Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Two of the building's seven floors will be used for a comprehensive year-round homeless shelter.
Arlington County now owns the Thomas Building, the seven-story office building on the corner of Courthouse Road and 14th Street North. The Arlington County Board approved buying the property, at 2020 14th St. N. in the Courthouse community, for about $27 million on Saturday. The county closed on the deal today, according to a news release. County leaders want to renovate the building and use two floors for a year-round homeless service center, plus county office space and storage. In all, acquisition and renovation is projected to cost $46.2 million over the next five years. The homeless shelter, in particular, has drawn the ire of neighboring residential property owners who have expressed concerns about their safety and, in some cases, …
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2020 14th St N, Arlington, VA
Thomas Building
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Thursday, November 15, 2012
Elected officials will vote Saturday on whether to buy a seven-story building in the Courthouse community. Plans call for spending $42.6 million over five years on acquisition, renovation.
Following nearly a year of negotiations, Arlington County is poised to acquire the seven-story Thomas Building and turn two floors of it into a comprehensive year-round homeless service center. The Arlington County Board on Saturday will consider a recommendation to buy the building at 2020 14th St. N. in the Courthouse community for about $27 million and begin renovations. Over the next five years, the project is expected to cost $42.6 million, which includes financial assistance to some of the building's business tenants, who will be forced to relocate. Much of the building eventually will be used for county office space, but it’s the homeless center proposition that has drawn outrage from neighbors concerned about its proximity to …
Monday, January 30, 2012
Several eminent domain bills working their way through Virginia General Assembly.
RICHMOND – Several state legislators are sponsoring proposals to require governments to compensate property owners when public works crews block roads or sidewalks and prevent customers from reaching businesses. In the House, Dels. Johnny Joannou, D-Portsmouth, and Anne Crockett-Stark, R-Wytheville, are leading efforts to revamp the rules involving eminent domain, which is the government’s ability to take private property for public use. “Let’s say I owned a piece of land, and owned a condominium on that land. If the county wants to take my land and build a highway in front of my condominium, then I’m going to lose a lot of business,” Crockett-Stark said. So, she is carrying legislation requiring governments to pay businesses for “lost …
Sunday, January 15, 2012
A documentary exploring eminent domain abuse in Brooklyn, N.Y., debuts at Artisphere's Dome Theater.
Some critics may claim "Battle for Brooklyn" is a slanted or biased film, but those who do will have ignored a beautiful piece of cinema and a powerful piece of journalism. "Battle for Brooklyn," which debuted at the Artisphere in Rosslyn on Friday and plays through the weekend, documents the epic journey of a handful of activists fighting to save their community and property from seizure by eminent domain in Brooklyn, N.Y. In the documentary, hundreds of Brooklyn residents and their community face the threat of wrecking balls, bulldozers and the ambitious plans of real estate developer Bruce Ratner. Ratner and his company Forest City's $2.5 billion Atlantic Yards project is set to bring the New Jersey Nets to the borrough of Brooklyn, …
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Board will vote today on whether county should acquire building though purchase or condemnation.
In separate interviews Monday, three candidates for the Arlington County Board criticized the process the county used to arrive at today’s decision on whether to buy or condemn an office building near a residential area to use for a year-round homeless shelter and office space. A fourth cautioned the county to make sure it was pursuing the best course of action and lead by example when it comes to relocating the businesses currently in the Thomas Building, 2020 14th St. North. All four stated their commitment to end homelessness in Arlington County. At least six Democrats have announced they will compete in early February for their party’s nomination to replace Barbara Favola on the Arlington County Board. Favola is resigning effective Dec…
Friday, December 9, 2011
Businesses Worry About ‘Death Sentence’
Not everyone at Ragtime was in the best of spirits Thursday night. The Courthouse-area restaurant is a popular hangout for the people who work above it in the Thomas Building at 2020 14th St. North. Some businesses in the building use restaurant space for their quarterly meetings, or to conduct job interviews. Now, though, they’re trying to come to grips with the county government’s desire to take their building – through purchase or condemnation – to use for a year-round homeless shelter and office space. About 15 gathered Thursday night to share information and discuss some of the alternatives that, to them, everyone but Arlington County seems to be talking about. “It was pretty dire,” said Jeremy Hicks, practice operations manager for …
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Existing tenants have 'a lot of questions' about their future.
Arlington County has its sights set on acquiring a seven-story building at 2020 14th St. North in order to meet its needs for more space and set the stage for the redevelopment of the heart of the Courthouse community. The acquisition would allow the county to consolidate operations from two other buildings into one and to create a year-round comprehensive service center for Arlington's homeless. It also means many of the building's 23 existing tenants will have to find somewhere else to work. The county recently received an appraisal of the building at $25.5 million. The Arlington County Board in December will consider authorizing the purchase of the building, which is at the corner of 14th Street North and North Courthouse Road next to …
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