County Board

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Wednesday's sunset in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

County Covid Testing Booth Still Closed — From Arlington County: “The @curative #COVID19 testing kiosk at Arlington Mill Community Center will be closed tomorrow, Jan 6, due to COVID-related staffing shortages. The kiosks at Court House Plaza and Virginia Highlands Park are scheduled to open at 9 AM. Thank you for your flexibility.” [Twitter]

APS Orders Tests for All Students, Staff — “We have ordered a supply of KN95 masks, particulate filters for an APS provided mask, and at-home rapid antigen test kits for every staff member and student. Supplies for these items are limited but we anticipate them soon and will send additional communication when available.” [Arlington Public Schools]

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News

Arlington County Board elects Cristol as chair, Dorsey as vice chair

By Jo DeVoe
County Board Chair Katie Cristol in 2022 (via Arlington County)

Members of the Arlington County Board say they have their work cut out for them in 2022.

They were unanimous in their chief priorities for the new year — COVID-19, housing, climate change and equity — just as they were unanimous in choosing a new board chair, Katie Cristol, and a new vice chair, Christian Dorsey.

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News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Arlington Cinema Drafthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

First County Board Meeting of 2022 — “Arlington County Board members will hold their annual organizational meeting on Monday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m… At the meeting, board members will elect a chair for the coming year (almost assuredly Katie Cristol) and will lay out their own personal priorities for the coming year. A number of procedural votes will be held, but the real business of governance will not take place until the board’s formal January meeting later in the month.” [Sun Gazette]

Bridge Project Near Fairlington Complete — “The rehabilitation of the King Street (Route 7) bridge over I-395 and pedestrian improvements along a half-mile of King Street are complete, Virginia Department of Transportation officials said on Dec. 22, improving pedestrian mobility and safety, giving drivers a smoother ride and extending the overall life of the bridge. The $13 million project was financed with federal and state funding.” [Sun Gazette]

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News

What we know about the county’s $150 million loan to preserve affordable housing on the Pike

By Jo DeVoe
The Barcroft Apartments, a 1,334-unit, market-affordable apartment complex along Columbia Pike (via Google Maps)

Arlington County is loaning $150 million to a D.C.-based real estate company buying the Barcroft Apartments along Columbia Pike.

This move — approved Tuesday — is an unusual one, but Arlington County says it did what was necessary in a short amount of time to support the sale to Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners. The company has agreed to keep the property — Arlington’s largest market-rate affordable apartment complex — as committed affordable housing for 99 years.

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News

County to temporarily relocate some ART bus operations to Va. Square property

By Jo DeVoe
Layout of the county-owned 1425 N. Quincy Street site with the temporary Arlington Transit bus storage (via Arlington County)

(Updated 2:15 p.m.) The county has crystallized plans for temporarily storing and dispatching Arlington Transit (ART) buses near Washington-Liberty High School while a new bus facility in Green Valley is built.

Nearly 30 ART buses will come and go from the site, on the 1400 block of N. Quincy Street, where the county currently parks some fire and police vehicles, as well as a portion of the Arlington Public Schools vehicle fleet. The site also has warehouse storage for Covid-related supplies and serves as the drop-off center for E-CARE recycling events.

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News

Amazon and Arlington County to finance purchase of Columbia Pike apartment complex

By Jo DeVoe
The Barcroft Apartments, a 1,334-unit, market-affordable apartment complex along Columbia Pike (via Google Maps)

Arlington County and Amazon intend to loan hundreds of millions of dollars to an unnamed affordable housing provider to purchase a Columbia Pike apartment complex.

The Barcroft Apartments, at 1130 S. George Mason Drive, is the largest market-rate-affordable apartment community in Arlington, and county officials say they have to act quickly to ensure it stays affordable for current residents.

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News

Plan for Pentagon City growth after Amazon’s arrival heads to County Board

By Jo DeVoe
Vision of a greener, more urban Pentagon City (via Arlington County)

A draft document poised to one day shape development in Pentagon City could be up for Arlington County Board consideration in February.

The document, known as the Pentagon City Sector Plan, culminates a year-plus study of the 116-acre area and the county policies governing its growth. It would replace a 45-year-old document that reached the end of its life in the shadow of Amazon’s under-construction second headquarters.

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News

The Crossing Clarendon seeks county approval for office-gym conversion

By Jo DeVoe
The Crossing Clarendon (staff photo)

There are some signs of movement forward for the luxury fitness gym Life Time, which is slated to come to Clarendon in 2023.

In mid-December, the County Board is slated to hold a public hearing to consider allowing retail use — and, therefore, fitness activities — inside an office building in The Crossing Clarendon. The Board approved the hearing earlier this month.

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Feature

Reporter’s Notepad: An update on the Serrano Apartments

By Jo DeVoe
Serrano Apartments (photo via Google Maps)

The following appeared earlier this week in the ARLnow Press Club’s Early Morning Notes newsletter. Join the Press Club and help support more local reporting in Arlington.

This week, the County Board got another update from tenant advocates and property owner AHC, Inc. about the ongoing work to improve the physical conditions at the Serrano Apartments as well as their tenant-landlord relationship.

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News

County Board puts federal funds, local surplus toward pandemic-era priorities

By Jo DeVoe
County Board member Matt de Ferranti (via Arlington County)

Pandemic recovery, childcare and criminal justice reform will be receiving millions in federal and county funds.

This week, the Arlington County Board voted to put federal COVID-19 relief funding and unspent county budget dollars toward these areas and other equity initiatives. Members also signaled the county’s commitment to these priorities by adopting them in their state legislative priority package.

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