I’m Audrey Clement, Independent Candidate for Arlington County Board. I’ve spoken with thousands of voters, taxpayers and residents while campaigning for County Board this year. One thing is clear from these conversations; Arlington has nearly run out of public open space to keep pace with our population growth.
We have to go back to the future and do what our parents and grandparents did 50 years ago: Buy land for new regional parks, outdoor recreation and playing fields.
Upon election to the Arlington County Board, I will work with our state legislators, neighboring local governments, developers and planners to acquire land and property inside the beltway to be used for multijurisdictional public open space as well as for sports and outdoor recreation.
This would supplement the ongoing acquisition of small parcels of land in Arlington to expand our parks, as opportunities arise.
Relying solely on park and recreation land acquisition within the County isn’t meeting our needs today and surely won’t meet the needs of the burgeoning population for which the county must plan. Clearly, we can’t go on packing more people and vehicles into residential communities where neighborhood parks are overwhelmed by the heavy traffic and use of a growing population.
We need 21st-century solutions to resolve problems resulting from decades of inadequate planning (or no planning). Please help me by voting for Audrey Clement on November 3rd. For details, visit my website—audreyclement.com—to review my platform and agenda to keep our community a sustainable and enjoyable place to live, work and play.