Welcome to our live chat with Ron Carlee, the outgoing Arlington County Manager.

Greater Greater Washington live chat: Ron Carlee(08/26/2009)
11:48 GreaterGreaterWashington: Welcome to our live chat with Ron Carlee. Ron has been Arlington County Manager since 2001, but will soon be moving on to a job with ICMA, the association of local government leaders.
11:49 GreaterGreaterWashington: We will be starting at noon. In the meantime, feel free to settle in and enter your questions into the queue for Ron.
11:52 Ron Carlee: Thank you for letting me join you today. While I’ve had the honor of being County Manager since 2001, I’ve been in Arlington since 1980. I’ve seen it become a great community — and I look forward to its becoming an even greater community in the next generation. When I started work here in 1980, I lived in DC and took the Arlington job only because I need the work. Now it is home and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
11:54 David Alpert: So glad to have you with us, Ron.
11:54 David Alpert: Michael Perkins is on his way, but told us he might be late as he was just getting out of a work meeting. I’ll moderate in the meantime.
11:55 David Alpert: If you’re ready, we can get started a few minutes early.
11:56 Ron Carlee: I’m ready any time. Looks like a lot of good questions coming in.
11:57 David Alpert: Great. Let’s start with something light. Commeter Juanita de Talmas noted that your picture looks a lot like Grover Norquist’s. Have you ever met Mr. Norquist, and do you look anything alike in person?
12:00 Ron Carlee: First time this has been suggested. If he is my long lost twin, I got different political genes. A few years ago I got a picture of an award winning dog named Carlee. I thought it was a more flattering comparison
12:01 David Alpert: Thanks. Now on to actual serious topics.
12:01 Michael Perkins: I’m here and just got in.

12:01 Michael Perkins: Go ahead with the next question, David.

12:02 David Alpert: This morning’s breakfast links on Greater Greater Washington had some discussion about how in the past, most families had boarders and/or more children, meaning our single-family houses contained more people. Today, families are smaller, and in fact zoning rules in many places prohibit renting a room to an unrelated person.
12:02 David Alpert: David Kinney has a question about that:
12:02 [Comment From David Kinney]

Are there any plans to make the Accessory Dwelling Permit (AD Permit) or Family/Caregiver Suite Permit (F/CS Permit) process easier? Looking at Arlington County’s own explanation the process seems too restrictive while placing a large burden on the home-owning Arlingtonian. A little less bureaucracy here could go a long way towards helping both current Arlington residents and those people who might want to become residents but are currently priced out of the living in Arlington.

12:04 Ron Carlee: Last year we adopted a new ordinance that expanded the program after a long community process. There are still a number of restrictions. The tension is around preserving the character of single-family zoning districts. One of the reasons Arlington has been so successful in transforming itself into an urban community has been preserving what people cherish about the single-family neighborhoods.
12:05 David Alpert: Now that Michael is here, I’ll let him take over. In addition to being our regular chat host, he lives in Arlington! Over to you, Michael.
12:05 Michael Perkins: That’s a point that comes up a lot on GGW, actually. What has Arlington done to help out with preserving single family neighborhoods?

12:05 Michael Perkins: Thanks, David.
12:07 Michael Perkins: Another good question would be, how could the process Arlington uses for community input, etc, be adapted for use in other communities like the District?
12:08 Ron Carlee: Single family neighborhoods have changed very little over the past quarter century — except for the increased values of single family homes. One of the major principles of the General Land Use Plan has been from the beginning to preserve single family and concentrate development on the corridors. This enables Arlington to have a wide range of housing products to attract a diverse population.
12:10 Michael Perkins: Would you see this aspect of the GLUP changing if Arlington were to become increasingly “built out” over time? For example, could some of the closer-in single family home neighborhoods become rowhouses or town houses over time?

12:10 Ron Carlee: Public process is a double-edged sword. It definitely slows the process and makes development very complicated. At the same time, when a community is changing as dramatically as Arlington did, the public process has been essential in maintaining public support. It’s not been perfect and some people miss the old Clarendon. By and large, however, people feel that they’ve had a strong voice in creating today’s Arlington.
12:13 Ron Carlee: Regarding the GLUP, I don’t see single family zones changing much. There remains much redevelopment capacity within the Metro corridors. The Columbia Pike plan, also, offers tremendous opportunties. We’re currently re-planning East Falls Church and in the next decade Lee Hwy corridor will be replanning. —All of this can be done without impacting single family neighborhoods and provide more efficient, compact transit oriented development.
12:13 Michael Perkins: Thanks. I have a question about the various stakeholders in planning
12:14 [Comment From Michael Perkins ]

Is Arlington’s success in urban planning and smart growth attributable to leadership from the board, bright staff members that understood this trend, working with the community or a combination of these?

12:15 Ron Carlee: It takes everyone, including patient and enlightened developers. The key is starting the a plan and sticking to it over time. Be sure to check out our Smart Growth video, accessble on our web site for a good history of what was done in the 1960’s to create the vision.
12:16 Michael Perkins: Here’s a question about the pace of development. Obviously it’s a bad time for the economy…
12:17 Michael Perkins: Right now the client is frozen, but the gist is what can we do to speed up the pace of development in Arlington?
12:17 Michael Perkins: From Gavin Baker: “What, if anything, can be done to speed up the pace of dense, walkable development in Arlington? I live between Rosslyn and Courthouse, near a big empty field (a planned mid-rise condo building, scheduled for delivery in “2011+”). It’s across the street from another empty field, which will be a mid-rise office/retail and road extension. I’m sure it’ll be nice when it’s all done, but that will take several more years, and in the meantime it’s not very lively. How do we speed things along? How can we make vacant lots more inviting while they’re awaiting redevelopment?”
12:19 Ron Carlee: It’s actually ok that we’ve had a chance to catch our breath. During the boom, we virtually built out Clarendon, Shirlington, and Potomac Yard all at the same time. We already have a number of site plans approved and ready for implementation when the market improves. Furthermore, other site plans are in the queue for approval. Meanwhile, we’re working on plan updates in Crystal City, East Falls Church, Four Mile Run, and Rosslyn.
12:20 Ron Carlee: As an addendum, we have projects currently under construction or soon to be in Clarendon, Ballston, Columbia Pike, East Falls Church, Potomac Yards, and Shirlington. The crane is still the county bird.
12:21 Michael Perkins: Alright, HOT Lanes. Let’s talk about Arlington’s recent lawsuit.
12:21 [Comment From David Kinney]

How involved are you in Arlington’s recent decision to sue over the proposed HOT lanes? What can you tell us about that issue and why Arlington decided to go forward with the lawsuit now? What is Arlington County trying to accomplish with the lawsuit?

12:24 Ron Carlee: Background on the suit is on our web site. Basically, the planning has not been adequate and risks creating more congestion than relieving it. HOTLANES are mostly about moving more single occupancy vehicles, which is the wrong approach. Since the lanes terminate in Arlington, we concluded that we had no choice but to go to the courts as a vehicle (no pun intended) to address the impacts.
12:25 Michael Perkins: How about expanding transit? I had a question about the ART bus service, but it applies to Arlington’s non-regional Metrobus service as well…
12:25 [Comment From Michael Perkins]

How is Arlington looking to expand ART service, either in span, frequency or routes?

12:27 Ron Carlee: We have a three year plan to steady expand ART and are working on a 5 year plan. It has already quickly grown from a small shuttle service to a real transit system. Economic conditions will challenge expansion plans, so we’ll have to invest smartly. What we know for sure is that if we provide it, Arlingtonians will use it.
12:27 Michael Perkins: Where is that plan located?
12:28 Michael Perkins: How can an enthusiastic Arlingtonian get involved with that planning process?
12:28 Ron Carlee: The three year plan will go to the County Board in September for adoption. It will be posted on the web as part of the agenda and then be available thereafter.
12:30 Michael Perkins: Is there a draft available anywhere at this point? These kinds of things usually go through the Transpo. Commission and the Planning Commission, right?
12:31 Ron Carlee: The guidance was adopted by the County Board as part of the FY 2010 budget. The report is being drafted at this time.
12:32 Michael Perkins: ok. Arlington’s working on pieces of a “Master Transportation Plan”. What’s the purpose of this document?

12:33 Michael Perkins: Master Transportation Plan: http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/EnvironmentalServices/dot/planning/mplan/mtp/MTP_Draft.aspx
12:34 Ron Carlee: The MTP is the central policy document on transportation. I urge people interested in the subject to review it on our web site. It also contains the following more detailed elements that have been adopted: Demand & System Management, Transit, Pedestrian, and Bike. We are working on these additional ones: Parking & Curb Space Management, and Street element
12:35 Ron Carlee: P.S. Note that there is no Car Element.
12:35 Michael Perkins: These documents will be considered the official policy for Arlington when making design decisions going into the future?
12:35 Ron Carlee: Yes. They are officially adopted by the County Board as part of the Comprehensive Plan.

12:36 Michael Perkins: So they’re more than merely advisory? If, for example the Parking element says that the county will use variable parking pricing on-street, then that’s what staff will implement?

12:39 Ron Carlee: The plans are written with policy flexibility and are advisory. They do not have the same level of control as the zoning ordinance. They provide guidance to be adapted to specific development situations that are frequently unique in character.
12:40 Michael Perkins: Ok. Part of the transit element is a primary transit network corridor system.

12:40 [Comment From Michael Perkins]

As part of the Master Transportation Plan, Arlington is discussing establishing primary transit network corridors. How will these be implemented?

12:43 Ron Carlee: We already have primary transit corridors, which is how we’ve gotten to where we are. Going forward the questions are maximizing the corridors and providing appropriate access into the corridors. Good examples are the plans for street cars on Columbia Pike and through Potomac Yards / Crystal City. The Pike is already the most heavily used bus corridor in Virginia, but we’re planning to take it to a new level to support the approved redevelopment plan for the Pike.
12:44 Michael Perkins: What’s the next step for the C. Pike street car? When should we expect to see a groundbreaking?

12:45 Michael Perkins: And an important design question: Is Arlington working with WMATA and DC to make sure the streetcars are compatible with the system DDOT is building? What about the overhead wires issue?
12:46 Ron Carlee: The next immediate step is indirect: we’ve petitioned the Commonwealth Transportation Board to take over responsbility of the Pike from VDOT. In March, we approved environmental planning and prelim design.
12:47 Michael Perkins: Is this merely a formality or do you expect VDOT to have to study and decide?
12:49 Ron Carlee: Regarding design, we’re still in this phase. I’m not sure that compatibility with DC is important, since the main DC links will continue to be Metro. What is critical is that we plan Northern Virginia jointly. Our Pike line goes into Fairfax. And our Potomac Yard line goes into Alexandria. There is great potential for a truly integrated system among our three jurisdictions that we are actively pursuing together.
12:50 Ron Carlee: Re my earlier response on environmental and prelim design…we approved the funding and initiation of these components, not the plans themselves. They come next.
12:51 Michael Perkins: So, rails on the ground in … 2012? It’s OK to speculate.

12:51 Ron Carlee: Regarding the CTB request for the Pike, it is not a formality, but we expect it to be approved. Given state funding problems, this is a win for VDOT, but will also save us significant funds in the ability to expedite Pike projects.
12:51 Ron Carlee: I’ve learned not to project construction dates until engineers give me dates written in blood.
12:52 Michael Perkins: Fair enough.
12:52 Michael Perkins: David Kinney has a good question about providing more signs for the bike and pedestrian trail system.
12:52 [Comment From David Kinney]

There was a great post a while back here at Greater Greater Washington by Steven Offutt about trail signs. Arlington does a very good job of both promoting alternative transportation and maintaining its park system, but it seems like Steve’s idea could be implemented fairly easily and offer a large benefit to Arlingtonians. What plans are in the works for something like this? When can we expect to see the results? How can we get this done quicker if it is currently on the back burner?

12:53 Michael Perkins: The signs were to direct people to various trails in the region.
12:54 GreaterGreaterWashington: (The post basically said that trail signs ought to tell you what trail you are on and where to get to other trails, instead of simply saying “Mt. Vernon 29 miles” or something).
12:54 GreaterGreaterWashington: Which is the way street signs work.
12:54 Michael Perkins: /post/2600
12:56 Ron Carlee: We have a comprehensive wayfinding effort in process for streets and trails. It has gone much much slower than I would have liked. Funding will also be a challenge in the current budget climate…but it will come. I’m expecially interested in our trails through the parks. We need to be able to get people to the trails and then let them know where the trails will take you and what is there. Currently, it’s a bit of an adventure — but one worth taking on pretty days. Check out our on-line maps to get started. or order the bike map, which is great.
12:56 Michael Perkins: What about just making sure that all the trail entrances/crossings/exits have a sign saying where you are?

12:57 Ron Carlee: It would be a good start.
12:57 Michael Perkins: Steve’s article was about trying to give a family member directions, so those signs would be a big help.
12:57 Ron Carlee: Agreed.

12:57 Michael Perkins: We have time for one more question about smart growth.
12:57 [Comment From David Alpert]

In the Buckingham area, some residents wanted to preserve the strip-mall look of their commercial area, even if that’s inhospitable to pedestrians. How does Arlington decide what’s actually the “historic character”?

1:01 Ron Carlee: We’ve just completed pedestrian upgrades at the major intersection of Glebe and Pershing that preserved the character of the shopping, especially the shops on the east side of Glebe. Check it out. I think it combines really good pedestrian design with a traditionally suburban environment. We want to preserve some of the traditional look of Arlington in order to be distinctive and linked to our history. The development of the garden apartments in Arlington, such as Buckingham, signaled the modern era of Arlington and an important era in America.
1:02 Michael Perkins: That’s all the time we have, unfortunately. Thanks for the chat.

1:02 Ron Carlee: Thanks it was great fun. I look forward to taking what I’ve learned in Arlington to other communities across the U.S. in my new role at ICMA.

1:03 GreaterGreaterWashington: Thanks to everyone who contributed questions. Please feel free to continue the discussion in the comments. What do you think of what Ron said? Where do you agree or disagree?
1:03 [Comment From Love Living in Clarendon]

Thanks, ron, for being on!

1:03 Michael Perkins: Just a comment from a reader.
1:04 GreaterGreaterWashington: And stay tuned for our upcoming chats, including one with author Anthony Flint who wrote Wrestling with Moses, about Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses.
1:04

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Tagged: arlington, cat:government, live chat, virginia

Michael Perkins blogs about Metro operations and fares, performance parking, and any other government and economics information he finds on the Web. He lives with his wife and two children in Arlington, Virginia.