Comments on: PenPlace Development Moves Toward County Board Consideration

By: spookiness

spookiness — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:55:28 +0000

You are free to buy it and dedicate it as a park. Or, lobby your neighbors and citizens to use taxpayer money to buy it. Good luck.

By: Patty Joyce

Patty Joyce — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:39:36 +0000

Wayne Kubicki… Its complicated… and I am not a zoning expert, and there are multiple transactions and options being proposed simultaneously… but I’ll try my best to answer…

Currently, the parcel is zoned C-O-2.5, which allows limited 12-story commercial, hotel, and residential use. The parcel is part of the larger Pentagon City Phased Development Site Plan which allowed certain total densities and uses within its boundaries.

As far as use, what is left in the PDSP to place on this site is:
582 hotel rooms
930 residential units

The 930 residential units will not be used on this parcel: they will not be converted to office density for this project, because those units are being moved over to the Met Park parcel across the street and will be used there (incidentally increasing density on that parcel as well).

Therefore, to build PenPlace as proposed, the County will need to (1) change the zoning to allow all commercial 22 story buildings on the site, and, also (2) create or find (through TDRs) and then grant and/or sell the entirety of the requested 1.8 million square feet of office density/use to Vornado.

PenPlace as proposed would more than double the amount of office space currently found in the entirety of Pentagon City (which is currently at about 1.2 million s.f.).

By: CAT

CAT — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:08:57 +0000

SOMEONE ALWAYS GOTTA CRY ABOUT A DOG PARK..JUST BUILD IT AND LEAVE THE DOGS OUT OF IT…

By: Patty Joyce

Patty Joyce — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:56:02 +0000

Sounds common sense… but actually a large percentage of our home owners have been here years, even decades…. some even generations… well before Pentagon City was conceived or built (PC is only 35 years old). Even for someone like me, who arrived 10 years ago, I purchased with the belief that zoning rules would be respected. I knew that close to DC and close to the mall meant some traffic… and we have traffic… But Pentagon City density and height zoning was written so it could act as a buffer between Crystal City and our single-family-home neighborhood… it is not zoned for this type of development. PenPlace as proposed smashes current zoning for this site, in use-type and in density and in building heights! This is not a by-right development, or there would not be this long long process. The County Board will have to more than double the density rights, through transfer of density rights from other sights in the County, and also approve a change in how the density can be used (from residential and hotel to office use). So, its not correct to say we should have know better. We couldn’t have known.

I do appreciate your saying you feel for us, though, as not many seem to…

By: Sayin

Sayin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:23:22 +0000

Wanda I actually believe your side of the street is considered crystal city. So you might want to check that fact

By: Patty Joyce

Patty Joyce — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:35:55 +0000

Yes, Jim, that is certainly a very good question for you to ask yourself (with biting humor).

By: Patty Joyce

Patty Joyce — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:09:35 +0000

Wanda, I respect your activism and can certainly understand your wanting the empty lot developed. However, as you have a seat yourself on the PDSP, I don’t understand why you claim ARCA is trying to speak for you. We speak for ourselves. Some of our concerns are different from yours, and go way back to before your building was built… we sat on the original Pentagon City PDSP committee and received certain assurances that are not being met. However, mostly our concerns mesh with yours… we would also love to see the site developed as an active, vibrant urban neighborhood… such good planning would give you the best possible neighborhood and also alleviate many of our concerns right off the bat.

By: Patty Joyce

Patty Joyce — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:03:12 +0000

Jim, the number 6800 was provided to ARCA us by Arlington County transportation staff… we can only assume it is correct as we can’t afford to do our own study.

Wanda, please cite the study you refer to… I realize this is a claim repeatedly made by staff and developer, but as far as I know there is no study to back it up. As my personal observation does not in any way support this claim, I’d be very interested to read the study, if you are able to cite it. Thanks.

By: Wanda

Wanda — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:04:12 +0000

The Bella Vista Condominiums are located at 1211 S. Eads St and consists of 202 individually owned units ranging from $280,000 to $1.5 million. Please check your facts.

By: Wanda

Wanda — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:01:52 +0000

Pls look at the information more carefully. Most ARCA residents will have any view blocked by PenPlace buildings. Those on the northern most end of ARCA have 395 blocking their view. Conversly we love the view of Long Bridge Park.