By Tabitha Ricketts

The Arlington Neighborhoods Advisory Committee (ArNAC) advises the Arlington Neighborhoods Program, which allows the neighborhoods of Arlington to leverage Arlington County funding for self-chosen projects to benefit our communities. These projects can be capital improvements such as updates to streets, streetlights, sidewalks, and other pedestrian safety measures. There are also an increasing number of beautification projects, especially to improve the appeal and usefulness of County-owned parks and to add green space where concrete would otherwise prevail.

As a participating member of ArNAC, Lyon Park has actively benefitted from neighborhood projects supported and funded through ANP. The Lyon Park Neighborhood Plan filed with ArNAC lays out Lyon Park’s 10-year plan, describing the neighborhood we want to create and maintain for ourselves and our community.

Between 2000 and 2017 alone, Lyon Park received $2.3m in funding across different neighborhood projects. Each project went through several rounds of design and review within ArNAC and the neighborhood itself, building up points in the ArNAC system based on completeness, breadth of impact, and other factors. Twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, ArNAC votes on projects that are fully designed and ready for execution. The projects that pass vote in the ArNAC funding rounds are put forward to the Arlington County Board for final approval.

In the fall 2016 funding round, Lyon Park was funded for a street improvement project. To improve pedestrian safety on North Highland Street between Arlington Boulevard and 1st Road North, a 4-foot continuous sidewalk was added on the west side of the street, with ADA-compliant ramps at each intersection, and connection to the existing asphalt trail alongside Arlington Boulevard. A 3-foot utility strip was added next to the new sidewalk along with curbs and gutters on both sides of the street. On-street parking was maintained on both sides of the 28-foot-wide street.

In the fall 2020 funding round, sidewalk improvements were approved for the stretch of North Oakland Street from North Pershing Drive to Arlington Boulevard. A new 5-foot sidewalk was constructed along the east side of the street, with a utility (grass) strip located adjacent. Stormwater drainage improvements were added as part of this project as well, including some bioretention areas at two locations within the project limits. The street was narrowed slightly to facilitate these additions but maintained on-street parking on both sides. While not in the Lyon Park neighborhood directly, this project benefits Lyon Park residents through increased pedestrian safety and improved walkability of our interconnected community.

Lyon Park residents also benefit from the recent 11th Street park renovation put forward by the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association ArNAC representatives. This project, approved in the spring 2021 funding round, includes updated gravel walkways to ADA-compliant concrete paths, adding new site furnishings and trees as well as path lighting and signage, and general renovation and improvement of existing lawn areas. The park is now open to the community in its new and improved state – only the installation of new birdhouses is still pending.

Neighborhood associations across Arlington are continuing to identify, propose, and define improvement projects across a range of areas. Many are focused on safety, adding street lights and traffic calming measures to busy areas with a high amount of foot traffic, such as near bus stops and crosswalks beside school pickup zones. Lyon Park has benefited from similar improvements in the past, but I’m sure there’s more to be done – more ways to increase safety for pedestrians and cars alike, to add beauty and function to our streets and paths, and to support neighborhood connectivity and utility. It’s up to us to identify any and all of those ways and to drive the changes we want to see! Let me know what thoughts you have already and keep an eye out for the next newsletter update, where I’ll share the consideration criteria and the next steps to take a project from idea to success..