signage

Board to Advertise Hearings on Sign Ordinance Changes

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board is expected to advertise two public hearings on changes to the county’s sign ordinance on Saturday.

The proposed changes, which have been in the works since the beginning of the year, include:

  • Permitting temporary sidewalk “A-frame” signs
  • Permitting logos on umbrellas within sidewalk cafes
  • Permitting coordinated public parking signs near parking garages

A-frame signs are currently verboten under the county’s sign ordinance — a rule that has led to conflicts between county zoning personnel and local business owners. Under the proposed changes, A-frame signs would be allowed without a permit for “all businesses that provide goods and services to the public,” as long as the sign is no more than 3.5 feet high and as long as a minimum 6-foot clear passageway is maintained on the sidewalk.

Similarly, branded sidewalk cafe umbrellas — currently prohibited under most circumstances — would be allowed without a permit as long as it’s within an approved sidewalk cafe. Wrote county staff: “The proposed amendment would allow up to four square feet of each umbrella… to be used for commercial messages related to the business and/or products sold there, and thus allow outdoor cafes to create their own identity and contribute to neighborhood character.”

The parking sign change would allow a more uniform system of way-finding for parking garages in Arlington. A pilot program in Rosslyn has allowed such signs since 2008. County officials consider the program a success, and are recommending it be extended to the entire county.

“An effective parking way-finding program can reduce congestion by eliminating unnecessary travel by lost motorists,” staff wrote.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Ben Affleck Flick Filming in N. Arlington? — Local residents are telling us that ‘Argo,’ a new Ben Affleck-directed political thriller, is currently in production in the area near Overlee pool. [Forums]

New Restaurant Coming to Shirlington — A new Mediterranean restaurant called Medi is coming to Shirlington. The eatery will offer “uniquely blended flavors, healthy ingredients, and great value,” according to The Village at Shirlington Facebook page. [Shirlington Village Blog]

County Board Candidate Sims Launches Website — County Board candidate Terron Sims II has launched a new campaign website. Sims is one of three Democratic candidates who have formally announced for the upcoming special election to replace state Senator-elect Barbara Favola. The West Point grad and Iraq war veteran has already won support and endorsements from County Treasurer Frank O’Leary and Rep. Jim Moran. [Sims for Arlington]

County Scales Back Legislative Agenda — With Republicans firmly in control in Richmond, Arlington County may be abandoning hope of getting its quarter percent hotel taxing authority restored any time soon. [Sun Gazette]

Signs Biting the Dust in the Rosslyn Area — One local blogger has taken note of at least two recent incidents where signs have apparently been knocked down by out-of-control cars in the Rosslyn area. [Ode Street Tribune]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Obama to Visit Key Bridge — President Obama will make an appearance on the D.C. side of the Key Bridge tomorrow to “highlight the need for infrastructure investments.” The Key Bridge, the Memorial Bridge and the 14th Street Bridge are all structurally deficient and in need of immediate repair, according to a report released last month. [Washington Post]

CivFed Wary of A-Frame Signs — Arlington County Civic Federation delegates are wary of the county’s plan to allow A-frame — or sandwich board — signs on the sidewalks of commercial districts. The federation will vote tonight on a resolution that asks that the number of A-frame signs be limited, due to the potential for the signs to impede the mobility of the elderly and the disabled. [Sun Gazette]

Al Franken to Visit Four Courts — Updated at 9:30 a.m. — Comedian and U.S. Senator Al Franken is scheduled to appear at a Democratic fundraiser at Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse tonight. The fundraiser is reportedly off-limits to media. [Patch]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Board Approves Penrose Square Public Plaza — The Arlington County Board last night formally approved a $2 million public plaza at the Penrose Square apartment complex on Columbia Pike. “This flexible, vibrant public square is an important part of the community vision for Columbia Pike… a place for people to relax, gather and host events,” said Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman. The plaza is expected to open next fall. [Arlington County]

Board Green Lights Boeing HQ — After more than 3 hours of discussion, the County Board — somewhat reluctantly — approved a plan by aircraft maker Boeing to build a new, 450,000 square foot regional headquarters on a plot of land between Crystal City and the future Long Bridge Park. ARLnow.com will have a full recap up later today.

Moran Fired Up About Occupy Wall Street — Arlington’s congressman, Democratic Rep. Jim Moran, is fired up about the Occupy Wall Street protest movement. “Good for them!” he said emphatically at a Falls Church Chamber of Commerce luncheon. “This is what democracy is about.” Moran also decried the level of partisanship on Capitol Hill. “There used to be 353 centrists in the House in the 1980s.. Now there are zero,” he said. [Falls Church News-Press]

Dulles Signs on Route 50? — Why are there still signs to Dulles Airport on Route 50? “I suspect these signs date from before I-66 was built, since no one would take Route 50 to get to Dulles with I-66 available,” writes blogger and environmental consultant Steve Offutt. [Commuter Page Blog]

Police Service Counter Cuts Hours — The Arlington County Police Department service counter at 1425 N. Courthouse Road is reducing its hours. Starting Monday, Oct. 31, the counter will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends, and will be closed on county holidays. “They studied it for a number of months and they just weren’t getting enough traffic to justify the staffing,” police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal said of the cut-back. [Arlington County Police Department]

County to Install Wayfinding Signs Along R-B Corridor

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is planning to install more than 250 wayfinding signs along the R-B corridor, starting this fall.

The signs will be placed “along bicycle and pedestrian routes throughout the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.” The first phase of the multi-phase project will include the installation of about 50 signs.

“These wayfinding, or directional, signs will help cyclists and pedestrians more easily navigate Arlington’s 100 miles of multi-use trails, on-street bike lines and designated bike routes, and its commercial districts,” the county said on the project’s web page.

While “frequent spacing of signs” is expected to “increase cyclist and pedestrian confidence” along the busy corridor, the county is being careful to no “over-sign” the area.

“To minimize sign clutter and maintenance costs, only the most popular or useful destinations have been chosen as to not ‘over-sign’ or contribute to sign clutter,” according to the county.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Businesses Encouraged By Action on Sign Ordinance — Business owners are hopeful that the new, proposed changes to the sign ordinance will dramatically “streamline” the time-consuming, costly process for getting signs approved in Arlington. [Washington Examiner]

DJO Student’s Dry-Cleaning Research Makes Headlines — It’s not everyday that a high school sophomore’s science project makes it into an peer-reviewed academic research journal, but that’s exactly what happened to Bishop O’Connell High School student Alexa Dantzler. The 15-year-old’s research on chemicals that remain on clothing after dry-cleaning, conducted with the help of the Georgetown University chemistry department, was formally published last week. [Washington Post]

Gay Service Members Honored — Two prominent ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal advocates celebrated their retirement from the military during a ceremony at the Air Force Memorial on Sunday. [The Advocate]

Flags Flying in Rosslyn for 9/11 — Buildings in Rosslyn are flying the American flag this week in honor of the victims of 9/11. [Rosslyn Blog]

Arlington Fire Chief Remembers 9/11 Response — Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz was recently interviewed about the department’s role as the “primary response agency” to the Pentagon on 9/11. “There isn’t a lot of time to dwell on the enormity… you’ve got to go to work right away,” he said.” [Firehouse.com]

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Car on Fire on I-395 — A car caught fire on southbound I-395 near Boundary Channel around 9:30 last night. The car was fully-engulfed by the time firefighters arrived on scene. No injuries were reported

Sun Gazette: Thumbs Down to Board’s ‘Walmart’ Action — The County Board’s last-minute, unannounced vote at the end of its final meeting before the summer recess is getting a “thumbs down” in the opinion pages of the Sun Gazette. The Board voted to advertise hearings on a zoning ordinance amendment that would prevent large-format retailers like Walmart from building a store without prior Board approval. “County staff so far have been unable to explain what the rush is – they want to get this approved by the County Board later in the month – and exactly what problem they are trying to solve,” the paper opined. [Sun Gazette]

School Board Challenger Drops Out — Independent Green candidate for school board Andrea Ochoa has withdrawn from the race, according to Arlington elections officials. Incumbent Democrat Abby Raphael will now run unopposed.

Street Sign Mistakes — Typos happen, including on street signs in Arlington. Among the examples: “22rd Road,” “Chian Br. Road” and an unspecified misspelling of “school” on a parking sign. [Falls Church News-Press]

Photo courtesy of @cmags44

County Releases Draft of New Sign Regulations

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) Arlington County has released a preliminary draft of its new sign regulations.

After holding sign workshops and promising more business-friendly regulations, the county has come up with a long list of changes to the existing ordinance. The changes are designed to “make the [sign] ordinance earlier to understand and use, and easier to administer and enforce,” while incorporating “best practices in sign regulation.”

Among the proposed changes, the county would allow sandwich board — or A-frame — signs on sidewalks, in direct contrast to the current ban on such signs, which are popular with shop owners in other urban areas. Sandwich board signs would be permitted so long as it doesn’t reduce the clear sidewalk width below six feet. Staff notes that “consideration is also being given to alternatives in areas where a six-foot clear width is not possible.”

Restaurants might be more willing to use branded umbrellas on their outdoor patios under the proposed regulations. Wording on umbrellas would not count toward a business’ overall sign allowance if the draft regulations are adopted.

Additionally, certain signs would be permitted in the so-called public right-of-way. Signs from non-profit groups — like the Boy and Girl Scouts or various civic groups — would be allowed. Currently, only political signs and real estate signs are allowed on public property (like roadway medians) and only under certain conditions. Staff is still considering whether to allow commercial signs.

Another big change is the proposal that new sign permits be considered by county staff without County Board approval. Currently, many businesses have to go through an expensive “comprehensive sign plan” process and a County Board vote to get certain signs approved. Under the new proposal, that process would be offloaded to county staff, who would have the power to approve such signs on an administrative level, under clearly defined standards.

County staff is also considering whether to recommend a change in the definition of what makes something a sign. That could potentially be significant for businesses like Wag More Dogs, which has been engaged in a legal battle with the county over whether its wall mural constitutes a sign.

The county’s Zoning Committee will be holding a public forum on Tuesday, Sept. 13 to discuss the sign recommendations. The meeting will be held at the Washington-Lee High School cafeteria from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Sign Vigilante Arrested — “Arlington anti-sign vigilante” Robert Lauderdale is facing a felony grand larceny charge for allegedly stealing 240 apartment leasing signs from the Crescent Apartments near I-66. Lauderdale says he removes the signs to reduce clutter along his street and unilaterally enforce Arlington’s sign regulations. He was arrested, taken to jail and booked earlier this month after police showed up at his apartment in the wee hours of the morning. [Falls Church News-Press]

Virginia Is ‘Top State for Business’ — Virginia is once again “America’s Top State For Business,” according to CNBC. “Virginia is a perennial favorite with its strategic location, friendly business climate and diverse economy,” the channel said. The Commonwealth also captured the title in 2007 and 2009. [CNBC]

‘Flash Mob’ At Arlington Central Library — It lacked the spontaneity of a true “flash mob,” but the Bowen McCauley Dance company’s performance of “Mamma Mia” at Arlington Central Library over the weekend was, at least, cool to watch. [YouTube]

FBI Investigating Arlington Nat’l Cemetery Problems — The FBI is investigating possible criminal wrongdoing connected to the mishandling of remains and records at Arlington National Cemetery. The agency is looking into possible contracting fraud and falsification of records, among other potential crimes. [Washington Post]

Sandwich Board Signs, Sidewalk Cafe Umbrellas Making a Comeback?

By ARLnow.com

At the annual State of the County address yesterday, Arlington County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said action on parts of his Small Business Initiative is coming soon.

Zimmerman said that he expects to see an initial draft of a rewritten sign ordinance next month, with final Board approval by the end of the year.

Addressing the substance of the sign ordinance, Zimmerman said he wants an ordinance that “at a minimum, ends the prohibition on A-frame signs [and] relaxes restrictions on the umbrellas used for sidewalk seating.”

Allowing A-frame — or “sandwich board” –signs would be a victory for business owners in Arlington, who have bemoaned Arlington’s strict enforcement of its prohibitive sign ordinance. The ban on sandwich board signs in makes it particularly difficult to promote restaurants specials and store sales to passersby.

Unadorned sidewalk cafe umbrellas are currently allowed under county code, but allowing branded umbrellas would benefit restaurant owners who want to make their eateries more visible during the warm weather months.

In addition to sign ordinance changes, Zimmerman said he hopes the Small Business Initiative will find a way to improve coordination among the various county government units that handle business matters.

“We heard, again and again, a real frustration with the lack of centrality and consistency of information,” Zimmerman said.

Mystery Solved: New Sign Erected in 2008?

By ARLnow.com

An eagle-eyed tipster sent us this photo of a historic marker just erected on the 1400 block of Wilson Boulevard, in Rosslyn.

The plaque marks the building where employees of the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency helped to conceive ARPANET, the forerunner to the internet. Last week several of those former DARPA employees attended an Arlington County Board meeting, where the plaque was unveiled and dedicated.

Imagine the surprise of our tipster, then, when he saw the words at the bottom of the sign: “Erected in 2008 by Arlington County, Virginia.” The sign was only installed last week, so why does it say it was erected in 2008?

Turns out the plaque was actually conceived, written and produced in 2008, but it was never installed. According to Arlington spokeswoman Diana Sun, the county was unable to get permission from the building owner to put the sign on their property, so they had to go through a lengthy process of getting the sign installed in the public right-of-way (sidewalk). By the time all the pieces were in place, and by the time they could organize a small ceremony at a County Board meeting, it was 2011 — three years later than originally planned.

Photo courtesy Geoff Collins

View More Stories