The Arlington County Board has delayed making a final decision on a controversial Green Valley redevelopment proposal.
Board members voted 5-0 on Saturday to defer consideration of the 531-unit project that developer CC Rock Arlington Owner, LLC wants to put at 2480 S. Glebe Road — the current site of Hotel Pentagon and Comfort Inn Pentagon City.
“There’s more to talk about,” Board member Maureen Coffey said after a public hearing ran over five hours, with some residents and local churches reiterating concerns that dominated a Planning Commission meeting last month.
Board members will return on Wednesday evening to consider the item.
The development proposal calls for 37 three-bedroom townhouses in four buildings, to accompany a nine-story multifamily building with units ranging in size from 620 to 1,740 square feet. An eight-level garage would provide parking on the 5.52-acre parcel.
The developer is seeking changes to the General Land Use Plan, Master Transportation Plan and a site plan to allow redevelopment of the site, located just north of the intersection of S. Glebe Road and I-395.
Elements of controversy include the project’s size, its possible impact on traffic, the degree of affordable housing and the proposed community-benefits package.
The Rev. Adrian Nelson II of Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, located adjacent to the site, said the complex would “dwarf” his institution, which has been in Green Valley since the 1870s.
He argued that approving the proposal as-is would make the review process “simply a charade” and indicate that “the handwriting is on the wall that the days of the county are numbered.”
The Rev. Craig Harcum, senior pastor of the nearby Macedonia Baptist Church, said his congregation stands in unity with Lomax.
He urged Board members to “make every effort to protect the health, the safety, the stability and the well-being of our beloved Green Valley.”
Nicholas Giacobbe, representing the Arlington County Civic Federation, said his organization understands the need for new development, but urged elected officials to “listen to the voices of the community.”
“It seems too often, that is not the case,” Giacobbe said.
Supporters of the proposal included the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Planning Commission, which voted to support the proposal, albeit with some reservations.
James Lantelme, representing the Planning Commission, told Board members that the developer had “made changes in response to the church’s concerns.”
They included removal of balconies that would have overlooked Lomax’s cemetery, setting the building farther from the church than required and changing the color of bricks facing the church, Lantelme said.
But the majority of the testimony came from those unhappy with the proposal.
“Although I know that change is inevitable, it is not always progress, and big does not by any means mean better,” said Brenda Cox, who has been a member of the Lomax congregation since 1951, when she was 3 years old.
Portia Clark, the immediate past president of the Green Valley Civic Association, criticized county leaders for taking the views of her community for granted.
“We have said for years: The county process for engagement does not work for our community,” she said.
When it comes to excessive levels of development, “Green Valley has been a target for years,” Clark said.
Traffic impacts on 24th Road S., which feeds into Glebe Road, also were raised.
“The traffic impact will be unreal,” Cox predicted.
By 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, after hours of testimony and discussion, Board member JD Spain Sr., proposed holding off for several days to seek compromises.
“We need to be listening,” Spain said of the community backlash. “If we are not listening … we are tone-deaf.”
Among those in attendance with hopes of a consensus solution was Alfred Taylor Jr., who has become something of a living embodiment of the Green Valley community and its values.
The delay in final action gave him optimism, Taylor said.
“I’m happy to hear the developer is willing to work with the civic association,” said Taylor, a deacon at Macedonia Baptist who has written extensively about the Green Valley community’s history and residents.
The parcel in 1957 was rezoned from residential to hotel use. The first hotel was constructed in 1961.
McLean-based Capital Second Investments LLC has owned the site since 2003, when it purchased it for about $12.5 million, according to county records.
