By Jane Seigel, former Arlington County Planning Commissioner and Aurora Highlands resident

Following Amazon’s selection of Pentagon and Crystal City for their new headquarters in 2018, and prior to the advent of the Pentagon City Sector Plan, three neighborhood civic associations—Aurora Highlands, Arlington Ridge, and Crystal City—came together to create a document that detailed shared values and goals to achieve a better, more livable neighborhood. The resulting Livability 22202 framework, published in 2019 and shared with Arlington County planners, has influenced the County’s approach to the area’s large-scale development. The framework strongly recommended prioritizing public needs including open and green spaces, walkability, tree canopy, housing affordability, and other public goods. All completed in one year, a record for the process.

When the County went out with an RFP for the consultant to help manage the development process, it included the Livability 22202 program in the RFP. The Livability priorities influenced the negotiations with the County and the company and formed the basis of the Plan. More than a year after the authorization of the Plan, the County returned to the Livability 22202 creators to request a new read on citizen priorities. At an October 2023 meeting, the three civic associations met to provide input, consider progress under the plan, and focus on which priorities require additional attention. 

Amazon’s HQ2 in Metropolitan Park, and the follow-on process, are successful examples of the much vaunted and criticized “Arlington Way.” To effectively exert citizen influence with the County, these neighborhoods first created consensus among themselves, articulated in some detail what is desired, developed contacts among stakeholders, and publicly presented their proposals. 

The Action Plan focuses on specific objectives and outcomes outlined to accommodate the expected growth over the next decades. Key priorities and recommended actions are summarized under the following topics:

– Address Housing Affordability

– Provide Essential Services Across the Community 

– Foster Environmental Sustainability 

– Encourage Engagement, Arts and Culture 

– Extend the Multimodal Transportation Network 

The issues and the politics may vary across Arlington, but the Arlington Way requires constructive citizen engagement, consensus building, leadership, and follow-through. The Livability 22202 framework and ongoing update process is a recent example of how civic associations can work together with the County to highlight shared priorities and positively influence planning outcomes.