Langston Boulevard Alliance

The Langston Boulevard Alliance is an organization that was founded to advocate for a new vision for the Langston Boulevard Corridor (formerly Lee Highway) in Arlington, VA. In addition to advocating for a more walkable community, we host a major Earth Day festival and manage placemaking project such a murals. Our Guiding Principles are as follows:

Establish a welcoming, vibrant, and attractive corridor of neighborhood places

Design spaces to strengthen and respect existing neighborhoods and create improved identities through a series of distinctive mixed use activity centers. Welcoming gateways and way-finding/signage will enhance the sense of arrival and promote easy navigation of the corridor. Improve landscaping, the tree canopy (shaded sidewalks), lighting, and underground utilities.​​

Enhance character through open spaces and gathering places

Increase and improve parks, plazas, and other open spaces; add amenities such as public art, seating, special paving, water features, and landscaping to encourage community interaction.

Encourage economic vitality and sustainability

Identify the corridor as an innovative place to establish businesses with a streamlined approvals process; maintain existing and attract new community serving businesses, small and large; encourage local business incubators; engage commercial and institutional partners to create destination environments with mixed uses that build market identity and energize the economy.​

Promote environmental sustainability and conservation

Transform the corridor into a ‘green main street’ - encourage innovative methods of environmental conservation.

Maintenance and promotion

Develop an on-going institutional framework to maintain and promote the Langston corridor, including a public private partnership community partnership to continue the dialogue and realize the vision.

Provide complete streets that are safe for everyone: walking, biking, riding, and driving

Design and operate the corridor to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists of all ages; widen sidewalks and make it easier to cross the highway and connect to neighborhoods; encourage safe bicycling through facilities and continuous lanes (where possible the length of the corridor) and links to neighborhoods; enhance transportation services; provide sufficient on-street and off-street parking.​

Develop a low to medium density mixed use character

Plan for vibrant, attractive mixed use activity centers (within existing commercial areas) with generally low/medium building heights tapering to adjacent neighborhoods; encourage creative architecture that contributes to the distinctive identities and market flexibility.

Encourage and support historic preservation

Retain the depth of character. Identify and support preservation of historic resources that increases public understanding and appreciation for the corridor’s architectural and cultural history. Respect Arlington’s past.

Encourage a range of housing choices and staying in place

Maintain stable residential; encourage a range of new housing options that are affordable serving all ages to meet the housing needs of families, students, and older adults who wish to stay in place throughout life; encourage living closer to transit, jobs, shopping, services, and universities.