October’s meeting was a time to look back and look forward. It was an unusual meeting for me because I participated from Germany, using a phone line to hear and speak in the meeting while watching the video streaming on my iPad. Scooters: The major issue on Saturday was a new one that no one would have thought of a few years ago: our advertisement of ordinances to regulate micro-mobility devices (scooters, e-bikes etc.). Because Virginia State Code allows unrestricted operation of motorized skateboards and scooters on sidewalks and trails unless more restrictive local ordinances are … [Read more...]

The Board plunged into the fall with our Community Energy Plan, an equity resolution, flood resiliency, and a controversial site plan. Energy: We found ourselves discussing renewable energy and climate change the day after students around the world demonstrated to save our planet. Our Community Energy Plan (CEP) was an update from 2013, and was needed because renewable energy is much improved and the dangerous state of the globe’s climate is even more dire. We set the goals of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and of County government using 100% renewable electricity by 2035. Buildings and … [Read more...]

Our July meeting was full, but our biggest concern this month has been the terrible flooding after about 5” of rain fell on Arlington in less than an hour. My colleagues and I met with residents from both the Waverly Hills and Westover neighborhoods, which were among the hardest hit. Our first responders reported 38 water rescues, 25 of them in Arlington. It feels to me like a miracle that no one was killed or seriously injured. We approved the Manager’s declaration of a local emergency, which is the first step to getting access to state or federal emergency aid. Information collected … [Read more...]

June saw a combination of usual items and some less usual issues. As we usually do, we voted on a number of land use and regulatory issues that should make life better for Arlingtonians. We approved a streamlined approval process for APS to put relocatables on school property when they need to accommodate increased enrollment in a school. This really was a common sense change to our zoning ordinance and should save both School and County staff time. We also approved a 255-unit residential building on the Washington Blvd/Kirkwood Road site. When the Arlington YMCA comes forward with its … [Read more...]

Please join me in congratulating Parisa Dehghani-Tafti on her win of the Democratic nomination for Commonwealth’s Attorney. Our thanks go to Theo Stamos for her outstanding service for eight years as our Commonwealth's Attorney. Finally, this campaign has been particularly difficult for our first responders: police, fire, and sheriff. Please join me in thanking them for the important work they do for us in a professional and caring manner every day. … [Read more...]

As I imagine everyone reading this post knows, we have a crucial primary in Arlington tomorrow for our Commonwealth’s Attorney’s race. I am strongly supporting the incumbent in this race, Theo Stamos, and hope you will vote for her and get others to vote for her too. We vote at our usual polling locations from 6 am to 7 pm, tomorrow, Tuesday, June 11. There is no pledge or anything to sign. By Virginia law, every registered voter can vote, regardless of your personal political affiliation, or lack thereof. Several weeks ago, I wrote a very long discussion of what is at stake in this race, … [Read more...]

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) returned to our agenda on Saturday. As you may remember, last year we adopted zoning changes to give more flexibility to people wanting a separate dwelling area within the existing footprint of their home, and we allowed people to convert existing detached structures, like a garage, into an apartment. We asked staff for more study of zoning for new detached dwelling units. We were concerned about a number of issues, particularly the recommendation to allow them one foot from the property line (the current zoning for garages) and the possible consequences to our … [Read more...]

I don’t usually send long emails. However, I am very concerned about deceptive and misleading mailers you may be receiving from the challenger in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s primary race on June 11, so I am writing a very long email now. Let me say at the outset that Arlington is progressive and well-run, but not perfect. This includes the office of our current Commonwealth’s Attorney, Theo Stamos, who is up for re-election and whom I strongly support in this race. I believe we could use a healthy debate about equity in Arlington and how our legal justice system works. However, a healthy … [Read more...]

April was another busy month. Because of the Easter and Passover holidays, our usual Saturday meeting was held on Tuesday and our carryover meeting on Thursday. It was good to have our colleague Katie Crystal back with us and to meet 6-week old Cary. On Tuesday, we completed our work on the FY ’20 budget. We had advertised a tax increase of 2.75 cents, but set the rate at 2 cents. This will mean the average homeowner will see an increase of about $304 The increase allows us to fund the School Board’s request, meet increased Metro costs, and fund arts programs that had been recommended for … [Read more...]

On Saturday we advertised an update to the bicycle portion of our Transportation Master Plan and adopted Phase 1 of our Child Care Initiative. We have long needed the Child Care Initiative because our zoning and regulations were out of date, full of contradictions, and posed barriers instead of support to child care providers. I have watched in dismay as my daughters and their friends struggle with the same lack of social support for families that I experienced a generation ago, and I am delighted to see this overdue progress. I commend my youngest colleague, Katie Cristol, for spearheading … [Read more...]