Designs for a Rosslyn park, a controversial towing decision and a possible change in Arlington County Fair operations are all going before the Arlington County Board this week.
These items are all on the agenda as the Board holds its last meetings of the year on Saturday (Dec. 14) and the subsequent Tuesday (Dec. 17).
Arlington County Board members had hoped to get revisions to the county’s towing ordinance in the rear-view mirror this week.
But it was not to be, as the Board voted 5-0 on Tuesday to defer action until mid-December.
Arlington County Board members appear disinclined to impose a “second-signature” requirement on property owners having improperly parked vehicles towed from their properties.
A final vote won’t take place until Tuesday evening (Nov. 19), but county staff have recommended that Board members follow the recommendation of the government’s Trespass Towing Advisory Board, which unanimously recommended against a requirement that there be a real-time signature before a tow can take place.
Final action on policies related to deer-culling, towing and residential-to-commercial conversions will be on the agenda when Arlington County Board members meet this Saturday (Nov. 16).
At the meeting, Board members are slated to take final action on zoning changes required to permit the use of sharpshooters to kill deer on public lands in the county.
Some say requiring real-time, in-person authorization of tows from private property is a needed consumer protection.
Others, however, believe it can endanger those working in local retail outlets, apartment-management offices and other front-line businesses.
Arlington’s Trespassing Towing Advisory Board (TTAB) thinks “booting” illegally parked vehicles might, in some cases, be preferable to towing them.
County Board members appear to disagree.
A host of new regulations related to towing off of private property are likely to be considered by Arlington County Board members later in the year.
But first, Board members have to approve advertising a future public hearing for the proposals put forward by County Manager Mark Schwartz and staff. That procedural step is expected to come this Saturday, Oct. 19, with the hearing to follow in November or December.
There will be a several-week delay, pushing the matter into November, before Falls Church officials return to the issue of accessory-dwelling units.
The request to hold off for an additional two weeks was made by city staff as they work through potential zoning language before heading to the City Council chambers.
A Sterling man is facing charges after allegedly pulling a gun on a tow truck driver along Columbia Pike.
The incident happened around 4 p.m. Sunday at the CVS parking lot near Penrose Square.
There’s something of a war of words going on between the sponsor and a key target of a soon-to-be new towing law.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) recently signed two pieces of legislation — both backed by Arlington lawmakers — allowing Northern Virginia local governments to set tighter restrictions on tow operators. HB 959, introduced by Del. Alfonso Lopez (D), allows localities in Northern Virginia to pass “second signature” ordinances requiring towing operators to get express permission from lot owners before removing individual vehicles.
More stringent towing ordinances could be coming to Arlington as two bills targeting “predatory” practices are set to become law.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has signed off on two pieces of legislation — both backed by Arlington lawmakers — allowing Northern Virginia local governments to set tighter restrictions on tow operators. This move could allow Arlington to implement changes to its towing ordinance originally approved in 2016 but later nixed by the state legislature.
Two anti-predatory towing bills from Arlington lawmakers have cleared the House of Delegates and will now head to the state Senate for discussion.
Seven years ago, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) signed a bill preventing Northern Virginia jurisdictions from requiring real-time authorization of tows by the requesting business or parking lot during business hours.
