September 2026 Arlington County Board Wrap-Up

Published on September 25, 2026

Saturday, September 19, 2026 – Regular County Board Meeting  

Items 50 – 1501 Langston Boulevard
The Arlington County Board approved a set of applications to construct an 88-unit, eight-story residential condominium at 1501 Langston Boulevard. This building will include a ground floor “institutional” space for a museum and 149 parking spaces located in the existing, to-remain underground parking garage.  

The project will demolish and replace the existing vacant office building, which formerly served as the headquarters for the Air & Space Force Association (AFA), with new housing in a highly transit-accessible location near the Rosslyn Metro station. This redevelopment advances County goals to reposition obsolete office space and adds new housing units in an area well served by transit and multimodal transportation options. The building and site design have been shaped to respond to the site’s surrounding conditions, including a steep topographical change in grade throughout the site, as well as its proximity to lower-density housing directly to the north and west of the site.  

The redevelopment of the AFA site will also include the provision of two new public spaces, as well as several transportation improvements, including to the adjacent section of the Custis Trail, the narrowing of a section of Langston Boulevard, and removal of a section of the sound barrier adjacent to the Custis Trail. 

Item 51 – 2026-2030 Vision Zero Action Plan
The Board also adopted a five-year Vision Zero Action Plan Update. This update was developed based on lessons learned from implementing Vision Zero, findings from recent crash data analysis and before-and-after studies, and insights from two phases of community engagement. 

Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all transportation-related fatalities and severe injuries, while ensuring safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. In the last five years, Arlington has averaged about 43 serious injuries and 3 fatalities each year. The County’s target is to get to zero by 2030. 

The plan formalizes Arlington’s Vision Zero program structure, includes 26 new action items that will advance the program to proactively address key safety needs, and identifies progress and outcome measures to track the efficacy of the program. These action items fall into four (4) categories:  

• Engineering action items design and implement roadway improvements that reduce speeds, minimize conflict points, and create safer conditions for all users through proven, data-driven design strategies.  
• Engagement action items work with communities to inform, listen, and shape safety solutions together.  
• Plan & Policies action items institutionalize safety goals into plans, standards, and regulations to guide consistent, long-term decision-making. 
• Behavior Change action items encourage safer travel choices and reduce risky behaviors through education, enforcement, and culture-shifting strategies.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026 – Recessed County Board Meeting   

Item 52 – Big Tony’s Restaurant Use Permit Request
The County Board denied a use permit request to allow live entertainment at Big Tony’s, located at 3100 Clarendon Boulevard.  

During the review of this application, the establishment conducted live entertainment activities on multiple occasions without the required use permit approval, resulting in Notices of Violation (NOVs) and associated monetary tickets for noncompliance with applicable provisions of the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO).  

Based on this pattern of noncompliance, staff from multiple departments had significant concerns regarding the operator’s ability and willingness to adhere to use permit conditions that would govern live entertainment at the subject property.  

Denial of this use permit does not impact the ability of the establishment to continue operations as a restaurant; however, they would not be able to conduct live entertainment activities lawfully. 

Item 13 – Clarendon Ballroom Use Permit Amendment
The Board also adopted an amendment to Clarendon Ballroom’s use permit for live entertainment to expand related hours of operation from 1AM to 1:30AM on Friday and Saturday to align with other use permit uses in the area. The Board will review this application again in 8 months (May 2027), but this amendment also includes a condition providing objective criteria that could warrant an off-schedule review of this permit if documented violations occur for non-compliance by the establishment.  

Item 15 – Buena Vida Use Permit Amendment
The Board also adopted an amendment to Buena Vida’s use permit for live entertainment to expand related hours of operation to align with other use permit uses in the area (such as Item 13). This permit is also subject to a Board review in 8 months (May 2027) and to the additional condition of an off-schedule review should violations occur for non-compliance by the establishment.  

Registering to Speak at Future Public Hearings
Registration to speak on an item with a scheduled public hearing opens approximately a week before the meeting, and members of the public can either register online or call in at 703-228-3130.  

Those wanting to participate in these hearings can do so in person, virtually, or by phone and will receive instructions on these options once they have completed their registration. Members of the public wanting to speak on a Consent Agenda item may do so by notifying the County Board Office before 10 AM at Regular Meetings to request the item be pulled from the agenda. Members of the public may then register to speak on pulled agenda items at the upcoming Tuesday Recessed Meeting. Agendas will note which consent agenda items are subject to public hearing requirements and which require Board member consent to be removed.  

Members of the public are also strongly encouraged to subscribe to the County Board's News and Updates service to be alerted when meeting agendas are posted. Board meeting and agenda information can be accessed on the County Board's webpage. Visit 2026 County Board Meeting and Procedures on the County website to learn more.