County Board

Revised Sign Regulations On the Way

By ARLnow.com

New sign regulations may be ready for adoption by the fall, Arlington County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said at this afternoon’s board meeting.

Zimmerman said that the board and county staff have been listening to feedback from business owners, many of whom bemoan the county’s sign ordinance as too restrictive. The county is still in the process of collecting comments on its web site and some additional sign focus groups are in the works, Zimmerman said.

County staff will work with a consultant to review the feedback and to review “best practices from around the country on sign regulation.” A draft copy of some of the regulation changes should be ready for review by the board and community groups in July. If all goes well, Zimmerman hopes to have the new sign ordinance ready for adoption “in the fall.”

The goal, Zimmerman said, is to “make business easier to do in Arlington and make the process better for everyone.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Capital Bikeshare Stations Launch in Rosslyn — Four Capital Bikeshare stations were quietly installed around Rosslyn on Saturday. There were no public notices or proclamations before the installation — unlike earlier in the week when officials announced that four stations were to be installed on Wednesday. The county followed up that announcement with a notice that the installation was delayed indefinitely. Update at 12:05 p.m. — See info on the installations from Bike Arlington. [Patch]

Humpback Bridge Work Nears Completion — The National Park Service expects construction on the Humpback Bridge reconstruction project to wrap up in mid-June. The final construction phase will allow a full merge from I-395 onto the northbound GW Parkway. [WTOP]

Bengali New Year Celebrated on the Pike — The local Bengali community came together for their traditional New Years celebration on Saturday. Despite the wet weather, Bengalis gathered near Columbia Pike for a parade, musical performances, dancing and ethnic food. [Pike Wire]

County Pay Raises in the Works? — On Saturday, Arlington County Board members instructed County Manager Barbara Donnellan to proceed with a study of county workers’ compensation, which some within county government believe is too low. Also on Saturday, the County Board voted to raise their own pay ceiling from $49,000 to $57,337. While board members won’t be getting any more money this year, the move opens up the possibility of a pay raise next year. [Sun Gazette]

Board Approves East Falls Church Development Plan

By ARLnow.com

On Saturday the Arlington County Board unanimously approved a controversial plan for transit-oriented development around the East Falls Church Metro station.

The plan calls for the creation of a mixed-use “neighborhood center” with open spaces, a public plaza and ground level retail. Some of the new development will be built on the Metro Park and Ride lot. The single family neighborhoods surrounding the station, meanwhile, will be preserved.

The height of the new residential buildings — a major source of concern for East Falls Church residents — will range from nine stories along I-66 to three stories closer to the single family homes. Lee Highway, Washington Boulevard and Sycamore Street will be redesigned to add bike lanes, on-street parking, trees and pedestrian improvements. The plan is also expected to add 100-250 units of committed affordable housing to the East Falls Church area.

See the county’s press release about the plan’s passage here.

Board Approves New $1 Billion FY 2012 Budget

By ARLnow.com

Today the Arlington County Board unanimously approved a new $1 billion budget.

The budget is 5.1 percent higher than its previous budget, but yet contained no tax rate increase. Rising property assessments allowed the board to keep the property tax rate steady at 95.8 cents per $100. The personal and business property taxes will remain the same. Trash and recycling fees will decrease by 5 percent.

“Taking into account increase in real estate assessments and fee changes, the overall tax and fee burden for the average Arlington homeowner will increase 1.4% — or about $7 a month — an increase less than the current Baltimore-Washington region inflation rate of 3%,” the county said in a statement.

The budget includes increased funding for housing and ‘safety net’ programs, as well as a number of other priorities. Funding for Arlington Public Schools will increase $38 million, or 9 percent, to $480.5 million.

Green Party Official Plans Run for County Board

By ARLnow.com

A Green Party official is planning on running for a seat on the County Board this fall.

“I do plan to run for County Board as a Green,” said Audrey Clement, a state Green Party officer and a national Green Party committee member. “However, I have not yet set up a campaign committee and filed my paperwork with [State Board of Election]. So I am not officially a candidate [yet].”

Clement’s campaign platform focuses on spending, housing and environmental concerns. On her web site, Clement says she wants to “focus funds on essential community services” like libraries, public safety, schools and the safety net, while “halt[ing] spending on wasteful building projects that we cannot afford” like the Columbia Pike streetcar and the Long Bridge Park aquatic center. She also criticizes the use of county funds for the Artisphere.

Clement says she wants to preserve historic garden apartment complexes in the county and “create and fund a housing authority in Arlington that will help low and moderate income renters and consolidate the county’s housing programs under one umbrella.” She also supports banning non-biodegradable plastic bags in “all supermarkets and chain pharmacies” while banning Styrofoam containers in “all public facilities and fast food outlets”

In 2009, Clement filed a federal lawsuit against the widening of I-66 inside the Beltway. The suit was dismissed, but Clement says she would work to “block any further widening of I-66 highway in Arlington by suing VDOT and seeking the transfer of the $35 million in Federal highway funds to repair Arlington aging bridges and streets.”

Clement will face Democratic incumbents Walter Tejada and Mary Hynes in the fall. She may also have a shot at a third county board seat if Barbara Favola captures the Democratic nomination for the 31st District State Senate seat.

Budget Will Add Funds for Libraries, Lubber Run, Safety Net

By ARLnow.com

Public libraries, the Lubber Run Amphitheater and ‘safety net’ programs are a few of the budget priorities that will receive funding above and beyond the amount proposed in the county manager’s budget.

The County Board has allocated $258,000 to allow each branch library to stay open for an additional three hours per week. The funds will also support longer Sunday hours at the Shirlington and Columbia Pike libraries and allow the purchase of additional books and e-books.

The board is providing an additional $370,000 for park maintenance, Friday hours at the Lubber Run Community Center and for the restoration of seasonal programming at the shuttered Lubber Run Amphitheater. An additional allocation of $100,000 will fund early stages of restoring the amphitheater.

Safety net programs like housing, mental health and substance abuse treatment and community medical care will also benefit from the board’s budget adjustment.

An additional $1.5 million will be added to the Affordable Housing Investment Fund, for a total FY 2012 contribution of $5.5 million. An additional $250,000 will be added for housing grants, the subject of a recent ARLnow.com poll. Service for those with serious emotional, mental and substance abuse problems will receive just over $500,000. Safety net non-profits like the Arlington Food Assistance Center, the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network, Doorways and the Arlington Free Clinic will split an additional $420,000.

Public safety agencies will receive an extra $1 million under the new budget. The money will allow the police department to add several officers and to fund domestic violence support and the Gang Task Force. It will also fund a fire department battalion chief position and two sheriff’s office positions.

Other changes include additional ART bus service to the DHS building from western Columbia Heights, the planting of 300-400 trees around the county, and additional money to fund implementation of the Community Energy Plan and the Natural Resource Management plan.

The additional funding is possible despite the board’s commitment to hold the real estate tax rate steady. See more information about the County Board’s final budget, which is set for approval on Saturday.

BREAKING NEWS — Budget Will Hold Tax Rate Steady

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County’s real estate tax rate will be held steady for the next year, according to final budget guidance issued by the County Board.

At a work session yesterday, the board instructed County Manager Barbara Donnellan to hold the tax rate steady at 95.8 cents per $100 in the final budget.

“They’re sticking with their initial guidance of no real estate rate increase,” county spokeswoman Mary Curtius confirmed this morning.

Donnellan’s proposed budget had recommended holding the tax steady, but the board gave itself some wiggle room in February when it advertised a slightly higher tax rate. Even without a real estate tax rate increase, however, the county’s coffers will be bolstered in FY 2012 by a 6.3 percent rise in property assessments.

The board will vote on its final budget on Saturday.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

More Funds for Long Bridge Park — The county board is slated to decide whether to spend an additional $4.7 million to move forward with planning for an aquatics facility facility at the future Long Bridge Park, near Crystal City. [Sun Gazette]

Man Arrested in Metro Bomb Plot Sentenced — An Ashburn man who thought he was helping to plan a bombing of the Metro system was sentenced to 23 years in prison yesterday. Farooque Ahmed, 34, was accused of providing undercover federal agents with sketches, photos and videos of the Pentagon City, Courthouse, Arlington Cemetery and Crystal City Metro stations in what he thought was a plot to bomb the stations. [Washington Post]

Arlington Students to Attend Easter Egg Roll — A total of 250 Arlington elementary students will attend the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, April 25. Fifty students from Arlington Traditional, Glebe, Jamestown, McKinley and Taylor elementary schools will be given tickets to participate in the event. [Arlington Public Schools]

Major Items on Board Agenda This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board may be in for a marathon session as it tackles two big items on Saturday.

First, the board is scheduled to vote on its FY 2012 budget, which has been the subject of numerous work sessions, public forums and community discussions. Then the board is scheduled to vote on the controversial East Falls Church development plan, which is several years in the making.

A significant amount of citizen input is expected for both items.

Lyon Village Parking Restrictions In the Works?

By ARLnow.com

What started as a fight over planned parking restrictions on one Lyon Park street seems to be spreading.

Last week, residents of N. Danville Street and several other Lyon Village streets noticed county staff measuring street widths. Staff were reportedly checking to see if the streets were too narrow for trash trucks and fire trucks, as was the case with N. Edgewood Street in Lyon Park.

According to Lyon Village Citizens Association President H.K. Park, the county is considering restricting parking to one side of Danville and other neighborhood streets that county staffers have deemed too narrow. On Monday, the LVCA will meet to discuss the possible parking changes with county staff.

According to an email sent to residents, the meeting will address:

  • “The justification for this new policy–whether your street may be next and how the county will select which side.”
  • “The frequency of garbage truck and fire truck problems.”
  • “How this policy comports with policies that encourage fewer driveways and garages and more on-street parking.”
  • “Whether any accommodation will be made for handicapped, elderly, and parents with infants who need close access to cars.”
  • “Whether the ‘problem’ is caused primarily by construction, commuter, and other non-resident vehicles that might be regulated in some other way.”
  • “Possible unintended consequences of any such restrictions, such as making it easier for cars to cut through the neighborhood and travel at higher speeds.”

Representatives from several other civic associations have said they plan to attend the meeting “because they believe their neighborhoods are next,” according to Park.

Among those who will be in attendance is Natalie Roy, president of the Lyon Park Citizens Association.

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Artisphere Visitor Revenue 75 Percent Below Expectations

By ARLnow.com

Thanks to various delays and lower-than-expected demand, Artisphere will fall well short of its initially projected ticket and admission revenue for FY 2011.

In a presentation to the county board yesterday, county staff revealed that Artisphere admission and ticket income is projected at $174,202 for the financial year ending on June 30, 75 percent below the $789,912 in revenue that planners expected.

The shortfall was first reported in the Sun Gazette Editor’s Notebook blog.

Located in Rosslyn, Artisphere opened on Oct. 10 as the county’s premier arts and entertainment venue. The county originally expected Artisphere would attract 250,000 annual visitors. Since opening, it has attracted 48,169 visitors.

Artisphere’s online ticketing service didn’t launch until January and its restaurant is only expected to open next week — two factors that staff says has negatively impacted revenue and attendance figures.

Due to the ticket and admission discrepancy and other revenue shortfalls, Artisphere will fall $809,477 short of meeting its budget goals this year. With staff not recommending any spending cuts at Artishere, the shortfall will likely be paid by Arlington County taxpayers. The county had already allocated more than $700,000 in funding for Artisphere during FY 2011, while the Rosslyn Business Improvement Corporation allocated more than $600,000.

For FY 2012, staff is projecting that admission and ticketing revenue will fall $455,000 short of original expectations, while expenses will be $462,000 higher than expectations. One bright spot is fundraising, which is now expected to come in at $200,000 above projections. All told, staff expects Artisphere will need another $791,1356 in taxpayer support above and beyond the County Manager’s proposed FY 2012 budget.

County spokeswoman Diana Sun says Artisphere’s budget situation “has everyone’s attention.”

“Artisphere is an important part of the revitalization of Rosslyn,” Sun said. “The County Manager has asked for a revised business plan for Artisphere by summer.”

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