An Arlington government advisory body seems generally supportive of advocacy efforts to preserve mature trees along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
But, cognizant of what happened to another advisory panel when it took too aggressive an advocacy stance, members of the Arlington Park and Recreation Commission on Dec. 10 opted to take more time before deciding how to proceed.
Despite ongoing concerns from residents in the surrounding neighborhood, the Melwood redevelopment project near Crystal City appears on track to be green-lighted early in the new year.
“This project is going to be approved. It is going to be approved 5-0 by the County Board in February,” predicted Nicholas Giacobbe, one of several neighbors who voiced concerns about the proposal at a Dec. 19 meeting of the county government’s site-plan review committee evaluating the plan.
County Board members on Saturday (Dec. 14) rebuffed a staff-proposed increase in trespass-towing fees across Arlington, opting to keep the base rate at $135 for passenger vehicles.
At the same time, Board members followed a staff recommendation in rejecting — for now — a “second-signature” requirement before any tows can occur.
Arlington School Board members Thursday night (Dec. 12) voted unanimously to implement a bell-to-bell ban on student use of phones in county schools starting Jan. 6.
“Our schools are places of learning,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said just before the vote, saying his recommendation was “a policy that will protect that instructional space.”
The Arlington Housing Commission is considering whether to study possible ways to revive Missing Middle zoning changes.
The Expanded Housing Option is currently off the books following a circuit court judge’s ruling this summer.
No resolution is in sight for an unfolding conflict between Arlington County’s leadership and its firefighter union.
Last month, IAFF Local 2800 held its second vote of no confidence against Fire Chief David Povlitz, reiterating doubts in his job performance and calling for his removal.
A recent near-tragedy again has returned the spotlight to safety on S. Carlin Springs Road.
“People after the pandemic are driving like crazy,” Arlington County Board member Takis Karantonis said at a meeting last night (Dec. 2) of the Glencarlyn Civic Association. “There is no way to sugar-coat it.”
A majority of the 2,400 owners of single-family homes in Falls Church soon could be allowed to build standalone accessory-dwelling units (ADUs) with far less government oversight.
City Council members on Monday (Nov. 25) formally started the ball rolling on a five-month consideration of allowing ADUs “by right” in neighborhoods zoned R-1A (low-density residential) and R-1B (medium-density residential).
Common ground remains elusive in the proposal to redevelop the Melwood site near Crystal City.
At a Nov. 18 meeting, representatives for Melwood and Wesley Housing said they had come up with changes to reduce impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. The revisions also pay homage to the current building, which began life in 1923 as Nelly Custis Elementary School.
With the deadline for School Board action looming, two major advocacy groups are pressing for a blanket ban on student phone use during the instructional day in Arlington.
The Arlington Education Association (AEA) and Arlington Parents for Education (APE) have sent a joint letter to School Board members and Superintendent Francisco Durán, seeking the more restrictive of two options currently being considered.
Arlington County Board members had hoped to get revisions to the county’s towing ordinance in the rear-view mirror this week.
But it was not to be, as the Board voted 5-0 on Tuesday to defer action until mid-December.
A proposal to restrict access to cellphones at Arlington high schools remains up for debate as a School Board decision deadline approaches.
With the decision date set for Dec. 12, Board members have one major decision left to make related to high schools:
