The County Board is considering a new 104-page document on further integrating transportation planning into development in Arlington.
The Board on Nov. 14 is expected to set a Dec. 12 public hearing to consider the new Multimodal Transportation Plan. If adopted, the document will be incorporated into the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
It will be the first major revision of transportation-planning documents since 2007. Since the last revision in 2007, the county’s transportation landscape “has changed significantly,” staff said in a memo to Board members.
“At the same time, the county’s priorities have evolved,” the staff report says. “[The new plan] will guide future transportation investments and ensure Arlington remains a place where people want to live, businesses choose to locate and visitors come to enjoy.”
While the action planned for the Board meeting on Saturday only involves advertising future public hearings, Board members will take public testimony about it at the Nov. 14 meeting. Before the proposal goes to the County Board on Dec. 12, it will also be heard by the Planning Commission earlier in the month.
Adoption of the plan would have no immediate financial impact on the county, but meeting new requirements could have future financial ramifications for both the county government and developers.
Also at their Nov. 14 meeting, Board members are expected to:
- Vote on potential changes to towing rates and regulations, which will be preceded by a public hearing
- Hear from County Manager Mark Schwartz on the fiscal impacts of labor agreements
- Start the process to adopt regulations for the sale of recreational cannabis, which takes effect in Virginia next July
- Sign a memorandum of understanding for a pilot program for the collection and recycling of unneeded textiles in the county
- Accept $2.85 million in state and federal transportation funding for the S. George Mason Drive multimodal project
- Increase from $46 million to $53.5 million the county’s request for state funding for three projects submitted as part of the “Smart Scale” funding pool’s latest round
- Adopt the Board’s preliminary 2027 meeting schedule
At the Nov. 17 recessed meeting, Board members will vote on adopting the county’s legislative package for the 2027 General Assembly session.
A public hearing on the legislative package was held last month. No additional testimony will be held on Nov. 17.
Photo via Arlington County/Flickr
