County Board members have set public hearings next month on increasing taxi fares, expanding a Green Valley Park and designating a home as a local historic district.
The Board also set a hearing on possible changes to the county’s residential parking program, adopted a meeting schedule for 2026, approved an office-to-residential conversion project in Courthouse and approved a contract for new pedestrian bridges in two parks.
Here’s a review of notable decisions at the Board’s meeting on Saturday.
Higher taxi fares
County Board members set a Dec. 13 public hearing to consider raising taxi fares for the second time in nearly a decade.
If the staff recommendation is enacted, the initial (“drop”) charge will increase from $3.50 to $4.50, with distance-based charges rising from 40 cents per one-sixth mile to 52 cents per one-fifth mile. Waiting times will also increase.
The net impact on riders, if the increases are enacted, would be:
- The cost of a 5-mile trip would increase 12.9% to $17.50
- The cost of a 10-mile trip would rise 10.9% to $30.50
- The cost of a 25-mile trip would grow 9.5% to $69.50
Any changes would go into effect Jan. 1.
“These adjustments are expected to provide meaningful relief for drivers while keeping Arlington’s rates in line with nearby jurisdictions and more competitive for driver recruitment,” county staff said in a memo to Board members.
County Board members last approved rate increases for the six taxicab firms licensed to operate in the county in 2023. Before that, the last adjustment was in 2016.
County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said county officials look at rates periodically to ensure cab companies could remain viable in a competitive transportation environment.
“We have the responsibility and jurisdiction to adjust them from time to time,” he said.
The increased Arlington rates would be slightly lower than those in Alexandria, where a five-mile trip costs $18, a 10-mile trip $31 and a 25-mile trip $70.
Companies currently authorized to pick up customers in Arlington are Arlington Blue Top Cab, Crown Cab, Friendly Cab, Hess Cab Co., Red Top Cab and Arlington Yellow Cab. A maximum total of 441 taxis, split between the companies, can operate in the county.
Possible changes to residential parking program
Board members set a Dec. 13 hearing on potential changes to the county’s residential parking program.
Staff recommends allowing for the creation of digital or electronic permits, though they acknowledge some concerns about how digital conversion could impact the enforcement of existing or future residential districts.
“I invite everybody who has dealt with the system to give us feedback,” Karantonis said.
Residential-parking zones can be requested by individual blocks of residents, and will be approved if they meet specific county requirements. Vehicles parked without permits on streets within districts can be ticketed.
Office-to-residential conversion approved
Board members unanimously approved zoning changes to convert the nine-story, 270,000-square-foot office building at 1320 N. Courthouse Road to up to 296 residential units with a small amount of remaining commercial space.
The building is more than 90% unoccupied, and removing it from the stock of commercial space will reduce the Courthouse-area office-vacancy rate from 31.1% to 26.6%, Karantonis said.
The redevelopment plan also calls for adding a penthouse and resident-amenity levels on top of the existing building, and adding balconies for some of the new residential units.
The adjacent office building at 1310 N. Courthouse Road, which shares a plaza with the 1320 N. Courthouse building, is not part of the project. A covered loggia currently connecting the two buildings will be removed during construction.
Contracts approved for pedestrian bridges in parks
Board members approved a contract worth up to approximately $1.3 million for replacing pedestrian bridges in two county parks.
Flippo Construction received the contracts for the bridges at Alcova Heights Park (901 S. George Mason Drive) and Rock Spring Park (5012 Little Falls Road). The contract has a base amount of $1.17 million with a 10% contingency.
The current pedestrian bridge at Alcova Heights Park crosses Doctor’s Run Stream, which separates the playground and diamond field from the restroom and basketball court on the 13-acre site.
The project planned for the two-acre Rock Spring Park will include the replacement of three pedestrian bridges that, like the Alcova Heights Park crossing, are deemed beyond reasonable repair.
Work is expected to take about 12 months in each case, county staff said. Five firms bid on the projects, which were combined into a single contract to save money.
Expansion of Jennie Dean Park
Board members set public hearings for changes in the General Land Use Plan to permit further expansion of the 12-acre Jennie Dean Park in the Four Mile Run area.
County officials had purchased several lots around the park, including one owned by Shirlington-based WETA. The zoning changes will permit the spaces to be used for park expansion.
Hearings are set for Dec. 2 at the Planning Commission and Dec. 13 at the County Board.
Proposed historic designation
Board members set public hearings for potentially designating an Arlingwood residential property as a local historic district.
Happinest, as the home is called, is located at 4120 41st Street N. and has a history dating back more than a century. The property owner is seeking inclusion on the county’s list of local historic districts.
The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board previously signaled its support for the designation. Hearings are set for Dec. 2 before the Planning Commission and Dec. 13 before the County Board.
Preliminary 2026 meeting schedule
Board members adopted a preliminary meeting schedule for 2026.
The schedule calls for the Board’s organization meeting to be held on Monday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m., and the first working meeting of the year on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 9:30 a.m.
The meeting schedule continues the tradition of holding meetings on Saturdays, with subsequent meetings generally held on Tuesdays. No meetings will take place in August.
Public hearings on the fiscal year 2027 budget and tax rates will be held on Tuesday and Thursday, March 24 and 26.
Following directives of state law, the final calendar will be adopted at the Board’s organizational meeting in January. That meeting will also include the selection of a chair and vice chair for the year.
There will be no changes in Board membership in 2026, as Takis Karantonis won a new four-year term in the Nov. 4 election and no other Board members were on the ballot.
