decorating & Contracting Inc. ( Applicant ), owns three parcels of land off of 18 th Street North. The Applicant seeks to consolidate the parcels into one lot upon which they would like to build a single-family house. The subject segment of 18 th Street North ( Segment ) does not contain a built street. The Segment is not shown as an existing street, nor as an area planned for a new street, on the MTP Map. The Applicant has requested that the County amend the MTP to include the Segment as part of 18th Street North that would extend approximately 65 feet west of the street s current terminus at an intersection with North Quantico Street. However, the Segment is shown on the Arlington County Bike and Trail Network of the MTP Map as an Existing Trail of the Off-Street Trail Network. A bicycle and pedestrian trail currently exists within the Segment. BACKGROUND: The Applicant through its attorney, Walsh, Colucci, Lubely and Walsh, PC, approached Arlington County in 2014 with a request to amend the MTP with a view towards enabling consolidation and development of property owned by the Applicant in the Highland Park-Overlee Knolls neighborhood. The property consists of three parcels, identified in the Arlington County tax records as RPC# , RPC# , and RPC# The Applicant seeks to consolidate the three parcels into a single lot of approximately 7,863 square feet and to improve the lot with a single-family house. County Manager: ##### County Attorney: ***** 47. Staff: Richard Viola, DES, Transportation Planning Bureau

2 The Applicant seeks an amendment to the MTP to show an approximate 65-foot long new Segment (extension) of 18 th Street North to the west of North Quantico Street (see Attachment A). Should the MTP amendment be approved, the Applicant proposes thereafter to obtain County permission to construct an extension of 18 th Street as shown on a Public Improvement Plan submitted by the property owner to the County. The Applicant further proposes that the new section of 18 th Street be a curb less, asphalt-paved roadway approximately 22 feet in width, without sidewalk or a separately designated walkway area. In addition, the Applicant proposes to remove a section of the existing pedestrian and bicycle trail that occupies a portion of the Segment. The Applicant proposes that trail be reconnected to the western end of the proposed extension of 18 th Street North. The County has no existing plans to construct the Segment as a public street. DISCUSSION: A right-of-way in the vicinity of the intersection of North Quantico Street and 18 th Street North appears to have existed in the mid-1800s to provide access to a railroad station. In 1935, the Pinehurst subdivision (that created many of the residential lots fronting on the west side of North Quantico and 18 th Streets in the neighborhood) dedicated 25 feet of land to Arlington County for street right-of-way. The Segment has not been improved for a street nor included on an Arlington County MTP Map. The County has no existing plans to construct a street within the Segment. The former railroad right-of-way was later acquired by the State of Virginia and now contains Interstate 66 (I-66). When I-66 was constructed in 1981, an 8-foot-wide asphalt pedestrian and bicycle trail was constructed within the Segment to provide neighborhood pedestrian and bicycle access to the then newly constructed Custis Trail system, which now exists from Rosslyn to East Falls Church and parallels I-66 in this area. The trail is currently shown on the Arlington County Bike and Trail Network portion of the MTP Map, and provides a neighborhood connection to the Custis Trail. A count of users of the trail taken near the Hitt property in July 2015 found that on an average day more than 100 persons use the trail. See Attachment B for a photographic image of the location including the trail. If the County Board were to amend the MTP Map and thereafter construct or permit construction of the Segment as a publicly-owned and maintained street, the Applicant would construct one new single-family house fronting on the newly constructed Segment. As proposed by the Applicant, a house would occupy land that is currently undeveloped and borders upon a bicycle and pedestrian trail and I-66. In order to construct the Segment as desired by the Applicant, a portion of the bicycle and pedestrian trail would have to be removed and replaced by a streetbed. The streetbed would provide for bicycle traffic, but would have no sidewalk. If in the future, a new segment of 18 th Street is built, persons using the trail would have to walk or bicycle about 65 feet on a paved street section in order to access the remainder of the Custis Trail. Deconstruction of the trail would; increase the potential for conflict among motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians; result in the loss of three mature canopy trees and landscaping on public property adjacent to the trail; and increase the potential for flooding in the trail area. Any construction of a new street segment would result in the removal of three mature trees and the construction of approximately 900 additional square feet of asphalt pavement. By the - 2 -

3 addition of such impervious surface, existing flooding problems in the public area may be exacerbated by the additional stormwater run-off. The attractiveness of the public trail would be damaged by the expected loss of trees and adjacent greenery, and the reduced visibility of the trail access to the neighborhood. County staff have made presentations on the proposed MTP Map amendment at regular meetings of the Arlington Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Transportation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission. A public hearing on the matter is also scheduled for the Planning Commission meeting to be held on September 15, In addition, staff has met or spoken with several of the residents in the immediate vicinity of the existing 18 th Street North and North Quantico Street to obtain their opinions about the proposed addition of a new segment of street to the MTP Map. The most significant concerns raised in the discussions regard the loss of mature trees, an increase of stormwater run-off with potential flooding on the trail, and a perceived reduction of public access to the multi-use trail. Mr. and Mrs. Janes, the owners of th Street North, which is the property immediately east of the requested new segment of 18 th Street North, are concerned about a potential loss of access to their existing driveway due to any future (and any proposed) reconfiguration of the existing curb on 18 th Street. The two civic associations, Highland Park Overlee Knolls (HPOK) and Arlington East Falls Church (AEFC), within which the new street and building lot would be located, have provided a joint letter (copy attached) specifying their concerns and conditions that they feel should be implemented if the proposed MTP Map amendment is approved. Chief among their concerns are the loss of mature trees, increased stormwater runoff and maintenance of public access to the trail. The Parks and Recreation Commission at their June 23, 2015 meeting and the Transportation Commission at their June 29, 2015 meeting heard the item and expressed concerns about the impacts upon the trail and adjacent parkland. For the reasons stated above, both Commissions concluded that the requested street segment would not provide public benefits equivalent to the negative impacts any construction of a new segment would create. The Arlington Pedestrian Advisory Committee also received a presentation regarding the proposed MTP Map amendment and potential trail removal and also expressed concern about the anticipated negative impacts to the existing trail segment. In addition, several area residents have contacted staff to express their opposition to the proposed change to the off-street trail. County staff s conclusion is that the public benefit of amending the MTP Map to add a new Segment of 18 th Street North is very minimal. A proposed new Segment, if constructed, would only provide vehicular access to (perhaps) a proposed single residence and would not be a through street providing access to another street. The deconstruction of a section of an existing public multi-use trail along with three mature trees and landscaping that currently exist in the right-of-way around the trail would have adverse effects upon the County s goals of expanding its system of off-street trails and surrounding trees and vegetation. County staff concludes that any public benefit that might accrue from the addition to the MTP Map of the subject Segment of the new street is not sufficient to compensate for the damage to recreational and transportation usage of the trail and to adjacent public lands that would occur from any new street Segment at the proposed location

4 FISCAL IMPACT: There would be no fiscal impact in adding the subject section as a new street to the MTP Map

5 TH RD. N. N. VAN REN CT. 24TH N. UCKAHOE TUCKAHOE N. N. SOMERSET LEE HWY. N. TUCKAHOE 24TH (U.S. 29) 22ND RD. N. N. ROOSEVELT ST 23RD N. OMOKE T. 22ND RD. 23RD N. N. WHATAN JOHN 22ND N. WASHINGTON 19TH RD. N. N. UNDER- WOOD N. TUCKAHOE 22ND N. BLVD. N. QUINTANA ST (VA. 237) N. QUINTANA 15TH PL. N. 12TH PL. N. 21ST N. N. QUESADA 19TH N. 18TH RD. N. N. POTOMAC INTERSTATE 66 N. QUANTICO N. POWHATAN 22ND RD. N. 21ST N. TINGHAM 18TH N. N. POCOMOKE N. POWHATAN N. OHIO 19TH RD. N. N. NICHOLAS N. OHIO N. NOTTINGHAM N. NICHOLAS N 22ND N. 21ST N. N. VAN BUREN N. VANDERPOOL 19TH N. 18TH N. ¾ 11 " M N. SYCAMORE 16TH N. N. TUCKAHOE N. SYCAMORE N. ROOSEVELT 11TH N. N. ROOSEVELT N. QUE- SADA 17TH N. 1 5 TH RD. N. 11TH RD. N. HAM N. QUANTICO East Falls Church Station N. ROCKING- N. ROCHESTER N. QUINTANA N. QUANTICO N. QUANTICO 12TH N. N. QUIN N. PO TOMAC N. POWHATAN N. OHIO MTP Amendment to add segment of 18th Street North 11TH RD. N. 12TH RD. N. OMAC 14TH N. 11TH RD. N. 11TH N. 9TH RD. N. 20TH N. 18TH N. WASHINGTON 16TH N. 15TH N. 14TH N. N. FOUR MILE RUN DR. N. MONTANA MCKINLEY RD. N. MAN- CHESTER N. MADISON N. MADISON 19TH S MCKINLEY RD. N. LANCASTER 14TH N. LOW 20T H 14TH RD. N 10TH RD. N. 10TH S Master Transportation Plan Amendment Arterial Street Typologies Type A Type C Type D Type E Public Transportation Facilities Metro Orange & Silver Lines Neighborhood Streets Residential or Commercial Local Street Limited Access Routes High Occupancy- Incentive Corridors I-66, I-395, Va Rte 110, Va Rte 27 Transit Facilities Public Parks East Falls Church Metro Station Access Improvements ¾11 "M I Map prepared by Arlington County, Va. GIS Mapping Center, May 2015

6 Attachment B: View of 18 th Street North Right-of-Way with existing Pedestrian and Bicycle Trail (view from 18 th and Quantico streets intersection towards I-66)

7 July 6, 2015 Arlington County Board Members cc: Richard Viola, Arlington DES Transportation Dear County Board Members: The Highland Park-Overlee Knolls (HP-OK) and Arlington East Falls Church (AEFCCA) Civic Associations join together to express our opposition to the proposal by Hitt Construction to amend the Master Transportation Plan with regard to an extension of 18 th Street at N. Quantico. This section is within the HP-OK Civic Association along the border with AEFCCA. Our organizations have heard from many area residents who are against this proposal primarily due to the following: a negative impact on the bike/walking trail if it were to be relocated as proposed (for example, reduced sightlines for bikers rounding a sharp curve in an area commonly used by dog walkers and children); concerns that this proposal will exacerbate water runoff and flooding problems around the homes and trail in this spot; and the concern that losing mature trees and greenery will affect soil erosion, water runoff, and remove a partial sound barrier from I-66 traffic for the neighborhood. As you know, Arlington County staff has recommended that this proposal be denied based on the expected negative impact from building the section of street upon the County s property and the trail existing on that land. We agree with the staff that the relatively small public benefit that could occur from building the street would not be offset by the potential negative impacts that would result. We have sent letters previously (EAFCCA on June 18 and HP-OKCA on June 23) to Richard Viola, Planning Section Supervisor at Arlington DES Transportation, that detail our specific concerns with water drainage, street and curb design, parking, the potential loss of mature trees and more. Citizen comments and concerns have been documented through two online petitions opposing this proposal, which as of this date have more than 130 signatures total. We urge you to weigh the benefits of this proposal against the concerns you have heard expressed by citizens and County staff, and vote against it. Please contact us if you have any questions or need more input from our civic associations. Thank you for taking our positions into consideration. Sincerely, Kelly Alexis President Arlington East Falls Church Civic Association Kathy Mimberg President Highland Park-Overlee Knolls Civic Association