Little Falls Task Force Meeting

Where: Little Falls Presbyterian Church
6025 Little Falls Road, Arlington
When: Friday, 2 March 2001, 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Why: Finalize Little Falls Project Proposal

The Little Falls Task Force met on 2 March with three Arlington County staffers. This meeting was a follow-on to a previous meeting on the 16th of February of the Little Falls Task Force, during which we had reviewed and revised the County staff proposal on the Little Falls Project. Our revised proposal reflected the high priority Task Force members place on achieving traffic calming and beautification through the construction of raised, planted medians).

We had two goals for this meeting:

• To get answers to questions raised at the 16 February meeting.
• To finalize the project scope note, so that we can begin the neighborhood petition process.

Question: How do we go about getting curb, gutter, and sidewalk installed on the portions of Little Falls opposite Nottingham Elementary school?

Answer: We don't need to do anything. The County's pedestrian systems program has proposed installing these elements in FY2002 (begins July 2001). The County staff has not developed any plans for the project yet, since it is not funded. However, the project likely would involve a four-foot wide sidewalk, a grass utility strip of 2.5 to 4 feet and concrete curb and gutter. We asked Ritch Viola, from the County staff, whether the sidewalk and utility strip could be created from the existing paving vice carving it out of front yards. He stated that the County will need to take some measurements of existing conditions, identify property boundaries, locate utilities and talk with the neighbors about their interests. All that will occur once the sidewalk project is funded in FY2002.

Question: How wide is Little Falls in the section between Nottingham and Lexington, where the County proposed painting medians? (The Task Force favors raised, landscaped medians here.)

Answer: We were told that the roadway here is the same width as the block between the Williamsburg traffic circle and Ohio Street.

Question: What is the usual width of travel lanes? Can we get maps that would show us this detail?

Answer: County staffers have not yet responded to this request for information and maps. Two members of the Task Force, armed with a tape measure, went out "to the field" and determined that travel lanes on Patrick Henry Drive were about 11 feet wide.

Question: At what point do we determine what exactly will be planted in the medians? Does a landscaping plan need to be included in the project scope? Is the plant material necessarily funded from NCAC or can we get it funded out of some other part of the budget? How can we get input into the choice of plant materials. (For instance, participants did not favor roses climbing over a fence, which have been installed on some medians.)

Answer: All that comes later and yes, the neighbors do get input. The plantings that the County has in mind include trees, shrubs, and liriope and will be maintained by the County. If we want higher-maintenance plantings, such as flower beds, the County will plant it, but we must find a hardy band of horticulturists pledged to maintain the beds. The Task Force will canvass our membership for individuals/groups that might be willing to take on such a project. The planting design, in this case, would have to be approved by County staff.

Question: Where are County staffers planning on installing the nubs mentioned in the initial County proposal? In general, most neighbors favor putting scarce funds into medians, not nubs.

Answer: County staffers showed us possible sites for nubs at the intersection of Little Falls and Ohio. Several Task Force members raised objections to nubs as a possible traffic hazard. However, those members who walk regularly and encounter safety problems crossing Little Falls are more open to the idea of nubs because of their potential to improve pedestrian safety. There seemed to be some consensus on a nub on the northwest corner of the intersection. County staffers indicated that the Safe Routes to School program likely will insist on some nubs at this intersection, to enhance safety for school children. Most Task Force members raised no objections, as long as the Safe Routes program provided the funding and we did not have to sacrifice the raised, planted medians, which is the highest priority of most Task Force members.

Question: Can we get patterned crosswalks installed that are raised slightly?

Answer: No. County staffers do not favor raised crosswalks, particularly on Little Falls, which is classified as "Minor Arterial." This status also constrains other measures which some Task Force members favor, such as four-way stop signs and planted traffic circles. For a map of WCA area, showing Street Classification, click here. For a chart of Traffic Calming Measures, showing which ones can be used on Little Falls Road, click here. If you want a printed copy of Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program: Process, Criteria and Measures, copies are available at Civic Association and Task Force meetings. Most Task Force members did not see the raised crosswalks as a priority issue and were willing to wait and see whether the other pedestrian safety measures would have the desired traffic calming effects.

Question: Are the crosswalks constructed from bricks? The issue here was one of pedestrian safety, since brick surfaces can sometimes become bumpy, creating a problem for those in wheelchairs or pushing strollers.

Answer: No. The crosswalks are constructed of patterned concrete, not actual bricks.

Question: How much (including construction costs and plantings) would a 20 to 22 foot median cost for the block between Ohio street and the Williamsburg traffic circle (including construction costs and plantings)? How much would narrower medians cost in the short blocks between Nottingham and Lexington (including construction costs and plantings)? How much does the parking lane painting cost? How much does the at-grade textured crosswalk cost? Textured crosswalk if raised slightly? Are there any other sources of funding for the things we have on our Project Proposal? That is, can we try to put together a package of NCAC funding and other funding?

Answer: County staffers will determine cost in April and May.

Question: Do we need a neighborhood petition?

Answer: Yes. Although a petition is not required, the County staff, NCAC, the Planning Commission, and the County Board (all of whom must approve our project) like to see evidence that we have informed all neighbors in the affected area and that a majority of them favor the project. This means that we have to poll those residents who reside on those portions of Little Falls Road, and some adjacent neighbors as well. We must have this petition completed by the end of March.

Question: What about getting approval from Nottingham Elementary School and coordinating our project with their renovation project?

Answer: We don't have to worry about that. County staffers will take care of that. Little Falls Task Force members later met with representatives from the school and the Nottingham PTA to brief them on the Little Falls project; Nottingham shares the goal of improving pedestrian safety near the school. The school and PTA representatives also briefed us on the Nottingham School Project. More Information

We then reviewed the Little Falls Project Scope, to come to agreed-on text for the petition.

The major bone of contention was the width of the medians:

Another issue was that of cutouts. Most Task Force members favored several cutouts, to minimize the inconvenience to residents having to make U-turns to access their driveways.

• One cutout will be provided for Little Falls Church traffic.
• Another will be provided for access to the shops at Williamsburg Traffic Circle. Several Task Force participants were doubtful of this latter measure and suggested continuing the median up to the Williamsburg Traffic Circle, in such a way as to prevent left turns out of the shopping area parking lot. The County Staff concurred that the exit was hazardous, but indicated that the businesses would strongly oppose this measure.
• We also have the possibility of a third cutout somewhere between the Little Falls entry and the Williamsburg Traffic Circle.

The compromise we came up with for the purposes of the neighborhood petition was to include language in the project scope that would allow for flexibility, both in the size of the median and the number of cutouts.

The revised project proposal reflects this compromise.

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