Friday, October 5, 2012
Changes position the town to enter an interim agreement with property owner this month
A proposed Church Street parking garage has undergone several changes based on feedback it received at public meetings last month, including a reduced height, more adjacent green space and fewer curb cuts. Architect Paul Layer, who unveiled the changes at two community meetings last week, showed residents, business owners and town officials plans for a building that has had its height lowered 5 feet — reducing the highest part of the building above grade to 44 feet. The mixed-used building, which sits on Church Street, reaches 35 feet; the garage's elevator shaft will rise to 54 feet. The area adjacent to the building also includes more green elements, like plants and landscaping, and will also feature eight u-shaped bicycle racks. It …
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Residents speak against increasing height limits for parking garages at public hearing
After a public hearing in which residents worried an increase in the height ordinance for municipal garages would only encourage more structures along Church Street and Maple Avenue to build higher, the Vienna Town Council voted Monday night in favor of a more detailed version of a height adjustment than the Planning Commission recommended. "Once you start going higher ... there's just a lot of pressure to continue, and I think it would really change the character of the town," said Marda Mayo, a Council Drive resident who also questioned the financial hit restaurants would take because funding for the garage would come from the meals and lodging tax. Omeed Sima, a Heritage Lane resident who was born and raised in Vienna, said a height …
Friday, August 17, 2012
Vienna residents provide feedback on proposed Church Street project
The Town of Vienna resumed its meetings with the public on the proposed Church Street parking garage Thursday, reassuring the public the proposal has not yet been approved and their input does matter. "This is only the beginning of this process," Mayor Jane Seeman said in the second of two public meetings Thursday. "There will be a lot of time for more public input, so please send us your concerns and suggestions." On Wednesday, town officials met with Church Street merchants on the project's proposed site at 120 Church St. NW. While the merchants expressed the same concerns about parking on the historic street as the town, they also showed concern about how the estimated 18-month construction phase would affect their businesses. In March…
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Store owners express uncertainty their business can endure 18-month construction phase
Though Church Street merchants agree parking along the historic street is a challenge, some are concerned the construction phase of a proposed parking garage and mixed-use building will have a detrimental effect on their businesses. Town of Vienna officials — including Mayor Jane Seeman, Vice Mayor Laurie DiRocco and council members Laurie Cole and Carey Sienicki — and the project's architect, Paul Layer, hosted a community meeting with merchants Wednesday night at the proposed site, 120 Church St. NW. "This area really has become a live, vibrant place. This is exactly what we want for Church Street, but we don't want to stop here," Seeman said to the crowd. "We want to continue this, and because of that, we're going to build a parking …
Friday, August 10, 2012
This week: Status of the Church Street parking garage project
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Friday, August 10, 2012
"Ask the Town" is a weekly series that features Vienna Public Information Officer Kirstyn Barr answering reader questions about anything and everything Vienna. Have a question? Leave it in the comments below; we'll answer it next week I heard the Town has been looking into building a parking garage on Church Street. What's the status of this project and where can I learn more? Yes, the Town is in the process of looking into building a parking garage on Church Street, specifically at 120 Church Street NW. Should this project come to fruition, this would be the first project the Town would undertake under the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA). The act grants a public entity the opportunity to create …
Discussions on Church Street proposal precede public hearing on garage height limit requirements
The Town of Vienna will host two community meetings on plans for a Church Street parking garage Thursday, continuing the discussion on whether the proposed four-story structure fits into both the aesthetic character and zoning ordinances of the town. The community meeting, scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday in Council Chambers in Town Hall, comes ahead of an Aug. 20 public hearing that would address a change to the height limit requirements for municipal parking garages from 35 feet to 50 feet. The Department of Planning and Zoning pushed forward two ordinance drafts for Council to consider, both of which would increase the height limit for municipal garages to 50 feet. The more detailed ordinance draft also specifies 1) …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Document will be a "living, breathing," comprehensive vision of what Vienna should be, officials say
The Vienna Town Council voted Monday night to begin a nine-month strategic planning process, which will end in the approval of a document it hopes will prioritize resources and funding as the town faces new requirements and development continues on Maple Avenue, Church Street and throughout Tysons Corner. Town Manager Mercury Payton, who was involved in strategic planning while he was employed by Manassas Park, brought the suggestion to the council as a way to chart its future and drive initiatives and funding. While the town has developed several visions and priority lists over the years, "we really haven’t put it together in one document that serves as a policy statement," said Administrative Services Director Nancy McMahon, who also …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Multi-million dollar Church Street project would add mixed-use building, 50-foot municipal parking structure to corridor
The Vienna Town Council directed staff Monday night to review a private proposal for a three-story mixed use building and four-story parking structure on Church Street, the first pitch to come in under the town's newly-adopted public-private partnership guidelines. The plan, submitted by Arrington Properties LLC, would put two buildings in the 23,848 square foot lot at 120 Church Street NW: A three-story mixed use building facing Church Street, with retail on the ground floor and residential units in the two floors above it, and a four-story municipal parking structure, which would double the parking between Mill and Lawyers Roads, according to plan documents. The project would cost between $5.8 and $6.6 million, the plan said. The private…
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7:31 pm on Sunday, August 26, 2012
Why not let the citizens of Vienna decide ? Treat it like a bond referendum is. more ›