Supports growing ART bus fleet
Addresses various facility needs
Lease effective Aug. 1
The Arlington County Board today approved a lease in Nauck for property that will house County vehicles, including some Arlington Transit (ART) buses.The 7-year lease for property at 2631 Shirlington Road, next to the CubeSmart storage lot off Interstate-395, is with NOBE I, LLC and SHCH, LLC.
”I want to thank the community for bringing this site to our attention as a possible vehicle storage option,” said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey. “This lease will help us achieve our goal of no longer using the parking lot adjacent to Jennie Dean Park, and help us meet different facility needs.”
The Board unanimously approved the lease.
The County will pay $720,000 in rent the first year, and another $460,000 to prepare the site, for a total first-year cost of $1.1 million. Construction costs will be funded through a combination of state and regional transit grants and funds.
Meeting various facilities needs
ART’s entire fleet is currently stored in the former LaPorte Property at 3600 South Four Mile Run, adjacent to Jennie Dean Park. Most of those 65 buses will move to the new ART Bus Facility (ART House) at South Eads Street and 32nd Street South that the County is building in Crystal City.
Some 20 ART buses will move to the Shirlington site, along with a bus dispatch trailer and vehicles displaced by the County’s Trades Center Garage Project. The County is adding a third level to the two-story parking garage to accommodate more County vehicles.
Shirlington site in Nauck will need months of preparation
The lease on the Shirlington Road site will be effective Aug. 1, 2016. Site preparation, however, will take several months and will include clearing, fencing, lighting and hooking up at trailer for bus dispatch. The ART fleet will remain at 3600 S. Four Mile Run Drive until the ART House facility is completed.
Background
The County Board recently created a working group to lead a comprehensive planning effort for Four Mile Run Valley, where the Shirlington site is located. The group will work with staff to develop short- and long-term vision, policies, recommendations and implementation strategies that will lead to the adoption of an Area Plan for the valley and a Jennie Dean Park Master Plan, which includes the area containing Jennie Dean Park, Shirlington Park and Shirlington Dog Park.
To read the staff report on this Item, visit the County website. Scroll down to Item No. 19 on the Saturday, May 14, 2016 Regular Board Agenda.