As several members of the Vienna Town Council reflected on the past year, the issues seemed more localized to individual neighborhoods than to town-wide concerns, they noticed.
"It's been a different set of problems, it seems to me," said Vienna mayor Jane Seeman, comparing 2003 to other years. "More neighborhood problems than town-wide problems."
In 2003, the theme of neighborhood issues played predominantly in several town council agendas and in meetings between the town and its citizens. Issues such as the debate over five individual properties wanting out of the Malcolm Windover Heights Historic District, the concerns over the leaf mulch site near Beulah Road, and the concerns of some local businesses regarding the completion of the Maple Avenue Enhancement are examples of how that theme played out.
"The thematic issue that I saw last year was the tension between individual interests and community interests," said Cole, adding that the town council's role involves balancing between the two. It's "respecting individual interests while considering what's best for the town as a whole," Cole said.
Meanwhile, in 2004, council members remarked that it looked like the town would discuss long-range planning within the town and with its General Assembly delegation, as the town begins to re-evaluate its comprehensive plan while also working to ensure state-level tax reform and environmental amendments benefit Vienna.
"We want to be vigilant...that our issues and our concerns and the citizens' issues and concerns are addressed," Cole said, in reference to a potential high density, mixed-use development at the Vienna Metrorail station.
Vienna saw several major issues arise in 2003: the viability of the Malcolm Windover Heights Historic District, the near demolition, then preservation, of the Moorefield House, the questions over the leaf mulch site near Beulah Road, the election of two new council members, the adoption of the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act amendments, and the continued development, facelifts and renovation of Vienna buildings such as the former Southern States store and the Vienna Presbyterian Church.
Continuing as a key issue for citizens was traffic, especially cut-through traffic during morning and evening rush hours.
"The council has had to look at the traffic effect of the picture, while being sensitive to people's concerns and individual streets," Cole said.
For 2004, issues that will concern the town include the administration of the Chesapeake Bay Amendment so that localities have more control over its application and enforcement, tax reform as well as tax revenue directed to the town vs. the county, the proposed high density, and the mixed-use development near the Vienna Metrorail station.
"A surprise is certain to come up. There are always surprises," Cole said.
Seeman thought major issues of 2004 would include some of the issues Cole had mentioned, as well as town drainage, the beginning of planning and citizen input on the Town Green set to begin construction in 2006, and the initial updating of the town's comprehensive plan, which will be updated in 2005.
"Drainage has just become a huge issue. All the snow that we had, all that rain," Seeman said. "With five feet of moisture, we're just finding out where all the drainage problems are."
Councilwoman Edythe Kelleher added that she hoped for a promising budget year for 2004. She became concerned when the town saw a two percent drop in commercial value due to the vacancy of an office building, but looked forward to a stabilization in commercial values now that the vacancy was found to be the cause of the drop.
"Now that that's done, there shouldn't be a decline in commercial values," Kelleher said.