Add your name to the letter below to encourage Arlington County to purchase the green space lot at S Lincoln/9 St. South and preserve it as a park. Please add your signature by Friday, December 9. 

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December 1, 2016

We would like to thank Mr. Christian Dorsey for meeting with Alcova Heights neighbors on November 29.  We are a motivated and passionate group, supported by the Board of the Alcova Heights Citizens Association, asking Arlington County to purchase the pre-existing open lot at South Lincoln and 9th Street South for use as a green space park.

As you are aware, the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) will be demolishing the Arlington Presbyterian Church to build a new multi-family building, with an adjacent residential lot, to be sold to help finance the project .

We are strongly encouraging the Arlington County Board to purchase this entire residential lot, to be converted to green space that could benefit the Columbia Pike and Alcova Heights communities and beyond.

With the expansive development happening in the Columbia Pike corridor, green space is needed to balance the growth and change taking place. The proposed park lot is already an informal area where many children play, neighbors walk pets and meet with one another.  

Benefits of a South Lincoln & 9th Street South Park

• Neighborhood Meeting Place - A park would provide a public space for neighbors to meet with and greet one another, as well as an open space for play, rest and walking. With the addition of over 170 units to the affordable housing project, the park is a key to open space infrastructure, especially in multi-family density.  
• Park Area for Families and Children - Alcova Heights Park is not accessible for all families in Alcova Heights, especially for those with young children (its a 0.5 mile walk). Closest parks to this area are a further distance or across major roads. This green space is already informally used by children playing games and sports and could continue to be utilized in this manner. 
• Gateway to Alcova Heights - This corner already serves as a gateway into the neighborhood with mature Chinese elms flanking 9th Street S. on both sides. A new park could build on these magnificent trees and become a scenic neighborhood spot.
• Integrated to the 9th Street Bike Boulevard - A park in this location could serve as a meeting place or rest area for pedestrians and bicyclists on the Bike Boulevard and thereby linked to other neighborhoods on the Pike. 
• Environmental Considerations - Neighbors have discussed the concept of a “passive” green space for multi-purpose use that could also provide environmental benefits like rainwater catchment, or perhaps be a community garden space. The preservation of green space is entirely consistent with, and supported by, the Alcova Heights Neighborhood Conservation Plan approved by the County Board in 2014.  This plan reflects our community needs and is intended to guide the County Board and the community in future planning efforts.  Page 1 of this plan states that one of the major neighborhood goals is to: “[p]reserve the open nature of the neighborhood by discouraging in-fill . . . development.”  This goal grew out of the community’s concern over the extensive loss of green space and woodlands on private and public lands throughout Alcova Heights. This new park will help rebalance the significant loss of green space in our neighborhood.

We urge the County to adopt our proposal of purchasing the entire APAH (South Lincoln and 9th Street South) residential lot and converting it to a green park space that would benefit the broader Arlington community.  Given the timing of APAH’s building this coming spring, we hope you’ll be able to review our request as soon as possible and contact our neighborhood representative, Pete Neubauer (pneubs@msn.com), with any additional questions.

We look forward to hearing from you and working together to support our vibrant and diverse community.