From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Wed Jan 2 21:27:23 2019 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2019 16:27:23 -0500 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: January 2019 Council Connection In-Reply-To: References: <1131793720003.1109043704255.2069050280.0.2490645JL.2002@scheduler.constantcontact.com>, <001d01d4a1f5$fc108eb0$f431ac10$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <037801d4a2e1$f4002ae0$dc0080a0$@gmail.com> Chapter - Happy New Year! Please see the below exchange between myself and the new mayor of Alexandria, Justin Wilson. Thank you, Brian Miller From: Justin Wilson Sent: Tuesday, January 1, 2019 3:31 PM To: Brian Miller Subject: Re: January 2019 Council Connection Brian, Happy New Year! Thanks for the heads-up on the issues with that page. That page is actually a state-run website. Let me send a note to our General Assembly delegation and see what they can do to fix that. I'll let you know what I hear. Have a good week! ---- Justin M. Wilson, Mayor Alexandria City Council Office: 703.746.4500 Home: 703.299.1576 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov _____ From: Brian Miller > Sent: Tuesday, January 1, 2019 12:18 PM To: Justin Wilson Subject: RE: January 2019 Council Connection Dear Mayor Wilson, Happy New Year, and again, congratulations on your election to the office of mayor. I just wanted to let you know that the link provided in your as always excellent newsletter to the page where one can determine one's representatives in the house of delegates and state senate is not accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. I will call city hall through the call click connect system tomorrow when it reopens, but I thought I would let you know. Thanks so much for all your hard work! Sincerely, Brian R. Miller, Ph.D. President National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Alexandria Chapter Chair Alexandria Commission for Persons with Disabilities From: Justin M. Wilson > Sent: Tuesday, January 1, 2019 6:47 AM To: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Subject: January 2019 Council Connection Having trouble viewing this email? Click here If you don't wish to receive our newsletter any longer, simply click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the e-mail and we'll remove you! You may unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our emails. The Council Connection your connection to City Council by: Mayor Justin M. Wilson Alexandria, Virginia January 1, 2019 In This Edition Council Initiatives <> New Committee Assignments <> WMATA Closure Planning <> Amazon, Growth <> & Housing Planning The Council Year <> New DCHS Space <> Richmond Highway <> Host a Town Hall <> Upcoming Issues: General Assembly Session <> & Residential Parking Permits Quick Links E-Mail Me Past Newsletters City of Alexandria Website Pay City Taxes Online Review Real Estate Assessments Crime Mapping & Statistics Call.Click.Connect (Submit Service Requests to City Agencies) Board & Commission Vacancies Alexandria Health Department Restaurant Inspections Report Potholes Schedule Child Safety Seat Inspection Smoke Detector Installation Request Real Estate Tax Receipt Calculator License Your Dog or Cat Report a Street Light Outage Events/Updates Proposed Voting Precinct Changes The Alexandria Electoral Board is considering the creation of two new voting precincts in our City. The first precinct is proposed to be located at the Alexandria Renew Enterprises Headquarters building at 1800 Limerick Street. This proposed precinct will include some voters who currently vote at the Lee Center and will shift some voters at Lyles-Crouch Elementary School to Lee Center. The second precinct is proposed to be located at the Olympus Condominium at 6301 Stevenson Avenue. This proposed precinct will include some voters who currently vote at Beatley Library and Tucker Elementary School, in addition to a shifting of some voters at Cameron Station to Tucker. The Board will have two community meetings on this proposal. The first meeting will be on Thursday evening at 132 N. Royal Street from 6 PM until 8 PM. The second meeting will be on Saturday from 10 AM until noon at the same location. If neither of those meetings are convenient, the Board is soliciting input online via a survey as well. Stormwater Fee Credit Application In November, I wrote in this newsletter about the credit structure for the recently enacted residential stormwater fee. Beginning last month, residential homeowners can apply for credits that they are eligible for. Click here to begin the process. Community Police Academy Sign up now to participate in the Alexandria Community Police Academy. This acclaimed program is one of the Police Department's key public outreach efforts. In January and February, the Department will be hosting half-day versions of the program. Sign up today! Helping Out Four Mile Run The Four Mile Run Conservatory has added winter events to the calendar for 2019. Sunday, January 6, 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM: Land-based clean-up of 'Sunnyside' tributary Sunday, January 13, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Winter Wetland Walk Full details and sign-up are available online. New School Board The 9 elected members of the Alexandria School Board officially took office today along with the City Council. They will each take their oaths of office on Monday the 7th at a ceremony beginning at 6:30 PM at T. C. Williams High School (3330 King Street). The ceremony is open to the public, and I hope to see you there! Christmas Tree Recycling Starting tomorrow and continuing through January 12th, residents receiving City trash service may leave a Christmas tree out for recycling. The tree must be placed in your normal trash collection location on your regular collection day. Remove all ornaments, tinsel and stands. All trees will be ground into mulch and made available to residents in the spring. Be A Snow Buddy Volunteer Alexandria and the City work together to recruit "Snow Buddies." Snow Buddies work across our City to help residents who are unable to clear snow during inclement weather. Sign up today! Happy New Year! Tomorrow evening at 7 PM I will take the oath of office as your Mayor, along with the other 6 members of the new Alexandria City Council. I'm excited to get started. The installation meeting will be held in the auditorium at T. C. Williams High School (3330 King Street) and I hope you can join us. In addition to the administration of our oaths, the City Council will elect the Vice Mayor and designate Council representation to a variety of City Boards, Commissions and regional bodies. The new Council will hold our first Legislative meeting on the evening of the 8th of January. While we celebrate a season of transition in our City and the new year, I am mindful that for many of our residents this is a deeply unsettling time. There are not many communities in our nation with more Federal employees and contractors than Alexandria. For many of those workers, they are unsure when their next paycheck will arrive due to the protracted Federal Government shutdown. In addition to those directly impacted, many more residents within our service economy are placed at risk due to this impasse. It is not acceptable for the President and Congress to hold our residents' livelihoods hostage in a crisis that did not have to be. I'm hopeful that ongoing appropriations will be adopted immediately. Contact me anytime . Let me know how I can help. Council Initiatives New Council, New Assignments In conjunction with our City Council service, members of the Council serve on a variety of Boards and Commissions. At the City Council installation meeting tomorrow evening, we will officially designate those assignments. On the new Council, I have retained some of my current assignments and added a few new ones. I will be continuing on the City's Quality of Life Committee. Joining me on this committee will be Councilwoman Amy Jackson. This group consists of representatives from the City's public safety agencies, Code Administration, Alexandria City Public Schools, and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority. We use this meeting to track and coordinate activities that work to improve and maintain the high quality of life that our residents expect. I also remain on the City Council/School Board subcommittee. Joining this group on the new Council will be Councilman John Taylor Chapman, the School Board Chair and Vice Chair, as well as the Superintendent and City Manager. The subcommittee coordinates joint activities and projects and serves as the primary interface between City government and the Alexandria City Public Schools. I will be retaining my spot on the City's Commission on Information Technology. This group has now been re-purposed as a body focused on the City's new broadband efforts. I am continuing as a member of the City's Audit Committee, This group provides the Council supervision of our annual financial audit. I will be joined on this committee by Councilman Mo Seifeldein. Councilman Seifeldein will also join me on the Employee Pension/Compensation Committee. This group works through the details of changes to pay and benefits for our 2,500+ City Employees. I'll be continuing my work on the Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Advisory Group. This body has been working for years to conclude the process of bringing a Metro station to Potomac Yard. We have now moved into the important work of mitigating construction impacts and managing changes in the project. Joining me on this group will be Councilman Canek Aguirre. Both Councilman Chapman and I will remain on the ARHA Redevelopment Work Group. This group is focused on working with the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) to manage the orderly redevelopment of aging ARHA properties. I will be joining a relatively new committee that was set up to manage the Combined Sewer Outfall work in cooperation with Alexandria Renew. On this committee I will be joined by Councilwoman Jackson. I will also be joining the City's Legislative Committee, which oversees the development and implementation of the City's Annual Legislative Package. On this committee I will be joined by Councilwoman (to be designated Vice Mayor tomorrow evening) Elizabeth Bennett-Parker. Finally, on a regional basis, I will also be representing the City on two important bodies. I will be joining the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors. The Board is the COG's governing body and primary policy entity. Additionally, I will be representing the City on the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). The NVTA is the regional entity that disburses approximately $300 million annually across the region to projects designed to alleviate traffic congestion. I am excited that the assignments I have taken on will provide me with the opportunity to best serve the residents of our City. WMATA Closure Planning Once the crown jewel of the Washington, DC region, Metrorail is experiencing a very difficult time. While the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has numerous challenges, the most serious and pressing are related to safety. Metro is a basic building block of our region's economy. If there is a perception that the system is unsafe, then that awareness can be crippling to the region. Last year, the region did finally come together and adopt a new dedicated funding stream for WMATA. This significant accomplishment was not without fault, but it did represent a positive step forward in addressing the system's challenges. Paul Wiedefeld, the WMATA General Manager for the past 3 years, is aggressively working to tackle these challenges. WMATA finalized the SafeTrack Plan, which concentrated three years of work into one year. Advancing this work required expanded time when the system is not operating. To make this happen, extended weekend hours were discontinued, new mid-day maintenance was scheduled, and most importantly, a series of "surges" occurred across the system. Working with WMATA, DASH, and other local partners, we came up with a series of alternatives to assist Alexandria riders in their commutes. We will now have to put those lessons to the test as WMATA has announced a new set of closures for this summer. This time, the closures will be to rebuild outdoor station platforms that are past the end of their usable lives. The first phase of this work will involve closing down the Braddock Road, King Street and Eisenhower Avenue stations. This will mean that there will no blue or yellow line service south of the airport expected from Memorial Day to Labor Day in 2019. This will require a dramatic regional response. Far beyond the impact of the SafeTrack, this closure holds the potential to cripple our region. This closure will require the City and its regional partners to identify transit alternatives, teleworking options. economic development planning, and more. It will not only impact the ability of our residents to access their employment locations, but it will also hinder the ability of customers to access Alexandria businesses and employees to access their employers in Alexandria. In October, City staff brought the initial framework to Council to respond to the planned Summer 2019 Metro Shutdown in Alexandria. Planning efforts to prepare for needed repairs on Metrorail have been very active at the staff level, and we will require ideas from our residents as we work to prevent this from being a disaster for our City. We continue to solicit specific suggestions from residents via our online survey. Last month, our staff provided the Council with an update on the joint planning efforts, including a recent WMATA Board update on the planning. Upon review of that plan, our staff has raised very specific concerns over the capacity of WMATA's planned shuttle alternatives. As a result, the City's City Manager relayed those concerns in writing to Mr. Wiedefeld. In turn Mr. Wiedefeld has assured me that these plans will be reviewed to determine how additional capacity can be added. The City's draft plan will be released this month. On January 22nd, at the City Council Legislative Meeting, WMATA staff will be in attendance to discuss their plans for this closure with the City Council. The work to restore Metro back to the level required to support this region continues. In the short-term, additional sacrifice will be required. As a daily Metro rider myself, I know the service challenges first-hand. I'm hopeful that these efforts will bear fruit soon. Amazon, Growth and Housing A year and a half ago, President Trump announced his intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In the immediate aftermath, jurisdictions across our region and our nation (including Alexandria) rushed to announce that they would uphold the commitments of the accord within their communities. While each jurisdiction's commitments are minuscule in the face of a planetary problem, they are important statements of support. In September, the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) accepted a report that identified that 100,000 additional housing units will need to be constructed within the region just to meet expected job growth. That is 100,000 units BEYOND what is already planned to be developed. Given the alignment between housing policy and transportation policy, climate policy and economic development policy, the same volunteerism that led to jurisdictions across the region to sign up to meet the Paris Agreement's commitments will be required to meet the region's housing needs. The COG analysis focuses on the housing production required to meet the economic competitiveness and transportation efficiency goals for the region. Even with increased housing production at the levels recommended, it's unlikely to be sufficient supply to address affordability challenges. The COG Board ultimately adopted a resolution directing the Housing Directors and Planning Directors of the region to determine how such an increase in housing production could be accommodated. The recent Amazon and Virginia Tech economic development announcements have stoked concerns regarding the impacts on affordability that may result throughout the region. While analysis shows the potential for impacts on affordability, in a region with over 3.3 million jobs, an additional 25,000 jobs entering the market over a decade is not likely to have a dramatic impact. Yet these economic development "wins" have served to shine a light on an issue that has bedeviled our City and this region for decades. As the region's job supply has grown, the housing supply has not sufficiently grown to match. While the paired announcement of Amazon and Virginia Tech presents risks for affordability in the region, it also provides some critical opportunities: * For the first time ever, the Commonwealth included new housing investments in an economic development incentive package. * In the aftermath of the announcement, Governor Northam has proposed new investments in the Commonwealth's Housing Trust Fund as part of his package of amendments to the budget for the upcoming General Assembly session. * There is some reason to believe that the Amazon/Virginia Tech investment will prompt new housing production, thus alleviating some of the crunch. * The City's approved Oakville Triangle Corridor Plan included significant on-site affordable housing elements that are now likely to proceed. * The Long Range Planning Interdepartmental Work Program being presented to the Planning Commission in a few days includes pre-planned efforts to facilitate market-based affordability alternatives, including Accessory Dwelling Units, revisions to our developer contribution policies and exploration of the feasibility of inclusionary zoning initiatives. * That same work program also includes upcoming updates to the small area plans covering Del Ray and Arlandria. In particular, the recent Amazon/Virginia Tech announcement has sparked concerns regarding preservation of affordability in Arlandria. When the City attempts to address housing affordability, it is going up against powerful economic forces. Employing market-based solutions to these affordability challenges is where the City can be most effective. A few years ago, I prompted a bit of controversy by writing an intentionally provocative take on housing affordability and what the City can do to improve accessibility. In late 2015, Jason Furman, then the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, made a speech that drew a direct connection between one of the most challenging issues for us in Alexandria to one of the most challenging issues facing our nation. He laid the blame for these challenges squarely at the feet of local policymakers. In this speech, Mr. Furman addressed the large and growing challenges of housing affordability in communities. He connected those challenges with growing income inequality around our country. But most relevant to us in Alexandria, he assigned blame for a lack of housing affordability on local zoning restrictions. Said another way, our limitations and restrictions on development have driven the cost of housing to unaffordable levels thus exacerbating income inequality. He even traces the impact of these restrictions to reductions in employment. Furman writes "Zoning restrictions--be they in the form of minimum lot sizes, off-street parking requirements, height limits, prohibitions on multifamily housing, or lengthy permitting processes--are supply constraints. Basic economic theory predicts--and many empirical studies confirm--that housing markets in which supply cannot keep up with demand will see housing prices rise." Some have even suggested that removal of some local authority over land use can help address the affordability issue. Others have ascribed even more nefarious motives to how zoning restrictions are applied. Last month, Minneapolis approved one of the more radical approaches to addressing affordability, by rethinking the entire construct of "Single Family Zoning." A recent analysis looked at similar approaches in our region, including Alexandria. All of this leads us to the fundamental question as to whether Alexandria's efforts to address affordability are helping, hurting or having no effect. Our discussions on affordable housing have generally been focused on funding questions, debates about the impacts of individual projects, and the contention between affordability and other City priorities. We adopted the Housing Master Plan which gave the community a series of tools with which to tackle the challenges of affordability. Yet, if Furman and other economists are to be believed, we in Alexandria have rarely tackled the fundamental root of housing affordability. Most of our efforts are aimed at creating or preserving housing that will ultimately be in the public domain or under nominal public control. However, it is through our zoning authority that we can truly impact housing affordability in privately owned housing. Obviously zoning restrictions have a place and serve a need for our community. I would also suggest that we have done some things right. For instance, in 2015, the City Council adopted new parking standards for multi-family housing. By rightsizing parking, we significantly reduced the cost of construction for multi-family residential development, provided new incentives for the use of transit, and freed up resources for alternate community investments. However, these new standards went even farther, by providing steeper parking incentives for restricted affordable housing units. The City essentially adopted our largest financial incentive for the creation of new affordable housing, while also reducing the overall cost of private housing development. In 2017, at the suggestion of Councilman Chapman and myself, the City expanded our "density bonus" program for affordable housing. The program essentially trades additional market density with landowners in exchange for new committed affordable housing. But, the City has also aggressively utilized our land-use authority to: * limit density * increase open space * create new retail * improve architecture * improve transportation infrastructure * preserve historic structures * develop new public facilities * create affordable housing * improve basic infrastructure * improve public art, and more The process of working to redevelop Ramsey Homes demonstrated the inherent tension between community expectations and affordability. At some point, the question becomes whether those efforts are ultimately self-defeating, particularly as it relates to housing affordability? In June of 2012, the City Council adopted the Beauregard Small Area Plan which laid out a vision for a 395 acre swath of land constituting a major portion of the City's West End. As in much of the City, the landowners in the Plan area had millions of square feet of development permitted (5.5 million constructed, 10 million permitted) under their existing zoning, but not currently developed. Through the planning process, the City attempted to use the incentive of additional development to provide significant public amenities as well as to encourage land-uses other than additional townhomes. The approved plan provides a funding formula (including developer funding, tax increment financing, and City Affordable Housing Trust Fund dollars) for the creation of at least 800 new units of committed affordable housing, funding for a new fire station, a new "ellipse" at the intersection of Seminary and Beauregard Roads, a new transitway, additional tree canopy, and 44 acres of new open space. In total, the Plan exacted $150 million of developer-funded public amenities. Yet it didn't happen. Ultimately, JBG made the decision to sell the property. The purchaser is not a developer, and has no intention to proceed with development of the plan. Without development in the plan area, the City has little ability to request public amenities. There have been other examples. The Mount Vernon Village Center redevelopment in Arlandria would have created numerous committed affordable housing units. Yet the project was abandoned when financing could not be received. As we work to implement the City's Housing Master Plan, we must seek to comprehend and be willing to address all of the factors that challenge affordability in the City. Amazon's arrival and Virginia Tech's expansion doesn't dramatically change the affordability challenge in our region, but it does perhaps give us the impetus to make the difficult decisions to address it. Let me know your thoughts! Organizing the New Council In May of 2011, the City Council adopted a Long-Range Multi-Department Planning Work Program" for Fiscal Year 2012 . This document was the first attempt to evolve the work program that Council has previously adopted for the Planning & Zoning Department into a document that now incorporated multiple departments engaged in long-range planning and policy efforts. Today, the "Long Range Interdepartmental Planning Work Program" is adopted each year and serves as a schedule and framework for planning and policy initiatives. As a focal point for prioritizing initiatives and ensuring adequate resources for those initiatives, this document has been quite successful. This Multi-Departmental Work Program is typically discussed by Council in January of each year and then adopted post-budget adoption in June. The current Council adopted Multi-Departmental Work Program was approved on June 13, 2018. Staff from the City's Department of Planning and Zoning will present a draft of the FY 2020 plan to the City's Planning Commission on Thursday. As a contrast, the Council itself has no such document to guide its annual work. While Council has adopted a Strategic Plan for FY2017 to FY 2022, it is a high-level plan and does not set out an annual work program. While a portion of the Council's workload is dictated by recurrent obligations (adoption of the budget, appropriation ordinances, periodic reports, etc), and by those seeking approval for various efforts (primarily land-use applications), the Council has no plan or document that allows it to schedule and sequence policy initiatives initiated by the Council itself. The Council will have a retreat at the end of January (January 26, 2019). This will be the first time the new City Council will have the opportunity to gather, more informally, to discuss how we will be approach public business during the upcoming year. I have proposed that Council use this retreat to define and refine a work program for the upcoming year. During the January retreat, for the 2019 year ahead, I think that Council should identify and prioritize what policy areas that it wants to review; identify what departments and agencies it wishes to review work plans and strategies with, sequence land use master plan amendments and revisions planned during the year; and select which of the City's boards and commissions that it would be important for the Council to meet with during the year. Included in an adopted work program could be: * Identification and schedule for policy work sessions, * Identification and schedule for department strategic reviews, * Schedule for receipt and consideration of master plan updates, * Identification and schedule for Board or Commission joint meetings for those Boards and Commissions that Council thinks important to meet with * Schedule for recurrent obligations (budget, appropriation ordinances, financial reports, etc) Once approved, the work program can become a "living document" subject to periodic amendment along with the calendar on Legislative Meeting dockets. This proposal is designed to provide an inclusive process for the Council to sequence and prioritize the policy work planned for the upcoming year. Better Space To Serve the Public Last month in this newsletter I wrote about the City's ongoing efforts to address the miserable condition of many of our municipal facilities. A component of those efforts has been working to identify areas of potential consolidation among our City facilities. The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) is one of the City's largest departments with 582 full time equivalent employees, and a budget of $93 million. The department provides the critical safety net services that so many of our residents rely on at various points in their lives. DCHS, together with the City's Health Department occupy 210,000 square feet of space in 8 different facilities around the City. Most of the space is inadequate, aged, and not proximate to the residents its serves (over half of DCHS clients are on the West End, yet two of our largest offices are in the East End of the City. As a result the City has been exploring options to consolidate. Those efforts have the now concluded as the City has chosen to consolidate DCHS and the Alexandria Heath Department at 4850 Mark Center Drive. This building is currently occupied by the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA). IDA is preparing to move to a new location in Potomac Yard. Given the timetable of the intended move, the location will not become available until 2022. This new location will enable full consolidation of these two departments and improve service delivery for the residents served by these important services. While the City has negotiated a new 15 year lease, there are several points where the City can exercise the ability to purchase the building, which could save the City millions more in avoided lease payments. This is a major consolidation effort, and will have transitional challenges as residents determine the best way to access services in the new facility. Ultimately the consolidation will avoid greater costs, improve the effectiveness of services delivered and make those services more accessible to our residents. Jefferson Davis Highway Becomes Richmond Highway As of today, Jefferson Davis Highway becomes Richmond Highway in Alexandria. In the aftermath of the tragic murders in Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, communities across the nation have reexamined their representations of Confederate history. None was more visible than the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol. Here in Alexandria, we have received similar requests from residents to reexamine examples of such representations in our community. A few notable examples in Alexandria: Since 1970, the City has displayed the first flag of the Confederacy (not the battle flag) on Robert E. Lee's birthday and Confederate Memorial Day. There are at least 30 streets named for prominent leaders of the Confederacy. The most significant one is Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1). The Appomattox Statue, owned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, at South Washington and Prince Streets honors the dead soldiers of Alexandria who fought for the Confederacy. Until very recently, a plaque on the Marshall House (now The Alexandrian Hotel) told the story of the shooting of a Union officer from a Confederate perspective. My view is that there is little gained for Alexandria to re-fight a war that concluded 150 years ago. However, our community has changed over 150 years. At the end of September 2015, the Council made the decision to end to flying of the flag of the Confederacy. We also created a community group to take public comment and advise the Council on other potential changes. After five meetings, the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Confederate Memorials and Street Names made its recommendations to the City Council. While the report goes into considerable detail, the group recommended that the Appomattox Statue remain in place. Jefferson Davis Highway be renamed, and other potential street re-namings be initiated individually using the existing process. A new advisory group was designated to make recommendations to the City Council as to the new name for Jefferson Davis Highway. To promote consistency with Fairfax County, the group recommended that this road section be renamed Richmond Highway. The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance implementing the renaming and the new name goes into effect today. Honors and commemorations that seemed appropriate a century or even 40 years ago, may no longer be appropriate in a modern Alexandria. Furthermore, a modern Alexandria should focus not just on what should be removed or renamed, but how to portray a more accurate and fair telling of our history. In my view, that would be a just reaction to the events in Charleston, and indeed many other injustices and tragedies in our country's history. Host a Town Hall in Your Living Room! As Mayor, I am continuing my regular series of Town Hall Meetings continue! You supply the living room and a bunch of your friends and neighbors. I will supply the Mayor who will hopefully have the answers to any of your questions about our City. Just drop us a line and we'll get a Town Hall on the calendar! Thanks for the interest! Upcoming Issues Back to Richmond Next week the Virginia General Assembly returns to Richmond for the so-called "short-session." The General Assembly alternates between a 45 day session in odd number years and a 60 day session in even number years. Every year, the City Council adopts a Legislative Package for the upcoming General Assembly session. While the state government is certainly a significant financial supporter of the City's budget, Richmond also sets a legal environment that affects how we provide services to our residents. Contained in the package are specific pieces of legislation that we would like to see proposed as well as the City's position on legislation that may arise during the session. This upcoming session will likely be marked by significant conversations around fiscal policy, with new proposals around the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and new revenue from online sales due to the recent Supreme Court "Wayfair" decision. In August, the Governor brought together the Joint Money Committees from the General Assembly. He gave them the news that the previous fiscal year had closed with a surplus in excess of half of a billion dollars. With this additional revenue, the state made contributions to its revenue stabilization fund (the so-called "Rainy Day Fund") and other reserves. The Governor recently returned to the Joint Money Committees and presented his proposed amendments, including new investments in K-12 education, water quality, broadband, housing and higher education. While budget matters always dominate in Richmond, there is likely going to be significant discussion of a variety of other priorities before the Commonwealth. This year, the City has chosen a different approach to the package with particular focus in two large issues: * The City will be again seeking funding from the Commonwealth to assist in funding the implementation of new state mandates for combined sewer remediation work in Old Town. * This City is requesting that the Commonwealth make a significant investment in school facilities construction and maintenance. Jurisdictions around the state (including Alexandria) are struggling with the costs of growing student enrollment and aging school facilities. In the Governor's proposed amendments to the budget, he has proposed $25 million in bond proceeds to support the City's combined sewer work. This is now the fourth time that a Virginia Governor (Governor McDonnell, Governor McAuliffe, and Governor Northam in two instances) has recognized the importance of state funding assistance for Alexandria to tackle this significant clean water initiative by proposing funding. I am optimistic that we can earn the support of the Senate and the House of Delegates for this important clean water initiative. Additionally, the Governor has proposed a one-time increase to the "At-Risk Add-On." This additional allocation of state money recognizes the additional costs carried by local jurisdictions in the education of children growing up in poverty. Given that over 61% of Alexandria's public school students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, this money will prove helpful. While it is difficult to get legislation passed in Richmond, my hope is that we will be able to make progress on many of these important issues when the General Assembly gets to work in January. The City is represented in the State Senate by Senator Richard Saslaw, Senator George Barker, and Senator Adam Ebbin. In the House of Delegates, the City is represented by Delegate Charniele Herring and Delegate Mark Levine. Click here to determine who represents you. Residential Parking Districts The City currently has 12 residential parking districts around our community. The districts are designed to regulate non-resident parking in residential areas. While the particular restrictions imposed in each district vary, fundamentally each district places some sort of restriction on the parking duration, while residents have the option to purchase permits to exempt their vehicles. Most of the districts were created in the 1980s and the districts have not been substantially reviewed since then. Currently, the process to create, expand, or change restrictions must be requested by residents upon the demonstration of existing parking challenges. This can become onerous for residents who don't live in an established parking district. In order to proactively manage parking issues in residential areas, staff has been directed to identify specific circumstances when the City could initiate the public process for changes. In addition to a staff-initiated process, this effort will consider other updates to the program. Today, there are over 9,000 permits in place around the City, with most of them in the Old Town districts. A subcommittee of the City's Traffic and Parking Board is conducting a review of this program and considering a series of issues with the existing program. To assist in that study, the subcommittee is soliciting public input with a survey that will be live until the 4th of this month. The next subcommittee meeting will be held on Monday January 28th at 6:30 PM in City Hall. Vice Mayor Justin M. Wilson 703.746.4500 justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov www.justin.net Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314 Paid for by Wilson For Mayor Vice Mayor Justin M. Wilson, 301 King Street, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 SafeUnsubscribeT brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Forward this email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by justin.wilson at alexandriava.gov in collaboration with Try it free today -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4847 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 3392 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image025.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4233 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image026.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1199 bytes Desc: not available URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Thu Jan 10 15:39:33 2019 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2019 10:39:33 -0500 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Fairfax Chapter invitation to a Collaborative Event In-Reply-To: <003301d4a8e8$a00a36d0$e01ea470$@verizon.net> References: <003301d4a8e8$a00a36d0$e01ea470$@verizon.net> Message-ID: <034501d4a8fa$afc969d0$0f5c3d70$@gmail.com> Please see the below message and contact Joy as instructed if you are interested in supporting the Fairfax chapter's efforts. Brian Miller President Alexandria Chapter NFBV From: amcarr1 at verizon.net Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:30 AM To: 'John Halverson' ; brianrmiller88 at gmail.com; marc.canamaso at gmail.com Cc: jrelton at verizon.net; robertac058 at gmail.com; john_bailey17 at hotmail.com Subject: Fairfax Chapter invitation to a Collaborative Event Good Morning, I am reaching out to all of you to invite your chapter to join the Fairfax Chapter in volunteering and supporting a community event in Oldtown Fairfax City. The Fairfax City Chocolate Lovers Festival has invited the Fairfax Chapter to volunteer to run a portion of their Cake Walk on Saturday, February 2 from 1:00pm - 2:00pm in Oldtown Fairfax City, as part of the Festival. Participation requires minimal effort as all we would need to do is bring music of our choice and a device that will connect to their speakers, run the Cake Walk for the hour, and donate cakes. In addition, will need to share information about the event with our families and friends to generate participation. As we begin to organize our participation, I'm sure there will be other volunteer opportunities needed to support our membership's participation. If your Chapter is interested in supporting this event by 1 or more of your Chapter members volunteering on the day of the event and/or donating 1 or more cakes, we need to know by Friday January 11 at 12:00pm. Please send an e-mail with contact information for your Chapter (President, e-mail, phone, as well as the official name of your Chapter) Joy Relton, Bobbi Cohen and myself (e-mail addresses below and copied on this message. This information is needed for the registration form and will be used to advertise/promote each Chapter. jrelton at verizon.net Volunteer coordinator robertac058 at gmail.com Cake Coordinator amcarr1 at verizon.net Chapter Vice President We hope that your Chapter will be able to join us, and that it will be the first of many future joint projects. Annette Carr NFB Fairfax Chapter Vice President, CLI Participant Amcarr1 at verizon.net 703-915-2837 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Sat Jan 19 19:08:37 2019 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2019 19:08:37 +0000 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] Fwd: Streets Where New Leading Pedestrian Intervals are Installed as Part of Vision Zero References: <007001d4af4a$2785fc40$7691f4c0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: > From: "Robert Hartt" > Date: January 18, 2019 at 4:23:31 PM GMT > To: > Subject: Streets Where New Leading Pedestrian Intervals are Installed as Part of Vision Zero > > For Chapter information: > In order to increase traffic safety, City of Alexandria staff recently installed 17 new Leading Pedestrian Intervals in high crash intersections or corridors as part of the implementation of the City?s Vision Zero Initiative to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2028. > > As part of the Vision Zero Action Plan, one of the Year 1 Engineering Priorities is to install Leading Pedestrian Intervals in at least 10 intersections to improve safety for people walking and driving. Staff identified more than 10 locations where these improvements were warranted and installed 17 new leading pedestrian intervals, along with their respective No Turn on Red restrictions. > > A Leading Pedestrian Interval is signal timing change that starts the walk signal a few seconds before the green light to give people waiting to cross the street a head start in front of turning vehicles so that drivers can better see people walking and avoid a serious crash. Localities across the country and around the world (including Alexandria) have been implementing this solution for decades. Staff has implemented this in the following locations: > Route 1 and Gibbon > Route 1 and Wilkes > King and Washington > King and Henry > King and Patrick > Wilkes and Washington > Duke and Henry (both crossings) > Gibbon and Washington > Slaters and Washington > Cambridge and Duke (both crossings) > N. Quaker and Duke > Cameron Station and Duke > Whiting and Edsall > Slaters and Route 1 > Duke and Holland > City staff analyzed crash data, industry best practices and research, and public input, and formed an interdepartmental collaboration team to develop a set of Year 1 Engineering Priorities. These engineering priorities are intended to improve safety for all modes of travel, focusing on vulnerable road users (e.g. people walking and biking, children, and seniors) first. Crash data showed that during this time between 2011-2016, 445 people walking were involved in crashes, with one in seven crashes resulting in death or serious injury to the person. Turning-movement crashes were also found to be among the most common crash types in Alexandria. Leading Pedestrian Intervals aid in the prevention of turning movement crashes along with No Turn on Red Restrictions. > > Staff advises residents and visitors to stay alert to the new traffic patterns and, per state law, yield the right of way to people crossing the street. For more information on Vision Zero, please visit alexandriava.gov/VisionZero. > > For any questions, please contact Christine Mayeur, Complete Streets Coordinator, at christine.mayeur at alexandriava.gov. > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Members AlexandriaBPAC" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to members-alexandriabpac+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > JUDITH FOGEL > 703.801.8088 > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Members AlexandriaBPAC" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to members-alexandriabpac+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Fri Jan 25 16:56:45 2019 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2019 16:56:45 -0000 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: NFB BELL DC Program In-Reply-To: <35DCA97B-C95D-4BE0-80F7-9B129F8E6C99@gmail.com> References: <35DCA97B-C95D-4BE0-80F7-9B129F8E6C99@gmail.com> Message-ID: <010101d4b4ce$f4df8920$de9e9b60$@gmail.com> Chapter, Please see Anna?s message below about the BELL program and spread the word. Brian Miller President Alexandria NFB From: Anna Givens Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2019 1:33 AM To: Shawn Callaway Cc: Libra Robinson ; vcotton at clb.org; Jocelyn Hunter ; hernandezlegorreta at gmail.com; Vicky Codas ; Jessica Doyle ; alexandera.castillo at gmail.com; brianrmiller88 at gmail.com; Jennifer Miller Subject: NFB BELL DC Program Please share the following widely: For anyone who has or knows someone who has a child who is blind or visually impaired in the DC/MD/VA area. I?m so excited about the upcoming BELL camp for kids. Registration is open! And below is the link to register. Please share this with your friends and networks so we can reach as many kids as possible. The NFB BELL (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) Academy prepares blind and low-vision children, ages four through twelve, to grow into confident and independent blind people who live the lives they want. In addition to Braille crafts, games, and other engaging projects, children learn vital independent living skills, interact with blind adults who serve as mentors, and enjoy field trips to sites related to the NFB BELL Academy curriculum. Through these activities and interactions, the children learn that blindness or low vision does not define them or their future. The event dates are July 29 - August 9. 9:00 am - 3:30 PM Please reach out to me with any questions. Here is the link to apply: https://nfb.org/bell-student-application-form Anna E Givens | Program Coordinator | 402-817-8934 | annajee82 at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Fri Jan 25 17:00:10 2019 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2019 17:00:10 -0000 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Spreading the news about LightHouse for the Blind's Holman Prize for Blind Ambition In-Reply-To: <84c57ffc116649d5bc7856ba0b500c8f@1155-009.core.lighthouse-sf.org> References: <84c57ffc116649d5bc7856ba0b500c8f@1155-009.core.lighthouse-sf.org> Message-ID: <010d01d4b4cf$6ed59cb0$4c80d610$@gmail.com> Chapter, Please see the below message about the new application period that just opened for the prestigious Holman Prize from the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind. Brian Miller President Alexandria NFB We are now accepting applications for the Holman Prize for Blind Ambition , and we need your assistance getting the word out to attract the best applicants. The Holman Prize is awarded annually to three blind individuals who wish to push limits and change perceptions about blindness around the world. It is named for James Holman , a nineteenth century blind explorer, who was the most prolific traveler of anyone before the era of modern transportation. Each winner will receive $25,000 to fund an adventure. From teaching blind people to be beekeepers in Uganda , to kayaking solo across the Bosporus Strait , to hosting the first conference in Mexico for blind people led by blind people, our past six winners' projects are as varied as the winners themselves. If you know an ambitious blind person who will be 18 or older by October 1, 2019, we ask you to encourage them to apply for the Holman Prize. Applications close February 28 at 12 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. A big part of the Holman Prize is about building community. To that end, we have several ways people can engage with all things Holman Prize on social media: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Playlist of 2019 Candidate Videos People can also visit HolmanPrize.org and sign up for the Holman Prize mailing List on the website. They can also email holman at lighthouse-sf.org and ask to be added to the mailing list. Everyone has a dream. With the Holman Prize, the LightHouse will provide funds to three blind people with the drive to achieve their dreams. If you have any questions, please contact us at holman at lighthouse-sf.org . Sincerely, Jennifer Sachs Director of Development & Communications LightHouse for the Blind and Enchanted Hills Camp 415-694-7333 jsachs at lighthouse-sf.org www.lighthouse-sf.org www.enchantedhillscamp.org www.holmanprize.org www.superfestfilm.com https://www.facebook.com/lighthousesf/ We're hiring! Join the LightHouse team . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Fri Jan 25 18:28:50 2019 From: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com (Brian Miller) Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2019 18:28:50 -0000 Subject: [NFBV-Alexandria] FW: Streets Where New Leading Pedestrian Intervals are Installed as Part of Vision Zero In-Reply-To: <007001d4af4a$2785fc40$7691f4c0$@gmail.com> References: <007001d4af4a$2785fc40$7691f4c0$@gmail.com> Message-ID: <008d01d4b4db$d1dff560$759fe020$@gmail.com> Chapter, Please see Bob Hart?s message below. Brian Miller President Alexandria, NFB From: Robert Hartt Sent: Friday, January 18, 2019 4:24 PM To: brianrmiller88 at gmail.com Subject: Streets Where New Leading Pedestrian Intervals are Installed as Part of Vision Zero For Chapter information: In order to increase traffic safety, City of Alexandria staff recently installed 17 new Leading Pedestrian Intervals in high crash intersections or corridors as part of the implementation of the City?s Vision Zero Initiative to eliminate traffic-related deaths and serious injuries by 2028. As part of the Vision Zero Action Plan , one of the Year 1 Engineering Priorities is to install Leading Pedestrian Intervals in at least 10 intersections to improve safety for people walking and driving. Staff identified more than 10 locations where these improvements were warranted and installed 17 new leading pedestrian intervals, along with their respective No Turn on Red restrictions. A Leading Pedestrian Interval is signal timing change that starts the walk signal a few seconds before the green light to give people waiting to cross the street a head start in front of turning vehicles so that drivers can better see people walking and avoid a serious crash. Localities across the country and around the world (including Alexandria) have been implementing this solution for decades. Staff has implemented this in the following locations: * Route 1 and Gibbon * Route 1 and Wilkes * King and Washington * King and Henry * King and Patrick * Wilkes and Washington * Duke and Henry (both crossings) * Gibbon and Washington * Slaters and Washington * Cambridge and Duke (both crossings) * N. Quaker and Duke * Cameron Station and Duke * Whiting and Edsall * Slaters and Route 1 * Duke and Holland City staff analyzed crash data, industry best practices and research, and public input, and formed an interdepartmental collaboration team to develop a set of Year 1 Engineering Priorities. These engineering priorities are intended to improve safety for all modes of travel, focusing on vulnerable road users (e.g. people walking and biking, children, and seniors) first. Crash data showed that during this time between 2011-2016, 445 people walking were involved in crashes, with one in seven crashes resulting in death or serious injury to the person. Turning-movement crashes were also found to be among the most common crash types in Alexandria. Leading Pedestrian Intervals aid in the prevention of turning movement crashes along with No Turn on Red Restrictions. Staff advises residents and visitors to stay alert to the new traffic patterns and, per state law, yield the right of way to people crossing the street. For more information on Vision Zero, please visit alexandriava.gov/VisionZero . For any questions, please contact Christine Mayeur, Complete Streets Coordinator, at christine.mayeur at alexandriava.gov . -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Members AlexandriaBPAC" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to members-alexandriabpac+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com . For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- JUDITH FOGEL 703.801.8088 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Members AlexandriaBPAC" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to members-alexandriabpac+unsubscribe at googlegroups.com . For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: