Arlington Neighborhoods Program

Sign 'Claremont Historic District'

The Neighborhood Signs Program installs attractive signs and landscaping that welcome visitors and residents.

The Arlington Neighborhoods Program (formerly Neighborhood Conservation Program) helps improve and enhance Arlington neighborhoods. When the program was created in 1964, the goal was to empower residents by having them come together to discuss and share ideas for improving their neighborhoods. Today, the program provides funding for a variety of improvements including: installation of sidewalks, curbs and gutters, streetlights, signs, park improvements, neighborhood art and beautification. This program empowers residents to identify and plan projects in their own neighborhoods. For a comprehensive overview of program processes, policies, schedules and the civic engagement process, (PDF, 4MB)(PDF, 4MB)read the (PDF, 4MB)(PDF, 4MB)Arlington Neighborhoods Program (ANP) Guidebook(PDF, 4MB).

In December 2024, the County Board celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Arlington Neighborhoods Program, celebrating six decades of making residential neighborhoods desirable places to live through meaningful partnerships with community members. Read the full proclamation(PDF, 58KB)

View the updated Civic Association Map: Interactive (includes staff and contact info) | PDF(PDF, 8MB)

Funding Process

Funding for Arlington Neighborhoods Program projects comes from voter-approved General Obligation Bond Referenda. Since 1996, the County has spent $62.7 million on Arlington Neighborhoods Program projects to beautify and strengthen our neighborhoods. The program has provided funding to assist every participating neighborhood with such improvements as street, gutter and sidewalk repairs, beautification projects and better street lighting.

The funding process is outlined in the Arlington Neighborhoods Program (ANP) Guidebook (Published 2023, Version 2). Generally, for projects to be eligible for funding:

  • Community members must first develop an Arlington Neighborhoods Plan, which identifies the improvements residents want most in their neighborhood. Arlington Neighborhoods Program staff work with residents to identify priority improvement projects.
  • There are two funding sessions each year. A neighborhood may submit one project to the Arlington Neighborhoods Advisory Committee (ArNAC) for approval for each funding round.
  • The ArNAC uses a points system to prepare a list of qualified projects to the County Board for funding consideration.
  • After the County Board approves funding, neighborhood projects move into the active design phase.

ANP Review

The review of the Arlington Neighborhoods Program involved:

  • evaluating how well the program is meeting its core mission
  • exploring opportunities for process and implementation improvements
  • considering the potential role of innovation, and
  • investigating ways to better leverage the program’s civic engagement components

Learn more

New Projects Brainstorm

In March and April 2023, ideas were collected from the community to brainstorm potential projects to be offered through the Arlington Neighborhoods Program. To learn more or share new ideas, please contact your neighborhood's ArNAC representative. 

Benefits of Participation

Communities participating in the Arlington Neighborhoods Program benefit from being involved in the process for improving their own neighborhoods and help get funds for important projects. It’s also a great way for neighborhoods to directly engage with Arlington County.

When a neighborhood participates in the Arlington Neighborhoods Program, it becomes part of a larger community known as the Arlington Neighborhoods Advisory Committee (ArNAC). The County Board relies on the ArNAC to report on the issues of greatest concern to our community members. Arlington Neighborhoods representatives serve on the ArNAC and help to develop recommendations for improving the neighborhoods process and participate in implementing County bond funds.