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.
Last week’s ruling that put Missing Middle zoning changes back on the books in Arlington presents a major setback for plaintiffs, experts say.
The determination in the Virginia Court of Appeals, which found last year’s circuit court ruling invalid for procedural reasons, could substantially set back the timeline for the case and require even more resources to support a privately funded lawsuit.
Arlington’s top elected official is embracing a this-too-shall-pass view of the impacts of Trump-era government cuts on the local community.
“We will weather this storm and come out stronger,” County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said at the annual Arlington Chamber of Commerce “State of the County” event yesterday (Thursday).
Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning ordinance is back on the books, at least for the time being, following a ruling in the Virginia Court of Appeals.
In the latest development in the dramatic legal battle over the county’s Expanded Housing Options (EHO), three appeals court judges issued a ruling yesterday (Tuesday) that reverses a circuit court decision declaring the zoning change void.
A decision on whether there’s any historic value in a former schoolhouse bound for redevelopment in Aurora Highlands is unlikely until next year.
Historic-preservation staff will begin a study of the Melwood property “by the end of the year at the latest — like the December time frame,” said Mical Tawney, a historic-preservation specialist, in response to a question at the June 18 meeting of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB).
It now costs a median $36,000 per year to rent a two-bedroom apartment across Arlington County.
The median rental price in May stood at $2,488 for one-bedroom units and $3,006 for two bedrooms, according to figures reported by Apartment List.
A proposal to replace two single-family homes in Falls Church with 12 townhouses is facing pushback from local officials and planning staff.
Developer Madison Homes is seeking to rezone a 0.5-acre site on the 100 block of S. Lee Street to allow for the project, which would involve demolishing one home built in the 1920s and another built in the 1970s.
Revised plans for a massive development project at Pentagon City’s RiverHouse site are slowly moving forward, but some neighbors still aren’t on board.
At a meeting last month, developer JBG Smith presented a new proposal to place 738 apartment and townhouse units on three parcels, while deferring final action on more than 2,000 other planned units.
Arlington’s slow process for approving and permitting new development came under fire from County Board candidates, including the incumbent, at a recent forum.
“It’s a problem, no question about it,” incumbent Board Chair Takis Karantonis said at the event hosted by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
Recent management changes at an affordable housing complex bought with Amazon’s money followed months of advocacy and frustration from both tenants and county officials.
Last month, complaints led Washington Housing Conservancy, the property owner, to install a new management company to support ongoing changes at the Crystal House 1 and 2 buildings at 1900 and 2000 S. Eads Street. The shift didn’t come easily, however.
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.
An Arlington review board focused on historic significance has unanimously voted against supporting a redevelopment proposal at the Inn of Rosslyn site.
Noting a lack of architectural resemblance to what currently stands there, the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) voted 13-0 last week against a planned project at 1601 Fairfax Drive.
