top of page

Welcome to the Donaldson Run Civic Association web site!

This site has been created to provide information about DRCA to our neighbors.  Located in Arlington, Virginia, the boundaries of the Donaldson Run Neighborhood can be seen on this map. 

DRCA is an active civic association that is administered by elected volunteers.  DRCA is not affiliated with any political or religious organizations. Our goals are to:

  • Promote information sharing about issues affecting the neighborhood

  • Provide leadership and advocacy about neighborhood interests

  • Preserve and enhance the assets of the neighborhood

  • Promote a sense of community

Membership:  If you live in the neighborhood, you can become a member of DRCA by paying dues which are $15 annually.  Additional information regarding membership can be found here.

DRCA Email List:

  If you live in the neighborhood, and especially if you are new to the neighborhood, sign up for DRCA's Email List at drca-group+subscribe@groups.io

The DRCA Ice Cream Social is now scheduled for Saturday, June 3 at Taylor School. Click here for details.

The Cherrydale Farmers Market located at Dorothy

Hamm Middle School is now open for the season.  Hours of the market are Saturdays from 8-noon.  See details

here.

_________________________________________________

NEWS- December 22, 2022

Donaldson Run Holiday Decorating Contest Winners have been announced and they are:

Best Inflatable Display:  2611 N Upland St

Best Lights: 4141 N 26th St

Best Doorway: 2527 N Upland St

Best “Griswold” (most humorous): 2541 N Vermont Street

Best Traditional: 3134 N Thomas Street

Best Block/Cul-de-sac/Intersection or Street: N Utah St cul de sac by trailhead

Best Tree: 2251 N Vernon St

Judges’ Choice: 4112 N 26th Rd

Thanks for all who participated!

NEWS-October 1, 2022

Read DRCA's letter to the County Board regarding the County's draft Forestry and Natural Resources Plan here.

NEWS-May 23, 2022

Read DRCA's letter to the County Board regarding Spout Run stormwater mitigation here.

___________________________________________

President's Letter

Bill Richardson (bill@drca.org)

February 2023

We are delighted to have Arlington County Board Chairman Christian Dorsey as our principal speaker at the next DRCA membership meeting on March 1, which will be held as usual at Taylor Elementary School, at 7:30 p.m., with a social half-hour beginning at 7:00.  We hope you can make a special effort to attend to alert Christian to the issues of particular interest to the DRCA neighborhood.  Staff from the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust have also asked to make a brief presentation about their conservation easement program, featured most recently on one of the properties in our neighborhood. 

 

We will be devoting a portion of Christian’s time to your questions about the “missing middle” proposal advanced in January for a Board vote at its March meeting.  This proposal would eliminate the requirement for single-family homes in the so-called “R” districts (e.g., R-5, R-6, R-8, and R-10) throughout most of the County.  There are very strong views on both sides of this question, and there are a multiplicity of options on the table, which Charlie Henkin has summarized in an article in this newsletter.  Among the issues addressed by these options are:

 

  • whether to permit up to six units in a multifamily development,

  • how to handle parking obligations for multifamily developers,

  • whether and how to encourage multifamily development closer to Metro or other transit routes,

  • whether and at what level to “cap” the total number of multifamily developments in any given year and whether to sunset that cap,

  • how to address concerns about tree canopy and lot coverage on such developments,

  • whether to require minimum area or maximum floor space for them,

  • whether to couple such developments with accessory dwelling unit options, and

  • what if any design criteria are appropriate for them.  

 

We will also make time so that you may ask Christian about any other issues of interest, including the upcoming budget, Plan Langston Boulevard, the Nelly Custis-Military Road traffic circle, other traffic issues, plans for the mulch pile site, enforcement of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act, Gulf Branch Nature Center, airplane noise (see the article in this newsletter), and the Donaldson Run stream restoration project.

 

Finally, I was glad to have the chance to meet some of you on our trips around the neighborhood in the last couple of months distributing our Neighborhood Conservation survey, prepared by DRCA Board Member Amanda Weaver.  We urge you to complete that survey online or return the completed form to any of the DRCA board members listed on the survey (or to me at 2674 Marcey Road).  It will help us update our Neighborhood Conservation Plan from 2000 to ensure that we can be better informed in telling the County what improvements we would like to see in our area. 

 

I look forward to seeing you on March 1.    

bottom of page