Two important items on our February agenda addressed the problem of affordable living in Arlington. Child Care Initiative: Studies show Arlington has the most expensive childcare in the nation. That, on top of expensive housing, makes it very difficult for young families to live here. Our staff reported out on 18 months of work to amend 18 sections of our code updating it from the 1960’s. Their work should improve the quality, and increase the affordability and availability of childcare in Arlington. Many of our code sections did not make sense or did not align with national standards and … [Read more...]

I know that for many of you, as for me, the events of the past week in Richmond have been distressing and have taken up attention. Even so, our local government here in Arlington continues its work for our entire community. Our January meetings were relatively light, but covered some important topics. Parking: One of our major items was rescinding the residential permit parking (RPP) restrictions on some streets in the Arlington Mill and Forest Glen neighborhoods. This has been a contentious issue. Christian Dorsey and I held a public forum on it at Arlington Mill earlier in the month. … [Read more...]

The Arlington County Board met on January 2nd, 2019 for their annual Organizational Meeting. Below is a video recording and the full text of Libby's remarks on her priorities and outlook for the year.     Thank you, Mr. Chair. First, a few words for my Board colleagues. Congratulations to Mr. Dorsey on becoming our new Chair. Christian, I know you will do a great job. Thank you to our past Chair, Ms. Cristol. Katie, you did an excellent job leading us through a sometimes-intense year. Thank you, Mr. Gutshall, for your kind words nominating me. Erik, it was, indeed, an … [Read more...]

Our agendas for this month’s meetings were very light, but a lot is happening in Arlington. At our Saturday meeting, we adopted our state legislative package, as we always do. In it, we indicate mostly general positions we plan to support in the General Assembly session that begins in January so that our staff and our legislators have some clear guidance on where we stand. The most significant issues coming up this year will be mainly financial. The Commonwealth will get a windfall from changes in Federal tax law, partially because our state income tax is derived from the Federal tax. … [Read more...]

The carryover portion of our November meeting started as we usually do with various reports, which can be quite informative. Our Chair outlined the many opportunities to learn about and to comment on Amazon coming to Arlington. I reported on my trip to our sister cities of Aachen and Reims for the 25th anniversary of our connection to Aachen and the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. Both my grandfathers were in Europe for “The Great War” and I felt a personal obligation to go for this significant anniversary. I’ll note that this American official felt privileged to stand in the rain in … [Read more...]

November’s meetings are separated by 11 days due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so I’ll separate my usual monthly email update as well. Saturday Public Comment and Amazon: It was no surprise that many people came to comment about Amazon on Saturday morning. Many were disappointed to learn that we only allow one person to comment on any particular issue during our Public Comment period at the start of our Saturday meetings. Chair Katie Cristol did a good job explaining at the beginning that Public Comment is a time for people to surface new issues and to bring them to the Board’s attention. … [Read more...]

As you no doubt have heard by now, Amazon has chosen Arlington one of its new headquarters sites. Information about the proposed agreement is available on the County website, and I welcome thoughts and comments as the Board analyzes the final agreement. We will follow our regular public engagement and hearing process for development decisions and vote no earlier than this coming February. While I have not had the opportunity to study the agreement in detail yet, I believe this is very good news for Virginia and the whole Metro region, as well as for Arlington and Alexandria. There will be … [Read more...]

The important mid-term elections are tomorrow. For those of you who have not voted early absentee, I hope you will join me in voting to reelect Senator Tim Kaine, Congressman Don Beyer, my colleague John Vihstadt for County Board, and Barbara Kanninen for School Board, as well as for all the bond referenda. Senator Kaine and Congressman Beyer will provide an important check on President Trump, and the future of our democracy and nation depend on that check. Here in Arlington, John Vihstadt is an outstanding Board member and a valuable member of our Board team. In this hyperpartisan time, it … [Read more...]

Our October Board meetings had a number of issues that were satisfying for me because I felt we clearly were making the County better for people. We approved site plan amendments for 1750 Crystal Drive, which will allow the building and area to be renovated, and will bring retail, a grocery store, a movie theater, and a park to the area along with a new Metro entrance. This will vastly improve an area that really has looked like an urban wasteland for many years. We had a long discussion and hearing about Westover Beer Garden and its amplified, outdoor music. It was a classic issue of … [Read more...]

I hope everyone had a good summer. September started off with a lot of items and a lot of emotion. Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) is expanding and needs our approval to do so. While there have been many meetings, both the neighbors and the Planning Commission said the VHC plans did not feel appropriate and welcoming for the homes nearby, nor did they believe the plans were thoughtful about future construction. Many VHC employees came to say how needed the expansion is. We voted to defer the project briefly to allow VHC to work more with their neighbors, to make the building feel less … [Read more...]