Our Mission

The Lee Highway Alliance was formed to create a joint community vision for a more economically vibrant, walkable, attractive Lee Highway corridor – one that benefits neighborhoods and the business community. The ultimate goal is the development of a new General Land Use Plan (GLUP)  for Lee  Highway to guide future rezoning and development applications.

Our Work

Small Business Support
LHA strongly supports local businesses along Lee Highway. In 2019, LHA  launched "Shop Local, Shop Lee Highway," a local awareness and social media campaign to encourage shopping, dining, and other activities along the Lee Corridor (follow #ShopLeeHighway on Instagram). Recently, the LHA Board of Directors took a pledge to look to the Lee Corridor before going elsewhere for their everyday needs. LHA encourages our 17 stakeholder neighborhoods to do the same and support our local businesses, some of which are Heritage businesses (operating for 25 years or more).

Advocacy
As Lee Highway undergoes the planning process with Arlington County, LHA works to ensure the community is heard and its vision is realized. In partnership with County planning staff, we host bi-weekly Open Studios to provide the public a chance to voice concerns and ask questions. We also host and/or support community workshops and educational forums to ensure the public is kept up-to-date on Plan Lee Highway.

Community Building
We also support and/or host several events each year to bring the community together including 2019's Oktoberfest at the Marymount Farmers Market and Light the Night at Woodstock Park. In 2020, LHA will be hosting Lee Highway's first Bike to Work Day Pit Stop at the Lyon Village Shopping Center just off Custis Trail. We'll also be hosting our first "Earth Day Every Day" celebration, a multi-day festival featuring tons of family fun!

Placemaking
We strive to create a sense of community through a variety of programs, including supporting public art projects and community events, as well as participating in various working groups to ensure the community's vision is realized in the design of public facilities. In 2019, LHA served as the project manager for a new mural at Lee Highway's busiest intersection and advocated for the improved streetscape and landscaping of Fire Station 8. 

Education
Each year, LHA hosts a variety of public educational forums and strives to keep the community informed and educated on developments along the corridor. This past year, LHA also launched a brand new educational program at Dorothy Hamm Middle School, "Make No Small Plans." This program teaches local 7th grade students how urban planning and civic engagement can meet the needs of citizens. In 2020, LHA launched a series of Placemaking Salons to connect creative people through collaborative conversations and creative presentations.

Guiding Principles

1
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.​​

2
Provide Complete Streets That Are Safe for Everyone: Walking, Biking, Riding, 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.​

3
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.​​​​

4
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.​

5
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.​

6
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.

7
Promote Environmental Sustainability & Conservation

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

9
Maintenance and Promotion  

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

8
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.​