Extra emphasis on road safety, environmental resiliency and facilities upgrades is included in the final draft of Arlington’s latest 10-year Capital Improvement Plan.
The Arlington County Board yesterday (Tuesday) approved a $4.5 billion Fiscal Year 2025-2034 CIP, outlining planned investment in county infrastructure and assets. Changes between the original proposal presented in May and the final draft include:
- Adding $500,000 in funding for speed cameras, sidewalk improvements, and intersection and signal upgrades on S. Carlin Springs Road, with the possibility of providing another $500,000 if need be
- Hiring one full-time employee to support installing and maintaining of solar panels at county facilities, and another employee to support facilities planning efforts
- Altering the funding source for a planned $1.25 million natural gas backup generator at a forthcoming “resiliency hub” at the Lubber Run Community Center
- Allocating $250,000 to study facility improvements to the Madison Community Center
- Allocating $250,000 to study the potential construction of adult changing stations at public facilities
Much of this funding comes from an unallocated $3 million included in the county’s Fiscal Year 2025 operating budget. The new plan comes at the end of a series of work sessions between County Board members and staff, during which Board members also provided guidance on future CIPs.
“The CIP was especially difficult to prepare because we are in difficult times with a lot of risks,” Vice-Chair Takis Karantonis said. “I think balancing the CIP with the values of the community — the asks, the needs, the constant input that we have from so many constituencies — is not an easy task.”
Karantonis said he is particularly invested in planned road improvements.
“If we get Carlin Springs right, we can get a lot of other projects in Arlington right,” he said.
Chair Libby Garvey, meanwhile, noted the significance of shifting the funding source for the natural gas generator from the Climate Action Fund to the CIP.
“People were uncomfortable having the Climate Action Fund pay for natural gas. I understand that,” she said.
Overall, the new CIP is nearly $600 million bigger than the previous 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) passed in 2022. It involves the county taking on more debt, including $174 million in bond referenda for voters to consider in November.
Notable new developments in County Manager Mark Schwartz’s CIP overview in May included:
- Creating a $12.9 million “Situational Awareness Center” for emergency events, allowing “various public safety partners to co-locate in a shared space to monitor, filter, and disseminate key information”
- A $135 million investment into electrifying Arlington’s bus fleet and building up bus infrastructure, plus more funding for solar panels and electric vehicle chargers at public facilities
- Outfitting the Lubber Run Community Center to become a “resiliency hub” during emergency events such as a long-term power outage
- More funding for a forthcoming mental health and rehab facility at 601 S. Carlin Springs Road
- Expanding Arlington’s backup water supply
A substantial chunk of the proposed CIP — $1.9 billion — is for transportation projects, including $304 million for new Metro station entrances in Ballston and Crystal City and $52 million for ongoing roadwork on Columbia Pike. Another $880 million is for the county’s utility fund.
