Political leaders need to meet the moment and connect with a fearful and angry Northern Virginia electorate, one county leader believes.
“The status quo is just not good enough. What are we going to do about it?” County Board member Julius “JD” Spain Sr. said during a Saturday forum sponsored by NAACP branches of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County.
The Arlington County Civic Federation wants county leaders to be more transparent when negotiating with developers on community benefits.
In a comprehensive resolution on planning and zoning issues, delegates overwhelmingly voted last week to ask for a “clear, written, transparent process” for determining what benefits the county seeks when developers pursue rezoning and land-use changes.
After nearly two years of inactivity, a new developer has taken over a stalled redevelopment project in Clarendon.
Donohoe Companies, which got the greenlight to build a new apartment building and hotel at 3200 Wilson Blvd back in 2023, has backed out, a company spokesperson told ARLnow.
Street upgrades in Bluemont, Claremont and Shirlington, plus a loan for renovating 73 affordable housing units, are scheduled for County Board consideration this weekend.
Board members have a total 52 items on their consent agenda this month, but no regular hearing items. All items pulled for further consideration will be heard at the Board’s recessed meeting, set for Wednesday, June 18.
The County Board is considering purchasing two single-family homes in Arlington: one for open space, the other for stormwater management.
Board members on Saturday are expected to consider purchasing one property at 1922 N. Upton Street for $1.1 million, and another at 6915 29th Street N. for $218,536.
Lower speed limits could be coming to five more Arlington road segments — including an infamous stretch of S. Carlin Springs Road.
This Saturday, the Arlington County Board is scheduled to consider reducing the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph in five busy areas.
Arlington’s unemployment figures remained high in April after a surge the previous month, new data shows.
Preliminary jobless figures for April, released last week, indicate a sizeable 64% year-over-year increase in Arlington’s jobless claims. A total of 4,862 residents were looking for work that month, compared to 2,972 in April 2024.
Arlington residents who want to compost their food waste instead of sending it to the landfill will soon have even more options.
The current 14 food disposal bins located in high-density areas of the county will expand to 24 by the end of the year — in part due to “a lot of positive feedback” since the initiative began last summer.
Simpler, more flexible rules for posting signs at commercial buildings could be coming to Arlington.
The Zoning Ordinance Committee of the Planning Commission considered various possible zoning amendments at a meeting last week.
Del. Patrick Hope and one of his challengers in the Democratic primary are at odds over how new legislation on historic preservation will impact housing.
Arjoon Srikanth, who is facing Hope (D-1) in the June 17 primary, argued that legislation enacted last year will hold up development plans designed to meet housing goals.
Arlington County’s commitment to 11 bicycle-safety goals set in 2019 came under question at a recent meeting of the Bicycle Advisory Committee.
“We’re really not meeting the targets,” Gillian Burgess, a member of the committee that advises County Manager Mark Schwartz on bicycle issues, said at the meeting last week.
Changes to Arlington County’s affordable housing regulations might bring some improvements, but they’re unlikely to solve larger affordability issues, people studying the topic say.
“Tempering expectations is really important,” said Bryan Coleman, who chairs a working group set up by Arlington’s Housing Commission to study potential changes in the county’s Affordable Housing Ordinance.
