County Board members are closing in on a decision about whether parts of the Nelly Custis School should receive historic designations.
Board members are slated to take their first procedural step toward a future decision on the 1.7-acre property tomorrow (Wednesday). They are likely to adopt an initiating resolution for consideration of the historic district proposed by a local resident and recommended by the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB).
While County Board members have agreed to save gymnastics programming, advocates now fear that a proposed hike in participation fees may still make the programs inaccessible for many families.
At last week’s budget-markup session, Board members settled on a proposal that would increase participation fees for the Arlington Aerials and Arlington Tigers gymnastics programs 44% in the coming year.
County Board members on Saturday approved one major redevelopment project in the Langston Boulevard corridor, but deferred action on a second.
Board members voted 5-0 in support of plans by Rooney Properties to raze the Walgreens site at 3130 Langston Blvd, replacing it with a mixed-use property rising 12 stories and containing up to 300 apartment units plus 7,200 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Details remain to be worked out, but County Board members have informally decided not to eliminate gymnastics programming or close Cherrydale Library in the coming year.
Details on both decisions are likely to come into clearer view this afternoon, when Board members hold their budget markup session starting at 2:30 p.m. Final budget adoption is slated for next Wednesday, April 22.
Action on two major development proposals in the Langston Boulevard corridor will highlight this weekend’s County Board meeting.
One of the projects is a 300-unit residential building at 3130 Langston Blvd, while the other is a 47-unit townhouse project at 2134 N. Taylor Street. Both have received the Planning Commission’s support, although county staff have recommended against the townhouses.
A new opt-in service from the circuit court clerk’s office aims to provide property owners with another tool to catch fraudulent activity.
The “Property Alert” initiative, offered at no charge, provides alerts when changes are made to property documentation held by the clerk’s office. Individuals can sign up for email notices based on criteria including name, property address or real property code.
Even though the current Arlington County budget draft doesn’t include additional costs from this year’s change-ups at the ballot box, the county government is still planning to cover them.
Elections Director Gretchen Reinemeyer laid out budget pressures during an April 7 work session with Board members, voicing concern that her office’s proposed $2.18 million budget likely would not be robust enough to handle additional requirements this year.
Arlington’s commonwealth attorney seeking higher pay for prosecutors this budget season, pointing to increased salaries for police officers and potentially better compensation in surrounding localities.
The proposed fiscal year 2027 budget calls for increasing funding for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office by roughly 3%: from about $7.7 million to $7.9 million. But Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti told the Arlington County Board on Tuesday that prosecutors’ starting salary of $82,000 should be higher.
Operational costs at Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center are projected to grow by about $2 million over the next few years as a financial partnership comes to an end.
The county government’s net operational cost, funded by taxpayers, is expected to grow from $1.13 million in fiscal 2027 to a projected $3.14 million by fiscal 2030 as its agreement with Boeing ends.
Those taking day trips through Arlington’s 55+ travel program could see significantly higher costs kick in later this year.
The Department of Parks and Recreation has proposed increasing fees for the excursions to pay for higher transportation costs.
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By the time of his death in late 1995 at age 96, Edmund Campbell had been lionized as a civic leader and statesman whose legacy extended well beyond Arlington into state and national affairs.
Arlington Public Schools’ region high per-student spending came under scrutiny as County Board and School Board members last month sat down for budget discussions.
“We’re spending significant money,” County Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., said at the March 12 discussion between the two elected bodies.
