Approved - January 2022 Meeting Minutes

- Approved (March 2022) meeting minutes

HCA Meeting January 6, 2022

Zoom meeting attendees: 16

Meeting highlights:

Officers in attendance:

• Tamara Srader, President

• Mark Rogers, Vice President

• Michelle Arsenault, Secretary

a. Call to Order

b. Overview of published agenda

c. Approval of Minutes. No previous minutes to approve.

d. Treasurer’s Report. No report

e. Committee and Other Reports

Mt. Vernon Council Committee meetings

• Transportation Committee (Rep. Jason Zaragoza).

  • Met on Tuesday, January 4. Discussed restriping of Richmond Hwy, and VDOT project to reduce speed limit from 45 to 30.

  • Transportation Cmmte will meet next Monday to talk about improvements to Fort Hunt Rd/Richmond Hwy

• Planning & Zoning Committee (Rep. Ray Novitske). Last meeting discussed a request for a new restaurant on Richmond Hwy, between Greenstreet Garden Center and hotel.

• Environment and Recreation Committee (Rep. Alan Ruof). Met January 5. Cathy Ledec presented and talked about “infill” development, in which developers buy multiple lots and add or ‘infill” additional housing. Ray is going to write to Representative Storck’s office to ask about being on the advisory committee for infill development.

• Alan added that with infill development there is no opportunity for community feedback and developers have leeway to do what they want “by right”.

f. President’s Report. Update from Tamara Srader, President:

• Officers will be meeting in the next couple of weeks to discuss roles, duties, and membership. Her goal is to keep HCA meetings short and concise.

• Sent message to members regarding dues. Beginning this year, it will be $12.00 per year no matter when you join.

• The website has been updated and is still in progress. Seeking help if anyone is interested. Please promote the website as a resource.

• Traffic safety on Huntington: Sent reminder to Storck’s office, and received links from his office to public meetings. Tamara and Jason will share the link with the MVC Transportation Chair.

• Bert added that the HCA should encourage future developers to address safety infrastructure for pedestrians.

• The president will compile a project tracker to track discussions and action items, so we know what is complete and what is still outstanding.

• As we move into Spring and the pandemic winds down, the HCA would like to organize more community events, such as clean-up around the neighborhood, and would like to include the residents from Final Salute (the house at the top of Biscayne).

• Clarified that there will not be any retail on the first floor of the Arden. Tamara will invite representatives from both the Arden and Aventon to the February HCA meeting. Many people discussed the need for retail in our area and will continue to press for that.

g. Area Associations’ Time. No report

h. Invited Guests’ Time. No invited guests. i. Other Elected Representatives’ Time. N/A j. Published Agenda Items and Resolutions

k. HCA Member Time

• Huntington Signage: The President asked if anyone in the group had connections to a graphic designer who could donate a sign. Rose (Representative of the Arden Development) indicated that they would be interested but was looking for suggestions from the neighborhood for sign design. Ray noted that about 2 years ago Huntington engaged with VDOT about putting a sign in the median, and the name of the VDOT contact should be in the email inbox.

• New TexMex Jefes restaurant on Huntington. Not open yet, but Nick Guendel visited 2 months ago, and he noted that they looked nearly ready to open.

• House/Property at top of Biscayne. The house was leased for a year. Unsure what the implications are for the property behind the house (the wooded area). The current property owner has been trying to sell it to a developer, who could potentially build up to 12 condos.

• Metro access easement. Tamara and Jason will contact Mark Viani, the lawyer for the Aventon, to ask about approaching the homeowner near the top of Biscayne about using his driveway as an easement/access to the Metro given that the stairs at the top of Biscayne will be closed for 2 years. Mark R. suggested it might be difficult to get Metro to agree for liability reasons.

• Mt Vernon Town Hall. Saturday February 12 - in person. May be streamed on the local channel.

• Bert’a offered to connect Tamara with the Richmond Highway Board (?), as they are active with the Aventon construction.

• Snow removal. The HCA will send a snapshot of the status of plowing to let Supervisor Storck know that Huntington was one of three neighborhoods that was skipped, and that there was no salting or sanding, and when they did finally plow, it was inadequate given our two steep hills. A member added that VDOT left piles of snow on Huntington that impede pedestrian traffic.

• Ashley Aviles expressed her appreciation to people who shoveled their sidewalks, and the group discussed the kindness and helpfulness of neighbors to help those who cannot shovel.

l. Public (non-HCA member) Time. None.

m. The meeting was adjourned at 8:51 pm EST