Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History© 2016 Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Heather Crocetto
The collection is open for research.
There are no restrictions.
Records of the Columbia Heights Civic Association, Collection # RG 311, Arlington Public Library, Center for Local History
Donated by Sara Collins in 2007.
The Columbia Heights Civic Association (CHCA), founded in 1976, was very active in the 1980s and early 1990s. It was resuscitated in 2001 by neighbors who were "committed to pursuing a Neighborhood Conservation Plan to institute positive changes in our area." Columbia Heights is located in South Arlington, bounded on the north by Columbia Pike, on the west by Walter Reed Drive, on the east by S. Rolfe Street and on the south by 16th Street South and property owned by the Army Navy Country Club. In 2004, the CHCA published the Columbia Heights Neighborhood Conservation Plan in cooperation with the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development Department of Arlington County.
Record Group 311 consists of CHCA correspondence and internal documents such as minutes and bylaws, plus related correspondence and documents by local government, businesses, civic organizations, and individuals. The materials are dated 2003-2007 and measure .6 linear feet. Important topics are Safeway supermarket encroachment agreements and the Arlington Village Condominiums budget and covenants (both with copies of legal forms). Also of note are the Form Based Code from the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) and the development of Penrose Square (both with plans and published material).
The material is arranged in 27 folders by subject matter, all in one series. The files were organized and labeled by the CHCA, except for material that was loose at the bottom of the box. This consisted of two groups of material, one dealing with Arlington Town Center and the other with Penrose Square. Folder titles are from the CHCA, except those in brackets [ ], which have been titled by the archivist.
More information on the Columbia Pike area is in RG 126, Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Records . Many other Arlington civic associations have collections throughout the Arlington Community Archives.