News

Pickleball fight escalates as opponents distribute flyer accusing players of bullying children

By Matt Blitz
Pickleball being played outside at Walter Reed Community Center (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

(Updated on 2/14/23) The fight over the new pickleball courts coming to Walter Reed Community Center appears to have escalated.

In a flyer that’s now being disseminated around the neighborhood, opponents are leveling accusations of “bullying of our children by pickleball players,” “public urination on playground and sensory garden,” and causing “excessive continuous noise from dawn to 10 p.m. every day.”

If more pickleball courts are added, it will even be more of a “public nuisance” the flyer says. It does not go into greater detail about the accusations.

“Arlington County is giving away our rights to Walter Reed Community Center (WRCC) to build a dedicated Pickleball Cluster,” it reads. “Current issues will get worse with conversion of 3 tennis to 9 pickleball courts.”

Anti-pickleball flyer distributed to residents who live near the Walter Reed Community Center (photo courtesy anonymous)

The flyer also lists “large crowds,” “parking issues,” and “tennis and basketball hijacked” as problems. It asks residents to fill out a Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation survey, attend upcoming Columbia Heights Civic Association meetings, and be at this week’s public meeting to make their concerns known.

In November, Arlington residents approved a countywide bond referendum that included spending $2 million to add more pickleball courts in the county including at Walter Reed Community Center.

The plan is to convert the current outdoor tennis courts to pickleball courts by adding netting, pavement, lighting, signage, fencing, and “sound reduction measures.”

The basketball court, which currently is stripped for pickleball, will be converted back to its original use.

The project’s completion is still at least two years away. Feedback through online surveys and community meetings will be gathered throughout 2023, per a recently-published county timeline. Construction could begin in the spring of 2024 with early 2025 as the current goal for it to be completed.

A group that is calling itself the “Walter Reed Neighborhood Group” is behind the flyers, ARLnow has learned. It’s a core group of about 10 to 15 nearby residents who have handed out about 600 flyers around the neighborhood, we’re told.

The group is not trying to start an “all-out war” on pickleball, a number of neighbors said in a conversation earlier today. They are disputing the process that resulted in the decision to build a cluster of courts near their homes.

“The county has… created the situation and they’re putting pickleballers against local residents,” neighbor Armand Ciccarelli told ARLnow.

He and the others in the group said that the court score assessment process DPR used to determine that Walter Reed was the best option for the cluster of courts was “flawed.” Walter Reed Community Center beat out several other options by a single point, per the county-produced chart.

“Arlington is ramping up [the building of courts] and throwing them in South Arlington,” Ciccarelli said. “The county is ignoring us.”

The construction of nine new pickleball courts won’t simply attract county residents, neighbors said, but players from across the region.

“By having a large cluster here, we are attracting pickleballers from all over the place,” Jacquelyn, a group member and a pickleball player herself, said. “This will no longer be a community center for the community, it will become pickleball central for the entire DMV area. And our little neighborhood can’t handle that.”

Of course, not everyone agrees with the group and its assessment of the ills of pickleball.

As the sport has rapidly gained popularity — more than 36 million people played pickleball between August 2021 and August 2022, according to a new report — players have been lobbying localities like Arlington for more courts.

Ciccarelli did acknowledge that the anti-pickleball flyers could be interpreted as inflammatory, but that was a deliberate choice to get more attention. He said that “99%” of locals the group has talked to do not have “any awareness of this project.”

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County seeks federal funding for new trail around part of Arlington National Cemetery for third time

By Jo DeVoe
Scooting along near Arlington National Cemetery (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The third time could be the charm for Arlington County, which is applying for federal funding to improve cycling and walking connections around Arlington National Cemetery.

On Saturday, the Arlington County Board is scheduled to review the county’s third application for funding from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program.

The money would partially fund the construction of a long-proposed Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) Wall Trail along Washington Blvd, which would connect Columbia Pike and the Pentagon City area with Memorial Avenue and the Arlington Memorial Bridge into D.C.

“Connectivity for bike-ped users across this part of the County is complicated by the combined barrier effects of secured federal facilities such as ANC, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, and the Pentagon Reservation” and “a high-volume roadway network” comprised of Arlington Boulevard, Washington Blvd, Route 1 as it runs through Pentagon City, I-395 and the GW Parkway, the county notes in a report.

The new trail would run along the western side of Washington Blvd. An existing trail on the opposite side gets dicey near Memorial Circle for pedestrians and cyclists looking to connect to the Mt. Vernon Trail or cross into D.C.

The Federal Highway Administration is designing this multi-use trail in conjunction with the realignment of Columbia Pike. This work is being done to accommodate the 50-acre southern expansion of the ANC, which will add about 80,000 burial sites, allowing burials through the 2050s.

Arlington County has unsuccessfully applied for RAISE funding in the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. This fiscal year, the federal program has nearly $2.3 billion to dole out “for investments in surface transportation that will have a significant local or regional impact,” per the notice of funding opportunity.

“RAISE is a cost reimbursement program and not a lump sum grant award,” the county report notes. “Previous programs have been highly competitive.”

The Arlington Memorial Trail will run west along Washington Blvd and Richmond Hwy, starting at the eastern end of a realigned Columbia Pike to Memorial Avenue, immediately adjacent to the Arlington Cemetery Metro station.

It will link up to an existing trail along the west side of Richmond Hwy, which provides a connection to the Iwo Jima Memorial, to Rosslyn and to the larger network of bicycle and pedestrian trails along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

Renderings of Arlington National Cemetery expansion and Columbia Pike reconfiguration project (via National Capital Planning Commission)

The estimated cost of the Arlington Memorial Trail in the approved 10-year capital improvement plan is $25 million. If the federal government green lights the full $15 million, the county would cover the remaining $10 million through a mix of the commercial and industrial tax and funding it receives from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority for local projects.

Projects can receive $5 million to $25 million. A single state cannot receive more than $225 million and awards must be split evenly between urban and rural areas.

Selected projects will be announced by the end of June.

Arlington gets $1.2M grant to help people living in shelters or outdoors move into apartments

By Jo DeVoe
Man sleeping on a bench outside Arlington Central Library (file photo)

Arlington County has received a $1.2 million federal grant to move people experiencing homelessness into permanent or temporary apartment housing.

Approximately 55% of the grant will be for housing — mostly one- and two-bedroom affordable rental units — and the remainder “is for supportive services and staffing,” says Dept. of Human Services spokesman Kurt Larrick.

This project provides permanent housing in existing, but unoccupied, committed affordable units in Arlington to people either living outside or in one of the county’s four emergency shelters, operated by Bridges to Independence, Doorways, New Hope and PathForward.

In federal government speak, this is known as “rapid rehousing,” says Larrick.

It is part of Arlington County’s “housing first” approach — one in which people are housed without stipulations, says Adele McClure, a candidate for the second district of the House of Delegates, who has worked for many years in Arlington tackling homelessness after experiencing it herself in Fairfax County.

“It’s breaking down the barrier to housing,” she said. “I am a product of those stipulations growing up. When I was in transitional housing, we didn’t have ‘housing first’ model, it was really, really tough for our family. I am thankful Arlington and all of Virginia engages in that.”

The funds will also pay for master-lease agreements with nonprofits to move people into apartments temporarily before moving to permanent housing, Larrick said.

This grant has a three-year term. It is a new funding source and a new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) project type for Arlington.

“But the work is not new to Arlington and will be a mix of non-congregate shelter and Rapid Rehousing services for people experiencing homelessness,” Larrick said. “Arlington has a long history of winning competitive HUD funding opportunities across a range of programming areas though.”

McClure says Arlington is well-positioned to address homelessness because of its “continuum of care” model that brings together nonprofits, affordable housing providers and public and private service providers to oversee everything from subsidy programs to street outreach.

The funding will help replace early Covid relief federal funding through the CARES Act, which is coming to an end, she noted.

The grant comes as the county is working on its next strategic plan to help households at risk of homelessness keep their housing and help homeless families quickly regain stable housing.

Arlington County adopted a 10-year plan in 2006. Data over the last decade show that during the out-years of the plan, the population of people living in shelters and outdoors dropped sharply. That rate of decline has since slowed and possibly plateaued.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Arlington over the last decade (via Arlington County)

“We started off really strong and we had that sharp decline, but once you get down to the lower numbers we have, we’re going to get down to the folks who are hardest to serve: those are the folks who don’t necessarily stay sheltered,” McClure said. “I know, here in Arlington, we are concerned about losing that momentum and progress.”

A three-year plan was adopted in 2018. The plan was extended due to Covid, but now, the county is reprising its planning. This round is focused on addressing inequities for people of color, immigrants and seniors.

“Arlington struggles with the availability of resources, funding and stock of affordable housing,” McClure said. “There are large and systemic root causes that perpetuate homelessness… Arlington is trying to address those systemic root causes.”

Interested community members can attend any of the following informational sessions.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Rainy day in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Essy’s Carriage House Closing — “Announcing another landmark soon to vanish:  Essy’s Carriage House, the American cuisine steakhouse that’s been a fixture in Cherrydale for 48 years, will close its doors at the end of March. No other Arlington full-service restaurant has been open longer, according to founder-owner Essy Saedi, an Iranian immigrant who came to the United States in 1962. (An exception might be Mario’s Pizza, primarily takeout since 1958.)” [Falls Church News-Press]

La Coop Grand Opening — “Customers lined up outside on Saturday to get their first drink and pastry at the grand opening of La Coop Coffee’s new location in the Arlington Forest neighborhood of Arlington. La Coop Coffee had already made a name for itself in Arlington by selling coffee at the nearby Lubber Run Farmers Market.” [Patch]

New Term for ‘Missing Middle’ — “Faced with a public revolt in some quarters over proposed Missing Middle housing and zoning changes, the Arlington County government has made a big change. Not to the proposed policy. To the name. ‘Missing Middle’ has now morphed into ‘Expanded Housing Options’ in county-government parlance. And because nothing happens in Arlington without an acronym, it has already been shortened to ‘EHO.'” [Gazette Leader]

Public Radio Examines Housing Debate — “Recently they started browsing on Zillow for a place to buy. ‘We saw a lot of homes,’ Siegel says, ‘but when we brought it back down to what we could afford, what our price range was, suddenly all the homes disappeared.’ It was a rude surprise. The couple makes above the local median household income, which is more than $120,000. They knew houses can approach a million dollars, but it turned out that even tw0- or three-bedroom condos are too pricey.” [NPR]

W-L Defeats Wakefield in Emotional Win — “The healing continues at Washington-Liberty High School now three months after the tragic death of one of its most beloved student-athletes, senior Braylon Meade, who died in a car accident, hit by a drunk driver just after midnight. The boys basketball team continued to keep it going Friday night on Senior Night for the Generals as they took on fierce rival Wakefield in a packed, vibrant gym. The result was an emotional 58-53 victory for the home team.” [Novahoops.com]

Covid Cases on the Decline — “The COVID numbers generally continue to improve. The number of patients who require hospitalization is a touch below last week. The number of patients that we put on our COVID isolation status in the emergency department, is also less than the last few weeks. This number has been trending down for about 6 weeks. We still have a ways to go before we get to the trough we experienced in September but we are headed in the right direction.” [Blue Virginia]

Mardi Gras Celebration Ideas — “Mardi Gras — the green, gold and purple holiday where king cakes reign supreme–is nearly here. Whether you’d like to snag some sweets for home or party hard at a local venue, we’ve rounded up several ways to celebrate in and near Arlington.” [Arlington Magazine]

It’s Monday — Clear and sunny, with some clouds moving in later in the afternoon. High of 55 and low of 34. Sunrise at 7:05 am and sunset at 5:44 pm. [Weather.gov]

UPDATED: Carjacking suspects apprehended after chase into D.C.

By ARLnow.com
Police chasing a carjacked vehicle over the 14th Street Bridge into D.C. (courtesy Dave Statter)

(Updated at 4 p.m.) A pair of suspects carjacked a vehicle in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood last night, leading to a police chase into D.C.

The carjacking happened around 8:30 p.m. Saturday on the 2800 block of Fort Scott Drive, not far from Crystal City.

According to initial reports, the stolen vehicle was quickly located by Arlington County officers on northbound I-395 and a chase was initiated. While for safety and jurisdictional reasons other chases are often terminated at the 14th Street Bridge, this time a chase into the District was authorized.

The suspect vehicle crashed near the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin shortly after entering D.C., according to scanner traffic, and both suspects were taken into custody after brief foot pursuits.

One of the carjacking victims was evaluated by medics for a possible injury.

Late Sunday afternoon Arlington police issued the following press release about the arrests.

The Arlington County Police Department is announcing the arrest of two juveniles following an armed carjacking in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood on the evening of February 11, 2023.

At approximately 8:26 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of an armed carjacking in the 2800 block of Fort Scott Drive. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was sitting inside a parked vehicle when the two juvenile suspects approached, brandished firearms, and demanded the victim exit the vehicle. The two suspects then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle. A lookout was broadcast and an officer observed the suspects traveling northbound on I-395. The officer attempted a traffic stop and, after the driver refused to stop, initiated a vehicle pursuit. The suspects attempted to elude officers and subsequently crashed the vehicle in the area of 14th Street SW and D Street SW, Washington D.C. The suspects then ran from the vehicle and officers initiated a foot pursuit and took both suspects into custody. The two juvenile suspects were transported to an area hospital as a precautionary measure, however no injuries were reported. During a search of the stolen vehicle, officers recovered a firearm which had been reported stolen out of Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Petitions were obtained for the juveniles who are both 17-year-olds and of Washington D.C. They are being held in Washington D.C. pending extradition to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Fire and EMS provided on scene assistance.

This remains an active investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Hat tip to Alan Henney

UPDATED: Arlington 911 problems resolved, officials say

By ARLnow.com
A 911 dispatcher in Arlington’s Emergency Communications Center in 2010 (staff photo)

Update at 2:30 p.m. — The issues have been resolved, Arlington County authorities say. Alexandria also experienced the same problems.

Earlier: Arlington County “is experiencing technical difficulties with calls placed to 9-1-1,” according to an Arlington Alert notification.

“Please report emergencies by texting to 9-1-1,” the county urged, or “place calls to the Arlington County non-emergency number (703-558-2222) for emergencies situations.”

“More information will be provided as soon as possible,” said the alert.

Man arrested after early morning break-in at Washington-Liberty High School

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A local man is accused of drunkenly breaking into Washington-Liberty High School early this morning, damaging a door.

Nothing was reported stolen and the motivation for the alleged break-in is unclear.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

UNLAWFUL ENTRY, 2023-02100054, 1300 block of N. Stafford Street. At approximately 4:15 a.m. on February 10, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary alarm. A lookout was broadcast and responding officers located the suspect in the area and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined the male suspect allegedly forced entry into the school, causing damage to one of the door’s glass windows. No items were reported stolen and no other items were reported damaged. [The suspect], 30, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Trespass: School/Church Property, Destruction of Property, and issued a summons for Drunk in Public. He was held on a secured bond.

Also this morning, police responded to a stabbing along Columbia Pike, near The Wellington apartment complex.

Initial reports suggest that a man was stabbed, possibly in the back, but is expected to recover from his wound. The stabbing stemmed from a dispute between two men.

The incident happened around 9 a.m. and, after some initial confusion about the location, police found the men near the intersection of 12th Street S. and S. Scott Street, according to scanner traffic.

“The preliminary investigation indicates the two males were involved in a dispute which escalated into a physical altercation, during which one suffered an apparent stab wound,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Both individuals were treated on scene for injuries considered non-life threatening. Police remain on scene investigation the incident.”

Firearm-sniffing expert K9 Loki joins the police force

By Matt Blitz
1/4

Arlington County police have gotten a new best friend, one that’s specifically trained to sniff out firearms.

Earlier this week, the Arlington County Police Department announced they’ve welcomed K9 Loki to the force.

Loki is a nearly two-year-old canine who recently completed his training with handler Corporal Jon Stanley to become the department’s first firearm detection dog. Part of Loki’s training was to learn and get used to the odor associated with firearms.

He joins eight other ACPD “dog teams,” consisting of a canine and a handler.

Loki is currently assigned to the midnight patrol shift, replacing K9 Duke who retired in September after eight years on the force.

“Our main function is to assist the patrol section with K9 support in any case where K9 Loki’s skills may be useful,” Stanley told ARLnow. “First and foremost, our K9s are resourceful in locating evidence. As the department’s first firearm detection dog, K9 Loki will also be used in certain cases to locate firearms and shell casings.”

When he’s not on call for evidence detection, Loki will be exercising, training, and assisting Stanley with patrolling the county’s trails and parks.

Loki had to go through months-long training before hitting the streets, much like any human police recruit needs to do. That includes obedience training as well as other skills he’ll need while on the force.

“As the school progresses, we also introduce and hone all the skills K9 Loki will need to be a successful patrol dog, including evidence searches, suspect tracking, building searches, and criminal apprehension,” Stanley said.

Loki also attended a specialized three-work course specifically focused on firearm detection.

When Loki is not working, he’s home with Stanley and his mentor Duke, the grizzled retired K9 veteran that Loki replaced on the force. It’s been a bit of adjustment, though, for the young canine.

“Prior to being selected by me, K9 Loki spent his life living in a kennel and was not experienced living in a family home environment,” Stanley said. “For the first two weeks, K9 Loki lived in a kennel in my home and was taken out often for rapport building, walks, grooming, and some pre-training in my yard.”

Soon, Loki and Stanley bonded and, within a few weeks, he was allowed to roam the house unsupervised and was being introduced to the humans in the house. On his off days, Loki is like the rest of us and just enjoys his downtime.

“During our days off, K9 Loki is taken on numerous walks around the neighborhood, follows me around the house, naps, and plays in the yard,” said Stanley. “He also enjoys playing with my son and being a typical younger brother to K9 Duke with his playful and youthful energy.”

Arlington County police use canines for a variety of tasks, including patrolling, detecting explosives, and sniffing out narcotics.

Arlington is one of the safest localities in America, new study suggests

By ARLnow.com
Police investigate crash with vehicle overturned on N. Sycamore Street in 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington County is one of the top 15 safest “cities” in the United States, according to a new set of rankings.

The number crunchers at SmartAsset looked at violent and property crime rates, as well as rates of vehicle-related deaths, drug-related deaths and excessive drinking. They ranked Arlington at No. 11, below No. 10 Yonkers, New York, No. 6 Alexandria and No. 1 Frisco, Texas, among others.

Arlington outperformed Alexandria in all published metrics, so it’s unclear why the charming city to our south was ranked higher. The county had significantly higher rates of violent and property crime than Frisco, however.

On the positive side, Arlington had the lowest rate of vehicle deaths — 3.1 per 100,000 residents — of any city in the top 15. That vehicle mortality rate was less than half that of any of the six Texas cities that topped the rankings.

Arlington is now in the third year of its Vision Zero plan to reduce or eliminate vehicle fatalities and severe injuries.

The crime data was primarily supplied by a 2021 FBI database, SmartAsset said. That year saw a decline in carjackings, car thefts and homicides in Arlington. The county has since seen a rise in carjackings and student overdoses, in particular, to start the year.

Top 15 Safest Cities in the U.S. rankings (via SmartAsset)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
East Falls Church as seen from the Pete Beers Memorial Bridge over Langston Blvd (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Reparations Instead of Missing Middle? — “Arlington residents and their descendants who were harmed by past housing policy decisions could see greater benefits from a reparations program than from a policy that calls for simply increasing the number of housing units in the county, according to an opponent of the county’s Missing Middle housing plan. Arlington County could consider establishing a program of reparations through its housing policy, featuring down-payment assistance to these residents, said Jim Schulman, executive director of the Alliance for Regional Cooperation.” [Patch]

Payments to Amazon Delayed — “Amazon.com Inc. could have received its first HQ2-tied incentive payment from Virginia this July, based on its payment schedule with the commonwealth — but it has yet to apply for any funding, pushing disbursement at least three years into the future, the Washington Business Journal has learned. The e-commerce and cloud computing giant’s memorandum of understanding with Virginia requires it to formally apply for cash incentives based on its local hiring progress and capital investments, payments that could reach $750 million by 2039.” [Washington Business Journal]

Free Flowers Next Week in Crystal City — “On Monday, February 13 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM we will be celebrating Galentine’s Day in National Landing in partnership with Lily’s Flower Truck. Stop by and make your own flower bouquet for someone special in your life while supplies last. The first 50 people to show a receipt from one of our local coffee shops in National Landing on Monday will get a free flower bouquet.” [National Landing BID]

‘Billy & George’ Closing This Weekend — “There’s something special happening at Avant Bard Theatre. The world premier of Billy and George debuts a play that doesn’t just entertain — it educates, inspires, and makes you think. Written by Ken Jones and Daryl L. Harris, Billy and George explores the complex relationship between George Washington (John Stange) and William “Billy” Lee (Raquis Da’Juan Petree), the enslaved African-American that was his constant companion and confidante during the Revolutionary War.” [Broadway World, Metro Weekly]

Ramp Closure Starting Next Week — “Beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, weather permitting, the ramp from southbound I-395 to westbound Boundary Channel Drive (Exit 10A) will be closed for several months as part of the Boundary Channel Drive at I-395 Interchange Improvements project… Drivers will be able to access westbound Boundary Channel Drive via the southbound I-395 Exit 9 (Clark Street) ramp, where there is a temporary stop sign for left turns onto westbound Boundary Channel. This traffic pattern will be in place until mid-2023.” [VDOT]

It’s Friday — Partly cloudy for much of the day. High of 63 and low of 44. Sunrise at 7:07 am and sunset at 5:41 pm. [Weather.gov]

Plans to redevelop bank on Columbia Pike clear Planning Commission, head to County Board

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

A residential redevelopment planned for a four-story office building, bank drive-thru and parking lot on Columbia Pike is now heading to the Arlington County Board.

On Monday night, the Planning Commission unanimously voted its approval for a project that would tear down the Bank of America building at 3401 Columbia Pike, at the northwest corner of S. Glebe Road and the Pike, next to the Wendy’s. It will now head to the Arlington County Board, which is slated to consider the project at its meeting next Saturday, Feb. 18.

The property falls within the Pike’s Commercial Form-Based Code, which provides a streamlined process for developers provided they meet certain guidelines. The project needs Planning Commission and County Board approval because of its size, according to Commissioner Stephen Hughes.

“Otherwise, the goal is for it to be a by-right development subject to the Zoning Administrator, if every checkbox is met,” he said.

The developer, Marcus Partners, proposes a 250-unit, six-story apartment building with 4,500 square feet of ground floor retail and 287 parking spaces across a 2.5-level underground garage. It will have 172 one-bedroom, 39 two-bedroom and 38 studio units.

“I for one am excited to see this building get built because it’s different,” Hughes said. “The materiality and the architecture of it are something we’ve yet to see on the Pike, and so I think we’re a little excited to see that.”

As part of the project, Marcus Partners will make streetscape improvements, revamp an existing alley for parking and loading and build a 7,800 square-foot private open space. It will landscape a small triangular lot to create more of a buffer between the building and a single-family home to the north.

Throughout the review process, people have been sensitive to how close the proposed building will be to this home and have recommended ways to minimize impacts on residents, said county planner Matt Mattauszek.

“This is not the first, nor will it be the last time, that a form-based code has an adjacency to a low residential development zone and it is always shocking to me… the embracing of the density that goes on with my neighbors on the Pike,” Hughes said.

The proposed building will round out development of this prominent intersection, says Lauren Riley, a land use lawyer with Walsh Colucci. It is flanked by three form-based code projects: Pike 3400 to the south, Gilliam Place to the west and the under-construction Westmont project to the east.

Riley assured anyone who banks with Bank of America that the branch — which was set to close late last year — will move across the street to the former Capital One building.

“No need to worry, you’ll still have your bank services across the street,” she said.

The form-based code comes with height restrictions: three to six stories for what it designates as main streets, two to five stories for avenues and two to three stories for local streets. Developers are able to extend or retract these designations up to 50 feet to make their project work.

Even with this workaround, Marcus Partners would have had to make a small section of its building three stories shorter, which county staff agreed would be unworkable. The developer is asking the County Board for relief from the tapering requirement.

“The transition from a higher density to a single-family home had been well thought out on the form-based code and the unique instance of this site and the way the site was assembled warrants this change,” said Commissioner Leonardo Sarli. “But the transition from main street to residential is a really good approach and one that benefits the community as a whole.”

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