Ranked-choice voting, a climate resolution, the contentious Melwood development proposal and the draft Fiscal Year 2026 county budget are all on the agenda for a County Board meeting slated for Saturday (Feb. 22).
Among the highlights:
preservation
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Lyon Park residents, and those just passing through, can now learn a little more about the history of the community.
Three new historic markers celebrating the neighborhood were formally dedicated during a wintry event held Feb. 12.
A recent change to Virginia state code could delay proposed redevelopment of Crystal City’s Melwood parcel by more than a year.
That’s how much time county staff say they will need to evaluate the site’s 102-year-old Nelly Custis School building for any potential historic relevance.
Construction of the Pentagon’s road network in the early 1940s was responsible for the mass displacement of an African-American neighborhood in South Arlington.
A new historical marker aims to bring the history of that community — Queen City — and its residents to future generations.
As it moves further into its second century, the Lyon Park community is taking a deeper dive into understanding its formative years.
From digitizing historical records to developing a trio of commemorative markers, leaders hope that looking to the past will help shape the Arlington neighborhood’s next century.
Plans for redeveloping a key Langston Blvd parcel have sidestepped a potentially lengthy historic preservation battle.
That removes one impediment to razing the existing office building on the 1.3-acre site in the North Highlands community near Rosslyn, replacing it with upscale condominiums.
Restoration of the historic Cherry Hill Farmhouse was Falls Church’s gift to future generations during the American Bicentennial of 1976.
And now, city officials hope to use the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday to secure vital infrastructure improvements for the 180-year-old structure.
A dozen historical preservation projects across Arlington, from historically accurate home renovations to community-based projects and research, have received county funding through a new program.
The county doled out roughly $256,000 to 12 of the 19 applicants for the inaugural round of the Arlington County Historic Preservation Fund.
Moore’s Barber Shop, in Arlington’s historically Black neighborhood of Halls Hill, has survived Covid and remained in business despite competition from low-cost chains.
Its secret, according to owner James Moore Jr., is not a business strategy or particularly talented barber — it is community. In a video (below) produced by Arlington County recently, he muses this must be what motivated his local government to offer to support in any way it could.
A developer is setting aside $25,000 for the installation of a historical marker to describe the importance of the Joyce Motors site in Clarendon.
The sum raised eyebrows among some Planning Commission members last night (Monday) during their discussion of a proposed redevelopment of the auto shop at the intersection of N. Irving Street and 10th Street N.
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Pike Plan Peeves Preservationists — “Under current, still tentative proposals, the façade of the building would be dismantled, stored away and then re-installed after the new development on the site rises. Keeping the facade ‘is kind of better than nothing, I suppose,’ said HALRB board member Joan Lawrence, who went on to blast the county government’s commitment, or lack thereof, to finding a way to retain ‘one of the few historic structures left on Columbia Pike.'” [Sun Gazette]
Local Credit Union Merger — “Two local credit unions, one based in Arlington and the other in Alexandria, are planning to merge into one entity that will have combined assets of about $700 million, 12 branches, 38,000 members and 140 employees. Arlington Community Federal Credit Union and InFirst Federal Credit Union, with headquarters in Alexandria, are seeking regulatory approval for their proposed merger, the credit unions announced Tuesday.” [Patch]
Two Local Spots on Best Bagel List — Arlington’s homegrown Brooklyn Bagel has ranked No. 4 on a list of the D.C. area’s best bagels, while Bethesda Bagel, which has an outpost in Rosslyn, ranked No. 1. [Washingtonian]
Dems Set School Board Caucus Rules — “The 2022 Arlington County Democratic Committee School Board caucus will be an in-person-only affair with the controversial party-loyalty oath retained, based on rules adopted by the party’s rank-and-file on April 6. Democrats will select their School Board endorsee during four days of voting in June, using the instant-runoff format that has been a familiar feature of Democratic caucuses in recent years.” [Sun Gazette]