Morning Notes

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by ARLnow.com — March 23, 2012 at 8:55 am 2,243 21 Comments

Low Attendance at Tax Rate Hearing — At a public hearing last night, it only took half an hour for the County Board to hear all the speakers for and against raising Arlington’s real estate tax rate. In the end, those in favor of raising the tax rate to pay for additional government services outnumbered those who wanted less spending. [Sun Gazette]

Frida Kahlo Exhibit Closes Sunday — Arlington’s exclusive and much-publicized exhibit of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s personal photos will come to a close this weekend. Hours have now been extended on Sunday, the last day of the exhibit at Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd). The remaining hours are: Friday 4:00 to 11:00 p.m., Saturday 12:00 to 11:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Zimmerman: Metro Needs More Support — Arlington County Board member and former Metro Board member Chris Zimmerman says Metro needs more funding from governments, especially from the Commonwealth of Virginia and the federal government. Zimmerman also recommends keeping any potential fare increase small and making sure it doesn’t “punish the folks who take the shortest trips.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Crystal City Apartment Building Sold — The 442-unit Buchanan apartment building in Crystal City has changed hands for $175 million. The property was sold by Archstone to Dweck Properties, the same firm that bought the Crystal Plaza Apartments from Archstone last year. [CoStar]

Green Games Saved Some Green — Forget the Hunger Games, Arlington County says its “Green Games” competition was a blockbuster in terms of savings. The sustainability challenge saved $2 million in avoided energy and water costs, the county announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday. [Arlington County]

LP

Frida Kahlo, not “Friday” Kahlo – FYI
- ARLnow.com
  
  Fixed, thank you.
Wayne Kubicki

A quote from Chris Zimmerman’s testimony to the Metro Board: “…a fare increase is simply a reduction in the limited disposable income with which to pay their costs of housing, food, clothing, and medical care…”

Arlington’s repeated tax increases do the same thing – so why doesn’t the same logic apply there?
- Sophia
  
  Point
- Tabs
  
  Not only that, it hurts housing values.
  - CW
    
    Yeah, housing values have gone right down the crapper around here. They can’t give those things away!
- Josh S
  
  It depends on whose point of view. Also, it’s fairly obvious and should be met with a “yes, and?”
- drax
  
  It does. Taxes aren’t that high in Arlington for that reason.
  
  Though a far increase is much more regressive than the property tax, so it’s more of a burden on disposable income.
  - T.G.E.0.A….
    
    Did you miss an I or E?
    - drax
      
      No, I oppose a far increase!
      
      😉
South Awwwlington

I was reading in the Crystal City sector plan that the site on which the Buchanan sits carries a tax incentive for revitalization.

I was a little shocked given the building is fairly good shape and all things considered, one of the nicer buildings in CC.

So my point or question is – on the CC sector they show a redrawn Buchanan Building. Was the thing designed so that half could be demo’d and re-alligned with Jeff Davis while maintaining a portion of the existing building along 23rd Street?

Random question, I know.
Arlington, Northside

The county is not hurting fiscally. There is no reason to raise the rates right now. The only place that we need an increase in spending is the schools, and that is only due to the short sightedness of the County Board, and the School Board in terms of the child population boom.
- jackson
  
  Did you say that at the meeting?
  - JohnB
    
    You can bet that most of the people who complain on ARLnow about the “outrageously high taxes and out of control spending” didn’t bother to show up.
    - Plunkitt of Clarendon Blvd
      
      Those meetings are for show unless you happen to be saying something that one of the board members WANTS TO HEAR.
      
      This comes from twenty years of living here.
    - TLC
      
      +1
      - TLC
        
        (That +1 is to JohnB, to clarify)
      - Plunkitt of Clarendon Blvd
        
        DARN and here I thought it was for me !!!
G Clifford Prout

Instead of a tax increase, why don’t they just push through a higher “proactivity expectation” for our men in blue?
South Awwwlington

Please make sure to read the bio line of Zimmerman’s article on GGW. The accuracy rate may crest 20%.
- Michael Perkins
  
  Yeah, when that was pointed out, we fixed it.

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