Columbia Pike Revitalization

The County's Columbia Pike Initiative hopes to establish the overall vision for the area and to provide a development framework to guide public and private investment in the physical revitalization of the area. The intent of the plan is to revisit a form of development that brings Columbia Pike back to a more traditional “Main Street” environment. The end result being an improved, enhanced, and walkable “Main Street” for Arlington County through preservation, revitalization, and new development where people can live, work, and play. The plan includes an existing conditions analysis; concept plans; recommendations on land use, zoning, urban design, historic preservation, parks and recreation, housing, transportation, and economic development; and an action plan (2002).

Current Status

On January 29, 2004, The Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization held a luncheon at the Sheraton National Hotel attended by close to 60 people. Representatives from Arlington County included Board Chairperson Barbara Favola, Board Member Chris Zimmerman and AED Director Adam Wasserman. The purpose of the meeting was to provide an update of activities on Columbia Pike and to solicit new membership for membership in CPRO. The Sheraton National Hotel donated both the venue and catering for the event.

Aaron Georgelas of The Georgelas Group presented a preliminary schematic design of the proposed 225-unit residential project, which also contains 40,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. The project, Columbia Station, is located on the block occupied by the Arlington Hardware building. The proposed eight-story project will also incorporate a new home for the Arlington Free Clinic.

Stuart Patz of Patz & Associates discussed the market feasibility analysis that is being prepared at the request of CPRO. The analysis, due to be released in February 2004, will demonstrate the fact that there is a market on Columbia Pike for the appropriately priced and designed product.

Tim Lynch, Executive Director of CPRO, made a short presentation on the Columbia Pike process and of Columbia Pike's Form Based Code. Development which utilizes Form Based Code will allow approval of projects on sites under 40,000 square feet of land in 30 days and of projects on larger sites within 55 days without having to go through the standard 4.1 Site Plan process.

Additional information

• The Columbia Pike Initiative on the Arlington County Government Community Forums page includes
  • Current zoning and general land use maps
  • The Plan: Vision for the project
  • The Plan: Implementation
  • PowerPoint Presentation on the Form Based Code and the process for developing it
• A New Planning Tool - reprint of feature about form-based planning from the June 2003 edition of Urban Land magazine, a publication of the Urban Land Institute.
• Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO).
• CPRO's "Columbia Pike Form Based Code A Primer"