County Board | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published December 16, 2015 at 10:30AM | Updated December 16, 2015 at 11:04AM

Boards Cooperate on Stratford History — The Arlington County Board voted yesterday to collaborate with the School Board on a historic designation for the Stratford school, cutting the sometimes meddlesome Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board out of the process to save time and money. Said County Board Chair Mary Hynes: “There is perhaps no building in Arlington more worthy of historic designation than Stratford — both for the seminal events that occurred there in 1959 and the unique architecture of the building.” [InsideNova, Arlington County]

Police: Inmate’s Death Due to Natural Causes — A 53-year-old man who died while being held at the Arlington County jail in October died of natural causes, according to Arlington County Police. Detectives determined that Edward Straughn had an “extensive history of medical issues.” He was originally arrested for being drunk in public. Straughn’s death was the second in-custody death for Arlington in 2015. [Arlington County]

Schools

UPDATE: County Board Approves Thomas Jefferson Site for New School

By Jennifer Currier

Published December 15, 2015 at 3:45PM | Updated December 16, 2015 at 10:56AM

Update at 10:45 a.m. — The Thomas Jefferson site has been approved. From Arlington County:

At its Dec. 15 Recessed County Board Meeting, the Arlington County Board voted 5-0 to approve the use of the northwest portion of the Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Community Center site (currently a parking lot) as the site for a new south Arlington elementary school. the Board’s action came in response to the Arlington Public School Board’s request that the site be approved.

News

County Board Set to Hire Independent Auditor

By ARLnow.com

Published December 15, 2015 at 1:55PM | Updated December 15, 2015 at 11:47PM

The Arlington County Board is set to hire its first independent auditor, six months after voting 4-1 to create the position.

At its meeting this afternoon, the Board is expected to approve a contract with an auditor named Jessica Tucker, to serve as Arlington’s Independent County Auditor. If approved, Tucker’s employment will begin Jan. 25.

News

Columbia Pike Church Redevelopment Unanimously Approved

By Jennifer Currier

Published December 14, 2015 at 12:30PM

The Arlington County Board unanimously approved the redevelopment of Arlington Presbyterian Church into an apartment complex with 173 affordable housing units at its meeting on Saturday.

“For over 100 years, Arlington Presbyterian Church has been a place where people of vision, connected with the community, have heard and responded to the needs of our neighbors,” the church said in a release. “As a faith community, APC is committed to creating and nurturing a community of disciples, being a people and place of crossroads for the Columbia Pike neighborhood, and redeveloping their property to provide affordable housing for those in their community.”

News

County Board Approves Carpool Redevelopment

By ARLnow.com

Published December 14, 2015 at 11:15AM

The Arlington County Board on Saturday unanimously approved a site plan amendment for a distinctive new glass-and-metal residential tower, with 330 apartment units, at 4000 Fairfax Drive. It will replace Carpool and its low-rise, 1960s era building.

“Ballston is in the midst of an important transformation that is bringing more housing and retail to the neighborhood along with new public gathering spaces,” County Board Chair Mary Hynes said in a statement. “This redevelopment will add housing within walking distance of two Metro stations, provide important community benefits and help reinvigorate the neighborhood.”

News

Staff Recommends Approval of Pike Church-to-Apartments Project

By ARLnow.com

Published December 10, 2015 at 10:25AM

The Arlington County Board is scheduled to consider a project that would tear down Arlington Presbyterian Church along Columbia Pike and replace it with an affordable housing apartment building.

County staff is recommending approval of the project, which was approved by the church’s congregation in 2013. The church’s regional governing body gave the green light for its sale to the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing earlier this year.

News

Another Land Acquisition Proposed to Expand Banneker Park

By Jennifer Currier

Published December 8, 2015 at 11:00AM

The property at 6616 18th Street N., near the park’s existing playground and adjacent to the W&OD Trail and Four Mile Run, is approximately 8,250 square feet.

The homeowner has already signed an Agreement of Sale with the county at a purchase price of $637,500. The agreement needs approval from the County Board to be finalized.

News

Board to Consider $1 Million Tuckahoe Park Renovation Contract

By Jennifer Currier

Published December 8, 2015 at 10:00AM

Major renovations are coming to the ballfields at Tuckahoe Park.

At its meeting this Saturday, the Arlington County Board is expected to award a $1 million construction contract to Bennett Group of Washington, D.C. for renovations and improvements at the park.

News

VDOT Plans I-395 HOT Lanes as Arlington Endorses I-66 Tolling Plan

By ARLnow.com

Published November 20, 2015 at 6:15PM

The news comes nearly five years after the state scrapped plans to build HOT lanes on I-395, following a legal battle with Arlington County. In a lawsuit, the county argued that HOT lanes, as then planned, would exacerbate pollution from and congestion on I-395, negatively impacting Arlington residents.

Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Lane told the Post that the new plan comes with guaranteed funding for carpooling and transit from private partner Transurban. Construction could start as soon as 2017 and would involve adding a third lanes to the existing HOV lanes while keeping the highway’s overall footprint mostly the same, the Post reports.

News

County Board Struggles Over Antibiotics Resolution

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 19, 2015 at 4:45PM

The primary goal of the resolution is to “establish a tiebreaker preference in County procurement policies for the purchase of meat and poultry that has been raised according to responsible antibiotic use policies.”

The resolution also calls for working with Arlington Public Schools on a similar antibiotic policy, which would — other things being equal — prefer the purchase of responsibly produced meats for school lunch programs.

News

County Board Unanimously Approves Ballston Mall Project

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 18, 2015 at 11:15AM

The Arlington County Board unanimously approved the redevelopment of Ballston Common Mall at its meeting last night.

In its approval of the project — which is now referred to as Ballston Quarter — the Board also entered a Letter of Intent to pursue a public-private partnership with Forest City Enterprises, the company that currently owns and operates the mall and is spearheading the redevelopment effort.

News

County May Face Budget Gap Next Year Despite Expected Tax Revenue Rise

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 17, 2015 at 4:30PM | Updated November 17, 2015 at 5:06PM

The County Board will review these increases — as outlined in the County Manager’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget guidance — at its meeting this Thursday, kicking off the county’s annual budgetary process.

Increases in the real estate assessments for single-family homes, townhouses and condos will provide the county with most of its revenue growth. On average, such assessments are expected to rise 3 percent, causing tax bills for Arlington residents to increase by approximately $175 at current tax rates.