Joe’s Kwik Mart and an above-ground utility pole (via Google Maps)
Arlington County is preparing to make street improvements at the busy intersection of Wilson Blvd and 10th Street N.
The project will widen public sidewalks on both sides of Wilson Blvd and 10th Street N., between the Clarendon and Virginia Square Metro stations, and put existing utilities underground so that the sidewalks can be more accessible for people with disabilities.
“The newly constructed, wider public sidewalks will enhance the outdoor ambiance for pedestrians and establishments within the Project alignment,” according to a county report. “The Project limits will also serve to connect previously enhanced sections of Wilson Boulevard.”
The project spans Wilson Blvd from N. Kenmore Street to 10th Street N. and 10th Street N. between N. Jackson Street and N. Ivy Street.
To construct new sidewalks, the county needs an easement from Joe’s Kwik Mart, a convenience store attached to the Exxon gas station at 3299 Wilson Blvd. On Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved the easements.
The county says affected property owners “are supportive of the project’s scope and goals.”
According to the report, the convenience store will receive $11,300 in exchange for the easements, though the owner was fine with granting them without compensation.
“The agreed-to monetary compensation of $11,300.00 for [the] acquisition of the perpetual easement is based upon the appraisal of the fair market value of the property interest by an independent fee appraiser,” per the report. “The owner agreed to convey the aforementioned temporary easement areas to the County without any monetary payment or valuable consideration.”
This project is the last phase of a series of street treatments along Wilson Blvd that began in 2009. Between then and 2019, the county completed work between N. Monroe and N. Kenmore streets.
As part of the project, the county added new curbs, gutters and streetlights, made traffic signal and storm sewer improvements, planted street trees and repaved and repainted the street.
Wilson Blvd improvements map (via Arlington County)
Updated renderings of the “East Tower” at 2250 Crystal Drive in Crystal City (via Arlington County)
Updated renderings of the “West Tower” at 223 23rd Street S. in Crystal City (via Arlington County)
Updated renderings of the “East Tower” at 2250 Crystal Drive in Crystal City (via Arlington County)
Demolition began on the former Jaleo building in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A rendering of pedestrian and vehicle connector, as well as the public open spaces, planned for the 223 23rd Street S./2250 Crystal Drive development (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the new 23rd Street S. as proposed by JBG Smith (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the new Crystal Drive as proposed by JBG Smith (via Arlington County)
The east-west pedestrian connection to the Crystal City Shops, a network of underground shops (via Arlington County)
The proposal from JBG Smith will redevelop a block at the intersection of 23rd Street S. and Crystal Drive that is currently home to a vacant office building from the 1960s and, until demolition started earlier this year, a strip of one-story retail that included the restaurant Jaleo.
The west tower (223 23rd Street S.) will have 613 units and 8,000 square feet of retail. The east tower (2250 Crystal Drive) will have 826 units and 14,929 square feet of retail. A north-south vehicular access will run between the two towers and is intended to take parking and retail loading off the nearby streets.
This project also includes an approximately 8,025-square-foot interim public green space, which the Crystal City Sector Plan envisions becoming a 13,000-square-foot open space.
A 5,574-square-foot walkway lined with planters and seating will run east to west and connect pedestrians to a relocated entrance to the Crystal City Shops, an underground mall, as well as retail at the base of the 2250 Crystal Drive building.
JBG Smith will rebuild 23rd Street S. from Crystal Drive to Richmond Highway, adding 1,600 new linear feet of protected bike lanes across Crystal Drive and 23rd Street S. The developer will also add a mid-block crossing where the north-south connector intersects with 23rd Street S. and floating bus stops on either side of the street.
The project is set to achieve LEED Gold certification. JBG Smith will contribute more than $8 million to affordable housing and set aside 34 off-site affordable units at one of its existing Riverhouse apartment buildings in Pentagon City. Open space in the development is set to be redeveloped in the near future.
References to Missing Middle — which was the next item for discussion — broke into comments from County Board members.
“The big picture here is 1,400 additional units that are in one of our transit corridors. This is an example of the type of project that across perspectives, most everyone supports,” said Board member Matt de Ferranti. “This is part of smart policy to prevent further ex-urban development. It’s part of good policy for our community.”
Board member Takis Karantonis hailed it as “a very good project.”
“This is between one of the nation’s most vibrant innovation districts, [Amazon’s] HQ2, the anchor, and everything that comes around it, and the Virginia Tech campus a few blocks down the street,” he said.
He went on to connect the project to the Missing Middle housing proposal, which was discussed in public comments for more than five hours after Board members voted on JBG Smith’s redevelopment plans.
“These people will live there and after a while, we would like them to have more opportunities to stay in Arlington and continue to be productive residents at the core of our economic growth machine,” he said.
Board members and Planning Commission representative Jim Lantelme applauded JBG Smith’s plans to reuse unoccupied parking garage spaces for residents.
“That’s something we encourage and would like to see more of,” Lantelme said.
Staff and Lantelme mentioned changes JBG Smith made in response to comments from advisory commissions and staff. They said these changes improved the pedestrian experience by setting the height of the towers farther back from the street and redesigning the larger public plazas to include more plantings and a pet relief area.
Board Vice-Chair Libby Garvey thanked JBG Smith the changes made.
“The fact that we don’t have a lot of speakers here to tell us how bad the plan is shows that the work has really been well done, ” he said. “Arlingtonians are not shy about letting us know if there’s something they don’t like.”
The Altaire and the Sage Modern Apartments and the ‘Teardrop Parcel’ nearby in Pentagon City (via Google Maps)
People and a dog use the green space in front of The Altaire, half of the ‘Teardrop Parcel’ set to become ‘Arlington Junction Park’ (via Google Maps)
The Sage Modern Apartments and half of the ‘Teardrop Parcel’ slated to become ‘Arlington Junction Park’ (via Google Maps)
The Sage Modern Apartments and half of the ‘Teardrop Parcel’ slated to become ‘Arlington Junction Park’ (via Google Maps)
After a few years of planning, a new public park in Pentagon City is headed to the Arlington County Board for approval.
On Saturday, the Arlington County Board is set to consider adopting some changes to land use and zoning and property lines for two patches of land known as the “Teardrop Parcel,” once intended to be used as a maintenance facility for the streetcar that never was.
The report says these changes will allow the county build the new 0.7-acre park “efficiently and as anticipated in 2023.” The planned park, to be named “Arlington Junction Park, will be located the intersection of S. Eads Street and Army Navy Drive.
“The long-term vision of the proposed park is as a green, public casual use space in a densely developed urban context, to support a welcoming, biophilic community and establish a new public space connection in Crystal City,” according to a county report.
To get started, county staff are requesting the County Board rezone the property, as the parcel’s current designation would hamper plans to install environmentally friendly 15-foot-tall “Dark Sky” pylon lights. The report suggests not moving forward with this lighting would be a nuisance and hazard to park users and nearby residents.
“Lighting designs that are Dark Sky compliant may minimize urban glare and are more environmentally sensitive. As referenced as an urban safety principle in the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), clear sightlines, landscaping and sufficient lighting can enhance park visibility and reduce crime opportunities,” the report says.
The park’s other features will include a boardwalk as well as central promenade, to be bordered by berms planted with pollinator meadows, a rain garden and trees to provide a buffer between the park and Army Navy Drive. There will be an outdoor fitness area with exercise stations, built-in benches, a “dog spot” and two lawns for gatherings.
Renderings of the new park along S. Eads Street in Crystal City (via Arlington County)
The green space is located near the Verizon telecommunications facility at 400 11th Street S. and across the street from the planned second phase of Amazon’s permanent HQ2. Two high-end apartment buildings, both constructed by developer LCOR, are close by as well: Sage Modern Apartments (480 11th Street S.), where leasing began last October, and The Altaire (400 Army Navy Drive).
Developer contributions from these two projects are funding the park’s $3 million budget.
The lighting issue is the most recent example of ways the zoning code can make it harder to develop parks, the report says. In the last few months, county staff started studying a longer-term way of simplifying this process, but are asking the County Board to approve the rezoning work-around to get started on Arlington Junction Park in the short term.
Over the course of this year, staff will explore giving the County Board authority to modify building height, setback and parking standards through use permits for county parks, per the report.
Arlington County Board candidate Natalie Roy (courtesy photo)
A realtor who says she has doubts about the current Missing Middle proposal has emerged as an Arlington County Board candidate.
Realtor Natalie Roy, founder of the Bicycling Realty Group, is vying for one of two seats on the County Board that will be left open after Katie Cristol and Chair Christian Dorsey step down. She is running for the Democratic nomination in the party’s June primary.
Roy is the second Democrat to launch a campaign this week, following Tony Weaver, a local businessman and an Arlington County Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission member.
The two will face off against three others who have already announced their bids: Julius “J.D.” Spain, Sr.; Maureen Coffey; and Jonathan Dromgoole.
She tells ARLnow her tagline is “I would love to be your Bicycling Board member,” as she bikes everywhere for her business. She is a 32-year resident of Arlington, where she and her husband raised three daughters.
Roy says she believes “the Board needs an energetic and experienced community activist who will serve the entire county.”
In listing her key issues, below, she said she supports “a more community-supported, planning-oriented approach” to housing than the “sweeping” Missing Middle proposal, which is up for an initial vote this weekend.
Protecting our environment, by increasing green space, bringing back glass recycling, and protecting Arlington’s tree canopy;
Promoting affordability and diversity in our neighborhoods through a more community-supported, planning-oriented approach than the County Board’s current sweeping proposal;
Forging new partnerships between the Board, the school board and APS;
Improving public transit throughout the County and creating more protected bike- and pedestrian-friendly routes;
Enhancing Arlington’s fiscal sustainability and economic vitality; and
Promoting our health and well-being by providing exercise opportunities for everyone, from the most focused competitor on the soccer field and pickleball court to the casual stroller.
Before starting her real estate career 10 years ago, Roy says she worked for ran and worked for various national and state organizations, advocating for clean water, pollution prevention, clean beaches, recycling and gun control.
She has served on and led the PTAs of the local public schools her daughters attended and recently retired from a 17-year stint coaching varsity tennis at Yorktown High School. She is active in the Lyon Park Civic Association and the Lyon Park Board of Governors, which manages the Lyon Park Community Center, owned and maintained by the neighborhood.
Roy graduated from the county’s civic leadership program, Neighborhood College, and served on the Arlington Sports Commission as well as the county’s Complete Vaccine Committee.
For several years, she played on an Arlington mature women’s soccer team, the Speed Bumps, whose motto was “We might not beat you, but we will slow you down.”
Roy will officially launch her campaign for a seat on the Arlington County Board tomorrow (Friday).
Real estate for sale sign in the Arlington Heights neighborhood (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A duplex in Halls Hill while it was under construction (via Arlington County)
Arlington County Board members and the public attend a work session on ‘Missing Middle’ (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
John Vihstadt rallies Missing Middle opponents at Arlington County headquarters on Oct. 15, 2022 (courtesy of David Cheek)
Missing Middle proponents outside Arlington County headquarters on Oct. 15, 2022 (courtesy of Adam Theo)
Construction on a large home on N. Dinwiddie Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Proposed Missing Middle zoning code changes are set to go before the Arlington County Board for a first look on Saturday.
The Board is slated to review a request to advertise public hearings on a proposal to allow the by-right construction of duplexes, three-unit townhouses and multi-family buildings with up to six or eight dwellings on lots of up to one acre in Arlington’s lowest-density zoning districts.
The proposal includes several options for regulating the number of so-called “expanded housing option uses” (EHOs) built per year, their density and size, and parking and tree canopy coverage.
If Board members approve this request to advertise (RTA), the Arlington County Planning Commission and the County Board will have two months to pick a slate of regulatory mechanisms before holding hearings and, potentially, adopting the proposal in March.
Ahead of the request to advertise, Arlington County warned that speaking times may be shortened on account of the intense public interest in the wide-ranging changes.
“If 75 or more speakers sign up to speak on one item, speaking times will be reduced to 2 minutes for all individuals and 3 minutes for all organizations,” the announcement said. “Speakers will be notified if speaking times change.”
The County Board members adopted an ordinance allowing such time reductions last month, after droves of residents came out to speak about Missing Middle in meetings over the last year.
In addition to possibly shortening speaking times, the county will prioritize hearing from different speakers this month and in March.
“When people sign up to speak at the March public hearing, the Clerk’s staff will identify those that did not speak in January and place them first in the speaking order, followed by anyone that spoke did speak at the January hearing,” county spokesman Ryan Hudson said. “Anyone that signs up to speak will have the opportunity to do so.”
Ahead of the meeting, Missing Middle proponent group YIMBYs of Northern Virginia said this RTA has been years in the making. It says development under this plan will be as “distributed [and] gradual,” but that the county has to start somewhere.
“To further improve affordability, Arlington policymakers can revisit regulations such as height limits in the future, but they must start by legalizing up to 8 units per lot with minimal regulatory burdens, which requires maximum flexibility in the RTA,” the group said in a statement to ARLnow.
(YIMBY stands for “Yes In My Backyard,” the pro-building counterpart to the build-elsewhere-if-at-all NIMBYs, who generally reject that label.)
“Arlington faces a fundamental choice between growth and inclusion or stagnation and spiraling inequality,” the group said. “Continuing the status quo would be an unsustainable future for Arlingtonians, forcing more essential workers into long commutes and driving more young families to relocate, often to exurban sprawl.”
Arlingtonians for Upzoning Transparency (AFUT), which opposes the proposal, claims that the plan as written will:
Make Arlington less diverse;
Ignore the thoughtful views of experts and its own advisory groups;
Are not needed to meet the Metropolitan Washington Area Council of Governments’ (COG) goals for housing in Arlington and lack the necessary analysis and planning to begin an iterative process;
Leave behind low, moderate, and middle-income households — with a one bedroom unit in an 8-plex requiring a household income at 117% of AMI; and
Are not integrated with our interconnected priorities for transportation, the environment, and job growth.
Flags outside Arlington County government headquarters in Courthouse (photo courtesy Arlington County)
Arlington County officially has a new auditor.
Jim Shelton, who was previously auditor for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, was appointed by the Arlington County Board on Tuesday and slated to start work today.
Shelton’s work in Fairfax County included finding opportunities for “increasing county revenues, reducing expenditures, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of resources.” In a statement, County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said that he will help ensure “that the performance of government provides maximum value for taxpayers.”
Chris Horton, Arlington County’s independent auditor since 2016, left the post last year. It was not revealed why Horton left.
More on Shelton’s appointment from an Arlington County press release, below.
At its Organizational Meeting on January 3, 2023, the County Board appointed Jim L. Shelton as the County Auditor. Mr. Shelton will be responsible for conducting independent and comprehensive audits and reviews of County programs and operations. He will also serve as the primary staff liaison to the Audit Committee.
Under the direction of the County Board and the Audit Committee, and in parallel with the County’s internal audit function within the Department of Management and Finance, Mr. Shelton will develop annual work plans for and conduct programmatic and operational audits and reviews of County departments and operations.
Mr. Shelton brings 24 years of audit review and financial management experience to Arlington County. For the last nine years, he served as the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Auditor, managing audit work plans, conducting audit reviews, and developing recommendations focused on increasing county revenues, reducing expenditures, and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of resources. “The Board is excited that Jim Shelton brings a wealth of experience that will grow and mature the Office of the County Auditor in supporting the Board’s goal of ensuring that the performance of government provides maximum value for taxpayers,” said Christian Dorsey, Chair of the Arlington County Board and Co-Chair of its Audit Committee.
Mr. Shelton holds a BS/BA in Accounting from Xavier University and an MBA from Fontbonne University. He is a Certified Risk Professional by the Bank Administration Institute (BAI) and a Virginia Government Finance Officers’ Association member.
The Board voted unanimously to approve Mr. Shelton’s contract. He will start work with the County on January 5, 2023.
Julius “J.D.” Spain, Sr., at the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting in Lubber Run Community Center on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington County Board candidate Maureen Coffey (courtesy photo)
Arlington County Board candidate Jonathan Dromgoole (courtesy photo)
Arlington Dems meeting in Lubber Run Community Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington Dems meeting in Lubber Run Community Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Josh Katcher, candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney, at the Arlington Democrats meeting in January (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Wanda Younger, candidate for Sheriff, at the Arlington Dems meeting (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
James Herring, candidate for Sheriff, at the Arlington Dems meeting (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
State Sen. Barbara Favola at the Arlington Dems meeting (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Three Arlington County Board hopefuls announced their candidacies to a packed house of local Democrats last night.
They are former NAACP Arlington Branch president Julius “J.D.” Spain, Sr. researcher and Center for American Progress policy analyst Maureen Coffey and Jonathan Dromgoole, who facilitates LGBT appointments within the Biden administration for the LGBTQ Victory Institute.
Last night (Wednesday) at the Lubber Run Community Center, more than a half dozen people told Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting attendees about their intentions to run for the County Board, Sheriff, Commonwealth’s Attorney and seats in the state legislature.
The three County Board candidates are vying for the two seats that immediate past Chair Katie Cristol and current Chair Christian Dorsey will vacate at the end of this year. In June, the candidates will participate in a party primary to see which voters will get to run with a “D” by their name in the November election.
Coffey bills herself as a Millennial renter with expertise in housing discrimination and child welfare policy. Jonathan is also a Millennial renter who leads the official Latino caucus for Virginia Democrats. Spain is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who has, at times, challenged the Arlington County Democratic Committee on its influence over local politics.
Coffey says she has seen first-hand how hard work is sometimes not enough to overcome life circumstances such as drug addiction and incarceration. She pledged to prioritize the most vulnerable in Arlington and more clearly articulate the County Board’s long-term vision for the county:
I’ve worked to become an expert on young children, and families and the adults that support them, which provides an understanding of almost every policy area that families come in contact with in their daily lives. This work has taught me to see every part of our lives as interdependent and woven into one. That’s the vision I want to bring to the County Board. Arlington has been a leader and a model for good policy for a very long time, but I have to ask myself, ‘Where are we going?’ We know we don’t have enough affordable housing, we know we don’t have enough child care, and we know we don’t have enough mental healthcare. We need a plan to meet these needs and, at the same time, protect what we love about Arlington: safety, parks, a sense of community.
Dromgoole introduced himself as a proud immigrant from Mexico and a proud product of public schools and teenage parents who came to America for a better life.
From a young age, he acted as the family interpreter for everything from doctors visits to navigating the education system and the family budget. He says Latino residents need that voice on the County Board.
We need to have conversations that will re-engage and inspire our neighbors to be part of the solution rather than feel left out because they weren’t part of a board and feel their voice doesn’t matter. Some in our community aren’t asking for much: Some want streets to be safer for their kids by investing in street lights, reducing speed limits and improving roads. Some are asking for their voices to be heard and policies to be explained in a language they understand. Some want the County Board to be reflective of their lived experiences as someone who has chosen to call Arlington home but fear they may never have the opportunity to buy into that American Dream.
Spain told the audience that what voters need on the County Board is experience — “personable and inclusive leadership.”
I believe that every child who grows up in Arlington should be able to live here as an adult and that means prioritizing affordable housing. I believe we should try to ensure that every corner of our community prospers and that means providing access to job training, ensuring living wages and supporting workers’ rights. With one in five Americans suffering mental illness, I believe that we should fully address the mental health crisis in our comm, and that means ensuring our gov has resources to support everyone with support services. I believe that means everyone should be able to live in Arlington without fear, that means standing with public safety officials while also assuring appropriate oversight and accountability. It is our duty to protect the environment and that means prioritizing sustainability and reinforcing our infrastructure.
Members all opined on the potential zoning changes last night (Tuesday) during their first meeting of the year, when they also unanimously elected Christian Dorsey as the chair and Libby Garvey as the Vice-Chair for 2023.
A lot changed in 2022: Covid was a top priority this time last year but this year, the pandemic barely registered a blip at yesterday’s annual organizational meeting. Instead, increasing housing while bridging divisions in the community dominated their speeches, which are reprinted online.
Dorsey committed to ushering in new policies to increase the supply of housing and ensure a range of prices and housing types.
Today, and during my year as Chairman, I plan to lead the community through the development of a set of housing policies to meet the challenge of this generation to make Arlington a place for young families, for seniors and for everyone in between.
I suggest that our housing policies be guided by five principles where I believe there is broad agreement:
First, Arlington should be open to all. Inclusive communities are dynamic and best positioned to be resilient. Barriers to entry should be identified and dismantled. This is a foundation principle.
Second, our planning for the future should, as always, be community based, and that means engaging all stakeholders in our community and incorporating thoughtful views.
Third, planning should be iterative, allowing us to course correct when necessary and evolve over time.
Fourth, to the greatest extent practicable, living anywhere in Arlington should not be determined by income levels. Our attention to vibrant and diverse communities should span across all our 26 square miles.
Fifth, planning to meet our housing goals must be integrated with our interconnected priorities of: creating transit and active transportation-oriented communities that are safe for all users, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and attracting and retaining employers that support good jobs for workers.
His vice-chair, Garvey, said Missing Middle is really a conversation about what kind of Arlington residents want, and this has sowed division and upset more people than any other issue she has worked on. (An anti-Missing Middle rally is planned this weekend, for instance.)
Think about the simple phrase, “I love Arlington.” One person says that and is thinking about our quiet, leafy neighborhoods with houses far apart. Another says the same thing, but means the lively, vibrant and noisy urban corridors. They use the same words, but they mean very different things.
To those differing views expressed with the exact same words, throw in the nature of people to hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said. Add to that our own government tendency to respond with more and more information, which makes it harder for a clear message to come through. Top it all off with the current climate where opponents like to demonize each other and catastrophize outcomes. Then bake it in a social media stew where misinformation, rumors and fears fly through a community. You have a recipe for a real communication trouble.
Nonprofit leaders and Chief Equity Officer Samia Byrd at the Dec. 20, 2022 Arlington County Board meeting (via Arlington County)
The informal, relationships-based advocacy at the core of the “Arlington Way” makes it harder for nonprofits led by and serving people of color to receive county funding, Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol says.
She tells ARLnow these concerns were raised by leaders of color, and she is working on a resolution — that could be voted on by the County Board this month — to change the status quo. The resolution will incorporate recommendations made by a small group of leaders representing local nonprofits.
At the top of their list is a fairly simple concept: a formal application process. Right now, Cristol says, the county uses an “ad hoc” process that doesn’t “live up to our values of transparency and access.”
Meanwhile, a decades-old, community-based program that identifies small infrastructure improvements is confronting a longstandingcriticism — which leadership says is backed up by fresh data — of favoring projects in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods.
Community leaders presented updates on these efforts to the Arlington County Board last month. The moves are part of the county’s work to apply its 2019 equity resolution to policy-making and the newest contribution to the Board’s ongoingdiscussion of problems with the “Arlington Way,” the moniker given to the public process that informs policy-making.
The process often rewards those who are most civically active, connected and vocal about a given issue. But not always: it also frustrates those who follow the civic engagement playbook only to have the Board vote the other way.
“We heard some truthful feedback about how the ‘Arlington Way’ — for the many things it has achieved and its, at times, positive contributions to the community — also has some real downsides,” Cristol said in the Dec. 20, 2022 meeting. “It has been a way of doing things that lacked transparency and access, has prioritized relationships over fairness, and at times, it feels like it is reflective of predetermined outcomes.”
As part of the annual budget, the county awards grants of up to $50,000 or $100,000 for nonprofits serving low- and moderate-income residents, such as employment programs for people with disabilities, after-school programming for immigrant youth and financial planning assistance for families at risk of homelessness.
Leaders of local organizations say the county needs to do a better job of publicizing when funding is available and helping grassroots groups with the application process.
“This part was important for us, particularly for smaller organizations who don’t necessarily have the bandwidth or knowledge in the grant-making cycle that other larger organizations have,” said Cicely Whitfield, the chief program officer for the homeless shelter Bridges to Independence.
This could involve providing clearer deadlines and technical assistance, as well as feedback and workshop opportunities for nonprofits that are denied funding so they can apply successfully.
The group says the county should defer to organizations, which have a better sense of what the community needs, and ask for input on applications from people who would benefit.
Board Member Libby Garvey supported the changes but warned they could be controversial.
“There’s that saying, ‘I’m here from the government and I’m here to help you,’ and that’s supposed to be scary. It’s really because what it often means is, ‘I’m here from the government and I’m here to tell you what you need.'”
The sentiment applies to the Arlington Way, she says.
“We may find a little reaction from this, that ‘This is not the Arlington Way,'” she said. “We’re going to have to figure out ways to bring along everyone and explain… ‘This is going to be better and here’s why.’ We’re going to have work to do with the other part of the community that maybe is usually included.”
There is a three-decade-old program where the county acts on needs identified by residents: the Arlington Neighborhood Conservation Program, now known as the Arlington Neighborhoods Program (ANP).
The downside of this program is that it has “equity liabilities,” County Board Member Takis Karantonis said.
He said the model works for “community members who could afford to go to the meetings, who could afford to make a methodical evaluation of the state of sidewalks, or lack of sidewalks, or lack of public lighting… and fight for funding in a competitive but orderly manner.”
Although not a new criticism, ANP Chair Kathy Reeder provided the County Board with new data suggesting the program has disadvantaged less wealthy, more diverse neighborhoods.
Arlington County Mark Schwartz (file photo by Jay Westcott)
The upcoming Arlington County budget process will be tough, albeit not the toughest, according to County Manager Mark Schwartz.
Schwartz made the remark at the end of Saturday’s Arlington County Board meeting, as the Board discussed its guidance to the manager as he starts work on a proposed 2023-2024 budget.
The backdrop is an economy that may or may not be heading into a recession in 2023, while inflation puts upward pressure on costs — and higher mortgage and office vacancy rates put downward pressure on county revenue.
According to Schwartz and a budget presentation given by staff last month, the county is expecting overall revenue to rise more than $40 million, or 3.4% in the next fiscal year. But inflation, wage growth and other factors are expected to lead to a $35 million gap between expected revenue and county expenditures if current service levels and tax rates are held steady.
That’s on top of the flow of federal Covid relief dollars, which bolstered county finances over the past two years, largely shutting off.
“The revenue picture is tough,” Schwartz told the Board.
Chart showing rising mortgage rates and office vacancy rates, putting downward pressure on Arlington County property tax revenue (via Arlington County)
The county is currently expecting a modest 1.9% rise in residential property assessments, which will be mailed out to homeowners in mid-January. And with office vacancies rising, commercial assessments are expected to remain flat.
The office vacancy issue could get even worse over the next few years, Schwartz warned, as long-term leases expire. Office building owners are struggling to fill vacant space amid work-from-home trends, he said, and that will likely result in falling commercial property assessments for much of the decade.
Schwartz said he has “a lot of faith in the long-term resiliency of the economy,” but that it may be rough seas for awhile.
“We’re still transitioning,” he said of the local economy. “We don’t know where we’re transitioning to.”
At the Saturday meeting, the Board adopted budget guidance for Schwartz, outlining priorities including:
Continuing to invest in affordable housing, eviction prevention, mental health and environmental priorities
Maintain ongoing funding of the county’s affordable housing fund
The guidance calls for “actionable strategies for economic development that fully recognize and respond to the impacts of the work-from-home paradigm shift on Arlington’s office vacancy rate.” It also suggests exploring “reductions” and “efficiencies” in the budget and “eliminating programmatic activities that are no longer priorities.”
Schwartz is expected to present his proposed Fiscal Year 2024 budget in February, followed by County Board adoption two months later. Public engagement, work sessions and hearings will be conducted between now and final adoption.
FY 2024 county budget timeline (via Arlington County)
Despite this overage, the entire project is expected to come in at least $2 million under its overall budget.
It’s a high note to end on for the controversial project, which nearly a decade ago was put on hold after bids well exceeded the original $79.2 million budget, forcing the county to downsize its original plans.
The Arlington County Board approved the $1.2 million payment to the contractor on Saturday.
A report explaining the payment blames Dominion Energy for the delays. Dominion which was supposed to provide permanent power to the new facility by the fall of 2020, but final electrical power was not complete until July 2021.
“This delay hampered completion of critical elements” of the project, the said. “While the County generously granted additional time to the Contractor, the Contractor incurred additional costs due to the significant extension of the contract completion period and the extended general condition costs for the Contractor’s on-site construction staff.”
If the facility had gotten power on time, the county says, the $70.7 million project would have been completed months earlier and within the $5.3 million contingency budget originally approved.
Instead, the overages cost $1.8 million, wiping out the $602,000 that remained in contingencies, thus requiring the extra appropriation.
The Arlington County Board awarded a $60 million contract to design and build the facility to Coakley & Williams Construction, Inc. in November 2017. The contractor and county staff began working with Dominion Energy before construction started to ensure that electrical power could be supplied to the site when needed.
“Permanent electrical power could have been supplied to the site as early as Spring 2019 had work gone according to plan,” the report says. “Dominion received construction permits for electrical work within the right-of-way of Long Bridge Drive in Fall 2020. Work was not begun, and the permit expired. Another permit was issued to Dominion, and this also expired due to inactivity.”
By March 2021, the facility and park had permanent power, but a transformer had to be replaced in July. The facility opened on Aug. 23, 2021 and was closed for emergency electrical repairs in April.
