Author: Jo DeVoe

County Board slated to accept $7M grant to get people to consider driving alternatives

By Jo DeVoe
A cyclist rides in front of the under-demolition RCA building in Rosslyn this past spring (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Arlington County Board will consider accepting a $7.1 million grant to encourage people to plan more trips without their cars.

Nearly $5.7 million of the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Program grant comes from federal funding, with $1.4 million coming from the state. Arlington County is not required to match funding.

“Funds will be used to provide educational and promotional support to… efforts to help facilitate and market alternative commute options such as transit, biking, walking and shared ride options,” per a county report.

The grant would fund efforts by Arlington County Commuter Services to encourage private-sector employers to provide commuter benefits to employees who commute using transit or vanpools. This county agency was formed to reduce traffic congestion, decreasing parking demand and promote driving alternatives.

The funding would also pay for events designed to promote the use of alternative travel modes, such as carpool and vanpool. Lastly, it would help employers, commercial property owners, schools and individuals provide information on telework, parking management strategies and alternative transportation benefit programs.

The cash infusion emphasizing commuting alternatives comes as, regionally, more people are working from the office at least part-time and more people are driving alone.

This year, the remote work rate in the D.C. region dropped to 25% from a high of 33% in 2021, Axios reports.

Meanwhile, the region ended 2022 with 78% of commuters driving alone, a 14% increase from 2019, according to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board of the Metropolitan Council of Governments

Despite the uptick in single-occupant trips, Metro ridership continues recovering from a pandemic-induced hit. Revenue, however, has not seen the same growth, compounding the budget shortfall WMATA faces, which could trigger significant service cuts.

Locally, Arlington Transit (ART) ridership saw a 50% Covid-era drop, though it was insulated from deeper declines because many essential workers continued taking the bus during the pandemic. Going into 2020, ridership had already been declining, however.

Last year, Arlington County contributed to a regional effort, backed by state funds, to launch a campaign to generate interest in taking transit.

In another bid to encourage ridership, county staff intend to apply for $400,000 in regional transportation funding to increase bus frequency on ART Route 75.

Currently, two buses per hour travel between the Shirlington Transit Center and the Ballston and Virginia Square Metro stations. The grant application, if endorsed this weekend by the County Board and later approved by the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, would bring that to three buses per hour.

What the Capitals’ move to Potomac Yard could mean for its Ballston practice facility and an at-grade Route 1

By Jo DeVoe
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Ballston might remain the place where the Washington Capitals practice if everything goes to plan and the hockey team begins playing games in a newly announced sports arena in Potomac Yard.

The new arena for the Caps and Washington Wizards, as well as a concert venue, could open as soon as 2028 in the Alexandria neighborhood already seeing heavy investment, including a new Metro station and Virginia Tech’s forthcoming Innovation Campus.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Monumental Sports & Entertainment owner Ted Leonsis, the city of Alexandria and developer JBG Smith officially confirmed the murmurings of a move today (Wednesday), to which county officials and business leaders reacted with excitement.

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey called the news an “excellent opportunity for Arlington to continue to partner with Alexandria” and, in a statement, said that “it further cements our region among the world’s most innovative and dynamic places to live, play, and do business.”

But whether the Caps continue to practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, adjoining the Ballston Quarter mall, is just one of the moving pieces with impacts on Arlington, should the project move forward.

Another concern — top-of-mind for residents around Richmond Hwy (Route 1) — is what the new facility will mean for state plans to bring the key north-south artery to grade, which was part of a suite of transportation projects promised if Amazon settled in Pentagon City.

In today’s announcement, the expansion into Alexandria did not explicitly mention relocating the Capital’s practice facility from Ballston, though it was included in a map of the planned development.

Arlington County says Monumental has indicated it intends to negotiate a renewed lease in Ballston — even with the planned arena in Potomac Yard — as it prefers to separate practice facilities and administrative offices from their arena.

A Monumental spokesperson told ARLnow where the Caps practice is one of many details that still need to be finalized, emphasizing that the Iceplex in Ballston is a state-of-the-art facility. The spokesperson said Monumental might renovate the second-floor office space to serve as the front office and athlete space after the business staff move to Potomac Yard, but it is also exploring building a new practice facility at Potomac Yard.

Tina Leone, CEO of the Ballston Business Improvement District, is optimistic the team will stick around. She spoke highly of the Capitals, who she called great supporters of Ballston for the 17 years they have practiced there.

“We can’t help but draw parallels between the evolution of Ballston, the Capitals, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment; and while there are still moving pieces, we couldn’t be happier for the Leonsis family, the Capitals organization, and the MSE team,” she told ARLnow in a statement.

“When the Capitals were looking for an urban setting with access, an amenity-rich neighborhood, and a community their players and coaches wanted to call home, they chose Ballston. Nearly two decades later, we’re proud Ballston continues to be all those things and more,” she continued. “We’ve been fortunate to have such a globally recognized, highly visible organization contribute to Ballston’s growing identity and culture.”

Monumental is similarly keeping a foot in both camps, for now, in D.C. In a letter to fans, circulating on social media, Leonsis said he hopes Capital One Arena and downtown D.C. “remain an essential part of our future.”

He said the company plans to invest in the existing arena so it can continue hosting large-scale events, from concerts to WNBA games and college sports. In the hours leading up to today’s announcement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled legislation to support a complete, $500 million renovation of the Capital One Arena, if the NHL and NBA team stay.

While some NHL teams opt to keep games and practices under one roof, others maintain separate facilities for games and practices. Sometimes, this is out of necessity, if the location for games cannot accommodate practices. Other teams, however, view practice spaces as a way to engage the community and, with the right amenities, to help lure free agents.

The Iceplex, for instance, holds open practices that fans can watch as well as youth clinics, and it has served as a springboard for Monumental, which has also sponsored community events and invested in local organizations.

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Two alleys that saw serious crashes in 2021 among dozen that received improvements this year in Arlington

By Jo DeVoe
Before and after the Green Valley alley received county improvements (via Arlington County, with text added by ARLnow)

Two years ago, a motorcyclist died in a crash involving a school bus near Drew Elementary School in Green Valley.

A week later later, a car seriously injured a toddler who was playing in the sidewalk intersecting with an alley in Westover.

Following those two crashes, Arlington County embarked on a county-wide look at alleys to identify possible problems, from insufficient signage or markings to degraded road conditions. This year, it made upgrades to around a dozen of the 100 alleys it reviewed.

The 23rd Street S. alley in Green Valley, where witnesses say the motorcyclist exited at a high speed and died trying to avoid hitting a school bus, had parking spaces removed to improve sight distances, Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien said.

Meanwhile, the Westover alley at N. Longfellow Street and 15th Road N., near where the toddler was seriously injured, had a “watch for pedestrians” sign added, according to a county map.

Neighbors previously said this alley was frequented by cyclists and pedestrians, including students from nearby schools, but had dangerous blind spots. This included untrimmed hedges, which were cut around the time the toddler returned home from the hospital.

After evaluating sight line obstructions such as foliage, barriers and parked vehicles, and checking for unclear or worn signage and pavement markings, the county made changes to several other alleys.

Alleys in East Falls Church, Ballston and Alcova Heights had pedestrian warning signs added, while faded signage was replaced at a second alley in Alcova Heights.

Parking was repurposed to improve sight lines at an alley in Bluemont while a “no parking” sign was added to a second Green Valley alley where neighbors said parked cars blocked visibility.

Changes were made through general funding since they were small in scale, O’Brien said.

NEW: Another inmate has died at the Arlington County jail

By Jo DeVoe
Jail entrance at the Arlington County Detention Facility (file photo)

A 55-year-old inmate has died in the Arlington County jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

This is the second death the detention facility has logged this year, after 73-year-old Abonesh Woldegeorges, booked on trespassing charges, was found dead in her cell this August.

David Gerhard, of Hedgesville, West Virginia, died today (Tuesday) after he was found unresponsive in his cell within the medical unit at the Arlington County Detention Facility, which the Sheriff’s Office runs.

Sheriff’s deputies and medical staff “began immediate resuscitation efforts until the arrival of Arlington County Fire & Rescue units,” per an ACSO press release.

Police and fire were dispatched to the report of cardiac arrest just before 8 a.m., according to a press release from Arlington County Police Department. First responders found Gerhard was still unresponsive.

“He was transported to Virginia Hospital Center where he was pronounced deceased,” the ACSO release said.

He died around just before 9 a.m., a sheriff’s office spokeswoman told ARLnow.

Gerhard was booked in jail on Nov. 20 for failing to comply with support obligations and contempt of court. Under certain circumstances, the court can order a person to be incarcerated for not complying with a court order concerning the custody, visitation or support of a child.

Gerhard’s family was notified of his passing, the release said.

“We extend our condolences to the family of Mr. Gerhard, during this difficult time,” Sheriff Jose Quiroz said in a statement.

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine his cause of death. ACPD is investigating the death, following standard procedure, per the police press release.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact the Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 1.866.411.TIPS (8477).

Gerhard is the ninth person to die in the Arlington County jail over the past eight years. His death comes despite heightened attention on jail deaths and efforts to update health check protocols at the county lockup.

A number of inmates who have died in the last eight years were homeless or booked on so-called nuisance crimes, such as trespassing.

Gerhard was white, while most inmates who have died in the county jail have been Black. That disparity prompted the Arlington branch of the NAACP to call for a federal investigation into the deaths.

Set for early 2024 completion, Fire Station 8 taking donations that document its storied past

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

With work beginning to wrap up on the new Fire Station 8 in Halls Hill, the county is asking residents to share mementos from the station’s past.

The artifacts, which can be donated temporarily or permanently, will go on display in the station’s public lobby exhibition dedicated to the history of Fire Station 8.

Fire Station 8 was the only station in segregation-era Arlington with Black firefighters, all volunteers, who responded to service calls that fire stations in white neighborhoods would not take. The station, which did not receive county support back then, raised the money for equipment with cookouts.

Now, the forthcoming, newly-built Arlington County Fire Department station at 4845 Langston Blvd will have updated amenities and sustainable features such as a “green” (vegetated) roof and rooftop solar panels. In addition to the lobby exhibition, it will have a plaza and pathway honoring the legacy of their fire station, which Halls Hill residents shared during the design process.

“You’ve shared memories, stories, anecdotes, and most of all, the love and respect that flourished between you, your neighbors, and the tireless dedication of the firefighters who worked, overcame, and achieved so much for and on behalf of the Halls Hill community,” according to a letter soliciting donations. “We would love to display your photographs, awards, artifacts, mementos, and more.”

The donation call is ongoing and the county does not have any pieces to share with the public yet, says Alyson Jordan Tomaszewski, a spokeswoman with Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services.

Suggested donations she shared with ARLnow include:

  • Candid photos
  • Programs or invitations for events sponsored by the station
  • Artifacts from individuals (e.g., parts of uniform, helmet, buttons, pins, awards)
  • Artifacts from the station (e.g., banners, signs, tools, equipment)

As for construction, Tomaszewski said most of the interior finishes on the new station have been completed. Through mid-winter of 2024, crews will focus on installing sidewalks, curbs and gutters.

After this work is complete, ACFD plans to start operating from the new building, where the old station formerly stood. Firefighters will move out of the temporary station next door, at 2217 N. Culpeper Street, where they have been working since December 2021.

Just prior to spring, crews will remove and store the temporary station, do landscaping work and add a parking lot, Tomaszewski said.

“Once this is complete, there will be a grand opening event for the public,” she said.

Podcast: Dave Statter on erratic driving and his goals as a public safety watchdog

By Jo DeVoe
Dave Statter against the backdrop of a Wienermobile he caught on camera crossing multiple traffic lanes on I-395 (by ARLnow)

The man behind the highway cameras capturing driving stunts on I-395 got in front of the microphone for a conversation with ARLnow.

Dave Statter talked with assistant managing editor Jo DeVoe about how he wound up posting clips on X, formerly Twitter, of Virginia State Police high-speed chases that halt at the D.C. line and people who reverse or make actual left turns — blinkers and all — on the highway. Plus, he shares his thoughts on erratic driver behavior these days.

The veteran journalist, long interested in public safety, discussed what topics keep him up at night, including D.C.’s 911 service, and previewed future topics he will dig into.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn.

Arlington-based WireWheel acquired by Texas data privacy company

By Jo DeVoe

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Three Ballston Plaza. 

Arlington-based WireWheel has been acquired by Osano, a data privacy management company out of Austin, Texas.

Osano, which aims to simplify the process of building and managing data privacy programs for companies, is not disclosing the financial terms of the acquisition.

A majority of WireWheel’s employees are joining Osano, though some employees weren’t offered new roles because of redundancies between the businesses, a spokeswoman told ARLnow.

Other top brass, including its founder Justin Antonipillai — the former Acting Undersecretary of Economic Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama — will not continue with Osano, either.

“The founders will not be staying on as part of the acquisition,” the Osano spokeswoman said. “However, WireWheel’s head of Data Privacy will be joining Osano’s customer facing teams to help our customers successfully implement our solutions.”

WireWheel declined to comment for this story and deferred to Osano CEO Arlo Gilbert.

Founded in 2016, the Courthouse-based startup provides companies with privacy assessment tools to keep up with the ever-evolving regulatory environment surrounding data privacy, which varies greatly by country and state.

These platforms show customers what data they collect on customers and how that data is used, while allowing customers the ability to access or delete this data or indicate they do not want it sold. Two years ago, the startup raised some $200 million to speed up its go-to-market plans and market its products to small and mid-sized companies.

Banner announcing Osano has acquired WireWheel (via Osano/Facebook)

Gilbert, Osano’s CEO, says this is the first of an expected 12 acquisitions in the coming 18 months, involving $100 million, to transform the data privacy market.

“This acquisition is high-impact for Osano and WireWheel’s customers because the two companies’ solutions complement one another so well,” Gilbert said in a statement. “Adding WireWheel’s technology to our platform delivers major advantages for enterprise customers, who will benefit from the scalability, customizability, customer experience and advanced features that address the needs of deploying data privacy programs at scale.”

The Courthouse startup’s tools will also give Osano clients extra confidence while pursuing AI initiatives, per the press release.

Companies that train AI models with large data sets have to ensure the data is free of personal information. Inadvertently including private information in these sets is a costly mistake, as these expensive AI models then have to be destroyed.

County could start changing parking prices along two Metro corridors next year

By Jo DeVoe
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To find a parking spot in Ballston, go during the daytime, avoid Wilson Blvd and Fairfax Drive, and consider parking in nearby Virginia Square, which has many empty blocks.

To park in Clarendon, good luck finding a spot on Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Generally, there are more spots south of Washington Blvd but be on the lookout: spots can open up quickly as people do not stay parked in Clarendon for long.

These are some tips to glean from new county data collected in the first phase of a state-funded performance parking pilot study. But the data, collected from some 4,500 sensors in parking spaces along the Rosslyn-Ballston and Richmond Hwy corridors, does more than help people find parking spots on busy weekends.

It also demonstrates that, on average, only a third of people pay for parking when they come to these corridors. The county says this information will help it pinpoint the neighborhoods with the lowest parking compliance and focus its limited parking attendants there.

Parking compliance in October 2023 (via Arlington County)

The installation of sensors and data collection made up the first phase of a pilot program that will eventually use variable pricing and data to improve the availability of metered parking. County staff used these sensors to find differences in parking availability by hour, block, day of the week and neighborhood.

“These differences we need to take into consideration when we are making our pricing recommendations,” says Marietta Gelfort, a planner with the county’s parking and curb space management team in a recent video.

The next phases of the project will see actual changes in parking prices. These changes will happen once every three months but, the county emphasizes, will not trigger across-the-board meter rate hikes or surge pricing.

For the pilot to move forward, next county staff need Arlington County Board to change prices along the study corridors administratively — without County Board permission each time. They are gearing up to request this authority early next year for the duration of the pilot, set to end in early 2026.

A request to advertise hearings on this proposal could come this January, followed by a public hearing by the spring of 2024, Dept. of Environmental Services Parking and Curbspace Manager Melissa McMahon told ARLnow.

Once staff have this permission to alter prices, they will communicate changes to the public whenever those changes occur.

Price differences already influence parking behavior in Arlington, according to Dept. of Environmental Services communications specialist Nate Graham.

“Sunday occupancy is highest across the board, which illustrates that even today’s metered prices shape demand and behavior to some extent,” he tells ARLnow.

Transportation commissioners are “very supportive” of the pilot but, on the topic of pricing, suggested recommended stepped up enforcement of accessible parking spaces if these prices differ from non-accessible spaces.

“The greater the discrepancy in pricing between ADA and non-ADA spaces, the more drivers use fake ADA
tags,” the commission said in a letter to the County Board last month.

Eventually, as part of the pilot, the county will make parking spot and pricing data available on two mobile-friendly tools so people can research spots and costs in real time.

There will also be signs showing where spots are available, how many and for how much.

Third-party parking apps showing available spaces using county sensor data (via Arlington County)

A collection of single-family homes in Cherrydale will soon be eligible for Missing Middle redevelopment

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Eighteen properties formerly within a special “revitalization district” in Cherrydale will soon officially be eligible for redevelopment with 2- to 6-unit homes.

On Monday, the Arlington Planning Commission unanimously adopted changes to the county’s General Land Use Plan map that removed 18 properties from the boundaries of the Cherrydale revitalization district, outlined in the 1994 Cherrydale Revitalization Plan.

According to Missing Middle ordinances, these properties would have been exempt from Expanded Housing Option, or EHO, development because they were intended for larger-scale redevelopment. But that was unlikely to happen.

“Since the redevelopment on adjacent properties did not also include these parcels as part of the site assemblages, it is unexpected and likely infeasible for the balance of properties to redevelop on their own consistent with the Cherrydale plan,” per a county report.

If the Arlington County Board approves the proposed map changes this month, these 18 properties could have a new path forward for redevelopment as EHOs, potentially creating a subtler transition from higher-density or commercial buildings to single-family home neighborhoods.

Proposed changes to the Cherrydale Revitalization District Boundaries (via Arlington County)

Since the revitalization plan was adopted in 1994, several properties in Cherrydale have redeveloped, becoming townhouses, for instance, but leaving a collection of single-family homes nearby.

When the Missing Middle ordinances were adopted, county staff recommended studying the Cherrydale Revitalization District boundaries as part of Plan Langston Blvd, which outlines how the county can leverage private development to turn car-centric Langston Blvd into a leafy, walkable corridor with more housing, retail and open space.

Notably, Cherrydale had been left out of Plan Langston Blvd because its redevelopment plan had yet to be fully realized. Still, with this recommendation, staff sought to find homes unlikely to be assembled for larger-scale redevelopment and free them up for EHO development.

The map shows other blocks with a few single-family homes are still included in district, meaning the county still has high hopes developers could assemble these properties for larger-scale developments.

An aerial view of a car dealership and restaurant, and single-family homes nearby, that could be assembled for larger redevelopment projects (image by ARLnow via Google Maps)

The Planning Commission adopted the changes this month after a month-long delay.

In November, the County Board decided to postpone hearings on the map until December because a copy of the map “was inadvertently omitted” from meeting materials in October, when the Board heard staff’s request to advertise hearings, the report said.

The item is now teed up to go before the County Board on Saturday, Dec. 16.

School Board Chair Cristina Diaz-Torres is not running for reelection

By Jo DeVoe
Arlington School Board Chair Cristina Diaz-Torres during the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 (via Cristina Diaz-Torres/YouTube)

(Updated at 2:50 p.m.) Arlington School Board Chair Cristina Diaz-Torres will not be seeking re-election.

Diaz-Torres, who became chair this July, announced the decision last night (Wednesday) at the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting, to a chorus of dismay from some meeting attendees.

Her term on the School Board ends on Dec. 31, 2024. She is the second sitting member to announce this year a decision not to seek reelection, following Reid Goldstein, whose term ends this month.

Diaz-Torres ran in 2020, securing the endorsement of Arlington Democrats in June and a place on the School Board that November.

She was sworn in on Jan. 1, 2021, amid “truly wild uncertainty,” when schools were still shut down and a vaccine was not yet widely available, she told local Democrats.

“Just three years later, our world looks a lot brighter,” she said, per a recording of her speech she posted on social media.

“As a part of this job, I spend a lot of time talking to staff, especially school leaders, and the sentiment I hear over and over again is how different this year feels,” she continued. “It’s not a return to the before times we were all longing for, but to the after times: something new, something different, something that we were longing for all those months.”

Diaz-Torres reflected on several changes APS made during her tenure — many of which garnered applause from meeting attendees — and credited staff, Superintendent Francisco Durán and his cabinet and the School Board for this work.

The school system changed its approach to reading instruction, one she says has narrowed Arlington’s achievement gap and identified more students for extra help, she said.

She added that the School Board removed School Resource Officers from school grounds, reintroduced collective bargaining for employees and increased teacher compensation across pay scales.

“I am proud of the initiatives we have undertaken, I am proud of the policies we have implemented, and I am proud of the positive changes we have brought to our schools,” she said on social media. “We have strived to create an APS that serves ALL students by name, strength, and need.”

That work must continue, her statement continued, but under new leadership.

“This chapter will forever hold a special place in my heart and will be among the most significant and impactful work I’ve ever done,” she said. “This next chapter will look a little different but I look forward to bearing witness to the continued success of @APSVirginia.”

Her next chapter includes taking on the role of being “mom to a future APS grad in the class of 2042,” she told Democrats. The outgoing School Board chair announced her pregnancy on social media last month.

AIM to move headquarters but cannot yet close chapter on financial concerns

By Jo DeVoe
Arlington Independent Media in Clarendon (file photo)

(Updated at 12:20 a.m. on 12/7/23) After a 2-year search for new digs, Arlington Independent Media is on the cusp of moving from its long-time headquarters in Clarendon.

Next week, Arlington’s public access TV channel, community radio station and media training provider intends to sign a lease for space in Courthouse Plaza, says its CEO Whytni Kernodle. The building is owned by JBG Smith and home to Arlington County headquarters.

The cash-strapped organization is having to look outside its coffers to leave before its Dec. 31 deadline. The organization disclosed it had $31,000 in cash on hand during its November meeting, according to Lynn Borton, a former producer with AIM who was in attendance.

Kernodle requested $350,000 in funds that Comcast sets aside for expenses by public institutions, Arlington Public Schools and the county government. She also intends to fundraise another $25,000.

Once settled in Courthouse, Kernodle envisions an “On Air!” sign attracting passers-by to come and listen to music and watch AIM produce live shows. Next year, she wants to add public speaking events.

“The really great community media organizations are out in the community without waiting for people to come to their location,” she said. “We’re coming to the community as opposed to expecting the community to come to us.”

AIM will retain its rent-free second location in a county-owned building in Green Valley, for which it pays an “affordable license fee,” according to the county.

Kernodle says it was not a viable headquarters because it was too small and too far from the broadcast tower AIM uses in Courthouse for live shows. She also did not want to give up a North Arlington presence.

The move comes as the organization faces pressure to clarify its finances and rely more on fundraising, membership fees and advertising, and less on county funding, for its operational expenses.

AIM also faces existential pressures from consumers choosing streaming over cable, as fewer cable subscriptions means less funding for Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) Access Channels — and fewer viewers.

Streaming, along with better technology and the dominance of social media, can also weaken the value of AIM’s core offerings — professional-grade equipment, studios and training for content creators — says Rodger Smith, a senior instructor in the George Mason University Department of Communication.

“Why go to AIM when I can be in my house and I can create a podcast that still sounds broadcast quality or I can produce video,” says Smith, who is also the faculty advisor for WGMU, the campus online radio station. “They have to offer a service that [people] can’t find anyplace else.”

Rocky finances and a forthcoming  governance document

AIM will be leaving a building where the rent almost sank it financially, but its woes are not behind it.

When AIM lost free rent at 2701 Wilson Blvd as part of a 2016 local cable franchise agreement, it racked up $80,000 in debts and nearly went under, even after the county paid its market-rate rent for several months, says Borton.

While serving as AIM’s president, she got collections officers to stop calling in 2019 and negotiated a lower rent. The organization has known it needed to move since 2021, when the new owner of 2701 Wilson Blvd opened the Beyond Hello dispensary next door, with plans to take over AIM’s space, Borton said.

All this time, the county tried to wean AIM from county support, proposing, then lessening, cuts after outcry from AIM staff and listeners.

The organization continues to face financial transparency challenges, as it is behind on its Form 990s. The IRS makes public these nonprofit tax forms so people can gauge an organization’s financial health.

(more…)

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