Members of Arlington’s Disability Advisory Commission argue that they could do more good by being an integral part of creating properties, not just reviewing them.
“We feel a frustration dealing with the county’s current planning process,” said Commissioner Bryant Atkins.
During their April 20 meeting, members of the panel received a tutorial on the county’s review process for new commercial, residential and mixed-use properties. The reaction from several members was blunt.
Those with disabilities should be “involved in the design, not at the approval and not at some of the other junctures,” Commissioner Marilyn McAlice said.
“Bring them in early in the process,” McAlice said. “It’s not just about showing up for [review] meetings, giving opinions, stating concerns. This is about being more proactive.”
Elizabeth Priaulx, leading the meeting in place of chair Karen Audant, said developers and county leaders would benefit from insights provided early in the planning process by those with disabilities.
“It might not be required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, it might not be required by the building code, but it might put a little bug in their ear. They might not have thought about that, and they might be willing to go with it,” Priaulx said.
The Disability Advisory Commission is given a seat on site-plan review committees (SPRCs), which are subgroups of the Planning Commission that typically spend two or more two-hour meetings vetting major development projects.
Priaulx acknowledged that the commission’s participation in the development process has been spotty — sometimes strong, other times disengaged. She said attempts to build a membership roster of appointees should help solve that.
Presenting the tutorial was Matthew Pfeiffer, a staffer in the county’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development. This was not the first time he has fielded arguments that involvement in the planning process should begin earlier and receive more serious consideration from developers and staff.
“I hear that from every commission out there — ‘we get involved so late there’s no chance of change’ — [but] that’s just not true,” he said.
Pfeiffer pointed to the recent redevelopment of the former Walgreens on Langston Blvd.
The developer “made very big changes in the middle of the [SPRC] process” in response to input, he said.
“It’s a common [misconception] to say changes can’t be made and the public is brought in too late,” Pfeiffer said, while acknowledging that “I understand where some of the frustration is.”
Among the frustrations, McAlice said, is that there often isn’t a formal response to feedback provided by the Disability Advisory Commission.
“We don’t know that anything we’ve recommended has happened at all,” she said.
One of the next major projects slated to move through the county’s review process is VHC Health’s plan for a major facility on S. Carlin Springs Road. That plan is slated for SPRC consideration in May and June, with Planning Commission and County Board consideration possible as early as September.
