Recreation & Parks Advisory Board

Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks Meeting Agenda Wednesday, March 2, 2022  7:00 P.M. DRAFT MINUTES Virtual Meeting: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup- join/19%3ameeting_NTIyZGVmZDYtNGQ3Zi00NWMxLWE2OGMtNmY0ZmE5ZmYyYmZj%40thread.v2/0?cont ext=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2273ba5b04-4ace-4ae3-a6b2- 65cbc403418b%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2288dcaad5-f9e7-4ed3-b8c9-1d3cd1ec8369%22%7d NOTICE: This virtual meeting of the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks was held pursuant to and in compliance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Section 2.2-3708.2 and state and local legislation adopted to allow for continued government operation during the COVID-19 declared emergency. All participating members of the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks were present at this meeting through electronic means. All members of the public may view this video of this meeting on the City’s website at Recreation and Parks Advisory Board Meeting (Virtual Meeting) (granicus.com) 1) Call to Order  Charley O’Hara called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. Members present were Charley O’Hara, Chair, Leslie Rye, Vice Chair, School Board member Kathleen Tysse, Liz Weatherly, Jenna Schroeder and City Council Liaison Caroline Lian. Student Representatives Nate Kusic and Thomas Downs were also present. Staff members present were Danny Schlitt, Director Recreation & Parks, and Jessica Hilgendorf, Senior Administrative Assistant Recreation & Parks. 2) Receipt of Public Petitions and Board Member Petitions  No Public Petitions or Board Member Petitions 3) Minutes for Approval: December 1, 2021  Correction to minutes submitted via email.  Motion to approve with submitted corrections by Liz Weatherly, seconded by Leslie Rye  Approved 4-0 4) Recreation Directors Report  Transition to LED lighting throughout the entire Community Center underway. All Community Center lights to be transitioned except for the gymnasium lights.  Larger CIP project included in upcoming CIP through ARPA funding will replace the HVAC units and remove the drop ceiling in the gymnasium. Gym lights will then be transition to LED. This is included in the CIP as a Public Works project but will have an impact on Recreation and Parks. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To request a reasonable accommodation for any type of disability, call 703-248-5027 (TTY711).   Jennifer Brady hired as the new Farmers Market Manager. Two-month transition with the current Farmers Mark Manager, Howard Herman.  Estevan Vega hired as a maintenance worker.  Actively recruiting for the Recreation Specialist and Program Supervisor for Youth and Adult Sports positions. Ryan Amato has left the City. Jimmy Ruby will transition from Youth and Adult Sports to Camps and Teen Programing.  Upcoming recruitment for administrative staff planned.  Largest first day of City and first day of non-City registration with over half a million dollars in registration.  Submitted Operating and CIP budgets.  FY23 CIP features ongoing pathway repair and replacement projects under Master Park Plan Implementation funds and a million dollars through Public works for the work on the gymnasium and HVAC units.  FY24 Berman Park playground replacement partially funded by voluntary concessions.  FY25 sport court light replacement, Cherry Hill Park tennis court and basketball court light replacement.  FY26 Cavalier Trail Park and Crossman Park play equipment.  Roberts Park improvements further down the road.  Liz Weatherly inquired into how the CIP is ensuring the Community Center can support the population growth of the City over the coming years.  Danny Schlitt responded that the new high school has accommodated Recreation and Parks programing through field and facility use. Eventually a discussion will need to take place regarding the next phase of the Community Center  Upcoming Special Events include:  Mayors’ Fitness Challenge – participating jurisdictions include the City of Falls Church, Town of Vienna and City of Fairfax  Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 16  Memorial Day Parade and Festival on Monday, May 30  Tinner Hill Music Festival  Concerts in the Park  Closed-door session to be held during the April meeting to select the Grand Marshall of the Memorial Day Parade. 5) New Business A) One City Center presentation and discussion  One City Center project is a development proposal for a mixed-used project at the southwest corner of Broad and Washington Streets. The following are members of the team who attended and/or  presented at the meeting: Adam Schulman of Atlantic Realty, the developer of Once City Center; Andrew Painter of Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh PC, Attorney for Atlantic Realty.; Andrew Kevin Tankersley, Urban LTD and Thomas Dinneny, DCS Design.  Andrew Painter presented a general overview of the One City Center project. Thomas Dinneny gave an overview of the architectural elements on the project. One of the focuses was a discussion of the planned public park. The park to be created from the then thousand square foot triangular parking lot where West Annandale Road bisects S. Maple Avenue. The developed has committed in voluntary concessions to maintain the park for a 5 years. The amount needed to maintain the proposed park for 5 years would be included in the voluntary concessions. This amount has not been calculated as the park features and amenities have not been finalized. Andrew Painter also noted voluntary concessions of $250 per unit for Recreation and Parks.  Leslie Rye commented that this item is on the Planning Commission agenda this evening and is being discussed without input from Recreation and Parks.  Leslie Rye questioned if park becomes the responsibility for the City to maintain with maintenance costs going into the City budget after the 5-year maintenance by the developer.  Andrew Painter responded that future funds for maintenance would presumably come out of the general funds realized through the increase in property taxes from the project.  Leslie Rye inquired if the proposed park counted as open space for the project.  Andrew Painter confirmed the park does count as open space as far as project approval is concerned.  Liz Weatherly requested clarification on maintenance responsibility of the planter boxes surrounding the building.  Andrew Painter responded that through voluntary concessions, the developer has agreed to be responsible for the maintenance of the streetscape and all planter beds for the life of the project.  Caroline Lian requested clarification on the intent to have public art in the proposed park.  Andrew Painter responded that potential locations for art are shown in the presentation with an art feature represented by a purple cylinder.  Caroline Lian directed a question to Danny Schlitt, Director Recreation and Parks regarding design guidelines for public art featured in recreational space.  Response from Danny Schlitt that there are no current guidelines in place.  Caroline Lian questioned Andrew Painter on the extent of Recreation and Parks to provide input on the landscape design in the park. Elaborated that from the current rendering it is hard to see the smaller details – is the park designed for inclusion? Are there plenty of shaded spaces? Places to sit? How do we accommodate the high volume traffic this mixed-use space is intending to attract? At what point do we see this level of detail?  Andrew Painter responded that this would be visible at the time of the site plan. The project is still in the conceptual phase at this stage.  Charley O’Hara responded to an earlier question posed by Caroline Lian. As far as he is aware, there has been no project where the developer has offered to dedicate property to the City as part of their plan. There are pocket parks that were not designated or dedicated to the City but have been provided for their use. There is a planned public open space at the Insight development but is not being dedicated to the City so there is no ongoing maintenance responsibilities for the City.  Charley O’Hara requested to separate the voluntary concessions to Library from those to Recreation and Parks.  Andrew Painter responded that the voluntary concessions have been separated in the most recent submission.  Charley O’Hara requested an explanation of accommodations made or planned for the pets of the residents of the 246 proposed units. Is there a green roof with rooftop access for dogs or a location for people with dogs to go? The downtown location does not provide much greenspace. What accommodate are developers making for dog owners?  Andrew Painter responded that provisions have been made for residents with dogs. Plans include dog washing stations and a dog play area on one of the terraces.  Charley O’Hara requested clarification on where these amenities are featured within the residential project. Is there anything in the plan right now that shows these amenities or a commitment to these amenities?  Thomas Dinneny responded that there is a commitment to these amenities. There are several locations considered but no specific location chosen. Andrew Painter commented that locations under consideration are the residential courtyard and roof.  Charley O’Hara inquired into parking plans for the tenants in the existing George Mason Square and 157 S. Washington during construction as the existing parking is to be removed.  Andrew Painter responded that developers have committed to an interim and permanent parking plan. The first phase will remove the Matt’s Tailoring building and Burke & Herbert Bank (formerly BB&T Bank) and construct a new 175 space surfaced lot for tenants. This will accommodate all tenants. Once the parking lot is constructed, the existing garage will come down and new garage constructed. After the garage is completed, the building will be constructed on the site of the temporary parking lot. The new building will eventually surround the parking garage. The parking garage will provide residential parking on the upper levels, commercial and retail parking on lower levels, and a minimum of 30 free public parking spaces provided to the City free of charge. These parking spaces will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no cost to the City. There is a construction and demolition plan and construction worker parking plan. Parking will be available on the side of the existing property on the side or off-site parking arranged.  Charley O’Hara questioned if the plan is to create the park as a separate parcel subject to being able to convey it to the City if so desired.  Andrew Painter confirmed that prior to the conveyance it would need to be subdivided into its own parcel.  Danny Schlitt explained that Akida Rouzi of the Planning Department has agreed to accept comments from the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks provided receipt by Thursday, March 3. These comments will be included in a future meeting. Additional comment that the City will be holding a meeting with the developers next week to discuss the park.  Danny Schlitt questioned if the Board would like to put together a comment to be submitted.  Leslie Rye proposed submitting comment that the Board remain involved in the continued evaluation of the park design. Concern raised over turning the park over to the City under the assumption that taxes generated from the project will pay for the park maintenance.  Danny Schlitt commented that members of the board should make recommendations on the development of the project during the conceptual phase. Initial discussions with staff regarding the development envision the park as a community gathering space and area that will allow for outdoor programing.  Jenna Schroeder commented that it would be helpful to see maintenance costs of similar park. This would help understand the fiscal impact of the park compared to the incentives and revenue from the construction of One City Center.  Caroline Lian suggested bringing ideas from staff back to the Board for review during the April meeting. Suggestion to think from a reusability standpoint. Suggestion to think about guidelines we would like to put in place for public spaces that provide recreational space.  Jenna Schroeder commented that we do not have a procedure for a new park begin given to us. Commented on this is an opportunity to determine how to evaluate and create guidelines to use in the future.  Charley O’Hara commented that this is not unusual in developments. In his opinion if property is offered it should not be turned down. Comment on negotiating how long the developer will maintain the property. Include in the development plan that at the end of the developers maintenance period all aspects of the park must be brought up to the standard of when the park was first developed. The City will not have more land for parks.  Charley O’Hara recommended submitting a comment to Akida Rouzi that includes stressing the need for amenities for resident’s dogs. Comment should include an active dog run or dog park for their residents included in the development plan. Without this feature, resident’s dogs will use the park across the street. B) Request from CACT regarding prioritization of Bike routes in the City - Bicycle Infrastructure in the City of Falls Church  Andrew Olesen with the CACT joined the meeting to provide an overview of the letter submitted which requests the prioritization of bike routes in the City.  Andrew Olesen would like the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks to consider signing on to the letter or to include emphasis points that apply to Recreation and Parks.  Leslie Rye requested a copy of the letter.  Jenna Schroeder is in favor of supporting the CACT’s prioritization of Bike routes in the City. Is unsure if showing support by signing off on the CACT letter or drafting something from Recreation and Parks is the best way forward.  Danny Schlitt commented that we could find something in Parks for People, Parks, Open Space, and Recreation Chapter of the City’s Comprehensive Plan that would tie into this and the desire to have connectivity from our parks to different parts of the City. If the Board is interested something could be written that ties our already stated goals to this movement.  Caroline Lian suggests the Board be vocal to ensure the City administrator is aware of what is important to help with prioritization of items in the 2 year work plan and next year’s budget.   Danny Schlitt comments that staff will work on incorporating concepts from Parks for People into Bicycles Infrastructure in the City of Falls Church. The item will be brought back during the April meeting for Board members to vote on. 6) Old Business A) Ongoing updates to the Fellows Property Master Plan Draft  Danny Schlitt explained the steps forward include updating the Fellows Property Master Plan with a revised plan ready for the April meeting. A timeline will then be developed with the hope of being submitted other boards and commissions and then to Council by end of summer. Discuss in the April meeting if an anchor for the project is needed. If so, what will it be?  Charley O’Hara commented that we have heard from a number of people in the immediate neighborhood but may not have heard from the wider community. In agreement to keep the area natural but find a way to put the area to greater use. Natural play area can be included to give children access to a play area while maintaining the natural elements of the park.  Charley reported based on conversations between Recreation and Parks and Public Works, the storm water pipe is not needed if the land is not being developed for homes. The pipe can be removed and the land reforested. This could be a location for a natural play area.  Jenna Schroeder questioned if the property was purchased for a potential future expansion of Oak Street Elementary. While in favor of reforestation, would like to consider the cost of installing storm water infrastructure if the school needs the property.  Charley O’Hara responded that the school would likely need a vault for their storm water needs. The cost of removing the existing pipe is not extravagant.  Danny Schlitt commented that the final decision on whether or not remove the pipe could be discussed during the park design.  Caroline Lian mentioned that any construction planned for Fellows is in the out years of the CIP. No investment wasted by focusing on designing a park usable to the community. Need to balance the fact that we are spending tax dollars on mechanisms that people can use. Park needs to be usable for the people balanced with the needs of animals.  Danny Schlitt will speak with school administrators to determine their possible use for the park. Further comment that the more usable the park, the less likely it will be for future groups to take over the land for other use.  Liz Weatherly suggests looking at the Columbia Baptist preschool natural play area.  Suggestion to think about ways to bring urban agriculture into the park. B) Student Representative Report  Thomas Downs explained the survey purpose is to garner feedback from middle and high school students on programs offered by Recreation and Parks. Student representatives are looking for feedback from the Board on questions included, suggestions of questions to add or remove. FCCPS administrators will send the online survey to students through Schoology.  Liz Weatherly suggests considering including check boxes for some of the easier questions and leaving some questions as freeform, short response as it may increase responses.   Kathleen Tysse questioned if there would be a deadline for responses.  Thomas Downs responded that survey responses slow as the item moves lower on Schoology notifications, there is not a specific end date.  Jenna Schroeder suggested asking direct questions.  Danny Schlitt offered to have the survey featured in the Recreation and Parks monthly newsletter.  Caroline Lian recommends reaching out Mrs. Hollinger to fill out and support the survey as her Schoology posts are popular.  Student representatives anticipate the survey going live on March 7. 7) Adjournment  Leslie Rye motioned to adjourn. Jenna Schroeder seconded.  Motion Approved 5-0 Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks Staff liaison: Jessica Hilgendorf, 703-248-5027 (TTY711), jhilgendorf@fallschurchva.gov Instructions for joining a Microsoft Teams meeting: Click here to watch a video with instructions for joining a Teams meeting Join a Teams meeting on a phone or tablet 1. Click the meeting link provided. 2. Download the Teams app for your device when prompted:  Type in your name.  Choose the audio and video settings you want. 3. Select Join now. 4. Depending on meeting settings, you'll get in right away, or go to a lobby where someone in the meeting can admit you. Join a Teams meeting on the web or through a web browser on a phone or tablet Don't have the Teams app? You can still join a Teams meeting. 1. Click or copy and paste the meeting link provided. 2. You have two choices:  Download the Windows app: Download the Teams app.  Join on the web instead: Join a Teams meeting on the web. 3. 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