The county government is readying for major expansion of Penrose Square, with funding to start flowing in about three years — an effort bringing accolades from several Columbia Pike organizations.
County Manager Mark Schwartz has included $4.27 million in funding for fiscal 2030 in his proposed 10-year capital improvement plan (CIP) set for a final County Board vote in mid-July.
The Arlington County Board says a UFC fight at the White House that featured two of the County’s uniformed police officers “exploited good faith efforts to honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11.”
The two officers, both first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon, escorted a fighter to the Octagon at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, the event President Trump hosted on the White House South Lawn to mark his 80th birthday and the country’s 250th anniversary. They were among the 9/11 first responders invited by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a non-profit established in memory of an FDNY firefighter who died in the attacks.
The former Lee Community Center on Langston Blvd could remain on ice for up to a decade while county officials decide what to do with it.
County Manager Mark Schwartz’s proposed 10-year capital improvement plan (CIP), released in May, calls for waiting until fiscal year 2035 or 2036 before addressing renovations and future programming at the facility. However, both civic leaders and at least one County Board member are hopeful they can shorten that timeline.
Arlington’s proposed 10-year capital improvement plan (CIP) includes no funding for planning or building new library facilities near Columbia Pike, despite the desires of some in the area.
Still, County Manager Mark Schwartz says he and his staff haven’t forgotten residents’ wishes for an expanded or brand new community library.
The incumbent County Board chair and four candidates seeking to oust him each say the county government needs less bureaucracy and more creativity in supporting the business and development communities.
“Our processes are not efficient enough,” Board Chair Matt de Ferranti acknowledged at a June 23 candidate forum sponsored by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
Arlingtonians’ views of the county government performance and overall quality of life have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, a new survey confirms.
While improving from the last resident-satisfaction survey conducted in 2022, overall grades on six key metrics remain down from 2018, according to data presented June 17 to County Board members.
It could now be 2027 before any community task force is empaneled to consider structural changes to county governance.
A timetable put in place last December suggested that a task force could be appointed sometime in the second half of 2026. But getting past a number of procedural steps has taken longer than anticipated, County Board members were told at their June 17 meeting.
After months of buildup, County Board members have rejected a request to provide historic status to portions of a site approved for an affordable housing project.
In a 4-0 vote last night (Wednesday), with one abstention, the County Board paved the way for development partners Melwood and Wesley Housing to move forward with plans for construction of a five-story, 105-unit mixed-use affordable-housing project in place of the former Nelly Custis School.
The County Board has provided a three-year extension to redevelopment plans for a shuttered Days Inn hotel on Arlington Blvd.
In a 5-0 vote last night (Wednesday), County Board members provided more time for the owner — a limited-liability company that has been unable to move forward on redevelopment plans at 2201 Arlington Blvd — to attempt to sell the 2.4-acre parcel with the approved site plan in place.
Arlington Republicans are deciding on whether to take a position on upcoming referendums connected to several controversial topics.
The local party is expected to decide on Monday, June 22 whether to take a public stance on amendments approved by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly.
Despite an increase in annual trash-collection costs, Arlington’s single-family homeowners will end up paying less over the coming year.
Customers will receive a one-time, $30-per-household rebate, County Manager Mark Schwartz said at the June 13 County Board meeting.
County Board members have authorized the submission of three transportation improvement projects worth a combined $46 million for possible state funding.
The three proposals will now vie in the next round of “Smart Scale” funding, with winning projects receiving funding starting in 2029. They concern Arlington Blvd ramps, pedestrian facilities along N. Glebe Road and an intersection with an I-66 off-ramp.
