County Board | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published May 15, 2014 at 8:45AM | Updated May 15, 2014 at 9:09AM

Shuttleworth Drops Out of Congressional Race — Arlington resident Bruce Shuttleworth has dropped out of the still-crowded race for Congress. There are now 7 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to replace Rep. Jim Moran. Of those, 6 are from Alexandria and only Del. Patrick Hope is from Arlington. [Blue Virginia]

Garvey Phones It In, Literally — Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey, who was injured on Friday in a bicycle accident, voted and participated in Tuesday’s County Board meeting via phone. It’s the first time that has been done in Arlington — Virginia law only recently changed to allow board members to participate in meetings via phone in certain circumstances. [InsideNova]

News

Arlington Could Move to Year-Round Yard Waste Collection

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 14, 2014 at 1:30PM

The Board on Tuesday passed a request to advertise a plan to have the county begin conducting year-round yard waste collection starting July 1. Each household’s annual Solid Waste Rate would increase by $13.28 per year, bringing the total to $307.04 annually, to pay for the change.

As part of the change, the county will give each household a new cart for the yard waste. The carts are expected to be rolled out in August or September.

News

‘Intersection of Doom’ Safety Improvements Coming

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 14, 2014 at 10:00AM | Updated May 14, 2014 at 10:27AM

The planned improvements to the area, which includes the trail’s intersection with Fort Myer Drive, include removing a travel lane from Lee Highway and extending the curb at the intersection’s corners. It also calls for upgraded traffic signals, on-street bike lanes, signs and landscape areas and a “Corridor of Light” public art feature.

The most troublesome part of the intersection. where numerous car-on-bike accidents have occurred, has been where two lanes of traffic from I-66 turn right on N. Lynn Street toward the Key Bridge. That traffic comes in conflict with pedestrians and cyclists on the trail, who get the green light at about the same time.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 14, 2014 at 9:15AM

La Tagliatella Expansion Plans on Hold — La Tagliatella, the Europe-based Italian restaurant chain that opened in Clarendon only to receive a scathing review from Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema, is putting its U.S. expansion plans on hold. That includes the chain’s planned Shirlington location, in the former Extra Virgin space. The Clarendon location will remain open for the time being. [Washington Business Journal]

Remembering Arlington’s ‘Little Saigon’ — The timing of two separate events helped to transform the Clarendon neighborhood into a cluster of Vietnamese stores and restaurants known as “Little Saigon” in the 1970s and 80s. One event was the Vietnam War and the Communist takeover of Vietnam, which drove tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees to the United States. The other was the construction of Metro, which drove away mom and pop businesses from Clarendon and forced landlords to lower their rents and seek new tenants. [Falls Church News-Press]

News

Cost of Pike, Crystal City Streetcars Estimated at $585 Million

By ARLnow.com

Published May 13, 2014 at 5:00PM | Updated May 13, 2014 at 11:16PM

(Updated at 5:55 p.m.) The combined cost of the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar systems is now estimated at $585 million.

Presenting an overview of her proposed FY 2015-2024 Capital Improvement Plan to the Arlington County Board this afternoon, County Manager Barbara Donnellan and her staff said that the cost of the streetcar systems had risen $190 million from the 2013 CIP due to changes in the size of the streetcar vehicles, higher engineering and start-up costs, higher inflation and a larger project contingency.

News

County Adopts Noise Ordinance Amid Complaints

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 12, 2014 at 3:30PM | Updated May 12, 2014 at 4:27PM

Effective immediately, restaurant managers will be liable for the noise of their patrons if it can be heard in a residence 100 feet or more away from midnight to 9:00 a.m in mixed-use areas, which the county outlines in maps of areas like Clarendon, Ballston, Pentagon City and Columbia Pike.

Anywhere in the county, from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. anyone who can be heard “yelling, wailing, shouting or screaming” can receive a ticket for $100 or more.

News

County Board Approves New Restrooms for Rocky Run Park

By ARLnow.com

Published May 12, 2014 at 1:00PM

The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a contract for construction of a new restroom facility with two unisex bathrooms, along with pavement around the building and a new stairway to N. Barton Street. The contract for the project is in the amount of $373,200 ($410,520 with the built-in contingency.)

The restroom project is part of the second phase of improvements to the park, approved as part of the Neighborhood Conservation process in the fall of 2012. Phase 2 of the project will also include the construction of a small storage facility to be used for Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation camps, plus new benches and trashcans.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 12, 2014 at 9:15AM

Stormwater Management Ordinance Approved — The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a new stormwater management ordinance. The ordinance complies with strict EPA standards intended to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay. It’s expected to raise the county’s costs related to stormwater management. [Arlington County]

Gymnastic Boosters Speak Out About Rising Fee — Youth gymnasts and their parents spoke out at Saturday’s County Board meeting about rising fees for out-of-county gymnasts. Starting July 1, the cost for using county facilities is rising dramatically for members of the Arlington Aerials gymnastics team who do not live in the county. [InsideNova]

News

Some Clarendon Residents Up in Arms About Noise Ordinance Changes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 9, 2014 at 6:05PM

The email listserv of the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association (CCCA) erupted today in protest over changes to Arlington’s noise ordinance, which the County Board is scheduled to vote on tomorrow (Saturday).

The changes are needed in order to allow police to objectively enforce the noise ordinance; the current ordinance contains subjective enforcement provisions that were struck down by the state Supreme Court. The ordinance attempts to address what county officials say are the top four noise-related complaints in Arlington: loud parties or gatherings, construction noise, animal noises and live entertainment venues.

News

ACDC Newsletter: Vihstadt Won Because of Perceived County Board ‘Arrogance’

By Ethan Rothstein

Published May 9, 2014 at 1:35PM

New County Board member John Vihstadt defeated Democrat Alan Howze by a 57-41 percent margin, becoming the first non-Democrat elected to the Board since 1999.

“The overriding conclusion of Democrats who campaigned long and hard was that voters were ticked off at what they perceived as ‘arrogrance’ by the County Board,” The Voice, written by Editor-in-Chief Warren L. Nelson and Deputy Editor Eric Wiener, said in a front page story. “What was most remarkable, however, was that this concern about arrogance was not just voiced by those who voted for John Vihstadt but by legions of voters who stuck by the Democratic candidate, Alan Howze.”

Around Town

County Board to Consider Permit for ‘Clarendon Night Market’

By ARLnow.com

Published May 8, 2014 at 2:50PM | Updated May 8, 2014 at 5:48PM

The Arlington County Board is scheduled to consider a use permit for two new biweekly markets at its Saturday meeting. The outdoor markets would be held on alternating Saturdays and Sundays in the parking lot of the Wells Fargo Bank at 3140 Washington Blvd, a block and a half from the Clarendon Metro station.

Organized by the Clarendon Alliance, one of the biweekly markets will be called the Spark Market. It’s described as a “juried art market” for artists and designers. The market is being managed by Jessica Blaszczak, who ran the former Ballston Arts Market, and will be open on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. starting June 8, should the use permit be approved.

Around Town

Arlington Designates 18 Trees as ‘Notable’

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 24, 2014 at 1:30PM | Updated November 22, 2016 at 2:55PM

Thirteen of the trees are in North Arlington and five are in South Arlington. Most of them are on private property and owned by the residents, who are granted either a certificate or a plaque. The trees, according to the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation, “may be nominated for their size, age, species, historical interest or because they have a special significance to the neighborhood.”

“It is an honor to be a part of a culture that values and recognizes its tree canopy,” Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette said in a press release. “All of the nominees and winners should take great pride in their efforts and dedication to a flourishing environment.”