County Board | ARLnow.com

After 3+ Hours, American Flatbread Denied Patio Seating

Published July 12, 2010 at 7:48AM

Board members repeatedly reassured owner Scott Vasko that Flatbread was exactly the type of business that Arlington County is trying to attract. In the end, however, promises made to local homeowners in 2004 were upheld, and a patio between the restaurant and an adjacent house will remain an undeveloped “buffer zone.”

In a concession to Flatbread, the board granted the more lenient of two possible scenarios for sidewalk seating in front of the Clarendon restaurant. Flatbread will be allowed to set up tables on 25 feet of sidewalk in front of 11th Street North (the other scenario called for 15 feet). Combined with sidewalk seating also approved for North Fillmore Street, Flatbread will likely have a total of four outdoor tables and 10 seats. The patio could have sat 24.

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East Falls Church Plan, New Rosslyn Metro Station on Saturday’s Board Agenda

By ARLnow.com

Published July 9, 2010 at 3:31PM | Updated July 9, 2010 at 7:46PM

The board will vote on an initial framework for the East Falls Church development plan, which has attracted quite a bit of controversy. The plan could pave the way for the construction of apartment buildings, retail spaces and other dense, pedestrian-friendly development in what is now a much more single-family-home-oriented area.

Another item under consideration would result in the construction of a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station . The $32-35 million dollar project was originally meant to take place concurrent to the construction of the Rosslyn Central Place development, but the development has stalled due to financial complications.

Around Town

Neighbor vs. Neighbor Over Restaurant’s Patio Request

By ARLnow.com

Published July 9, 2010 at 9:40AM | Updated July 9, 2010 at 11:31AM

In one corner are the supporters and management of American Flatbread, the wood-fired pizza restaurant that bills itself as a “community hearth” and is best known for its locally-sourced, organic ingredients. In the other corner are county planners and a majority of local homeowners (others support Flatbread), who don’t want the restaurant to open an outdoor patio on their relatively quiet section of North 11th Street in Clarendon.

At stake for neighbors is the tranquility of the neighborhood and, possibly, the area’s steep property values. At stake for Flatbread is its viability as a business in Clarendon.

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Arlington’s Welfare Spending Outpaces Neighbors

By ARLnow.com

Published June 24, 2010 at 8:55AM

“Considering the emphasis that the County Board has placed on social services, it’s not all that surprising that this category would be one of the highest per-capita spending items in Arlington,” Budget Director Richard Stevenson told the Arlington Connection’s Michael Lee Pope.

The county spends more on welfare and social services than on law enforcement. The welfare expenditures are greater than Arlington’s spending on parks, libraries, courts, sanitation and building maintenance combined. The only individual category that tops welfare is education, at $1,814 per capita. Taken as a whole, law enforcement and fire and rescue account for $588 spending per capita.

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Should WMATA Pay When Metrobus Pass Holders Ride ART?

By ARLnow.com

Published June 23, 2010 at 4:20PM

Arlington’s ART bus system may stop honoring Metrobus passes if WMATA doesn’t start sharing revenue, according to Michael Perkins at Greater Greater Washington.

While regional bus providers like ART are compensated when SmarTrip holders pay for individual rides, so far there is no revenue-sharing agreement for SmartTrip (and paper) “flash passes.”

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The Battle Over East Falls Church Heats Up

By ARLnow.com

Published June 17, 2010 at 11:25AM | Updated June 17, 2010 at 12:47PM

The East Falls Church (EFC) development plan calls for the creation of a “transit town” of neighborhood-oriented retail and restaurants, six to nine-story mixed-use buildings, and pedestrian-oriented walkable and bike-able streetscapes. Development is inevitable, EFC task force chairman Mike Nardolilli says, since the station will soon become the transfer point to Tysons Corner and the Silver Line. Members of the task force spent three years working on the plan and says it mostly incorporates ideas that most residents welcome, based on a neighborhood survey.

But according to one man, supporters of the plan are “passive sheep,” the task force wants “to limit our freedom,” and the proposed narrowing of Sycamore Street is “idiotic.” That invective, and any other criticism of the plan, was greeted by loud applause from like-minded folks in the audience, who were clearly in the majority.

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Board Approves 1900 Wilson Development, Adopts CIP

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2010 at 7:37AM | Updated June 16, 2010 at 5:29PM

In a flurry of activity last night, the Arlington County Board approved a major development plan, adopted a $1.2 billion Capital Improvement Plan, and heard plenty of citizen input on the controversial East Falls Church redevelopment plan.

“This building fits into our vision of transforming the Courthouse-Rosslyn area into another great Arlington urban village,” Board Chairman Jay Fisette said in a statement. “1900 Wilson Boulevard is a well-designed building that will enliven that block with its combination of homes with street-level stores and great places to eat.”

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Board Approves Snow Removal Ordinance, ART Fare Hike

By ARLnow.com

Published June 13, 2010 at 6:30AM | Updated June 14, 2010 at 2:44AM

The Arlington County Board approved a controversial snow removal ordinance on Saturday by a vote of 4-1. Board chairman Jay Fisette cast the lone ‘no’ vote, calling the hefty penalties in the ordinance “overkill.”

The board also passed a fare hike for the county’s ART and STAR buses. The base ART bus fare will increase from $1.25 to $1.50.

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Utility Relocation Work on the Pike to Begin Next Month

By ARLnow.com

Published May 27, 2010 at 6:27AM

As the D.C. City Council wrestles with funding for its planned streetcar system, one of the first visible signs of progress on Arlington’s planned Columbia Pike streetcar project will be appearing soon.

Late next month, a contractor is scheduled to start utility relocation work on Columbia Pike between South Wakefield Street and Four Mile Run Drive. While the $2.3 million project is ostensibly meant to improve aesthetics and infrastructure along the Pike by shifting above-ground utility lines below ground, it will also relocate existing underground utilities in anticipation of the planned streetcar line.

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Republican Candidate Steps Up to Challenge Zimmerman

By ARLnow.com

Published May 27, 2010 at 12:49AM | Updated May 27, 2010 at 9:37AM

South Arlington resident Mark Kelly has accepted the Arlington County Republican Committee’s nomination to run against the incumbent Democrat in the fall.

Kelly, a lawyer who works as an outreach manager at the conservative Heritage Foundation, faces daunting electoral odds. No Republican has won a seat on the board in a general election since 1983 (Republican Mike Lane won a special election in 1999 and served on the board for about six months).

Around Town

Another Outdoor Dining Option For Crystal City?

By ARLnow.com

Published May 26, 2010 at 10:13AM

Crystal City dwellers may soon have another place to enjoy a bite and a beer outside. Hamburger Hamlet (1601 Crystal Drive), a long-time resident of the Crystal City Underground, is looking to expand its presence beyond its darkened front windows.

The restaurant, which brought in new management last year, has asked the county to allow it to knock down the trees and shrubs in front of the restaurant in order to build a small sidewalk patio with four or five tables. It’s also seeking permission to install new outdoor signage.

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Committee Fires Back At Fisette’s “Decline to Sign” Message

By ARLnow.com

Published May 25, 2010 at 1:48PM | Updated May 25, 2010 at 2:19PM

County Board Chairman Jay Fisette did not mince words when responding to a public comment about the proposed change in Arlington’s form of government at Saturday’s board meeting.

“It is certainly my view that this would be a step backwards for Arlington,” he said of the proposal. “I think the message is, if you’re asked to sign that petition, please decline to do so.”