County Board | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published March 13, 2012 at 8:24AM

School bus (courtesy Divaknevil)

Arlington Wins Diversity Award — The National League of Cities has presented Arlington with its 2012 Cultural Diversity Award. The awards showcase “examples of how cities achieve excellence in diversity, promotes the positive results of ‘total community collaboration’ and honors community leadership in developing creative and effective programs to improve cultural diversity.” [Arlington County]

Hen Raising Critics Speak Out — Critics of a proposal to allow backyard hen raising in Arlington spoke out during Saturday’s County Board meeting. “Send it to the slaughterhouse,” civic activist Robert Atkins said of the proposal, which is supported by a group called the Arlington Egg Project. Critics say backyard hens could produce noise, odors and neighborly conflicts, among other ill effects. [Sun Gazette]

News

Expanded Pentagon Row Skating Rink Approved

By ARLnow.com

Published March 12, 2012 at 11:30AM

On Saturday the Arlington County Board approved a plan to expand the size of the Pentagon Row skating rink while extending the length of time the rink is allowed to be open.

Under the approved site plan amendment, the privately-owned rink will be expanded by 40 feet — to 57 by 120 feet — and the rink will remain open for an additional month, opening in October instead of November. The rink will continue to operate through March.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 12, 2012 at 8:29AM

Lyon Park Community House Plan Approved — A permit to expand and renovate the historic Lyon Park Community Center was approved on Saturday by the Arlington County Board. The planned changes to the house, owned by the private Lyon Park Citizens Association, includes an updated kitchen and a new sunroom. [Arlington County]

Pike Affordable Housing Project Approved — Also on Saturday, the County Board approved up to $6 million worth of lending to local nonprofit developer AHC Inc. to build a new 83-unit affordable housing complex. The building will replace a Shell gas station along Arlington’s western end of Columbia Pike. [Arlington County]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 9, 2012 at 8:30AM | Updated March 9, 2012 at 8:48AM

Daylight Saving Time Begins This Weekend — Daylight Saving Time will begin at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 11. Clocks should be moved ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night. The start of Daylight Saving Time is also commonly cited as a good time to replace the batteries in smoke detectors.

Artistic Fence Coming to Water Treatment Plant — The County Board is expected to approve a $350,000 contract for an artist to build a 1,600 foot fence around the water treatment plant on S. Glebe Road. The fence, a functional work of art, “redefines the traditional purpose of a fence,” according to county staff. [Sun Gazette]

Around Town

Board to Consider Permit to Expand Lyon Park Community House

By Katie Pyzyk

Published March 8, 2012 at 2:50PM

The association has requested a permit to expand and renovate the community house, which was built in 1925 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If approved, the permit would allow for the addition of more than 1,000 square feet. Among the changes would be an update to the kitchen and the addition of a sunroom. The plan also includes various updates to make the house handicap accessible.

Typically, an expansion of this kind would also require the addition of parking spaces; In this particular case, 13 extra. However, the building was constructed before a zoning ordinance regarding parking was put in place. Therefore, county staff has recommended that the expansion be allowed without the addition of parking spaces. The permit would require the association provide handouts with off-site parking information to anyone who applies to rent the facility.

Events

Events Scheduled to Launch PLACE Initiative

By Katie Pyzyk

Published March 7, 2012 at 11:15AM

County Board Chair Mary Hynes proposed the initiative in January to get more people active in their communities, and more involved in key decisions that will shape the future of the county.

Hynes said PLACE consists of many layers so people can choose their preferred level of community participation. Overall, it’s supposed to help bring people together to make a better Arlington.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 7, 2012 at 8:59AM | Updated March 7, 2012 at 9:19AM

Romney Wins Va. Primary — Mitt Romney won Virginia’s Republican presidential primary yesterday, capturing 59.5 percent of the vote statewide. The only other candidate who qualified for the ballot, Ron Paul, received 40.5 percent of the vote. In Arlington, Romney received 64.6 percent of the vote to 35.4 percent for Ron Paul. Voter turnout was light, as expected. A total of 7,623 votes were cast in Arlington, representing 5 percent of registered voters and 6.3 percent of active voters.

County Board Candidates Square Off at Forum — The three candidates for County Board squared off last night at a candidates forum organized by the Arlington County Civic Federation. Democrat Libby Garvey was flanked by Republican Mark Kelly and Green Party candidate Audrey Clement, who together called for less spending and for the creation of an independent inspector general to monitor county spending. Kelly and Clement also took turns bashing the planned Columbia Pike streetcar. [Sun Gazette, Sun Gazette]

News

County Board to Vote on Changes at Pentagon Row

By Katie Pyzyk

Published March 5, 2012 at 11:02AM

During its meeting on Saturday, the County Board is expected to vote on the proposed revamp of the central plaza at Pentagon Row.

The proposal includes plans to expand the length of the ice rink by 40 feet, add synthetic turf and add two 800 square foot freestanding retail structures. Approving the proposal would also add an additional month to the ice rink’s operating season, making it October through March, instead of November through March.

News

Battle Brewing Over Westover Beer Garden Re-Opening

By Katie Pyzyk

Published February 24, 2012 at 4:55PM | Updated February 24, 2012 at 6:29PM

Owner Devin Hicks said he’s tried working with the county on the matter but his efforts have not been successful. Now he’s going to do what he believes Westover Market is entitled to do by law — operate a year-round patio area.

Bob Brosnan, Director of the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, clarifies that Hicks did not receive an actual citation — as stated in a previous article — but rather a courtesy letter requesting compliance. A violation notice will likely be sent out on Monday and Westover Market will have 10 days to bring itself in compliance, or face fines, Brosnan said.

News

Westover Beer Garden Closed, But Will Return With Music in April

By ARLnow.com

Published February 23, 2012 at 4:50PM | Updated February 24, 2012 at 4:50PM

Arlington County requires that certain outdoor cafes, like the beer garden, be closed for three months of the year due to the seasonal nature of the business. Hicks says he wasn’t serving beer outside, but was allowing customers to bring their beers to the garden (which has a fire pit) from his indoor bar area. That, he says, earned him a ~~citation~~ warning letter from the county.

Until it reopens on April 1, the beer garden will be off-limits to customers. Hicks says he’s disappointed with the county’s strict enforcement.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Road Maintenance an Election Year Issue?

By ARLnow.com

Published February 21, 2012 at 10:34AM

Last week the Sun Gazette reported that supporters of Green Party candidate for County Board Audrey Clement were trying to make the case that Arlington’s roads are crumbling — and the county’s political leaders should be held responsible for it.

County Board Chair Mary Hynes acknowledged that local roadways were “rough,” and that road maintenance had fallen behind in recent years, but said funding added several years ago should help allow Arlington to repave roads every 15 years.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published February 17, 2012 at 8:33AM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:47PM

Management Change at Hotel Palomar — After being sold for some $45 million, Rosslyn’s upscale Hotel Palomar (1121 19th Street N.) will be changing management companies. Effective Feb. 22, Kimpton Hotels will no longer manage the property. Instead, it will be managed in partnership with Starwood Hotels and Le Meridien. [Hotel Palomar]

Legal Advertising Bill Fails in Richmond — A bill that would have lifted the requirement that Virginia localities place legal notices in newspapers has failed in the General Assembly. The bill could have saved localities thousands of dollars per year. Most of Arlington County’s legal advertising is placed in the Washington Times. [Sun Gazette]