Grand Theft Auto

Last week, one of the Growler's neighbors in the 1300 block of Princess Street discovered his automobile had been stolen. It was parked on the street directly in front of his home and disappeared late Thursday night, September 20 or early Friday, September 21.

While the stolen car was ultimately recovered in Maryland, the homeowner anticipated he would see the story pop up in the Daily Crime Report on Alexandria's E-news service.

One after another, the days passed with nary a mention of the theft. The Daily Crime Report issued at mid-afternoon on Friday, September 21 reported only one auto theft from Canterbury Lane. There was nothing about Princess Street in Monday's E-news report, which reported a stolen car on Kenmore Avenue on the same night the Princess Street car was stolen. Monday's release also included information on a stolen car chase and arrest in Del Ray on Sunday, which occurred just 24 hours before the crime report was issued.

There was nothing about the Princess Street theft in Tuesday's E-news report. And nothing in Wednesday's E-news report.

Interestingly, the Growler noticed at the bottom of Tuesday's E-news report a new disclaimer in big bold print:

This report describes some of the most serious or otherwise noteworthy incidents since the last report. It does not encompass all of the reported crimes that may have occurred in the city.

Now most readers familiar with the Daily Crime Report are aware that the police don't report misdemeanor offenses like drug dealing and public drunkenness on E-news. Typically the reports feature\s more serious crimes like homicides, assaults, rapes, robberies, burglaries and peeping Tom incidents.

But auto theft is routinely reported as well. Sometimes these thefts constitute the only crime news on a slow day in the City.

So why was this incident omitted from E-news? What is the City's definition of "serious or otherwise noteworthy incidents" if not most or all felonies? Why include some auto thefts in the report and not others?

And here's an alarming postcript: The same resident who reported the stolen car returned home on Monday evening at 8 p.m. and found three police cruisers surrounding his neighbor's house. Apparently there had been an attempted break-in. The security alarm was going off and one of the back windows was askew.

Food for Thought

The jury is still out on Monday night's Braddock Road Plan town hall meeting. Is the City sincerely attempting to broker an agreement with the community, or is it simply repackaging and reselling the same old plan?

It's too early to tell, but the Curmudgeonly One would like to offer some food for thought:

First, while Kramer & Associates interviewed representatives from a cross-section of the neighborhood (homeowners, condo dwellers, public housing residents, non-profits, cops, landowners and developers), what really stands out was the dearth of successful retailers.

And yes, such retailers exist. They include small businesses located at Colecroft, adjacent to the Braddock Lofts, and opposite the Monarch on N. Fayette Street.

If better retail is a Holy Grail for our neighborhood, why not talk to the retailers, particularly those who have arrived recently, and find out what works, what doesn't work, how they have managed to thrive, and what their perspective is on the proposed Braddock Road Metro redevelopments?

Second, attorney and Parker-Gray resident Mark Freeman raised an important point at the meeting. With transportation and now public housing on separate tracks, which plan and its recommendations prevail?

Both the Braddock Road Plan and the Ad Hoc Transportation Task Force recommendations are destined to be incorporated in the City's Master Plan.

If something is omitted from the Braddock Road Plan, say the proposal for BRT on Route 1, does that mean BRT is dead?

Or does BRT proceed simply because it is outlined in another section of the Master Plan? That would mean these separate track projects are designed to dovetail and not overlap, and they must be fought or supported separately by the community.

Finally, consultant David Dixon of Goody Clancy & Associates seemed to indicate on Monday night that there may be enough developer money or revenue available to address the neighborhood's needs.

Although the earlier drafts of the Braddock Road plan suggested there was insufficient money for amenities, particularly in the Parker-Gray historic area, Mr. Dixon seemed to suggest that density could be exchanged for cash that will fund things as diverse as public housing redevelopment or dispersal, affordable housing, and streetscaping and parks.

But what may be absent from the discussion — which is, after all, in its early stages — is the issue of how citizens can ensure that developer money is actually used for the purpose for which it was pledged.

What is the mechanism for protecting this money from a future City Council that would like to redirect it to another project or another neighborhood? Cities, like nonprofits, usually prefer to have unrestricted funds at their disposal. Earmarking or segregating funds limits their flexibility and freedom of action. If we are to exchange something of value (such as density) we need to be sure the City can be legally bound to deliver on the goods it promised in exchange.

So go ahead and chew on these three topics while we wait for the first workshop in October.

Who is ADAM (Part II)

Over the weekend, the Growler and others received yet another postcard from the mysterious ADAM (Alexandrians Delivering Smart Growth Around Metro Stations), which reminded residents about tomorrow's meeting at 7:00 PM at Jefferson-Houston School.

The mailing also advised us to "Keep good change on track!" and that "Change is good--especially when done in a smart way."

If readers remember, the Growler disclosed back in July that one of the individuals connected to ADAM was Agnes Artemel, a development consultant and wife of Engin Artemel, the City's former Planning & Zoning Director.

A second postcard was dropped in August, while the Growler was on vacation, and the group also launched a Website.

With this third postcard, the Growler decided to probe a little further and find out who was behind the Web site. Although ADAM states it is a membership group, no members or a board of directors are listed on the Web site.

The domain alexmetros.com was registered for ADAM by Tugboat PR, a local public relations firm whose president is John Irvine. (The domain noalexmetros.org was also registered by Tugboat.)

Mr. Irvine is a member of the board of directors of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. He's also a 2006 graduate of the Chamber's elite Leadership Alexandria program, described as "a unique program that brings together a network of diverse community leaders who are committed to improving the quality of life in Alexandria." Mr. Irvine is now a member of Leadership Alexandria's steering committee.

In 2006 Tugboat PR was selected to provide public relations services to promote Alexandria First Night, the City's non-alcoholic New Year's Eve celebration. The 2007 chairman of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce board of directors is Rick Dorman of Catalyst Group, who is listed as staff for First Night Alexandria.

The PR firm provides "strategic counseling, media relations and creative communications" and also notes on its Web site that along with associations and computer firms, its clients include construction companies.

Out of the Closet

The long-awaited Kramer Report was released by the City this afternoon, as well as a map showing the location of the stakeholders who were interviewed. The list of those who met with Kramer & Associates is included in the report.

Also posted on the City Web site is the agenda for Monday night's Town Meeting at Jefferson-Houston School.

Attaboys

While we wait for the other shoe to drop with the forthcoming Kramer Report, let's take a moment to recognize some Good Things happening in our neighborhood.

First, a tip of the Growler's fuzzy ears to Parker-Gray mom Teri Webster, who has recently taken the helm of the George Washington Middle School PTA. We now have two parent leaders in the community: Ms. Webster and Bill Campbell, president of the Jefferson-Houston PTA. Who said there aren't people in this neighborhood who care?

One of the unsung heroes of the ongoing ARHA drama is attorney Carlyle C. "Connie" Ring. He's a principled man with public service bona fides dating back to the civil rights era. Now he has brought a quiet but much-needed professionalism to the ARHA board, gently helping to guide it in a new direction. Mr. Ring's appointment on the ARHA Board is up for renewal soon. Let us pray that the City's Democratic leaders put blind partisanship behind them and ensure he is reappointed.

Kudos to Patricia Schubert and the Inner City Civic Association: at last Wednesday's monthly meeting, members were given the chance to start formulating the association's position on the Braddock Road Plan. There was thoughtful discussion about why the plan proposed so much density and concern about what we would get in return (if anything). The group agreed on the need for design guidelines, better transitions from large developments to our small-scale homes, the importance of preserving parking for single-family homeowners, the need to nail the City down about its retail promises, and how funding could be secured for streetscaping and amenities for Parker-Gray. There was even a discussion of the future of public housing.

Some of the ICCA officers expressed dismay that they are still underappreciated by the community. Certainly Ms. Schubert didn't get the credit she deserved for the Monarch construction contractor and the nightmare their workers created with their illicit parking.

But the Growler thinks if things continue in this vein and ICCA leaders get out in front of the neighborhood on burning issues like the plan (as well as the Route 1 BRT proposal opposed by some 50 residents of Patrick and Henry Streets), they can easily change that perception.

And finally, we learned at the ICCA meeting that Council Member Rob Krupicka helped Ms. Schubert snag $110,000 in City funds for Parker-Gray improvements, which will cover items like the elegant black trash cans that grace other neighborhoods. The Growler appreciates Mr. Krupicka's efforts on our behalf.

Yet Another Town Meeting

An E-mail from Trey Hanbury of the Upper King Street Neighborhood Association notes that on Saturday, September 29 from 8:30 to 12:30 AM the City will hold a "Town Meeting" on the findings of the Economic Sustainability Tax Force:

The Economic Sustainability Town Meeting will offer an opportunity to understand economic development plans in the city, including promoting development around metro stations, the waterfront, landmark mall and other areas. Call the city clerk's office if you're interest at 703-838-4550. I believe attendance is free and breakfast is served at 8 a.m.

As far as the Growler knows, this meeting has not yet been publicized on E-news.

The Little Train That Couldn't

As we prepare for the upcoming public meetings on the faltering Braddock Road Metro plan and the controversial proposals of the Ad Hoc Transportation Task Force, it's instructive to read Debunking Portland: The City That Doesn't Work, a new study by Randal O'Toole, senior fellow at the Cato Institute. Click here to download the full report.

O'Toole, a native Oregonian and long-time resident of Portland, points out the weaknesses in the smart growth lobby's arguments for high-density mixed use development centered around transit.

O'Toole debunks the theory of "build it and they will come" and analyzes how transit oriented developments in Portland have required massive government subsidies, failed to significantly slash the number of vehicles on the roads, and experienced difficulty attracting and keeping retailers in mixed-use developments.

The paper includes a discussion of tax increment financing (TIF) — currently being floated here as a way to finance bus rapid transit along Route 1 — and provides evidence of its adverse effect on the revenue stream for core City services.

The study is an eye-opener, with a number of uncomfortable parallels to our situation in Alexandria. For example, here's the story of how the Oak Grove neighborhood faced possible rezoning for greater density:

When planners held public hearings to find out how residents felt about the plan, they were confronted by hundreds of angry homeowners. Local government officials reluctantly asked Metro, Portland’s regional planning agency, to take Oak Grove off the list of neighborhoods slated for rezoning, saying “there is no community support” for the plan. Metro and other local governments responded by not holding public hearings in most other neighborhoods slated for densification. Instead, plans were written by committees consisting of a few neighborhood residents who were prescreened to insure they supported Portland’s densification, along with many more nonresidents, such as officials representing TriMet and other government agencies. (Debunking Portland, p. 10)

Sound familiar?

The net result, says O'Toole, is that Portland has increasingly unaffordable housing prices, greater traffic congestion, higher taxes or reduced urban services as tax revenues are diverted to rail transit and transit-oriented development, and a reputation for having an unfriendly business environment.

For Your Reading Pleasure ...

Here are the reports promised yesterday:

Braddock East Concept Plan (draft dated August 13, 2007) (see last page for discussion of Braddock Metro Neighborhood Advisory Group)

ARHA/City Strategic Plan Outline of Information and Analysis Needs

Enjoy!

In the Air

On Wednesday, the Growler ankled down to City Hall to get back into the swing of the civic thing after a long holiday.

The target: a meeting of the ARHA Redevelopment Work Group.

In attendance were ARHA Chairman and Vice Chairman Melvin Miller and Connie Ring, acting ARHA CEO Roy Priest, Mayor William D. Euille, Councilman Rob Krupicka, Planning Commission Chair Eric Wagner, City Manager James Hartmann, and key City staff like Housing Director Mildrilyn Davis.

And boy, the Cranky One's attendance was timely. There are some major developments underway that affect our neighborhood directly or indirectly.

First, the City still appears poised to partner with EYA on the tandem redevelopment of Glebe Park and James Bland. As before, EYA is counting on the greater potential value of market rate units at Bland to help subsidize the immediate redevelopment of Glebe Park.

To start with, however, the City will have to free ARHA from the troubled Glebe Park project's mortgage, which is in imminent danger of foreclosure by HUD. A bailout is apparently going to be discussed in executive session at the Council's first hearing of the new fiscal year on Tuesday, September 11.

At the same time, it's clear that the City has been using the possibility of a bailout as leverage to get a true picture of ARHA's financial position.

A joint ARHA/City strategic plan is being drafted, and ARHA has been asked to submit information about every topic under the sun, including sources of operating and capital funding, age and condition of its housing inventory, renter demographics and turnover, copies of organizational charts and policies and procedures, and detail on staffing levels. (Growler will scan and post a copy of the "Outline of Information and Analysis Needs" next week.) A financial consultant is going to be retained to help with the analysis.

Kudos to the politicians and City staff for trying to shed light on ARHA's viability as a going concern before they kick in more dollars.

But now there's another twist. In July HUD announced that significant HOPE VI grant money may once again be available for the transformation of traditional public housing projects into mixed-income developments. If readers remember, HOPE VI is the same program that made possible the evolution of the notorious Berg project into today's Chatham Square.

ARHA leaders believe they could potentially secure as much as $20 million in funding with a successful HOPE VI application. This would amply cover the payback of the City's bridge loans to ARHA needed to retire the HUD mortgage and get EYA started on the first phase of the redevelopment.

ARHA is definitely interested in pursuing the new monies. But City staff expressed their misgivings because the application for HOPE VI is due November 7 and will involve a substantial amount of work in a short period of time. Not only must three public and resident meetings be held prior to submission, there must also be a proposed plan — not just for Glebe Park, but also for Bland.

Planning & Zoning Director Faroll Hamer expressed her concerns on two fronts. First, she's getting ready to kick off the "Braddock East Concept Plan," a planning process that will review not only the redevelopment of Bland but also plan the future of all ARHA properties in our area, including Andrew Adkins, Samuel Madden Uptown, and Ramsey Homes. It seems there will be a stakeholder group formed, just as there was for Glebe Park.

There's also the derailed Braddock Road Metro Small Area Plan. Ms. Hamer reminded everyone about the upcoming September 24 meeting, but on one of the handouts for the Wednesday meeting it appears she will also be proposing something called the "Braddock Metro Neighborhood Advisory Group" which will meet every two weeks through January.

Hmmmmmm .... What is that group's charter and who will be tapped to join it?

Ms. Hamer said she is worried the public is going to be confused by all of these meetings. She and Planning Commission Chairman Wagner also expressed fears that the neighborhood would misconstrue the draft plan for Bland that is required for the HOPE VI submission on November 7 — that we will take it as a done deal cooked up behind closed doors without public input.

As several members of the group were careful to point out, the initial plan could change after the HUD grant application is submitted, and veterans noted that the details of the Chatham Square proposal morphed considerably after HOPE VI monies were approved.

Nevertheless, Ms. Hamer is correct. This is going to be confusing.

And let's step back a moment to look at the bigger picture. It's now becoming clear that critical decisions are being made for the neighborhood through processes other than the Braddock Road Metro Small Area Plan. An ARHA track now needs to be added to the list, along with the Ad Hoc Transportation Task Force operating under T&ES's umbrella.

This is a mess of the City's own creation. Who is going to coordinate the work of all of the groups? Which recommendations prevail in case of overlap or contradiction?

And there are still mysteries waiting to be unraveled. Last fall EYA proposed a three-pronged public housing redevelopment that included Andrew Adkins. Then Adkins abruptly fell off the negotiating table.

Why? With its proximity to Metro, Adkins is the most valuable property in the portfolio. Neighbors near Braddock Metro are going to be asking what happened. Do all trails lead to the Planning & Zoning Department and their rigid insistence on an unwanted ARHA high-rise and a reopening of the 700 block of Payne Street?

So brace yourselves for a even busier fall schedule than the Growler first anticipated. There will be a lot of balls in the air and its unlikely the City can juggle them all effectively.

The Growler's Back!

Forgive the long hiatus, dear readers, but the Growler's been kicking back for the last month, visiting the native turf out West and recharging the ole batteries.

A lot has happened in the Cranky One's absence. There are window boxes with flowers at the former barber shop in the 1100 block of Queen Street — a nice change for the Spa Court.

Sarge's Restaurant has still not reopened after the recent fire and there's a huge question mark whether it ever will.

The construction fences are mostly gone at the Monarch, but the place is ringed with dead or dying trees. Did the toxic architecture do them in?

Jefferson-Houston test scores improved, but the elementary school didn't make AYP. Neither did Cora Kelly. School administrators are blaming changes in federal rules for the No Child Left Behind program and vowed to try hard again next year.

We have commenters (shills?) on this blog already crowing that CVS will anchor the Madison development, a project which has not yet been docketed for Planning Commission review. Forgive the Growler for being skeptical, but given the history of premature tenant announcements — remember someone proclaiming CVS was coming to the Monarch on this very same blog months ago — and given the Harris-Teeter debacle, the Cranky One will prefer to wait for the official announcement from CVS or from AEDP.

It seems ARHA is proceeding with the eviction of a tenant whose son, also on the ARHA lease, was arrested on a drug charge. Was anyone else in this community aware that a "one-strike" policy was even in effect at the agency?

There's lots yet to come in the next few weeks, and much of it will be of critical importance to Parker-Gray residents.

First, we have the announcement that the highly-anticipated Kramer report will be released in mid-September, to be followed by a public meeting at 7 PM on Monday, September 24 at Jefferson-Houston School.

Has anyone else noticed that what will be delivered is apparently not a new and revised Braddock Road plan, but a report on the stakeholder interviews? Hmmmm ..... When do we see the revamped small area plan? Or, as some in the neighborhood predict, is there no intention of rethinking the plan? Has Kramer has been retained to drum up supporters (even if they live outside the neighborhood), with the goal of getting the original plan triumphantly forwarded without change to Planning Commission?

Second, we were told earlier this year that there would be public meetings on the draft Ad Hoc Transportation Committee's report. None have yet been announced, but Patrick and Henry Street residents and opponents of BRT can brace themselves for that one.

Then there's our perennial favorite ARHA. Is the well-publicized eviction story an effort to look tough in order to deflect criticism of a possible City Council bailout of the troubled housing authority?

Finally, whatever became of the Parker-Gray Historic District nomination to the state and federal registers of historic places? This Lazarus-like project rose from the dead last year based on citizen pressure, but is the City still secretly hoping to kill it and thus clear the path for developers to pave over the neighborhood?

So back into the fray, folks ...

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!