County Board Wrap-Up Media Release for February 2023 Meeting

Published on February 18, 2023

The Arlington County Board took several actions Saturday, February 18, 2023, at its regular County Board Meeting. This includes the following items, which were approved unanimously:

• The Joyce Motors site redevelopment proposal at 3201 10^th Street North. The proposal includes a site plan to construct an 11-story mixed-use building with residential units and ground-floor retail, an associated vacation ordinance and a deed of dedication and easement. The project is consistent with the General Land Use Plan, the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance, and is generally consistent with the Clarendon Sector Plan. It includes:
  • Affordable Housing: Nine on-site Committed Affordable Units, including five family-sized units;
  • Historic Preservation: The relocation and preservation of the historic Joyce Motors façade and the full building preservation of the Clarendon Barbershop;
  • Activation, Streetscapes, and Streets: Construction of new sidewalk and retail space and construction of portions of 10^th Road North and a new alley;
  • Sustainable Design: LEED Gold certification and additional sustainability commitments under the Green Building Incentive Policy; and
  • Transportation and Public Space: Nearly $1 million in monetary contributions toward transportation and public space planning and implementation.

For historic preservation purposes, the Board also approved transferring developmental rights from the Clarendon Barbershop Building to the Joyce Motors site, allowing unused density to be used toward the proposed 11-story mixed-used building.

• A use permit that proposes redevelopment of the formerly occupied Bank of America at 3401 Columbia Pike into a six-story, mixed-use building with 250 multi-family dwelling units and approximately 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and commercial space. The Board also approved a Zoning Ordinance amendment, as part of the Columbia Pike Form Based Code Districts, to change the Town Center Regulating Plan from a Local to Main Street typology to allow maximum building heights on a portion of the property and related vacation ordinances to facilitate the project's construction.
  
  
• Three Requests to Advertise proposed amendments to the County Code and Arlington County Zoning Ordinance. Requests to advertise are not final votes, and residents will have an opportunity to comment on these amendments at the following public hearing dates:
  • March 18^th – Enabling the establishment of stormwater management facilities on public lands and providing increased flexibility for the location of public space amenities and features within required setbacks. This is in response to increased flooding risks from recent and progressively intense rainstorms.
  • March 28^th – Amending Chapter 66 of the Arlington County Code to update Technology Zone qualifications language. This would align with current business processes and trends in the technology industry as one tool to keep Arlington competitive in our current market. While this item will have a public hearing on March 28^th, it will be considered for approval at the county Board meeting in April.
  • April 22^nd – Allowing a variety of updated indoor recreation uses in a range of mixed-use, commercial, and industrial zoning districts, as well as amending existing regulations of already defined uses in the Zoning Ordinance. This is in response to increased demand for indoor recreation, such as Gaming centers, escape rooms, and, yes, even pickleball. This also furthers the County’s Commercial Market Resiliency strategy of modernizing Arlington’s regulations, practices, and processes to ensure responsiveness and readiness to economic shifts in the market.

The County Manager, Mark Schwartz, also presented the Fiscal Year 2024 Proposed Operating Budget to the Board and will provide a media briefing on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at 2 PM. Later that same Tuesday, the Board will hold its Recessed Meeting and consider requests to advertise public hearings relating to different components of the proposed budget. FY 2024 Budget information is available on the County’s website.

Board meetings and agendas can be accessed on the County Board’s webpage.