Cherrydale residents appear to have finally gotten county leaders’ attention about issues with traffic, parking and vehicle noise in their neighborhood.
Now, they’re waiting to see whether these concerns will be addressed.
Vehicles associated with nearby commercial, service and medical properties have spilled over for years into the residential community along Langston Blvd. Some have been left for extended periods of time, while others appear to have had exhausts modified to emit excessive noise, according to some residents.
The residents estimate that at least 20 parking spaces in the area are permanently unavailable, being occupied either by delivery vans or abandoned vehicles.
They allege that some people who park their personal or office vehicles in residential areas leave behind food, medical supplies and even human waste.
Some people in the neighborhood have been discussing these concerns for multiple years, but they say they haven’t received a coordinated response from the county government.
“Overall, there’s frustration at the lack of action from Arlington County,” said Angie McMenamin, a neighborhood resident who brought the matter to ARLnow’s attention. “It’s a community issue and I’m hopeful that we can get the county to finally take action.”
Concerned residents met with County Board Chair Takis Karantonis at an Open Door Monday event this week. The next day, they received a follow-up communication from Sandra Calixto-Mendoza, Karantonis’ staff aide.
“We understand it could be frustrating not to have the issue resolved expeditiously,” Calixto-Mendoza wrote in a response provided to ARLnow.
A variety of county agencies are aware of the concerns and are taking steps to address problems, she said.
Kiyah Daniell, speaking on behalf of the Arlington County Police Department, told ARLnow the situation is on the department’s radar.
“ACPD’s transportation-management unit will conduct parking enforcement in the area to address any observed violations,” she said.
She encouraged people to contact the county about issues.
“Community members are encouraged to report in-progress transportation safety concerns to the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222 so police personnel can be dispatched to investigate,” Daniell said. “Ongoing transportation-safety concerns can be reported to ACPD using our online transportation-safety form.”
Calixto-Mendoza said the office of the Commissioner of Revenue — which is independent from the county government — is investigating whether vehicles being parked in Cherrydale for extended periods are subject to personal-property tax.
“They have issued a summons to the owners and the process remains ongoing,” Calixto-Mendoza wrote.
In addition, the county’s police department and constituent-services office are working to address improper use of parking spaces in the neighborhood.
“The offenders have been issued several tickets. If there is failure to pay, these vehicles can be eventually towed,” Calixto-Mendoza wrote.
Appropriate county staff will look into issues around public health, she said.
In response to an inquiry about the issues in Cherrydale, Karantonis added that he is glad residents reached out through the Open Door Monday event.
“It was great to able to meet people in their own neighborhood to discuss an issue nearby,” he said.
Increased government efforts do seem to be underway. A county parking-enforcement vehicle could be seen moving slowly in the 1900 and 2000 blocks of N. Nelson Street, one of the areas where residents have expressed concern.
Camille Galdes, who lives on the street, has been seeking a more robust enforcement effort.
“The block is absolutely packed during the day,” she said of the 2000 block of Nelson, which is just south of Langston Blvd. “Several cars also sit abandoned. I’ve called the abandoned car hotline many times.”
The Cherrydale Citizens Association has been monitoring the situation. A task force in the neighborhood has reached out to nearby business owners in efforts to solve problems, and has provided residents with a link of contacts to report their concerns.
One option for the impacted parts of the Cherrydale neighborhood: participating in the county government’s residential-parking program, which limits on-street parking to those with vehicle decals issued by the county government.
Currently, “only a small section of Cherrydale has restricted or zoned parking,” McMenamin told ARLnow. The current situation has caused significant discussion on the Cherrydale listserv, she said.
“I am shocked that Nelson, with all these commercial properties, is not already part of parking zone 10, which includes much less busy blocks off Quincy and Langston,” Galdes said. “I plan to pursue getting our street zoned for residential parking.”
Some neighbors also are voicing concerns about vehicles with exhausts modified to be excessively loud.
Police who witness vehicles emitting noise beyond allowed levels can take action, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this year vetoed legislation that would have allowed Northern Virginia localities to use automated-monitoring equipment as part of a pilot program.
