Author: chogan@directresearch.com

Post #223: TC, PC, TSC joint work session, 4/1/2019, Part Two: The thing formerly known as the traffic study

This post addresses the other item on last night’s agenda — the study formerly referred to as the Maple Avenue traffic study.  See prior post for context.

There was some initial kerfuffle over the fact that the guy doing this study just got finished working for the developer of 380 Maple.  The idea that this might be a conflict of interest was dismissed via proof-by-assertion.  They just said that they didn’t think having one engineer work both sides of the street was a conflict, as long as it was serial monogamy.

If I had to sum this up quickly, it would be, this is likely to be a waste of time.  If I had to say something more thoughtful, I’d say, what a waste of time, just to produce another piece to resonate in the Town’s echo chamber. Continue reading Post #223: TC, PC, TSC joint work session, 4/1/2019, Part Two: The thing formerly known as the traffic study

Post #222: TC, PC, TSC joint work session, 4/1/2019, Part One: Sunrise Assisted Living

Last night, the Town Council (TC), Planning Commission (PC), and Transportation Safety Commission (TSC) held a joint work session to talk about two items.  The first was what used to be referred to as the Town’s Maple Avenue Traffic study.  But should not be referred to as that, in the future.  The second was the Sunrise Assisted Living facility proposed for Maple and Center, next to the Vienna Inn.

I will be posting the cleaned-up audio for that meeting, shortly, along with the usual Excel index file, so you can tell what was said, when.  In this post, I give my impression of the discussion of the Sunrise proposal.

Continue reading Post #222: TC, PC, TSC joint work session, 4/1/2019, Part One: Sunrise Assisted Living

Post #220: The NEVCA candidate forum

The North East Vienna Citizens Association (NEVCA) has a tradition of hosting a candidate forum for Vienna Town Council candidates.  They don’t hold this when candidates are unopposed.  But this year, with three contested Town Council seats, I have been assured that, in fact, NEVCA will hold a candidate forum in April 2019.

And if I can ever figure out when and where, I’ll let you know.  Because, as with so much that goes on in the Town of Vienna, it looks like you just have to know the right people, or know exactly the right place to look, in order to know what’s happening.

I have been diligently making audio recordings of Town of Vienna public meetings so that anyone can hear what goes on.  For each such meeting, I provide a recording and index available via public link on Google Drive.  But that’s not going to happen with the NEVCA candidate forum.  Shelley Ebert, of viennavotes.com, asked for permission to tape it, and was denied.  Nor will NEVCA itself tape it and make that available.  If you want to hear what the candidates have to say, you’ll have to show up in person.  If you can figure out where they are holding it.  And when.

Continue reading Post #220: The NEVCA candidate forum

Post #218: 2019 real estate tax increase – or – The Vienna School of Algebra

The Commonwealth has a rule that whenever real estate assessments rise more than 1 percent, but tax rates don’t fall to offset that (to within one percent), local governments have to publish a notice explaining that.  Just a simple bit of algebra to say, here’s the tax rate that would have offset that assessment increase.  Here’s what we’re actually proposing to charge.  And here’s the difference.  It’s just a way to make sure that citizens know how much their taxes are increasing.

I hate to have to be the one to say this.  But the Town just put out such a notice.  And their arithmetic is wrong.  Grossly incorrect.  I checked similar notices from three other jurisdictions, just to be sure that I was doing the calculation right.

And you know why I hate that?  Based on recent history, the most likely outcome is that, instead of just correcting their algebra, the Town will offer the usual bafflegab as why this unique Town of Vienna algebra is fully justified.  (And then quietly correct it.)

Let me be clear:  There is obviously no intent to deceive, because, clearly, nobody pays the slightest attention to this  notice.  Surely nobody within Town government, and I would guess, nobody (but me) outside of it.  I checked an earlier year, and I’m pretty sure their calculation has been wrong for some time now.

That said, at some level, this is all of-a-piece.  Five floors is really four floors.  A building the size of a football field preserves “small town” Vienna.  And a 5.6% increase in taxes is actually a 3.1 percent tax cut.  It all meshes together.

Detail follow.

Continue reading Post #218: 2019 real estate tax increase – or – The Vienna School of Algebra

Post 216: Accidents involving cars and trucks along Maple

This is a continuation of the prior two posts, same data source.  I’m just going to put up three maps showing 2018 reportable accidents along Maple.  The number of reportable accidents involving bicycles or pedestrians is tiny compared to the total number of car crashes annually on Maple.  As with the prior maps, a “reportable” accident is one involving injury or at least $1500 in property damage.

All (blue = injury, green = property damage only)
Bicycle
Pedestrian

Post 215: Accidents involving bicycles along Maple

This is a continuation of my prior post, same data source.  Bicyclists who get hit by cars along Maple mostly do so when riding in the roadway.  Secondarily, while riding in a crosswalk.  Over the period 2015-2019 (to date), there was one reportable accident involving injury to a bicyclist who was on the sidewalk, crossing a driveway along Maple Avenue.

As in the prior post, the blue dot marks the accident scene.  Same minor caveat applies:  The DMV only plots the accident location when they have GPS latitude and longitude data but they appear to have that information for most if not all accidents in Vienna.

Roadway, Tom Yum Thai
Sidewalk, Chipotle shopping center driveway
Crosswalk, Westbriar
In the roadway, west of Nutley
Crosswalk, Pleasant Street
In the roadway, east of Courthouse
In the roadway, mattress district
In the roadway, Mill Street

Post 214: Accidents involving pedestrians along Maple Avenue

This page is an introduction to some easy ways to view traffic accident data in Virginia, including interactive maps showing the exact location of each accident via Google Street View.  The point is that you can look at at all pedestrian injuries along Maple for the past five years to see that the sidewalks along Maple are not dangerous.  You incur some small risk when you cross the road.  The risk of vehicular injury while walking down the Maple Avenue sidewalk appears to be negligible.

Continue reading Post 214: Accidents involving pedestrians along Maple Avenue

Post #213: The 3/27/2019 Planning Commission meeting on 380 Maple West, edited to correct a significant mistake.

More than 50 people attended last night’s Planning Commission meeting regarding 380 Maple Avenue West.  Twenty-five spoke.  Of those, just two people approved of the project.

The Planning Commission “held open” the public meeting, meaning, if you have not spoken up yet, you will have an opportunity to do so next month.  Next month, the Planning Commission should vote on this project and forward its recommendation to the Town Council.

Go to this Google Drive link to find my audio recording of the meeting, along with an Excel spreadsheet that serves as the “index” to the audio, showing what was said at what time.  The audio is a bit rough in spots due to the crowd noise.

In brief:  The builder offered a second option of a somewhat smaller building, with less parking, and one less condo unit.  He agreed to enclose the back wall of the garage (facing the residential area) as a noise-control measure.  He will put a masonry wall on the back lot line or not, at the Town’s option.  And he would not commit to burying the power lines as part of this until he sees the cost of that from Dominion Energy.

My review of the meeting follows.

Jump to:

Continue reading Post #213: The 3/27/2019 Planning Commission meeting on 380 Maple West, edited to correct a significant mistake.