January 2026 County Board Meeting Agenda Highlights

The Arlington County Board will consider and act on several items at its Regular and Recessed meetings. The Regular meeting will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. The Recessed Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. 

Changes to 2026 Board Meeting Procedures
Please note that there have been several changes made to the Board meeting procedures for 2026, which include: 

Saturday Regular Board meetings   

• The deadline for advanced online signup for Public Comment will now be Friday at 3PM, the day before the meeting.    

• In-person signup for Public Comment will now close at 9AM on the morning of the regular meeting.   

Tuesday Recessed Board Meetings   

• Tuesday Recessed Board meetings will now begin at 3PM, rather than 1:30PM, and will follow this structure: reports, recognitions, and appointments, followed by a closed session and dinner break before moving to Regular and pulled Consent Agenda items. 

• At those same Recessed Board meetings, Regular hearing items will now be heard first at 6:30 PM followed by items pulled from the Saturday Consent Agenda.   

View the Arlington County Board's 2026 Meeting Procedures for more information. 

These meetings are open to the public. Please visit the County website for information on speaking at a County Board Meeting.   

Virtual participation options are available to the public through Microsoft Teams. If you are sick, please consider watching the meeting's live webcast or cable broadcast or participating virtually via Microsoft Teams. More information on how to participate or watch virtually is provided below.  

Comment on Agenda Items and Speak at the Meeting 
Please send your written comments on agenda items to the County Board at CountyBoard@arlingtonva.us. All comments received by the Board are made part of the public record and are before the Board members as they consider items.   

If you wish to comment during the Public Comment period at the start of the Regular Hearing or on a Regular Public Hearing item, please register in advance on the County Board website, where you can also find more details on public participation in virtual Board Meetings, or call the Board Office at 703-228-3130 from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Online Registration opens once the agenda for the meeting is posted, approximately one week before the meeting. In-person registration is also available on the day of the meetings.   

Watch it Live 
All County Board meetings are live-streamed on the County website, Agenda and Minutes webpage, YouTube, and broadcast live on Arlington TV, the County's cable channel, with live captioning on Comcast 25 & 1073 (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, January 24, 2026 – Regular County Board Meeting

Item 34 A&B – Inn of Rosslyn  
The Board will consider items that would allow for the construction of an eight-story apartment building on the former Inn of Rosslyn site at 1601 Fairfax Drive. These items include a rezoning and a new site plan (item 34A), and an associated vacation of a portion of an existing easement for public sidewalk, utilities, and drainage purposes (item 34B).  

The project proposes to demolish the existing motel building on the property and construct a new 8-story multifamily residential building with underground parking. This includes approximately 122,110 sq ft of residential GFA for 141 dwelling units, and 72 total parking spaces.  

If approved, this plan would advance certain County goals and objectives: 

• Affordable Housing: The applicant will provide 13 on-site committed affordable housing units (CAFs) that will be available for 30 years to qualified tenants at rental rates up to 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). These CAFs will consist of six (6) one-bedroom units and seven (7) two-bedroom units. The applicant will also provide the base affordable housing contribution or provide additional on-site or off-site unit(s). 

• Sustainable Design: The applicant will participate in the County’s adopted Green Building Incentive Program (GBIP) and has agreed to achieve a LEED Gold certification, ENERGY STAR Certification and provide other sustainable design elements at the 0.25 FAR credit level.  

• Historic Preservation: The applicant proposes to either preserve or faithfully recreate the “50” architectural element inside the building lobby visible from the outside, as well as work with County Historic Preservation staff for a historic marker at the site. 

Items 35 A-D – Clarendon Live Entertainment Group (CLEG) Use Permit Review  
The Board will also review and consider four subject Clarendon Live Entertainment Group (CLEG) establishment use permits. The following actions are recommended by staff:  

• 35A: Adopt the attached ordinance for the site plan amendment for approval of live entertainment and dancing at Bar Bao, subject to all previously approved conditions and the amended conditions in this report, with an administrative review in four (4) months (May 2026) and a County Board review in one (1) year and four (4) months (May 2027). 

• 35B and D: Renew the subject use permits for live entertainment (with dancing where applicable), subject to all previously approved conditions and the amended conditions in this report, with an administrative review in four (4) months (May 2026) and a County Board review in one (1) year and four (4) months (May 2027). 

• 35C: Discontinue the subject use permit for live entertainment at Buena Vida. 

The Clarendon Live Entertainment Group was established in 2002 and connects County staff, restaurant owners, and the surrounding communities. The group provides a forum to address concerns, coordinate enforcement, and update all participants on County policies. The group consists of County staff (Police Department, Fire Marshal, Zoning, Planning, Code Enforcement); members of the Clarendon-Courthouse, Lyon Village, Ashton Heights, and Lyon Park Civic Associations; and representatives (owners and managers) of the Clarendon restaurants. 

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 – Regular County Board Meeting   

The Recessed Meeting will begin at 3:00 p.m. with reports from the Board and County Manager. Agenda items will be heard no earlier than 6:30 p.m.   

Item 36 – Scapegoat Beer Garden Use Permit Review
The Board will also consider renewal of a use permit café associated with a restaurant, located at 556 22nd St. S. If approved, this use permit will allow a greater number of outdoor seats (208) than the indoor portion of the restaurant (79), subject to the previously approved conditions, with an administrative review in six (6) months (July 2026) and with a County Board review in one (1) year (January 2027). 

Public Hearings 
The Board will hold a public hearing no earlier than 6:30 p.m. and consider Regular Hearing items first, followed by items pulled from the Saturday Consent Agenda.  

View the agenda and staff reports (Note: some reports are posted closer to the meeting date).