Should the Arlington County Board hold a quarterly public comment free-for-all?
That’s the suggestion of an Arlington Gazette Leader editorial. The opinion piece notes frustration with the County Board’s one-speaker-per-topic rule during the open public comment period of its monthly meetings.
Arlington County is losing its top communications official.
Bryna Helfer, Assistant County Manager and Director of Communications and Public Engagement, will be departing from the county’s leadership ranks at the end of this month.
Safety concerns about crash-prone S. Carlin Springs Road dominated an Arlington County Board discussion on speed limit reductions yesterday (Tuesday).
The stretch of Carlin Springs south of Arlington Blvd saw a total of 92 crashes, including three involving severe injuries or deaths, between 2016 and 2021, according to a county study. However, it is not among the five other roads, including part of N. Carlin Springs, that are expected to have speed limits reduced from 30 to 25 mph.
A year after the passage of Arlington’s “Missing Middle” ordinance last March, the jury is out on the long-term implications of the zoning change.
Challenges include a substantial slowdown in Missing Middle applications and continued opposition from some residents.
Arlington County could soon acquire a Columbia Pike home as part of an effort to improve an intersection.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday is set to consider whether to make a $627,000 offer to the owner of 1802 Columbia Pike.
A planned apartment complex is set to have even more affordable housing.
Speakers at an Arlington County Board meeting on Tuesday were divided in their thoughts about the Board’s unanimous vote to approve 88 units of additional affordable housing at 1900 S. Eads Street, in the Crystal City area.
Traffic signal upgrades and more pedestrian-friendly crosswalks may be coming to several Langston Blvd intersections.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday is slated to consider a $1.5 million contract for improvements to the intersections of Langston Blvd at N. Adams Street, N. Cleveland Street and Spout Run Pkwy.
Five arterial streets north of Route 50 could see their speed limits drop from 30 to 25 mph.
This weekend, the Arlington County Board is set to authorize public hearings to lower speed limits along these roads, which have “high volumes of pedestrian crossings and higher density land development,” a county report says.
Undocumented low-income residents might someday become eligible for housing grants in Arlington.
The county is “almost done” reevaluating immigration status requirements for its Housing Grants Program, Arlington County Board Vice-Chair Takis Karantonis said at a Board meeting late last month.
Arlington’s police and fire unions are vying for more funding in the county’s proposed $1.62 billion budget to fix compensation issues they say fuel attrition and vacancy issues.
County Manager Mark Schwartz, meanwhile, makes the case in the 2024-2025 budget that the county has been and is committed to meeting these problems with funding while balancing other budget priorities.
The Arlington County Board is considering a potential property tax hike that could be even higher than what County Manager Mark Schwartz proposed.
Board members yesterday (Tuesday) voted 5-0 to advertise hearings on a maximum property tax rate of $1.038 per $100 of assessed value, a 2.5 cent increase from 2023. That is 1 cent higher than the increase of 1.5 cents that Schwartz proposed in his $1.62 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025.
Looser parking requirements could encourage more gyms and shops to fill Arlington’s commercial real estate vacancies, the county believes.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday unanimously voted to have staff research possible changes to the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance and advertise requests to amend it. In addition to slashing parking minimums for gyms, the county is considering whether to allow parking lots to designate more spaces for compact cars.
