County Board | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published June 17, 2015 at 9:15AM

County to Seek Ballston Mall Partnership — Arlington County is moving quickly to try to come up with a public-private partnership for the redevelopment of Ballston Common Mall. County Board members said Tuesday that they believe the redevelopment will bring important economic benefits. “To not reinvest is to watch the death, I think, of Ballston,” said County Board Chair Mary Hynes. [InsideNova, Arlington County]

Crash Near Kenmore Middle School — A five-vehicle crash occurred around 5:30 yesterday evening on S. Carlin Springs Road, just south of Kenmore Middle School. Scanner reports suggest a driver mistook the gas pedal for the brake at an intersection, leading to the multi-vehicle wreck. [Twitter]

News

Cussing Law Fears Are Bullshit, Say Arlington Police

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2015 at 12:15PM

As ARLnow.com previously reported, the County Board on Saturday considered — and approved — an update to its public drunkenness and profanity ordinance.

The update, meant to bring Arlington in line with a Virginia law that’s on the books throughout the Commonwealth, replaced “drunkenness” with “intoxication” so that police could charge someone who’s under the influence of drugs, rather than just alcohol. It also made the crime a Class 4 misdemeanor, upping the maximum fine for the first and second offense from $100 to $250, but reducing the maximum fine for each subsequent offense to $250 from $500.

News

County Board to Hold Public Meetings on New Plan for Rosslyn

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 15, 2015 at 6:30PM

The map of the the Rosslyn Coordinated Redevelopment District

The County Board is considering adopting the Rosslyn Sector Plan, but first it is seeking out residents’ opinions.

The Rosslyn Sector Plan is the county’s long-term goal for the neighborhood, including a new Metro entrance, updated parks and a new pedestrian bridge. The County Board authorized two public hearings — one before the Planning Commission on July 6 and the other before the County Board meeting on July 18 — for residents to speak and ask about the new plan.

News

Group Protests Sale of Reevesland Farmhouse

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 15, 2015 at 11:45AM

A group of Arlington residents held signs and sang before a County Board meeting to protest the decision to sell Reevesland farmhouse.

The residents were unhappy with the Board’s decision as well as what they described as a lack of transparency surrounding the hastily-called vote to sell.

News

Debate Over Lighting Williamsburg Synthetic Fields Resurfaces

By Mariah Joyce

Published June 15, 2015 at 10:30AM | Updated November 16, 2016 at 1:34PM

The debate over lighting the fields at Williamsburg Middle School is making a comeback.

At its meeting ~~tomorrow (Tuesday)~~ in July, the County Board will charge a working group with leading a community process to evaluate whether or not to light the Williamsburg synthetic fields.

News

Residents to Make Noise at Board Meeting Over Bracket Room Entertainment Permit

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 12, 2015 at 1:00PM

The sports bar applied for a live entertainment permit to have up to two acoustic music players in the bar from 8 p.m. to midnight Sunday to Thursday, according to the County Board agenda. County staff recommend that the permit be approved with a review in November.

Residents who live in the Lyon Place at Clarendon Center apartment building, which has rooms above the bar, and across the street at Station Square want the Board to deny the permit. Residents are claiming the additional live music will bring more guests and more noise, which is already a problem, neighbor Joe Morrell said.

News

Cristol, Dorsey to Focus on Housing Affordability in Upcoming Election

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 10, 2015 at 8:05PM | Updated June 10, 2015 at 9:45PM

Both Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey, who received the Arlington County Democratic Committee nominations last night after a tight primary race, ran a campaign with it as one of their platforms.

ACDC Chair Kip Malinosky sees their nominations as a sign that housing affordability is becoming the trending topic in the county.

News

County Board to Vote on Two Playgrounds

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 10, 2015 at 2:00PM

The board will vote to approve construction contracts for two playground projects — one at Long Bridge Park and one at Tyrol Hills Park — on Saturday.

The Long Bridge Park playground will be located at the south end of the park by 6th Street. If approved, it is expected to cost just under $1.1 million to construct. All told, with design and project management costs factored in, it comes with a $1,324,300 price tag.

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ACPD Made 664 Arrests for Public Drunkenness and Profanity Last Year

By ARLnow.com

Published June 10, 2015 at 11:45AM

The prohibition on profanely cursing in public will not change, but the Board will consider changing “drunkenness” in the code to “intoxication,” to include those under the influence of narcotics. County staff is also recommending making the crime a Class 4 misdemeanor, the punishment for which is a fine not to exceed $250.

Currently, county code calls for a fine not to exceed $100 for the first two convictions in a year, and a fine not to exceed $500 for any additional convictions.

News

Cristol, Dorsey Capture County Board Primary

By ARLnow.com

Published June 9, 2015 at 7:35PM | Updated June 9, 2015 at 11:21PM

(Updated at 11:20 p.m.) Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey have captured the Democratic nomination for Arlington County Board.

Cristol and Dorsey finished first and second, respectively, over fellow Democratic hopefuls Peter Fallon, Andrew Schneider, James Lander and Bruce Wiljanen.

News

Light Turnout So Far for County Board Primary

By ARLnow.com

Published June 9, 2015 at 1:05PM | Updated June 9, 2015 at 7:12PM

It’s an election that could set the direction of Arlington County policy for years to come — and so far turnout is light.

Voters are heading to the polls today to select two Democratic nominees in the race for County Board. There are six Democratic candidates seeking their party’s nomination: Andrew Schneider, Bruce Wiljanen, Katie Cristol, James Lander, Peter Fallon, and Christian Dorsey.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 9, 2015 at 9:15AM | Updated June 9, 2015 at 10:31AM

Arlington Expects ‘Speedy’ Election Returns — The Democratic primary for Arlington County Board and the 45th Virginia House of Delegates district is taking place today, utilizing Arlington County’s new optical scanners. The county issued a press release on Monday promising that “changes should result in speedier reporting of unofficial results on election night.” Polls close at 7:00 p.m. and the first results are expected to be reported on the county website around 7:30.

Reminder: Candidate Essays — If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, you can peruse the “why should you vote for me” essays written by the six Democratic County Board candidates: Andrew Schneider, Bruce Wiljanen, Katie Cristol, James Lander, Peter Fallon, Christian Dorsey.