More relaxed rules for business signage and lower speed limits on five roads are on the agenda for an upcoming Arlington County Board meeting.
Other items up for consideration at the Saturday meeting include the purchase of two homes to reduce flood risks, funding for an East Falls Church road project and grants to support seniors experiencing cognitive decline.
Following the session and a recessed meeting on Tuesday, the County Board will go into summer break. Meetings will resume in September.
Amended rules for commercial signage: Board members are expected to take action on numerous proposed changes meant to provide for more flexibility in signage on commercial buildings.
The proposal calls for increasing the potential size, number and placement options while removing some existing limitations on signs placed above a height of 40 feet.
Staff describe the alterations as “strategic and narrow in scope.” They are on the Board’s consent agenda, an indication staff does not expect public speakers on the topic.
The changes would serve as amendments to the last major sign-ordinance rewrite, conducted in 2012. Several mostly modest changes have taken place since then.
The proposal is part of the county government’s Commercial Market Resiliency Initiative, set in place in 2022 to address ongoing office-vacancy challenges that the pandemic exacerbated.
More flexible signage rules are “expected to have a positive impact on Arlington County’s ability to retain and attract commercial tenants, lower the commercial office-vacancy rate, aid small businesses and rebound commercial market values,” Jill Hunger and Deborah Albert of the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development said in a memo to Board members.
Proposed changes have received generally favorable feedback from the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the local chapter of NAIOP (an association of commercial-property owners) and the Economic Development Commission, county staff said.
The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to support the staff plan on July 7.
Lower speed limits on five roads: Board members are considering whether to lower speed limits from 30 mph to 25 mph on five stretches of county roadway.
The following roads would be impacted.
- Fairfax Drive from Little Falls Road to Langston Blvd
- Washington Blvd from Kirkwood Road to N. Glebe Road
- S. Carlin Springs Road from Arlington Blvd to the county line
- S. Arlington Mill Drive from S. Walter Reed Drive to Shirlington Road
- S. Four Mile Run Drive from Columbia Pike to Shirlington Road
The Department of Environmental Services conducted engineering studies on each of the streets to determine whether a lower speed limit is likely to result in safety improvements.
VDOT funding to support East Falls Church road project: Board members are expected to accept $1.94 million in Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) funding to support the “Complete Streets” project on N. Sycamore Street between Langston Blvd and 19th Street N. in East Falls Church.
It will be the second VDOT grant in support of the road upgrade, which currently is approaching the 60% design stage.
“The concept design is now undergoing preliminary engineering, coordination and review with relevant partner organizations, such as VDOT and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and other adjacent property owners,” county staff said in a memo to Board members.
The county government is required to provide a 50% match to the state funds.
Properties to be purchased for flooding containment: Board members are also considering whether to purchase two single-family homes, which will be razed to provide flood-mitigation improvements.
County officials have agreed to pay $1,590,150 for a home at 4324 39th Street N., located just west of N. Glebe Road between Walker Chapel to the east and the Fairfax County line to the west. Constructed in 1958, the home occupies a 19,626-square-foot lot and sits at the bottom of a hill.
County officials expect to spend another $400,000 in costs associated with demolishing the home and removing materials, as well as closing costs.
County staff have also agreed to pay $2.1 million for a home at 1601 N. Taylor Street in the Waverly Hills neighborhood.
This structure, constructed in 2014, is located north of I-66, about halfway between N. Quincy Street to the east and N. Glebe Road to the west.
The county expects to spend an additional $200,000 to $400,000 to raze the property, remove the materials and cover ancillary costs.
The purchase prices are in line with recent appraisals, county staff say. The 2025 assessed values of the properties are $1,359,200 for the 39th Street home and $1,643,800 for the Taylor Street property.
Grants to support seniors with cognitive decline: Board members are slated to consider $857,782 in ongoing funds and $100,000 in one-time state funds to support efforts aiding seniors experiencing cognitive decline or serious mental illness.
Funding comes from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and supports the county’s Regional Older Adult Facilities Mental Health Support Team (RAFT) program.
RAFT is a grant-funded program serving individuals 65 and older who have a diagnosis of serious mental illness or dementia and a history of psychiatric hospitalization, or who are at risk of hospitalization.
The program, founded in 2008, supports efforts to reduce the number of clients at state psychiatric hospitals and provides training and resources to individuals and their families.
“The objective of these efforts is to promote individuals living in the least restrictive environment possible, in a location that is close to home and family,” said Jim Baker of the Department of Human Services.
The program has a 98% success rate in preventing rehospitalizations, Baker said in a memo to Board members.
Partnership to advance ‘climate leaders’ initiative: Board members are slated to consider a memorandum of understanding with the nonprofit advocacy group Ceres, formalizing a partnership creating the Arlington Corporate Climate Leaders Program (ACCL).
The program aims to support local businesses in reducing emissions through education, information sharing and recognition programs. It will be offered at no cost to participants.
“This will be the first time that Ceres partners with a local government to influence business climate policy at the local level,” county staff said in a memo to Board members.
Grant to boost accessible-traveler initiative: Board members are slated to consider a $10,000 grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation to fund greater outreach to travelers with disabilities.
The Arlington Convention and Visitors Service would use the funds “to undergo an industry-recognized advocate certification training program, and to partner with accessibility-focused influencers and content creators to expand the existing accessible-travel section of the StayArlington website,” staff said in a memo to Board members.
Grant funding to support young artists: Board members are slated to consider a $60,000 grant to support a two-year effort aimed at teaching young people entrepreneurial skills while unlocking their artistic potential.
The county’s Department of Parks and Recreation was one of 20 agencies nationwide to receive funding through the National Park and Recreation Association as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program.
With the funding, Arlington would launch a teen entrepreneurial-art program — The StARTup Studio — in which teens take part in weekly 90-minute sessions.
Programs would alternate between studio-art sessions and entrepreneurial workshops led by professional artists who have successfully built art-based businesses.
“By the end of the program, each participant will have established a personal brand, created a portfolio of market-ready work and developed a business plan to support their creative venture,” said Kisha Holland of the Department of Parks and Recreation.
A total of 120 youth are expected to take part in the program, which will run at the Arlington Mill, Thomas Jefferson and Gunston community centers.
