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by ARLnow.com February 13, 2012 at 8:45 am 3,020 23 Comments

Ballston Parking Garage Rate Hike Approved — On Saturday the Arlington County Board approved a proposed increase in parking rates at the Ballston Public Parking Garage. The parking rate hike, the first at the garage since 1996, will have the biggest impact on those who park on weekends, who were previously paying a $1 flat rate. The county said the increase was necessary to pay for repairs and upgrades to the garage. Also discussed: the effect of Arlington’s living wage requirement on personnel costs at the garage. [Arlington County]

New Streetlights Green-Lit for the Pike — Also on Saturday, the Board approved a $1.2 million contract to install new LED streetlights along part of Columbia Pike. County officials said the new streetlights will improve safety, energy efficiency and aesthetics along one of the busiest pedestrian sections of the Pike. [Arlington County]

‘Pipestem’ Compromise Reached — A developer and neighbors in the Leeway Overlee neighborhood reached a compromise on the developer’s controversial plan to build a new home on a “pipestem” lot on N. Nottingham Street. As part of the compromise, the house — located behind another home and connected to the street by only a thin strip of driveway — will be smaller than originally proposed and will include a detached garage. [Washington Post]

Home Prices Up in Arlington — Fewer homes were sold in January compared to a year ago, but the fact that there were fewer homes on the market helped to raise average and median sale prices by nearly 10 percent. The increase in home prices was led by double-digit increases in townhouse and condo prices. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by Damiec

Brian K.

Can’t they fully automate the garage? Look at IAD and what MWAA did … most people fully pay in the terminal before leaving.

Why not do that at Ballston garage … and cut personnel cuts dramatically? Yes, high initial cost but then with this high wage garage workers make, better in the long run,
- Southeast Jerome
  
  Unions?
TG30A

Screw the living wage. Pay market rate for workers and use technology where possible. Taxpayers don’t exist to give someone a jobby job.
BreakPause02

Raising the parking fees (on the weekends!) will provide even more reasons /not/ to go to the Ballston mall.
- Tabs
  
  That place makes me claustrophobic.
- Burger
  
  Just a hunch but I would bet the weekend rate increase is due to several things.
  
  1) people parking there to take the Metro downtown, and
  2) people parking there to go out to the bars in area.
Grandstander

> New Streetlights Green-Lit for the Pike

I see what you did there…
- G Clifford Prout
  
  What? Verbed words?
  
  New Streetlights Green-Lighted for the Pike
  New Streetlights Given the Green Light
  
  I’m so confused.
Lee-n-Glebe

Anyone know if the ice rink level of the parking garage was closed for part of yesterday or whether the entrance gate was malfunctioning? It It was inaccessible for the 2:30 PM public skate, but there were cars parked up there from earlier in the day.
FunnyMunny

Driving on Lee Hwy this morning I saw that they’re knocking down the Overlee Pool clubhouse, great old Victorian house. I know a new one is coming to replace it, but gee whiz that always was a pretty sight.
- South Awwwlington
  
  I had to just LOL at this. In a county where 1940’s Garden Apartments (some are great examples, others not so much), I can’t believe they would allow something like this to go by the wayside. Granted, I am not familiar with the property, but something seems wrong here.
  
  I suppose in the near future Check Cashing and Pre-Paid Mobile stores on the Pike will be deemed historic.
  
  Ugh.
  - Fully ENGAGE Brain
    
    Should have been: I had to just LOL at this. In a county where 1940′s Garden Apartments (some are great examples, others not so much) are considered historic,…
    - James in EFC
      
      Indeed – I’m a nearby resident and enjoyed the look of that clubhouse on an otherwise quite ugly Lee Highway (for the most part).
      
      This may give you a little more background:
      http://www.arlnow.com/2011/02/10/clubs-renovation-plan-includes-tearing-down-1890s-house/
- Burger
  
  Gee whiz, a private assn decided it wasn’t that pretty or functional.
  
  I never understood this silly need to keep everything old by my people. Just because it is old doesn’t mean it is worth perserving. The Peck Car sign is one instance. it looks stupid on that building in Ballston.
  
  Should some things be preserved – sure. But crappy 1950’s motiffs are not one of those.
Rick

It’s funny that the parking staff at Ballston gets paid more than the rest of the garages around here and they’re just as unfriendly and incompetent. You’d think for 11 or 12 bucks an hour over 7 or 8 they’d act a little nicer.
- Brian
  
  I park there all the time and find the Ballston parking garage attendants are THE nicest people I deal with in the service industry, period. Sounds like hyperbole, but it’s not. They’re very sweet people with a thankless, repetitive job.
ArlingtonChick

Did you guys see the first responders on 395 on Sunday morning? Was that for the funeral precession of the first responder who died? It was quite sad whatever it was…
- charlie
  
  that will be on Thursday
  
  http://alexandriava.gov/LODDJWeissman
roquer

No matter WHAT the Co Board does with parking increases, People are STILL going to drive cars here. Retired people, and folks that work for a living are NOT into bike riding to work, or around the county. How about this concept, STOP demanding more money, STOP raising the housing assessments, and instead of spending money on frivolous trivia, lower the tax rate and stop property tax on cars.
- drax
  
  Nobody wants to stop ALL cars, dude. Those who can get off the road (and many want to), will, leaving room for the rest. Easy concept.
Waycroft Woodlawn

I just have to complain about the ridiculous use of salt this weekend in my neighborhood. I live on a small street. When it really snows we are among the last to get plowed. But for a mere flurry a truck came through our neighborhood spraying what must have been tons of salt. And I do mean spraying. There was salt all over my car, on the roof of my car, and 15 feet up on to lawns and driveways all around the neighborhood. First what on earth did they think they were doing salting AT ALL. Second, how could they have spread so much salt, so widely.

The salt they use is toxic. It’s not mere table salt. It burns the paws of pets, it is terrible for the grass, it destroys roads and sidewalks, and it all runs into the Bay. Shame on Arlington for wasting time, money, salt, and harming our environment in the process.
- Barcroft Bonzi
  
  Sweep it up, put it into a bag, and save it for the next time when they don’t come treat your street.
  
  This mess was all over the area. Clearly they are way under budget on snow removal this year.
Brian

My friends and family would come to visit me on the weekends and I’d direct them to park at the mall. It would cost them at most $3. I realize that’s super cheap, but now it will cost them $21. That’s an insane increase!!! Can’t they do something to phase it in? Parking in Ballston has been getting ridiculous for a while, now we’re going over the edge. This isn’t downtown DC, it’s Arlington…

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