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Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights Neighborhood Conservation Plan 2007 Table of Contents Acknowledgements………............................................................................................3 Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………..4 Demographics…….…………………………………………………………………………...7 Neighborhood Description and History...…………………………………………………8 Land Use and Zoning……………………………………….……………………………….12 Affordable Housing and Diversity…………………………………………………………20 Capital Improvements……………………………………………………..………………...24 Shops and Restaurants……………………………………………………………………..25 Transportation, Traffic, and Pedestrian Safety….……………………………………...27 Public Health and Safety……………………………………….…………………………...30 Historic Preservation…………………………………..……………………………………32 Parks and Recreation…………..……………………………………………………………33 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………41 2 Acknowledgements Many community residents helped in the planning, production and writing of the RAFOM Neighborhood Conservation Plan. It all began several years ago with the drafting, completion, distribution, tabulation and analysis of the neighborhood survey. Every housing unit --single-family, rental apartment, townhouse and condominium-- received a hand-delivered survey questionnaire, some in Spanish as appropriate. A stamped self-addressed envelope was included when needed and 625 responses were returned. Involved in that effort were the following (in alphabetical order): Robert Blakeman, Patricia Darneille, Douglas Jerger, Stan Karson, Larry Reed, Kenneth Robinson, Mary Jean Schmelzer, Stuart Stein, David Treworgy, Mandy and John Wertz and Charlie Wilson. A thank-you also goes to Eloise Gore and Bruce Van Voorst who helped in the initial editing of the survey. Many of the above were responsible for the preparation and writing of the text of the Plan itself, notably Patricia Darneille, Larry Reed, Stuart Stein and Stan Karson. Special thanks go to Tim McIntosh, Neighborhood Conservation Plan Coordinator, who provided us with strong support, encouragement and his invaluable expertise. 3 Executive Summary The Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights Civic Association (RAFOM) was formed early in 1999 as an outgrowth of the community’s response to a proposed high-rise development in the area. It includes both Radnor Heights on the south side of Arlington Boulevard and Ft. Myer Heights on the north side. According to the 2000 census data, its population of almost 10,000 is 50.5% White, with 22.6% Hispanic, almost 14% Asian, and slightly over 8% African-American. Seventy-one percent are between the ages of 18 and 44, with only 9.7% who are 55 years old and over. This younger population undoubtedly accounts for the fact that three-fourths of the total housing units are renter-occupied. Residents, on the western edge of the Potomac River, view an area and shoreline with a long and remarkable history, as well described in Arlington County records, from Captain John Smith’s exploration of the Potomac in1608, to the first trolley in Arlington in 1892 that ran from Rosslyn to Fort Myer, to the formation of the Fort Myer Heights Citizens Association in 1890, and in the late 1900s to the establishment of the Ft. Myer Civic Association, which was succeeded by RAFOM. The Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights area is noteworthy because of its unique location next to significant Federal areas, such as historic Fort Myer military base and Arlington National Cemetery on the southern boundary and the Iwo Jima Park and Marine Corps Memorial on the eastern boundary. The northern boundary is Wilson Boulevard with Courthouse Road as the western boundary. Inside the boundaries of RAFOM is an area with one of Arlington’s largest concentrations of low and moderate income housing. There are garden-style apartments, single family homes, townhouses and luxury condominiums within the area. The residents treasure the economic and ethnic diversity of the neighborhood. The Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights area is largely residential, with a wide range of commercial, government and mixed-use development along its borders. Residential units range from a small number of single-family houses, to a significant but threatened number of committed and market-rate rental apartments, to more luxury condos. The Ft. Myer Heights North Plan, as presented to the Arlington County Board in April 2005, has been under consideration by the County Board for about two years, and its adoption is favored as soon as possible. This Plan has among its goals the preservation of existing affordable units, the construction of new ones and the preservation of neighborhood character and historic buildings. Since development has been of constant concern in the area in recent years, it is strongly hoped that the County will develop some mechanism so that developers meet with area residents and the Civic Association prior to plans being prepared for submission to the County. In addition, it is expected that the County would continue to 4 contact the community when any zoning variances are being considered and would give priority to the concerns of current residents when dealing with site-plan proposals. With recent development, we see the loss of ethnic and economic diversity as well as the loss of local retail. We see a dramatic increase in density, sometimes accompanied by an unwanted increase in height. Many fear our area is in danger of being swallowed up by Rosslyn and/or Courthouse development interests. In 2004 the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights area was designated by the County as a Neighborhood Strategy Area, in large part due to its diversity and affordable housing. Since then, the civic association has worked in tandem with County staff to communicate with, inform and involve its lower-income renters. Further, RAFOM has made every effort for several years to welcome and involve these renters, many of whom are Hispanic and Mongolian, in meetings and events of the civic association. The critical importance of preserving the area’s diversity is embodied in RAFOM’s By- Laws. A fairly extensive survey of the area conducted by RAFOM in 2004-5 elicited 625 responses. Residents, when asked what they liked most of the neighborhood, mostly cited the location, followed by those who appreciated the proximity to shopping, diversity, transportation, other services and the views. Pedestrian safety, streets and sidewalk maintenance and beautification were issues for improvement, while almost 90% said they felt safe in their neighborhood. In terms of streets and traffic, about half the respondents to the neighborhood survey believe that the streets are generally fine. However, half notice potholes and the impact of numerous construction sites on the deteriorating condition of streets, storm drains and gutters. Sidewalks, better street lighting and curbs are needed, as well as more four-way stop signs for the safety of both vehicles and pedestrians. Parks and open space in general are a high priority for the area. The County is urged to make improvements to the facilities within Hillside Park and Ft. Myer Heights Park. There is a great need for more playground facilities as well. Protecting existing greenery and identifying specimen trees in the area is strongly recommended. Finally, historic designation or preservation is urged for garden-apartment buildings in Ft. Myer Heights North as well as for the diminishing number of mature trees in the entire area. 5 Radnor/Fort Myer Heights Civic Association 6 Demographics 7 Neighborhood Description and History Early History The Potomac River drains the Piedmont Plateau, flowing through a channel of rocks and eroding the softer deposits of the Coastal Plain. This ancient erosion created the waterfalls and rapids known as the fall line, Great Falls in the Washington D.C. area. Below the falls the flooded estuary is a natural resource that has long attracted human inhabitants. There is clear evidence in the area of human habitation over the last 4,000 years, and likely much earlier. Excavations at the northeast corner of the Theodore Roosevelt Island (directly east of the RAFOM boundary), indicate settlements starting about 1500 BC. In the 17th century, the fall line barred further upriver traffic by the European sailing vessels. Trading posts were established along the shore just below the fall line ultimately becoming Georgetown and Alexandria. Thus RAFOM residents and guests, on the river’s western edge, view an area and shoreline with a long and remarkable history. The first documented European contact with the Indians living in the area came shortly after the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. On the 16th of June 1608, Captain John Smith entered the Potomac River, beginning an exploration that was to record the presence of an Indian village called Namoraughquend (“the place where fish are caught”), located in the area of what is now Roosevelt Island. The Nacochtanke (or Analostan, a name variation) inhabitants were part of a larger Algonquian-speaking group that inhabited both sides of the river. English settlement began on the Virginia side of the Chesapeake Bay with the founding of Jamestown in 1607. English colonization then started to move up the Bay towards Virginia’s Northern Neck (the area between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers). The first white settler to make a permanent home in the Northern Neck was Col. John Mottrom, sometime between 1635-1640 Most early settlers were land speculators, never actually going ashore because of hostile Indians; their grants usually lapsing “for want of seating.” The first land acquisition to be settled here, the

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