The Planning Commission met on January 11, 2012, to discuss the proposed site plan amendment. Planning Commissioners expressed concern about the project, especially the absence of a Scope of Work and Business Plan for the black box theater. Despite the Commission’s concerns, the Commission voted 9-2 to recommend that the Board adopt the site plan amendment. Please see the Commissions comments to the County Board regarding the project in the Commission’s revised letter.
The County Board approved a site plan amendment for the Arlington Funeral Home site (3901 Fairfax Drive, SP #386) on Saturday, January 21, 2012, by a unanimous vote. The project provides significant community benefits, including a black box theater, an expansive plaza, and a bonus density contribution for improvements to open space. County Staff convened meetings with the Arts community and hired a theater consultant to draft a Scope of Work for the black box theater. While the Scope of Work does provide great deal about how the space is supposed to be designed, it does leave substantial unanswered questions.
First, the payment of operating costs for the black box theater are not addressed within the Scope of Work. County Staff and Arts Commissioners stated that operating expenses would be roughly $250,000 per year. County Board members expressed reluctance about having the County fund yearly operating costs for the facility, especially in lieu of the current budget implications of the Artisphere. Terry Holzheimer, head of Arlington Economic Development, proffered that his office will be developing a business plan within the next six to nine months to address the issue of operating costs for the theater to ensure that it is economically sustainable.
Second, County Staff stated that while there is a Scope of Work for the black box, this plan does not address the complete needs of the theater. The space would need between $500,000 and $1 million to fit out the space for use by end-users. The additional expenses include sound and lighting equipment, completing a catwalk, furniture, and additional needs to ensure groups can use the space for performances. Board Members stated that they saw a viable black box theater as a great community benefit and wanted to ensure that it did not become empty, unused space.
The Board also asked about the bonus density contribution of roughly $1 million for improvements to open space, which is outlined in Condition #89. The condition, as written initially, set aside the bonus density contribution to be utilized for improvements to Quincy Park by 2022. The amended Condition #89 language, which may be found in the Staff Supplemental Report, allows the bonus density contribution to be used to improve other parks in the County outside of Virginia Square.
County Board Members asked the County Manager, Barbara Donnellan, and County Staff about the possibility of using the bonus density contribution to pay for the cost of the additional build out of the black box. Ms. Donnellan and Staff said that the bonus density contribution was set aside for open space improvements and could not be used for improvements to the black box. The County Manager stated that the revision to Condition #89 contained in the Supplemental Report could allow Staff to use the designated open space funds from this project to pay for improvements to other parks, which could potentially free up County funds to pay for the complete fit out of the black box theater. Ms. Donnellan was careful to say that while this change would open this possibility, that there was no guarantee funding would be available for the black box fit out.
If you have additional questions about this site plan or would like to be involved in the consideration of future site plans, please send us an email at info@ballstoncivic.org