Happy New Year! Last night, the County Board held our annual organizational meeting. I was honored to be elected as chair, and wish to thank my colleagues for their confidence in me. We elected Erik Gutshall to serve as our vice chair. We honored Christian Dorsey for his excellent service as our chair in 2019. I look forward to working with Erik as my vice chair and my colleagues Christian Dorsey, Katie Cristol and Matt de Ferranti on our Board team. This is a strong team. In my chairman’s remarks, I talked about the large and clear challenge that Amazon’s arrival presents us: we want to be a … [Read more...]
Amazon, New Solutions, Columbia Pike, and Save the Date
Our last meeting of 2019 saw several firsts and new approaches to old problems. We approved the first permit for a new Amazon office building; found a solution to the parking issues for “Restaurant Row” on 23rd Street South; received a building for affordable housing with the approval of Crystal Houses development; and adopted new zoning regulations to permit assisted living facilities in more areas of Arlington. We also heard about more disruption coming to Columbia Pike. After the tumultuous meeting last March when we approved the package to bring Amazon to Crystal City, we were … [Read more...]
I’m Running for Reelection to the Arlington County Board
Earlier this evening I announced that I am running for re-election to the Arlington County Board. I’ll be sending a letter (which is copied below for you) to the community, but wanted you to know right away. I’ve been serving Arlington for 23 years now and love my job more than ever. I think I’m also more able than ever to serve Arlington well. I’ve learned a lot in my 23 years. 2020 is going to be a very exciting election year nationally and locally. We’ll be updating my website a little over the holidays, but if you’d like to get involved or contribute, you can sign up there now. As … [Read more...]
Scooters, a Trail, Next Year’s Budget
Though our November meeting did not have many agenda items, many people came to speak. We’ve heard from lots of folks about scooters ever since they first appeared about 2 years ago. This topic was discussed at the October and November meetings. In October, we advertised our proposed regulations on shared mobility devices (which includes shared scooters, bikes, skateboards, and whatever new devices appear next). Although the regulations apply to all of these devices, this month our focus was on scooters. The major issues for our regulations were whether they should be allowed on sidewalks … [Read more...]
Looking Forward and Back in October’s Meeting
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...]
Energy, Equity, Emergency Preparedness, and a Controversial Site Plan
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...]
July Report: Floods, flexibility, and fun (KGMR bike ride August 10)
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...]
Some usual, and some not so usual, issues in June
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...]
Congratulations to Parisa Dehghani-Tafti
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...]
Really Important Primary Tomorrow: Theo Stamos for Commonwealth’s Attorney
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...]
