ordinance

To Do Tonight

By ARLnow.com

There are several very good options for people who want to get out of their house or apartment and do something tonight:

  • The new Siena Park luxury apartment building (2301 Columbia Pike) its celebrating its grand opening with an “Art of Living Well” event from 7:00 to 9:00, featuring food and FREE beer and wine tastings from a number of local restaurants, including: Twisted Vines, Rocklands Barbeque, Caribbean Breeze Restaurant, Extra Virgin, Rock Bottom,Tthe Melting Pot and others. There will also be live music, an appearance by artist J.D. Miller, and — of course — tours of the apartments.
  • Put on your best “O” face and go to the Bi-Annual TPS Report Managers Meeting at Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike). The “meeting” is actually an Office Space movie festival with trivia, impersonation and costume contests. The festivities start at 7:00 with theme music. The movie starts at 8:30.
  • Finally, for the civic-minded, Arlington County will hold an informal public forum on the snow removal ordinance at 7:00 p.m. The forum will take place at 3033 Wilson Blvd, rooms 7E-7F. Staffers will explain the proposed ordinance and answer questions.

As always, see our events calendar for lots more to do this weekend.

Arlington Considers Snow Removal Lessons From Neighbors

By ARLnow.com

In 2004, the city of Hagerstown charged an 86-year-old woman $223 for not clearing her sidewalk after a snowstorm. That same year, the city of Frederick, Md. sent snow removal bills to the state-run Maryland School for the Deaf and to an elderly couple confined to walkers.

The Hagerstown incident caused a “public outcry” that forced the city to ease up on enforcement, the Associated Press reported at the time. A photo of the elderly couple in Frederick, which ran in a local newspaper, is a classic study in bad PR.

Arlington is now considering a snow removal ordinance similar to the statutes in place in Hagerstown and Frederick. The proposed ordinance has garnered headlines like “Arlington Proposes Criminal Charges for Unneighborly Snow Shovelers” and “Arlington Says Clear Your Sidewalks or Pay Up.” Clearly, history risks repeating itself.

County officials, however, say they’ve been trying to learn from our neighbors.

“Staff reviewed numerous jurisdictions that have ordinances or conditions that govern sidewalk snow removal,” says Arlington County transportation planning chief Thomas Bruccoleri.

Among the jurisdictions studied:

  • The City of Alexandria requires property owners to clear sidewalks within 24 hours. Alexandria’s ordinance assesses a $50 civil penalty, but only after written notice has been issued.
  • Loudoun County requires property owners to clear sidewalks within 6 hours. People with physical or mental disabilities, and people over the age of 65, are exempted. The county provides written notice and has not had to issue fines due to high compliance. Like Arlington’s proposed ordinance, Loudoun can assess a fine of up to $250, which is a class 4 misdemeanor.
  • Fairfax County does not have a sidewalk snow removal ordinance.

Arlington is set to hold a public hearing on a permanent snow removal ordinance on Saturday, June 12.

The proposed ordinance would require residential and commercial property owners to clear snow from sidewalks 24-36 hours after snow stops falling. It would make it a misdemeanor to shovel snow onto public property, including streets and bus stops.

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UPDATE: County Board to Consider Emergency Snow Ordinance

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board will consider an emergency snow removal ordinance at its March meeting, one week before the first day of spring. The board also directed itself to draft language for a permanent ordinance, for consideration at the board’s April meeting.

The measures were proposed by board member Chris Zimmerman, who cited numerous examples of snow still covering sidewalks on busy Arlington streets.

Board chairman Jay Fisette and board member Barbara Favola voted, unsuccessfully, to remove consideration of the temporary ordinance from Zimmerman’s resolution.

Favola questioned whether the temporary measure is necessary, given the low chance of significant snowfall after March 13. She said that while she would support a permanent ordinance that has received community input.

Acting county manager Barbara Donnellan cautioned that vetting the emergency ordinance on short notice will require county staff to be diverted from other projects. She also said it would be difficult to notify Arlington businesses of the proposed change in policy.

The proposed emergency ordinance, which will be voted on at the March 13 board meeting, requires property owners in commercial districts to clear snow from walkways bordering their businesses within 24 hours of snowfall ending. It would be put into effect for a period of 60 days.

Despite the objections of Favola and Fisette to the emergency ordinance, Zimmerman’s resolution passed unanimously.

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