The County Board has taken a step toward considering potential historic status for the Melwood site, despite vigorous opposition from the development team’s attorney.
Board members voted 5-0 to start consideration of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board’s (HALRB) recommendation to designate a portion of the former Nelly Custis Elementary School at 750 23rd Street S. as historic. This is a procedural step and doesn’t indicate whether they support the recommendation or not.
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).
A proposal to impose fees on applications for new historic districts in Arlington is drawing criticism from members of the county’s historic-preservation panel.
Kaydee Myers, chair of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB), argued that the small number of applications submitted annually would result in minimal revenue, but imposing a fee could dissuade future applicants.
A key county advisory panel has recommended giving historic protections to portions of the former Nelly Custis School in Aurora Highlands.
The 7-4 vote by the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board on March 18 sends the matter to the Planning Commission and County Board. And it complicates efforts by Melwood and Wesley Housing to redevelop the 1.7-acre site at 750 23rd Street S. for affordable housing.
Those seeking to obtain historic-district status for properties in Arlington may soon have to pay for the privilege.
County Board members on Feb. 24 advertised a March 26 public hearing on a staff proposal to impose fees of between $250 and $1,000 on submissions related to new local historic districts.
An affordable housing complex on Columbia Pike has been added to the Virginia Landmarks Register, setting the stage for possibly achieving historic status.
The Barcroft Apartments community, located near the corner of S. George Mason Drive and S. Four Mile Run Drive, was one of eight properties added to the Virginia Landmarks Register by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources on Dec. 11.
Towing fees are increasing in Arlington, though not by as much as the local towing industry wants.
The County Board voted 5-0 on Saturday to increase the initial towing fee for vehicles of less than 7,500 pounds from the current $135 to $160.
A new partnership between the county government and a local church aims to preserve, improve and maintain public access to a historic cemetery.
The county government plans to install perimeter fencing, access gates and a bench at Calloway United Methodist Church’s cemetery at 5000 Langston Blvd, one of the oldest church-affiliated African American graveyards in all of Arlington.
Potential increases to towing fees and taxi rates are on the agenda as County Board members close out 2025.
Both matters will be considered at the Board meeting on Saturday, Dec. 13.
Three options have emerged as county leaders attempt to determine the future of the newly unoccupied Lee Community Center.
The county could upgrade the building, expand the facility or demolish it and construct something entirely new.
A proposal to designate an Arlington Mill garden-apartment complex as a local historic district will not move forward following opposition from the property owner and neighborhood civic association.
Members of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) voted Oct. 15 not to embark on a staff study of the historical significance of the 1940s-era Haven Columbia Pike apartments. The vote concluded a three-year gestation period after the proposal was submitted by local activist Bernie Berne.
A home that could be Arlington’s next local historic district comes with ghost stories attached.
“It has had, over the years, a reputation of having paranormal activity,” said Pierre Yves Cossard, who has owned “Happinest” since 1980.
