Arlington leaders believe people-power helped sway National Park Service officials to re-evaluate plans for clearing more trees and vegetation adjacent to the George Washington Memorial Parkway in the county.
The acting superintendent of the GW Parkway announced on Friday (Oct. 18) that a “full review” would be conducted before anything else happens in the verdant buffer area between the roadway and the Potomac River below it.
The Arlington County Board has tidied up a section of the county’s zoning ordinance that caused the Fairlington neighborhood fits.
County Board members on Saturday (Oct. 19) approved zoning amendments removing bureaucratic hurdles that had been placed on interior renovations and expansions of older townhouse and condominium properties.
Arlington County Board members today (Saturday) green-lighted the operation of a weekly farmers market in the Green Valley community that will start next year.
The action, voted on as part of the board’s consent agenda of non-controversial items, will allow a local non-profit to host up to 19 vendors Fridays from 4-7 p.m. from April to Thanksgiving each year.
A host of new regulations related to towing off of private property are likely to be considered by Arlington County Board members later in the year.
But first, Board members have to approve advertising a future public hearing for the proposals put forward by County Manager Mark Schwartz and staff. That procedural step is expected to come this Saturday, Oct. 19, with the hearing to follow in November or December.
Arlington County Board members are expected to take another step toward the culling of deer in the county.
Board members are slated to approve a public hearing, likely to be held Nov. 16, to make changes to the county code allowing for the use of professional sharpshooters on public land.
A proposal to let up to eight people live in Arlington recovery residences has received the Arlington Planning Commission’s support, despite some pushback.
Prior to a unanimous vote on Monday, commissioners acknowledged some residents’ concerns about how existing recovery houses affect surrounding Arlington neighborhoods.
The Arlington County government’s new auditor already has something of a full plate.
Wayne Scott was appointed to the post just over two months ago, spending his first month gathering information, meeting with top county staff and coordinating a nine-month work schedule (Oct. 1 to June 30).
Arlington’s embrace of a more urban future was among the topics of discussion as local candidates recently competed in the political equivalent of speed-dating.
Hosted Oct. 6 by the League of Women Voters of Arlington & Alexandria City, the event gave voters the chance to spend 15 minutes at the table with each aspirant for County Board and School Board posts. When time was called, candidates stayed put and attendees rotated to the next table over the course of two hours.
Last week’s court decision to overturn Missing Middle zoning changes freezes progress on dozens of projects around Arlington, county staff confirmed.
Following the ruling in Arlington Circuit Court, “the County must void all [Expanded Housing Option] permits and halt all review processes related to EHO development,” county spokesperson Ryan Hudson told ARLnow.
A less restrictive process for home improvement projects at older townhomes and apartment buildings could be coming to Arlington.
By default, townhomes and multifamily properties in Arlington currently can’t receive any “interior structural alterations” unless they are in full compliance with the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO). If property owners want an exception to conduct partial renovations like remodeling a kitchen or finishing an attic, they often have to seek approval from the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
Arlington County is considering ways to make it easier to turn office buildings into apartment buildings.
A request to advertise public hearings on a new county policy and zoning changes related to office-to-residential conversions received unanimous approval from the Arlington County Board on Saturday.
Though Arlington has been taking steps to streamline its permitting process, evidence of continued inefficiencies and delays can be seen at organizations around the county.
Just last month, two business owners — one aiming to open a new restaurant and nightclub in Clarendon and another opening a retro sports bar in Shirlington — told ARLnow that a lack of county permits was hindering their progress.
