To the editor: As a long-serving (2013-21) member of the Arlington Planning Commission, I have led many county planning and zoning efforts, including Rosslyn zoning and Pentagon City planning. I know the many long hours and hard work that are required, efforts that have made this county so inviting.
For County Board, we need someone with the experience, skills and dedication to meet the challenges that lie ahead. Susan Cunningham is that person.
Cunningham understands the fabric of Arlington’s diverse neighborhoods. She has managed planning, for public facilities and sustainability, that will be needed to guide us into our future.
Her knowledge and her connection to the county will be particularly important as proposals come in, and we review and improve the expanded housing options recently put in place by the County Board.
Cunningham believes that we need more diverse housing, but that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t get us there. At this stage, we lack a community vision that will incentivize the private sector to deliver the truly affordable and climate-sensitive homes we will need going forward.
Right now, our goals are unclear; we are more confused and divided than we have ever been. It will be up to the County Board – in consultation with staff, other experts, the Arlington community and its neighborhoods – to define a vision and clarify our goals.
That is the Arlington Way we aspire to. Susan Cunningham is a common-sense leader who can get us there.
Jane Siegel, Arlington
