November County Board Meeting Agenda Highlights
Published on November 07, 2020
The Arlington County Board will consider and take action on dozens of items at its November Regular Meeting on Saturday, Nov. 14, and its Recessed Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The meeting is open to the public. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the County Board is holding virtual meetings, as allowed under Virginia law. Board members, staff, applicants, and the public all will participate remotely.
Speaking at the Board Meeting
Members of the public who wish to speak at public comment at the start of the Saturday, Nov. 14, Regular Meeting, or who wish to speak on an agenda item, should visit the
County Board website for information on how to register online to comment virtually.
Watch it Live
County Board meetings are live-streamed on the
County website, and on
YouTube, and broadcast live on Arlington TV, the County's cable channel, with live captioning, on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD), and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and staff reports) and on
YouTube.
Saturday, Nov. 14 — Regular County Board Meeting
The
Regular Meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. with public comment.
View the agenda and read the staff reports. (Note: Some reports are posted closer to the meeting date.) Highlights include:
Crystal Gateway office development — The Board will hold a public hearing, and consider JBG Smith's proposed development of a nine-story office building with ground-floor retail and a single-level underground parking garage at 1010 12th Street S. Proposed community benefits include the developer building a new road mid-block to connect 10th Street S to 12th Street S and achieving a LEED version 4 "Gold" certification for the building. The developer also would convey land to the County to be used for Gateway Park and contribute $300,000 to the County for park planning purposes. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 34 on the agenda.
Greenbrier Apartments redevelopment — The Board will hold a public hearing and consider a phased redevelopment of the 117-unit Greenbrier Apartments at the northeast intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Greenbrier Street. The original apartments, built in 1949 on a nearly five-acre site, include 18 buildings. The proposed project would preserve four of those and add two six-story apartment buildings with a total of 400 units, and an above-grade parking garage. 124 of the new units would be affordable, with 62 of them affordable to households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income. The proposed redevelopment would be under the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Form Based Code. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 35 on the agenda.
General Assembly Session Legislative Priorities — the Board will hold a public hearing and consider Arlington's 2021 General Assembly legislative priorities. To view the proposed priorities, scroll to Item No. 37 on the agenda.
Expanding Dominion Energy's Crystal City Substation — The Board will hold a public hearing and consider a request from Dominion Energy to expand its substation at 1720 South Fern Street to an adjacent County-owned parcel on South Hayes Street. If approved, the project would include a new substation building, upgraded equipment, and new resiliency infrastructure to accommodate increased electrical demand from planned development in Pentagon City, Crystal City, and surrounding neighborhoods. Greenspace on the site would be enlarged. Dominion is offering portions of South Hayes Street that span Dominion Energy's existing site and a property near Virginia Highlands Park in compensation for the County parcel. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 36 on the agenda.
New Rosslyn Highlands Park playground — The Board will consider approving a $1.46 million contract with The Donahoe Companies, Inc. to build a new playground at Rosslyn Highlands Park, 1615 18th St. N. The public playground will be located at the site of the Queens Court Residence affordable apartment building now being built by the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing. It will include separate play areas, with age-appropriate play equipment for pre-school and grade-school-age children. The project also will provide extensive seating, native planting, and bio-retention stormwater management planters. The playground is funded by voter-approved bonds and contributions from the developer. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 24 on the agenda.
Enhancing internet access for APS students — The Board will consider approving an agreement with Arlington Public Schools to enhance and extend the APS network access for students by providing broadband internet services through ConnectArlington, the County's closed, secure network. The agreement is being considered as the County and APS continue to enhance internet access during the coronavirus pandemic that has moved most K-12 education online. Covering all public schools with outdoor internet access, and students living near Arlington Mill and Randolph Elementary and concentrations of students around the Arlington Mill and Randolph Elementary school will cost an estimated $1.2 million. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No.21x on the APS agenda.
Arlington Lions Club Christmas tree lot — The Board will consider authorizing the South Arlington Lions Club to use part of the public right of way at the intersection of Columbia Pike and South Four Mile Run Drive for the club's annual Christmas tree, wreath, and ornaments sale. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 16 on the agenda.
Tues. Nov. 17 — Recessed County Board Meeting
The virtual Recessed Meeting will begin at 3 p.m. with reports from the Board Members and the County Manager. To view the agenda and read the staff reports, visit the
County website.
No earlier than 6:30 p.m. the Board first will hold a public hearing on any item pulled from the Saturday Consent Agenda. The Board also will hold public hearings on:
Closing out the 2020 fiscal year, providing guidance for Fiscal Year 2022 — The Board will vote on the County Manager's recommendations for approving and allocating Fiscal Year 2020 close-out funds and will provide guidance to the Manager for constructing his Proposed Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. To read the staff reports, scroll to Items No. 40 and 41 on the agenda.
Clarendon technology innovation pilot -- The Board will hold a public hearing and consider approving a public safety technology demonstration project in Clarendon. If approved, the collaborative effort among Comcast, the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, and the County's Police, Emergency Management, and Fire departments would retrofit 11 streetlight poles with sensors. The sensors will feed data to the Count on pedestrian movements in the district and improve response time by first responders to urgent calls there. The pilot is expected to last one year. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 39 on the agenda.
Naming Green Valley Town Square — The Board will consider approving "John Robinson, Jr. Town Square" as the name for the new town square now under construction in the heart of the Green Valley neighborhood. The Park and Recreation Commission has recommended the name under the County's policy for naming County facilities and parks. The Green Valley Civic Association adopted a resolution in 2019 asking the Board to adopt the name to honor Robinson, a community activist who was born in Arlington. Robinson, often referred to as the "Mayor of Green Valley," fought to break down segregationist barriers in housing, food counters, and movie theaters in northern Virginia. He published the Green Valley News, a free African-American publication that circulated in the neighborhood for more than 45 years. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 38 on the agenda.