Arlington Mill Community Center Arlington Mill Community Center

Transcription

Arlington Mill Community Center
Community Process Report
Prepared for:
Arlington County
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources
March 18, 2003
Prepared by:
Arlington Mill Community Center Work Team
Bowie Gridley Architects
1010 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington D.C. 20007
202.337.0888
www.bowie-gridley.com
Front Cover
Collage by Joaquin Araya  2000 CHW Teen Photo Project
Photographs by:
Left to right
Top Row: Abdul Azeem, Mimi Xang Ho, Jose Granados;
Middle Row: Adriana Torres, Lyn Min, Adriana Torres, Adriana Torres;
Bottom Row: Joaquin Araya, Duy Tran, Jose Granados, Duy Tran
Back Cover
Photographs by:
Left to right
Self-timer Group Portrait by Antonio Paz  2000−2001 (Joaquin Araya added 2 subjects digitally)
“Arlington Mill Seniors” by Adriana Torres  2000 − CHW Teen Photo Project
“Kids at AMCC” by Albort Hernandez  2000 − CHW Teen Photo Project
Bowie Gridley Architects 1010 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007 www.bowie-gridley.com
Arlington County, Virginia
Table Of Contents
Executive Summary
3
Program Summary
6
Conceptual Designs
Site Issues
Vehicular Circulation
Pedestrian Circulation
Conceptual Design
Scheme A Site Section
Scheme B Site Section
Scheme A Plans
Scheme B Plans
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Next Steps
20
Acknowledgments
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Issues and Background
Appendix A
The Charge
Appendix B
Planning Process
Appendix C
Arlington Mill Community Center Program
Appendix D
AMCC Prioritization Voting Chart
Appendix E
Arlington Public Schools at Arlington Mill
Appendix F
ACAP at Arlington Mill
Appendix G
Columbia Pike Initiative Recommendation
Appendix H
Traffic Study
Appendix I
References
Appendix J
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Executive Summary
In December 2001, Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources
(DPRCR) assembled a Work Team to develop and lead a community planning process for the
expansion and redevelopment of the Arlington Mill Community Center (AMCC) and site. The
initial Work Team was comprised of a community member liaison and DPRCR staff. Shortly thereafter the following organizations attended and contributed to the Work Team meetings: Support
Services staff, representatives of Arlington Public Schools (APS), Arlington Community Action
Program (ACAP), and Arlington County Department of Health and Human Services (DHS). In
January 2002, the County retained consultant/architects, Bowie Gridley Architects, P.L.L.C. (BGA)
to join the Work Team and facilitate the community planning process.
The process began with County staff gathering demographic information about the Columbia Heights
West community and other neighboring civic associations from the latest 2000 Census. Simultaneously, BGA gathered information about the Arlington Mill Community Center (AMCC) site and
began to analyze the physical conditions and properties of the site. BGA developed an existing
conditions program outline of all of the existing program spaces in the building, which included
each room’s use and square footage. BGA also reviewed and analyzed the County Staff data as
well as findings of a number of other planning studies including the Arlington County Vision 2020
Plan, the Columbia Pike Initiative- A Revitalization Plan, and the Four Mile Run at Columbia Pike
Master Plan for the Redevelopment of Glencarlyn Park.
The community planning process began in January 2002 and involved a series of community forums led by BGA in which the community was briefed on the AMCC planning process and was
asked to discuss the type of programs and program space they would like to see in the redeveloped
AMCC. BGA documented the discussions of needs and generated a draft of a building program.
To augment and expand the understanding of program needs, the Work Team conducted individual
programming meetings with the current program and service providers to discuss current and future needs. Meetings were held with Economic Development/Columbia Pike Revitalization; service providers for Recreation, Bilingual Outreach Workers from Department of Human Services
(DHS), Women Infant and Children, Project Family, Urban Alternative, Libraries and CPHD Neighborhood Strategy Area 3; the APS High School Continuation Program, vocational programs, the
Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) and the Project Coordinator from APS
Facilities and Arlington Community Action Program (ACAP).
The Work Team determined that the AMCC serves different levels of needs than the community
center program envisioned by the Vision 2020 facilities plan. The community is diverse in terms of
its ethnic groups, nationalities and household income, with over half of the residents being foreign
born. The Columbia Heights West Neighborhood Action Plan identified 22% of the population to
be “linguistically isolated”. Accordingly, the community has a large number of families that are
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struggling financially. In response to this community, the AMCC currently provides a variety of
programs that are not offered in the prototypical community recreation center. These include a
continuing education high school, a community outreach center, and a local center of ESL education. A few examples of the specific programs include: the Woman, Infant and Children Program
(WIC- a nutritional program for expectant mothers and infant children of low income or at-risk
residents), citizenship classes, parenting education and an immunization program.
Although the Arlington County Vision 2020 contains a recommendation for all community centers
to be approximately 25,000 gross square feet (gsf), it became apparent that this square footage
limitation would not adequately accommodate an appropriate expansion of its recreational programs while maintaining and improving the variety of other on-going social programs. The Work
Team analyzed the re-development plans of Walter Reed and Langston-Brown Community Centers in an effort to develop a community center “core” program that more closely correlated with
the other centers. The proposed building program was then refined and included program spaces
for the community center, APS programs, and ACAP.
In mid-January, BGA led a day-long charrette to report back to the community on the results of the
community forums, to review the proposed program and prioritize any desired expansion, and to
conduct a community design process to identify appropriate site and building diagrams for the
expanded AMCC. The charrette resulted in the generation of over twenty diagrams. The result was
five diagrams that received the majority of the community’s support. In addition, the community
expressed a general concern over the size of the community center’s program but concluded with
no specific prioritization of additional program space.
Working from the building/site diagrams that were developed in the charrette, BGA developed
conceptual drawings of two schemes. The schemes were then presented in a series of three community forums in late January. There was consensus that the schemes were successful and responded to the site and program. The community continued to express the need to increase the size
of the community center portion of the program.
While the design charrette process was successful, the Work Team felt the need to continue to meet
and discuss a strategy for prioritizing the additional program spaces that were in excess of the
25,000 gsf “core” community center program. The Work Team identified “core” program spaces
and potential community program spaces. The result was a list of 53 program spaces. In May, the
Work Team conducted an additional series of three community forums to prioritize the program
spaces through a voting process, resulting in a ranked list of all community center spaces.
The Work Team then analyzed the programming information from all the community forums, meetings and other sources and drafted the community center program recommendations.
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The recommendation of the Work Team is for Arlington County to construct an enlarged Arlington
Mill Community Center of approximately 87,000 gsf on the existing AMCC site. It is recommended that the center be comprised of three key program elements including:
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An Enlarged Community Recreation Center
APS High School Continuation and adult education programs
Arlington Community Action Program (ACAP)
33,355 gsf
29,890 gsf
21,000 gsf
Due to the level of need in the community, the center should continue to provide program spaces for
the existing non-recreational services to the community and these spaces should be improved and
expanded. The following is a summary of the Work Team’s recommended program for the community center portion of the project:

Expanded Pre-School, Elementary & Teen Spaces
Dedicated Senior Spaces
Dedicated DHS Community Outreach Spaces
Expanded Library, Computer & Technology Spaces
Expanded Recreational Spaces
Dedicated Visual Arts Spaces
Expanded Multi-Purpose/Support Spaces
Dedicated Community Gathering Spaces
Due to the extraordinary amount of momentum and community consensus that has been achieved
over the last seven months, it is the Work Team’s suggestion that Arlington County continue into
the building design phase of the project in 2003.
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Program Summary
The Space Program Summary quantifies and categorizes the major spatial components of the existing Arlington Mill Community Center (AMCC). Space is categorized according to primary function or use. The following table summarizes the amount of floor area that is currently being used
by the component and the proposed changes and new spaces in program areas that will be needed to
meet the requirements of the enlarged AMCC.
The Work Team utilized the following criteria in determining which program spaces should be
incorporated into the facility and their appropriate size:
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Information gathered in the Community Forums of the 3rd, 5th & 8th of January 2002
Written proposals and suggestions received from members of the Community
Information gathered in meetings with current program and service providers
Program information provided by Arlington Public Schools (APS)
Program information provided by Arlington Community Action Program (ACAP)
Available data on comparable Arlington County community recreation centers
Consideration of each component’s operational/resource cost to the County
Community input and feedback gathered during the Public Design Charrette
Information gathered in the Community Forums of the 29th & 31st of January and the 2nd of
February 2002
The voting results of the Community Programming Forums of the 15th, 16th & 18th of May
2002
Bowie Gridley Architects’ professional evaluation using statistical data and experience
In addition, it was determined that all existing spaces and programs be included in the new AMCC
program. This would encourage the continuation of the existing services for the community. The
Program Summary table utilizes “net square footage” (nsf) figures which represent actual usable
floor area, and “gross square footage” (gsf) figures which represent actual building areas including
structure, services, and circulation. The “net:gross ratio” represents the multiplier that is required
to convert net square footage to gross square footage or actual building size.
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Program Master Plan
10/28/2002
Program Summary
Arlington Mill Community Center and Continuing Education High School
Space Category
Community Center
Preschool
Existing Net Proposed Net Net:Gross
Area Target Area
Ratio
Existing
Gross Area
Proposed
Gross Area
999 nsf
0 nsf
2,200 nsf
750 nsf
Teen Programs
0 nsf
500 nsf
Senior & Adult Programs
DHS Outreach and WIC
0 nsf
1,100 nsf
Library, Computers & Technology
0 nsf
890 nsf
1,525 nsf
1,550 nsf
Recreation
282 nsf
8,700 nsf
0 nsf
1,000 nsf
4,748 nsf
3,900 nsf
700 nsf
0 nsf
1,500 nsf
1,100 nsf
7,619 nsf
23,825 nsf
1.40
9,647 gsf
33,355 gsf
12,293 nsf
0 nsf
21,350 nsf
15,000 nsf
1.40
1.40
15,565 gsf
0 gsf
29,890 gsf
21,000 gsf
306 nsf
2,110 nsf
1.40
428 gsf
2,954 gsf
20,218 nsf
62,285 nsf
1.40
25,600 gsf
87,199 gsf
Elementary Age
Arts
Multipurpose/Support Rooms
Administration
Community Shops
Subtotal Community Center
Total High School
Total ACAP
Total Support/Service Spaces
Total Facility
Total Parking Spaces Required
415
See Appendix D for the full AMCC program.
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Conceptual Designs
Site Issues
The Arlington Mill Community Center site is located at 4975 Columbia Pike at the intersection of
South Dinwiddie Street. The 82,902 sf (1.903 acres) site is bounded by Columbia Pike on the
South, South Dinwiddie Street on the West, and Park Glen Condominiums to the North. The Eastern boundary is defined by South Arlington Mill Drive and Glencarlyn Park/Four Mile Run beyond. The majority of the site is surrounded by commercial property and parkland with the exception of 3 duplex residences to the West and the Park Glen Condominiums to the North. The site
slopes approximately 15’ from South Dinwiddie Street to South Arlington Mill Drive.
Site Analysis
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Vehicular Circulation
It was determined in the community forums that the major vehicular circulation to the site should
be via South Dinwiddie Street. In order to better connect the center to the neighboring parkland, it
was recommended that a portion of South Arlington Mill Drive should be closed and the land given
over to the center’s site. The road is primarily used for vehicular access to, and parking for, Park
Glen Condominium residents. The Park Glen residents’ need for alternative access to the site was
acknowledged by the Work Team and the new access is envisioned to be via a new connection from
South Dinwiddie Street to the remaining portion of South Arlington Mill Drive north of the site. In
response to the loss of street parking for Park Glen and the general shortage of parking in the area,
it is proposed that a portion of the new parking garage (providing approximately 450 spaces) could
be utilized for parking in the off-hours for Park Glen, Columbia Forest, and Columbia Heights
West residents and their visitors. The development of land to be vacated by South Arlington Mill
Drive was informally discussed with Arlington County Department of Environmental Services.
The Work Team was informed that the footprint of the proposed building could extend to the eastern curb line of South Arlington Mill Drive without invoking wetlands and floodplain development
restrictions.
Pedestrian Circulation
The community informed the Work Team that pedestrian access to the site was not ideal, and
should specifically be improved to provide safer pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Dinwiddie Street. In addition, there is general consensus that the center should take
better advantage of the close proximity of the Four Mile Run Trail for both pedestrian and bicycle
traffic. In order to achieve this connection, the Work Team proposes that a pedestrian/bicycle path
or bridge be constructed from the existing westernmost secondary trail to the center’s proposed
plaza. In order to accommodate bicycles and negotiate the significant grade change, a series of
ramps will be required at the plaza connection.
Conceptual Design
The conceptual designs represented here are based on an exploration of over twenty schemes that
were generated with the community in the day-long public Design Charrette. The schemes focused
on the citing of the following key building elements that ultimately shaped the character and layout
of the design:
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Community Center/High School Building Block
Gymnasium Block
Major Entrances
Primary Interior Building Circulation
Outdoor Space
Multi-story Parking Garage
Through an informal voting process, Schemes, 13, 16, 18A, 19 & 20 emerged as having the most
community support. These 5 schemes had a number of common design themes which formed the
consensus of the charrette. Bowie Gridley Architects (BGA) identified and documented these
themes as a basis for the conceptual design, and ultimately the final building design. The following
consensus items were identified and reaffirmed by the community:
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The building should support the Columbia Pike Initiative
A 3-4-story building is acceptable to the community
Arlington Mill Drive should be partially closed and connected to South Dinwiddie Street
to enhance the center’s connection to the park
A plaza should be located on Columbia Pike, opening to the neighboring parkland
Parking should be maximized and located at the rear of the site
The Gymnasium should be located in the middle of the site and could be located a halfstory below grade to minimize its mass
The Community Center spaces, within the building, should be central and visible
The building needs to be flexible
The building should be welcoming, not institutional
In addition to the community input, it is Arlington County’s goal to make the building a Silver
Rated LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Building.
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The two conceptual designs, Scheme A & B, are similar in nature and leverage off of a number of
the design ideas that were generated in the charrette. In both schemes, the 4-story mass of the
building is located along Columbia Pike and South Dinwiddie Street in order to give the building
high visibility and reinforce the “street walls”. The building footprint is kept as shallow as possible
to afford natural daylighting and shared views. An urban terrace, opening to the neighboring park
and partially to Columbia Pike, is formed by the mass of the building. The parking garage is
located at the rear of the site which allows convenient access to Park Glen Condominiums, Columbia Forest, and the Columbia Heights West neighborhood. This strategy is consistent with the
design guidelines of the Columbia Pike Initiative.
Specifically, this includes:
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Street frontage at a pedestrian scale with articulated ground-floor retail (community shops)
Buildings oriented to Columbia Pike
Placement of buildings at the back of sidewalks
Parking located underground or to the rear of buildings
Appropriate transitions to residential neighborhoods
Enhanced public and pedestrian transportation
Enhanced streetscape.
Scheme A - Site Section
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Scheme B - Site Section
Due to the need for partial separation of users, there are two major entrances to the building: a
Community Center entrance on Columbia Pike and an APS/ACAP entrance on Dinwiddie Street.
The Dinwiddie Street entrance also serves as an entrance from the parking garage. Both entrances
have large internal lobbies that can be utilized for public gathering and display. The Community
Center entrance lobby is a 2-story space that leads to the urban plaza. Both entrances will have
level access arrangements to allow convenient and user friendly access to the elderly, persons with
disabilities and parents with young children. Vehicular entrances to the parking garage are located
along the rear of the building at Dinwiddie Street and South Arlington Mill Drive.
The program spaces of the building are organized in both a vertical and horizontal fashion. In
Scheme A, the majority of the community center spaces are grouped around the plaza on the lower
level of the building. The community center administrative spaces, computer lab and multipurpose
room are placed adjacent to the community center entrance lobby. These locations provide high
visibility to these spaces and take advantage of views and possible connections to the plaza. The
gymnasium, which does not require natural light, is located in the center of the site, on the lower
level, surrounded by program space to minimize its mass. Its location also allows views into the
gym and direct off-hour access from the South Dinwiddie Street entrance and the parking garage.
ACAP, which includes pre-school programs for young children, is primarily located on the second
floor of the building with a modest presence on the street level of the building flanking the APS/
ACAP entrance. The second floor location allows for convenient drop-off/pick-up access from the
parking garage and a secure dedicated playground located over the gymnasium. APS is located on
the eastern half of the street level floor and the entire third floor. Administrative space is located at
all major entrances to provide security and visual control of the building.
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Scheme A - Plans
Street Level Floor Plan
Lower Level Floor Plan
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Third Level Floor Plan
Second Level Floor Plan
These designs are conceptual in nature and are subject to review and refinement in the Architectural/Engineering design process. The drawings are provided for visual reference of the potential
use of the site, spatial adjacencies and size impact.
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The primary difference in Scheme B is the reconfiguration of Scheme A’s parking garage to allow
parking under the entire site. This arrangement allows the development as a tiered plaza, cascading
down to the neighboring park. In Scheme B, the community center spaces are grouped along
Columbia Pike and Dinwiddie Street on the street level and second floor of the building. This
location provides high visibility to these spaces and takes advantage of views and possible connections to the plaza. The Gymnasium is located in the center of the site surrounded by program space
to minimize its mass. Its location also allows views into it from the second floor corridors and
direct off-hour access from the South Dinwiddie Street entrance and the parking garage. ACAP is
located on the east side of the site on the lower and street levels. This location affords convenient
access to the proposed playground, neighboring parkland and parking for drop-off and pick-up.
APS is located on the northern half of the second floor and the entire third floor. The roof of the
gymnasium is utilized for a small outdoor basketball court. Administrative space is located at all
major entrances to provide security and visual control of the building.
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Scheme B - Plans
Street Level Floor Plan
Lower Level Floor Plan
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Third Level Floor Plan
Second Level Floor Plan
These designs are conceptual in nature and are subject to review and refinement in the Architectural/Engineering design process. The drawings are provided for visual reference of the potential
use of the site, spatial adjacencies and size impact.
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Next Steps
This report will be presented to the County Manager, School Superintendent and at their direction
to the County and School Boards. It will be circulated within the community and on the internet to
facilitate open consideration of its recommendations. Further planning will follow the directives of
the County Manager, School Superintendent and their respective Boards.
The fall 2002 County Capital Improvements Referendum included $600,000 earmarked for Architectural/Engineering services to design a new Arlington Mill Center. The projected fall 2004 Bond
Referendums includes $6,000,000 in County and $6,233,200 in School Bonds for construction of
Arlington Mill beginning in 2005 and completion in 2007. Those amounts are expected to be
refined in the 2005-2011 Capital Improvements Plans of both entities when adopted in the spring of
2004.
The next step is to select an Architectural/Engineering team to design the facility based upon the
adopted preliminary space plan. That process normally requires about three months. It includes
inviting and evaluating preliminary proposals from interested firms and interviewing the top four
or five selected from the written submissions. It is expected that this selection process would be
completed after the fall 2002 Bond Referendum, which provides the funding for these services.
During 2003 and the first half of 2004 final planning and design would be conducted with periodic
review and input by the community. A project line item budget must be developed to include all
related costs such as temporary relocation and operation of existing programs at other locations
while the new building is being constructed. Furnishings, equipment and permit fees must all be
added to the design and construction estimates. A final budget must be completed by late 2003 so
as to be considered in the County and School’s next CIP programs scheduled for adoption in the
spring of 2004.
The project design will need to be submitted for review by several County and School advisory
Boards beginning in the fall of 2003. Formal action by the County and School Boards at the
preliminary and final design stages is required before working drawings by the architect/engineer
can be authorized. The project would not be ready for construction bids and permits until after the
fall 2004 Bond Referenda. Should either the County or School Referenda fail, the project would
have to be delayed if and until an alternate and workable financing plan is developed.
It is anticipated that construction would not begin until 2005 and is expected to take about two
years. The actual construction schedule would be determined following design completion, release
of construction funding, and availability of temporary relocation facilities for the current Arlington
Mill programs.
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Estimated Project Cost
The estimated construction cost range for this project is between $18,000,000 and $21,000,000
dollars. This does not include architect/engineering fees, furnishings and equipment, temporary
relocation and other related project costs. These “soft costs” are estimated to be approximately
between $4.5 and $5.25 million dollars. This equates to a project cost of $22.5 and $26.25 million
dollars. It will not be possible to refine this estimate until the project is designed, a construction
start date has been established and a temporary relocation plan for the existing programs has been
approved.
The approved 2002 Arlington County Bond Referendum, provides $600,000 to select an architect/
engineering team to design the project and prepare a detailed cost estimate within the next 12 to 18
months. County and school staff will concurrently develop a temporary relocation plan for an
estimated two year construction schedule.
The County and Arlington Public School’s CIP’s adopted earlier in 2002 projected 2004 Bond
estimates of $6,000,000 and $6,280,000 respectively for a grand total of $12,880,000 including the
2002 planning amount. This is substantially less than the $22.5 to $26.25 million dollar estimate.
The Arlington Mill Community Center Work Team believes that there are at least four ways in
which the current fiscal gap could be eliminated.
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The size of the facility could be reduced: During project design it is anticipated that a
number of program spaces can be shared by multiple service providers and users. In addition,
program spaces may be able to be made more efficient and reduced in size as the design and
program evolve together. It may also be possible to reduce the number of garage parking
spaces.
Program elements could be located at alternative sites: It may be possible and practical to
locate some services of the several participating agencies elsewhere, also reducing project
size.
The project could be phased: It may be possible to develop the project in two or more
phases over several funding years.
County funding could be increased: The amounts projected for the 2004 bond referendums
could be increased, though there are many competing projects and priorities that make this
option the most uncertain. The 2005-2011 CIP’s of the County and School Board will be
considered early in calendar year 2004 and would contain final bond recommendations for
the fall 2004 bond referendum.
If the facility is built as currently envisioned it would be nearly 3-1/2 times larger than the existing
facility. This increase in size will require additional operating costs and staff resources. The
existing Arlington Mill facility’s annual operating and staffing costs are approximately $215,000 in
today’s dollars. Based on the current proposed facility, the annual operating and staffing costs will
be approximately $922,000 in FY2007 dollars. These figures are based on current year estimates
with an annual multiplier of 5% which assumes a normal inflation rate.
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Acknowledgments
This report was written by the Arlington Mill Community Center Work Team and prepared by
Bowie Gridley Architects. The Work Team has worked closely with the Arlington Mill community
for the last nine months. This report would not have been possible without the community’s enthusiastic involvement and support. The Work Team would also like to acknowledge the following
specific organizations and individuals for their input and effort:
Columbia Forest and Columbia Heights West Civic Associations and all other neighboring
civic associations
Park Glen Condominium Association
Arlington Mill Community Center Volunteers & Service Providers
Arlington Mill Community Center Staff
APS High School Continuation Program (APS)
Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP)
Economic Development/Columbia Pike Revitalization
Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources (DPRCR)
Laura Lazour
Jeff Marin
Arlington County Office of Support Services (OSS)
Hank Levitt
Dave Alberts
Arlington Public Schools
Roger Mosier
Steve Larson
Arlington County Department of Health and Human Services (DHS)
Claudia Kieffer
Arlington Community Action Program (ACAP)
Cynthia Martin
Written and Prepared by:
Arlington Mill Community Center Work Team (AMCC Work Team)
Michael Graham, Community Liaison
Pam Everett, DPRCR
William Gridley, Bowie Gridley Architects
Paul Lund, Bowie Gridley Architects
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Appendix A
Issues
The Arlington Mill Community Center (AMCC) is a strong vibrant facility with programs for the
adjacent community of Columbia Heights West (CHW) and other nearby neighborhoods. Many of
the resident users are new comers to the United States and have limited English speaking skills.
Other limitations or multiple needs in CHW also could include:
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low income
unemployment and/or limited job skills
housing overcrowding or other residential problems
lack of health care
legal immigration issues, etc.
Typically, community/recreation facilities directly provide recreation and leisure services/opportunities. In higher need communities, basic life needs must first be met before recreation services can
be provided. Many of the AMCC participants fall into this scenario and therefore a combination of
basic life skills and recreation services are available to accommodate their needs. Services include:
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English language classes
citizenship classes
nutrition workshops
health clinics
computer instruction
afterschool programs
preschool readiness programs
parenting classes, etc.
This combination of services in community/recreation centers, in similar neighborhoods, is a trend
that recreational professionals are seeing across the nation.
Background
The Arlington Mill Community Center (AMCC) was formerly a Safeway site, which was purchased by the County in June 1996 to help ease overcrowding in Arlington Public Schools (APS).
Approximately 19,000 square feet of the building was leased to APS for five years to house students from the APS High School Continuation Program, until a new high school was located or
constructed. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Resources (DPRCR) manages
the facility on a daily basis and utilizes approximately 6,000 square feet to provide community/
recreation programs.
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Appendix
A
A collaborative group of citizens and staff workgroup, using the Principles of Siting Process and
Siting Process Procedures, adopted in 1993 by the County Board, developed recommendations of
how the County would use the community/recreation section of the building. Recommendations
included:
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a preschool program serving ages 3-4
a senior center room
a health clinic office
an employment job training office
a legal services office
a large meeting room
a computer lab
an office for DPRCR program staff
an aerobic/exercise/fitness center
In this final report, it was also recommended that a longer-term siting process be developed. One
year after the facility had been in full operation this process was to begin. This was to permit a full
year and fair assessment of the program design and building use. The mission of the group was to
look at the future needs of community/recreation, after the APS High School moved out of the
facility.
The need for community/recreation-based programs in this part of Arlington County-Columbia
Heights West was identified as a high need by the Vision 2020, study of County facilities. It was
also recommended by the Columbia Pike Initiative Process, in their final report, Columbia Pike
Initiative: A Revitalization Plan, to develop a community center on the west end of Columbia Pike.
In June 2001, APS requested an extension of the Arlington Mill lease for use by the High School
Continuation program for three additional years. Originally, the plan was to move the program to
the Shirlington Library site. Unfortunately, the site was unavailable. The County and APS staff
worked together to find an appropriate location and ended up recommending consideration of a
new permanent joint use facility to include the high school program and a community/recreation
center at AMCC, subject to an appropriate community/staff siting process.
On November 1, 2001 the County Manager, with the County Board approval, charged a Work
Team to begin the community process to evaluate the future needs of a new Arlington Mill Community Center.
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Appendix A
Appendix B
The Charge
Arlington Mill Process
January 2002
The County Manager will appoint a citizen, staff, and consultant work team to conduct a community process to evaluate the needs of a new Arlington Mill Community Center. The team will make
recommendations back to the County Manager, who will subsequently submit a proposal to the
County Board. Any joint use proposal including Schools will also include School Board consideration. The specific charge to this work team is to conduct a community process to:
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Determine the recreation and community program needs for the center.
Determine the education program needs for the center.
Determine what operating parameters would be necessary for successful co-location of recreation, community and education programs without compromise or adverse impact on any
program.
Determine the feasibility of recreation, community and education programs co-locating at
the Arlington Mill site with the intent of creating opportunities for efficiency, shared space,
and synergy.
Deliberate if another site (west of George Mason Drive and located on Columbia Pike)
could net a significant or compelling programmatic or economic advantage in relationship
to these programs or a quality investment in the Columbia Pike Revitalization plan.
Given the recreation, community, and education program needs, would any other programs
or services be compatible and create appropriate synergy within the envelope of the site
such as Headstart.
Work Team:
Michael Graham, Planning Commission - Citizen
Pam Everett, PRCR- Staff
Bowie-Gridley Architects, Consultant - Community Facilitation & Facility Design
Community Process:
•
•
26
Appendix
B
The Work Team is responsible for coordination of outreach to the broad community to
promote participation in the forums and design workshop.
The Work Team is responsible for providing current and projected demographic information including school, business, population, and zoning.
•
•
•
•
•
•
The invited stakeholders will be responsible for outreach to 10 other “guests” they invite to
participate in the forums and design workshop.
The Work Team will conduct 1-3 community forums over a variety of days, times, and
settings to hear front-end input from a diversity of people and promote the design workshop.
The Work Team will conduct a one day community design workshop focused on all aspects
of the charge and incorporating front-end input gathered from the community forums. The
end product of the design workshop will provide sketches of the building, its location on the
property, scale, and outlines of programs in the building, the relationship of program spaces,
and basically how the building will be used. This will be considered the draft report.
The Work Team will conduct 1-3 community comment forums to discuss the draft report
recommendations resulting from the design workshop.
The community forums and design workshop will be conducted in January 2002.
The stakeholder group will review the final report in January - February prior to submission
to the County Manager.
Community Forums & Design Workshop Participation:
To be advertised to the community at large and to include invitations to the following list of
stakeholders:
• Arlington Mill Advisory Board Chair (Kari McFarland)
• Columbia Heights West Civic Association (Linda Leduc)
• Columbia Forest Civic Association (Eileen Kenna)
• Barcroft Civic Association (Patricia Williamson-Edwards)
• Forest Glen Civic Association (TBA)
• Glencarlyn Civic Association(Curt Reintsma)
• New Arlington Douglas Park Civic Association (TBA)
• Greenbrier Learning Center (Ben Harris)
• Business Community (TBA)
• CPRO - Tim Lynch
• Urban Alternative (Todd Endo)
• Program Provider and Area Resident (Rosalia Fajardo)
• CHW Task Force Chair (Marjorie Burdetsky)
• Schools (Arlington Mill and School Administration representatives)
• DHS (Judy Brosch, Akua White)
• Police (Resource Officer - Rich Rodriguez)
• Arlington Public Schools - REEP (Cathleen Reich)
• Leni Gonzalez - Program provider
• Wilfredo Bohorquez (Area resident & Director of SEEC)
27
Appendix B
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
DED - Bob Rulli
OSS - Dave Alberts
Parks and Recreation Commission member (TBA)
Libraries - Eileen McMurrer
NSA Area F - Rolda Nedd
Various Apartment Complexes (TBA)
Various Condominium Associations (TBA)
Timeline and Expectations:
•
•
•
•
•
•
28
Appendix
B
Work Team charged by the County Manager in November 2001
Work Team to meet November 2001 through February 2002 to conduct the community
process and work recommendations into a report for the County Manager
Conduct community forums and design workshop to determine the needs and recommendations in January 2002
Use the Web throughout the process to advertise community forums and design workshop,
provide an alternate means for community input during the forum and design workshop
process, and the final recommendations
Make recommendations to the County Manager in January - February 2002
County Board consideration in February - March 2002
Appendix C
Planning Process
The planning process was a collaborative effort between the community, the consultants/architects,
the County and APS staff. To begin the planning process, an inventory of current facilities took
place. The DPRCR and community part of the building houses:
•
•
•
•
•
3 multipurpose rooms (of which 2 are dividable)
a computer room
a preschool classroom and office
a kitchen
administrative offices
The community/recreation users also share some APS space after 4pm on weekdays and all day on
Saturday and Sunday. The APS Continuing Education Program houses:
•
•
•
•
•
•
10 classrooms
a media center
a science lab
an art classroom
multipurpose room
teacher lounge/workroom and administrative office/suite
In January 2002, the County hired consultant/architects, Bowie Gridley Architects, P.L.L.C. to join
the community planning process. Demographic information about the Columbia Heights West
community and other civic associations on the parameters of the existing AMCC, were gathered by
County staff who analyzed this information from the latest 2000 Census. Also, the architects and
Work Team scheduled individual staff meetings of current program and service providers to discuss current and future needs. Meetings were held with Economic Development/Columbia Pike
Revitalization (Bob Rulli and Tim Lynch); service providers for Recreation, Bilingual Outreach
Workers from Department of Human Services (DHS), Women Infant and Children, Project Family,
Urban Alternative, Libraries and CPHD Neighborhood Strategy Area 3; the APS High School Continuation Program, vocational programs, the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP)
program and the Project Coordinator from APS Facilities and Arlington Community Action Program (ACAP).
The Arlington County Vision 2020 facilities plan guidelines for developing a community center
were also reviewed. It was the recommendation of the plan for community centers to have an
approximately 25,000 gross square feet (gsf) with general types of spaces. Recent re-development
plans of Carver, Walter Reed, Drew and Langston-Brown Community Centers also revealed their
new dimensions to each include approximately 25,000 gsf.
29
Appendix C
The Work Team developed a community process to include 3 series of community forums to collect
information about the re-development of AMCC. Each meeting accommodated English to Spanish
translation, Bilingual Outreach Workers (who provided other Asian and African languages) and
childcare. The forums provided 3 identical meetings in each set, to meet the varying schedules of
the community. Additionally, an all day charrette was held which was a design workshop to focus
on the basic layout of programs in a co-located facility.
Series One Forums were an opportunity to express ideas and interests for the types of recreation,
education and community programs that could be co-located at the new AMCC. The outcome of
the meetings was a list of 41 ideas which were incorporated in the current AMCC. It was estimated
that if all additional ideas were included in the new facility the building would need to be 55,524
gsf.
Series Two Forums, reviewed the design workshop (charrette) outcome of approximately 20 renderings of building diagrams. The community discussed the 2-D architectural sketches and chose
their most popular selections. At the conclusion of this design workshop, the community discussed
their concern over the potential size of the new community center. With that in mind, the Work
Team designed a quadrant to show the relationship of the cost/resources and space needs that new
programs proposed would consume.
Since all 41 uses/spaces could not be accommodated in the new AMCC due to the County guideline
of 25,000 gsf, desired programs and services were grouped into “core” program elements. The core
program elements represented current services and those services that could be generally operated
within existing, continuous operating service budgets. The potential new program elements/services generally represent expanded or new programs and would require additional, ongoing operating budgets. The existing net area for community/recreation programs is 6,689 net square feet
(nsf).
In May, the 3rd Series of forums were held to meet and to prioritize the type of programs that were
most desired since all programs could not be housed in the new site. A total of 541 voters came to
vote. In the Reference Section the raw numerical data is listed. Each voter was given 10 stickers to
choose their top recommendations.
The next step for the AMCC Work Team was to prepare a recommendation report to the County
Manager in response to the specific points issued in his original charge to the group. This process
has taken several weeks to complete and includes written documentation and review with the community.
30
Appendix
C
Appendix D
Community Center Programs
Room
No.
Room Name
Existing Proposed Net Comments
Net Area
Area
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Preschool Programs
142
Preschool Classroom 1
Project Family Classroom
683 nsf
0 nsf
146
Preschool Office
Toilet 1
Toilet 2
Storage
Playground
112 nsf
42 nsf
42 nsf
120 nsf
Subtotal Preschool
999 nsf
145
900 nsf
850 nsf
200 nsf
50 nsf Small child scale
50 nsf Small child scale
150 nsf
exterior area 75 sf per child reqd.
2,200 nsf
Elementary Age Programs
Elementary Multipurpose Rm.
0 nsf
750 nsf w/ built-in storage closets
Subtotal Elementary
0 nsf
750 nsf
Teen Lounge
0 nsf
400 nsf
Storage
Outdoor Basketball Court
0 nsf
100 nsf
exterior area
Subtotal Teen Programs
0 nsf
500 nsf
Teen Programs
31
Appendix D
Senior and Adult Programs
Job Resource Center
Senior Lounge
0 nsf
0 nsf
250 nsf DHS
600 nsf
Kitchenette
Storage Room
0 nsf
0 nsf
100 nsf adjacent to Senior Lounge
150 nsf adjacent to Senior Lounge
Subtotal Senior and Adult
0 nsf
1,100 nsf
DHS Community Outreach
Waiting Room
0 nsf
Health Clinic
Meeting Room 1
Meeting Room 2
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
500 nsf including a children's play
area
200 nsf share w/ High School Nurse
150 nsf
125 nsf
Shared Administrative Office
Storage Outreach
Storage WIC
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
400 nsf Open Offices
75 nsf
75 nsf
Subtotal DHS Outreach
0 nsf
1,525 nsf
Library, Computers and Technology
134A Library Stacks/Study/Reading
141 Computer Classroom 1
Storage Room
Subtotal Computers and
Technology
32
Appendix
D
200 nsf
690 nsf
0 nsf
890 nsf
500 nsf 8 integral computers
1,000 nsf 25 computers
50 nsf adjacent to Computer
Classroom
1,550 nsf
Appendix D
Recreation
148
Kitchen
Gym (50' x 74' court)
Game Room
Weight/Cardiovascular Room
282 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
Changing Room 1 w/ shower
Changing Room 2 w/ shower
0 nsf
0 nsf
50 nsf
50 nsf
282 nsf
8,700 nsf
Subtotal Recreation
800 nsf
6,000 nsf
900 nsf inc. snack area
900 nsf
Arts
MP Visual Arts Studio
Dark Room
0 nsf
0 nsf
Subtotal Arts
0 nsf
800 nsf
200 nsf 4 stations
1,000 nsf
Multipurpose/Support Rooms
126
134B
143
138
149
Multi-purpose Room
Multi-purpose Room 1
Storage
Workroom
Workroom
Subtotal Multipurpose Rooms
2,136 nsf
750 nsf
950 nsf
810 nsf
102 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
4,748 nsf
0 nsf
1,100 nsf Movable partition w/ 44 STC
*
*
*
200 nsf
200 nsf one per floor
200 nsf one per floor
3,900 nsf
* Sound Transmission Class - A single-number rating, calculated in accordance with Classification
E413 using values of sound transmission loss. It provides an estimate of the performance of a partition
in certain common sound insulation problems. An STC of 44 is in the middle range for performance.
33
Appendix D
Administration
136
137
General Office
Directors Office
Reception/Waiting Area
Office 1
Work Room/Volunteer Room
Conference Room
550 nsf
150 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
Staff Lounge
Subtotal Administration
650 nsf
150 nsf
200 nsf
100 nsf
200 nsf
200 nsf
see High School Administration
700 nsf
1,500 nsf
General Lounge /Coffee Shop
0 nsf
1,100 nsf
Subtotal Community Shops
0 nsf
1,100 nsf
7,619 nsf
23,825 nsf
Community Shops
Total Community Center
34
Appendix
D
Appendix D
High School Programs
Room
No.
Room Name
Net Area
Area
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS
General Purpose Classrooms
120
121
122
123
124
125
119
118
112
108
Classroom 1
Classroom 2
Classroom 3
Classroom 4
Classroom 5
Classroom 6
Classroom 7
Classroom 8
Classroom 9
Classroom 10
Classroom 11
Classroom 12
Special Education Resource Rm
Special Education Resource Rm
Subtotal Classrooms
615 nsf
640 nsf
640 nsf
640 nsf
640 nsf
640 nsf
625 nsf
635 nsf
625 nsf
620 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
700 nsf
400 nsf
400 nsf
6,320 nsf
9,200 nsf
Science and Technology
111
113
Science Lab 1
Computer Lab
Science Lab 2
Subtotal Science & Technology
880 nsf
750 nsf
0 nsf
1,630 nsf
1,200 nsf
840 nsf Teaching classroom
1,200 nsf
3,240 nsf
35
Appendix D
Library/Media Center
117
Media Center
Computer Room (Remediation)
640 nsf
0 nsf
1,750 nsf
500 nsf 20 Computers
Subtotal Library/Media Center
640 nsf
2,250 nsf
900 nsf
0 nsf
950 nsf
80 nsf
Arts
109
Art Room
Kiln
Green Storage
Storage Room
Subtotal Arts
0 nsf
0 nsf
120 nsf
80 nsf
900 nsf
1,230 nsf
Physical Education/Recreation
36
Appendix
D
Gym
Multipurpose Room
Student Lounge
Kitchen
see Community Center Recreation
0 nsf
1,320 nsf
0 nsf
400 nsf
see Community Center Recreation
Subtotal Physical
Education/Recreation
0 nsf
1,720 nsf
Appendix D
Administration
103
102
104
105
107
Principal's Office
Open Office
Counselor's Office 1
Counselor's Office 2
Registrar's Office
Nurse's Office
225 nsf
418 nsf
155 nsf
160 nsf
118 nsf
106
110
Conference Room
Staff Lounge
Work/Supply Room
225 nsf
416 nsf
0 nsf
250 nsf
400 nsf
150 nsf
1,717 nsf
1,915 nsf
105 nsf
100 nsf
Subtotal Administration
225 nsf
450 nsf 3 desks
120 nsf
120 nsf
200 nsf Student Record Storage
see Community Center DHS Community Outreach
Service/Support Spaces
101
Police Office
133
116
Maintenance
Storage
Male Faculty Toilet
Female Faculty Toilet
Female Faculty Toilet
Male Student Toilet
Female Student Toilet
Male Student Toilet
Male Student Toilet
Male Student Toilet
Subtotal Service/Support Spaces
Total High School
171 nsf
200 nsf
50 nsf
45 nsf
0 nsf
247 nsf
268 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
1,086 nsf
12,293 nsf
100 nsf 2 janitor's closets
200 nsf
65 nsf
65 nsf
65 nsf
150 nsf
150 nsf
150 nsf
150 nsf
150 nsf
150 nsf
150 nsf
150 nsf
1,795 nsf
21,350 nsf
37
Appendix D
Support/Service Spaces
Room
No.
Room Name
Net Area
Area
SUPPORT/SERVICE SPACES
Service/Support Spaces
Electrical Room
Water Meter Room
Communications/Server Room
Maintenance
Men's Toilets
Women's Toilets
Elevator Mechanical Room
Loading
Total Service/Support Spaces
38
Appendix
D
140 nsf
100 nsf
20 nsf
46 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
0 nsf
250 nsf
200 nsf
100 nsf Community Ctr
120 nsf
400 nsf
500 nsf
80 nsf
0 nsf
460 nsf
306 nsf
2,110 nsf
Appendix E
AMCC Prioritization Voting Chart
ARLINGTON MILL COMMUNITY CENTER - PROGRAM FORUM RESULTS
Prepared by Bow ie Gridley Architects
5/21/2002
PROGRAM SPACE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
FORUM DATE
5/15/2002 5/16/2002 5/18/2002
Library-Com puter-Technology-Computer Classroom 2 / Lab (inc. storage)
187
42
55
Library-Com puter-Technology-Library/Stacks/Study (now part of Room 134A)
201
47
30
Library-Com puter-Technology-Computer Classroom 1 (inc. storage) (now Room 141 )
165
24
41
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Multipurpose Workroom / Volunteer room (inc. storage)
14
9
195
Library-Com puter-Technology-Computer Workroom (assembly)
160
22
27
Recreation-Gymnasium
123
18
57
DHS Com m unity Outreach (WIC/School Hlth/Cm ty)-DHS Health Clinic (inc. partial w aiting area)
56
67
71
DHS Com m unity Outreach (WIC/School Hlth/Cm ty)-DHS Shared Admin. Office (inc. storage)
3
63
118
Preschool Program s-Project Family Classroom
110
20
19
DHS Com m unity Outreach (WIC/School Hlth/Cm ty)-DHS Meeting Room 1 (inc. partial w aiting are 15
53
70
37
69
DHS Com m unity Outreach (WIC/School Hlth/Cm ty)-DHS Private Admin. Office
8
31
70
Senior Program s-Senior Multipurpose Room
16
34
56
Adult Program s-Job Resource Center
42
30
33
29
63
Arts-Visual Arts Studios & Labs (inc. photolab)
41
7
54
Arts-Perform Arts & Media Prod Studio (inc. blackbox theatre)
65
7
27
Senior Program s-Senior Lounge (inc. kitchenette & storage)
9
30
50
Preschool Program s-Preschool Classroom 1 (now Room 142) (inc. 2 toilets)
62
9
15
Adult Program s-Vocational Training Classroom 1 (for Carpentry)
50
14
22
Arts-Multimedia Digital Lab
45
6
35
Adult Program s-Vocational Training Classroom 2 (for Electrical)
46
16
12
Adult Program s-Emergency Homeless Shelter
20
31
17
Recreation-Dance/Aerobics (inc. partial changing room)
39
11
9
Preschool Program s-Preschool Classroom 2
23
19
6
Teen Program s-Teen Lounge (includes storage)
27
9
10
Arts-Music Room
41
3
2
Adult Program s-Vocational Training Classroom 3 (for Plumbing)
15
16
13
Recreation-Weight Room (inc. changing area)
24
5
13
Recreation-Game Room
31
2
8
Adult Program s-Non-Profit Resource Center
15
19
5
Elem entary Age Program s-Elementary Age Classroom 1 (includes storage)
25
9
4
Arts-Art Gallery
23
10
5
Com m unity Shops-General Lounge/Coffee Shop
23
10
3
Recreation-Snack Area
17
7
11
Recreation-Catering Kitchen (now Room 148)
3
17
14
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Multipurpose/Mini-Gym (now Room 126)
19
14
1
Com m unity Shops-Arts/Crafts Sales
13
16
4
Recreation-Treadmills/Cardio (inc. partial changing room)
22
4
5
Preschool Program s-Preschool Office (now Room 146) (inc. storage)
12
18
0
Com m unity Shops-Small Business Incubator Shops
16
12
2
Elem entary Age Program s-Elementary Age Classroom 2 (includes storage)
17
9
1
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Multipurpose Cafeteria
11
4
6
Com m unity Shops-Festival Stalls (4 total)
19
1
0
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Multipurpose Room 3 (inc. storage) (now Room 134B)
6
5
5
Recreation-Racquetball Courts (2)
14
0
0
Arts-Auditorium (inc. dressing and control rooms)
9
5
0
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Multipurpose Room 2 (inc. storage) (now Room 135)
9
3
1
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Multipurpose Room 1 (inc. storage) (now Room 138)
1
6
2
Com m unity Shops-Bicycle Shop
6
0
3
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Center Conference Room (inc. partial w aiting area)
1
5
0
Recreation-Ping-Pong Room (2 tables)
2
0
2
Multipurpose and Support Room s-Multipurpose Workroom 1 (inc. storage)
1
3
0
GRAND TOTAL
1,944
888
1,341
Total
284
278
230
218
209
198
194
184
149
138
116
109
106
105
104
102
99
89
86
86
86
74
68
59
48
46
46
44
42
41
39
38
38
36
35
34
34
33
31
30
30
27
21
20
16
14
14
13
9
9
6
4
4
4,173
Write-In - REEP/ESL Program
Num ber of Voters
1240
541
1231
318
4
89
5
135
% of Total
6.8%
6.7%
5.5%
5.2%
5.0%
4.7%
4.6%
4.4%
3.6%
3.3%
2.8%
2.6%
2.5%
2.5%
2.5%
2.4%
2.4%
2.1%
2.1%
2.1%
2.1%
1.8%
1.6%
1.4%
1.2%
1.1%
1.1%
1.1%
1.0%
1.0%
0.9%
0.9%
0.9%
0.9%
0.8%
0.8%
0.8%
0.8%
0.7%
0.7%
0.7%
0.6%
0.5%
0.5%
0.4%
0.3%
0.3%
0.3%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
39
Appendix E
Appendix F
Arlington Public Schools (APS) has included approximately $6,300,000 of funding for its 29,890
square feet of the joint facility at Arlington Mill its FY2003-2008 Capital Improvement Plan.
Currently the Arlington Mill facility accommodates two APS programs: the High School
Continuation Program and the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP).
The High School continuation program offers students ages 16 years and older an alternative
High School arrangement for obtaining the credits needed to earn a high school diploma. Many
of these students might not otherwise finish their high school education if this program were not
available. The program offers all required courses and electives necessary for the standard
diploma. The program has two sites, at Arlington Mill and Langston. In both locations, Arlington
County and APS are planning to provide a joint community center and school facility. The
Langston facility is currently under construction.
APS is committed to providing English as Second Language (ESL) programs such as REEP for
those in need. REEP offers intensive language instruction to adult learners in Arlington. In
2001-2002, nearly 6,000 people enrolled in language programs offered at the Clarendon
Education Center, the Arlington Mill Center, and Kenmore Middle School. A significant
proportion of the students enrolled in both the Continuation High School and REEP intensive
language courses live in the area surrounding the Arlington Mill Community Center. At this
time, APS is evaluating the appropriate locations for its ESL-REEP courses. Future courses are
likely to continue at locations throughout south Arlington such as the new Arlington Mill
location.
40
Appendix
F
41
Appendix F
Appendix G
ACAP Location at Arlington Mill Community Center
The “Arlington Community Action Program” (ACAP), Inc. was established in 1964. ACAP received its 501(c)(3) non-profit designation in 1967. The organization was established to provide
specialized services to low income Arlington County residents.
ACAP is one of the earliest established Community Action Agencies in Virginia and the Country.
ACAP is governed by a board of directors, currently headed by I. Margaret White. ACAP’s diverse
programs are funded by Federal, State and Local government funds as well as foundations.
ACAP has three program components. Head Start, a preschool program, serves 293 three to five
year old children from low income homes. Community Development provides 12 programs some
of which include Computer Training, Senior and Disabled Transportation, Project Discovery, a
drop out prevention program, a Fatherhood Program, Employment Assistance and emergency services. The Job Opportunities for Low Income Individuals (JOLI) provides child care training and
a fee based child care center.
ACAP is currently operating its programs in 4 locations within the county. The administration, 6
Head Start classrooms and offices, and the JOLI program are located at the Reed school building.
This building is slated to be demolished in 2003. Other locations are the Langston-Brown building
now under construction, First Baptist Church of Ballston and a classroom at the Hoffman Boston
Elementary School. All of the locations are in North Arlington except the Hoffman Boston School.
However, the majority of eligible program recipients live in South Arlington.
Earlier this year the ACAP Board established a Development and Building Committee to review its
program and facility needs. Head Start, for example, has a current waiting list of 143-three and four
year olds. ACAP leases the space at Walter Reed School while the County and Arlington Public
Schools provide space at the other facilities as in-kind. In the last six years ACAP has had to
relocate its programs seven times because facilities used were reclaimed by the County or Schools
for other purposes. The ACAP Board of Directors is seeking a permanent location, which may be
funded through public grants and/or private contributions.
An ACAP location at Arlington Mill would be accessible to eligible program recipients and would
bring synergies to other programs and allow ACAP to reduce their operation from four to two sites.
While the current ACAP long term space need exceeds 30,000 gross square feet. It is the desire of
the ACAP Development and Building Committee not to consolidate its agency into a single site.
The Committee recommends that ACAP have a presence in Arlington Mill site of 15,000 net square
feet (21,000 gross square feet), for ACAP programs. The Arlington Mill Work Team concurs with
this recommendation pending further refinement during the building design phase.
The committees work may adjust that space upward or downward and will define the character of
its programs and facility needs to be met at that location. The ACAP Executive Director and
representatives from the Board of Directors Development and Building Committee will continue to
work as participants in the Arlington Mill Work Team meetings in defining those needs in sufficient
time to be included in the final building design.
42
Appendix
G
Appendix H
Columbia Pike Initiative Recommendation
Recommendation No. 7: Begin the Arlington Mill Community Center planning process —
Initiate a facility utilization study.
It is anticipated that there will be a community process to determine the future of the Arlington Mill
Community Center. Although the exact configuration, physical structure and content of programs
of the future Arlington Mill Center would be tailored and shaped through a future community
process, it could be envisioned as a multi-agency service delivery strategy for the Columbia Heights
West community and a Community Recreation and Learning Center that would provide recreational
and social opportunities for all ages and family education opportunities. Essential educational
opportunities in this community include early childhood education and pre-kindergarten readiness,
language programs, health education programs, job training programs, and computer labs for training
and access for supporting young people in the achievement of academic success. Vital recreation
programs include after school, evening, and weekend activity programs for youth and teens,
socialization programs for senior adults, health & fitness programs, and arts programs. Long-term
improvement plans at the Arlington Mill Center, including the construction of a new facility, should
consider the possibility of structured parking that could also serve the commercial uses in the area
as well as a public plaza that could link Four-Mile Run Park and the community center.
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Appendix H
Appendix I
Traffic Study
This summary presents the results of a Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) for the Arlington Mill Community Center replacement project. The subject site is bounded by Dinnwiddie Street to the west,
Columbia Pike to the south, and Arlington Mill Drive to the east, in Arlington County, Virginia.
The Arlington Mill Community Center currently consists of approximately 25,000 SF housing
recreation and high school activities. This facility would be replaced with a building of approximately 75,000 SF housing the High School Continuation program, Recreation, Community, and
Social Service functions.
Tasks undertaken in this study included the following:
1. A review of the proposed site plans prepared by Bowie Gridley Architects, recently completed
traffic studies, and other background data.
2. A field reconnaissance of existing roadway and intersection geometrics, traffic controls, speed
limits, pedestrian facilities, and transit services.
3. Discussions with Arlington County staff regarding the scope of this TIA.
4. Counts of existing traffic at six intersections adjacent to the site during the AM and PM peak
hour periods on a typical weekday.
5. Analysis of existing levels of service at each of these key intersections.
6. Forecasts of background future traffic volumes based on existing traffic counts and regional
traffic growth.
7. Calculation of background levels of service at each key intersection based on background traffic forecasts, existing traffic controls, and existing intersection geometrics.
8. Estimation of the number of AM and PM peak hour vehicle-trips that will be generated by the
proposed Arlington Mill Community Center, based on trip generation rates derived from traffic
counts of the existing facility and other similar facilities.
9. Forecasts of the total future levels of service at each key intersection based on total future
traffic forecasts plus site traffic assignments.
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Appendix
I
10. Calculation of the total future levels of service at each key intersection based on total future
traffic forecasts, existing traffic controls, and existing intersection geometrics.
11. Counts of on-site parking demand for 12 hours during a typical weekday.
12. Analysis of the parking requirements of the facility, on a shared basis.
13. Identification of pedestrian traffic patterns related to the site.
14. Evaluation of the proposed pedestrian and vehicular circulation system in the site vicinity.
Sources of data for this analysis included traffic counts conducted by Wells & Associates, the
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Bowie Gridley Architects, and the Arlington
County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources.
The conclusions of this preliminary traffic impact study are as follows:
1. All turning movements at the unsignalized intersections adjacent to the Arlington Mill Community Center currently operate efficiently. The signalized Columbia Pike/Dinnwiddie Street
intersection operates at an overall acceptable level of service, with side-street delays.
2. The Arlington Mill Community Center replacement project is expected to generate an additional 137 new AM peak hour vehicle-trips and 311 new PM peak hour vehicle-trips, upon
project completion.
3. The additional vehicle-trips generated by the Arlington Mill Community Center can be adequately accommodated at the key intersections in the study area without roadway improvements. Signal timing modifications at the Columbia Pike/Dinnwiddie Street intersection, if
compatible with adjacent traffic signals, would reduce side-street delays and maintain overall
acceptable levels of service.
4. The Arlington Mill Community Center, including the closure of Arlington Mill Drive, will have
minimal traffic impacts on the residential communities to the north.
5. Consolidation of the proposed site entrances and drop-off area would reduce turning movement
conflicts on Dinnwiddie Street.
6. The existing peak parking occupancy of 158 spaces occurs at 7:45 p.m. The anticipated future
parking demand of 470 spaces is generally consistent with the proposed on-site supply of 452
to 454 spaces.
Appendix I45
Appendix J
References (available in the project’s supplemental appendix):
Appendix 1.
Appendix 2.
Appendix 3.
Appendix 4.
Appendix 5.
Appendix 6.
Arlington Mill Community Center, Traffic Impact Analysis, April 11, 2002
Arlington Mill Potential Areas - Space/Resource Requirements
Columbia Pike Initiative - A Revitalization Plan - Draft, June 2001
Community Forum Meeting Notes
Community Outreach Brochures and Articles
Community Program Proposals:
Ideas for the New, Expanded Arlington Mill Community Center
AMCC Advisory Board, January 11, 2002
AMCC Proposal Suggestions, March, 2002
Design of Proposed New Arlington Mill Media Production Spaces - January 19, 2002
Arlington’s West End Community Space Requirements for Market, February 8, 2002
Columbia Heights West Task Force, December 20, 2001
DHS Community Outreach Program
Input Forum Summary, January 8, 2002
Teen Space at Arlington Mill
The Parents of Arlington Mill Preschool Program, January 28, 2002
The Urban Alternative, January 7, 2002
Appendix 7.
Appendix 8.
Appendix 9.
Demographic Profile of the Arlington Mill Community Center Study Area,
created by DCPHD - December, 2001
Safeway Siting Process Work Group - Final Report to the Arlington Co. Board
October, 1996
Vision 2020: DPRCR Service Delivery Model Excerpt - December 22, 1995
For community feedback refer to the Arlington County Commmunity Forum website @
www.co.arlington.va.us/forums/arlingtonmill/community/emails.htm
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Appendix
J
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