Monday, April 8, 2013
Top news of the week from our Patches around Virginia and DC.
Patch has 31 community sites in Virginia and D.C. Here are some of the top stories from around the region over the past week. 20. Affordable housing continues to be a major topic of discussion in Alexandria. The Virginia Department of Transportation sold Hunting Point, two eight-story apartment buildings, to a realty firm. Alexandria's City Council had asked that any purchaser not turn the buildings into luxury apartments that could displace its current tenants who require more affordable housing. That message was passed on to the new buyers, according to VDOT, but was not a condition of the sale. 19. On the west side of Alexandria, the City Planning Commission gave the go-ahead to major rezoning in the Beauregard area that will tear down …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Streetcar versus housing and food assistance funding, other issues come up at Tuesday night's public hearing.
Affordable housing. Programs for people with intellectual disabilities. County child care regulations. Traffic calming. Invasive plants. Senior center parking fees. Between what's in Arlington County's proposed $1.1 billion budget and what's not, residents had a lot to talk about Tuesday night. A few hundred people showed up and more than 100 of them spoke at a public hearing — delivering well over three hours of testimony before the Arlington County Board. At times, there was an undercurrent of frustration, perhaps best summed up well past 10 p.m. by frequent board critic Robert Atikins. Atkins cited needs — some with relatively minor costs associated with them — for child care, nurses, housing and food assistance and said any one of them…
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Board set the tax increase ceiling Saturday for 2013-14 budget. If the max increase is adopted, the average Arlington homeowner would pay $356 in taxes annually.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday voted 4-0 to advertise a 5-cent tax increase ceiling for the spending cycle that begins July 1. That means elected officials, as they shape the fiscal 2014 budget over the next few months, can opt to raise real estate property tax up to 5 cents per $100 assessed value, but no more than that. A 5-cent tax increase would cost the average Arlington homeowner an additional $356 annually. In other words, the owner of a $524,700 home would owe $7,082 in taxes and fees for the year. The ceiling agreed upon Saturday was noticeably higher than the 3.2-cent tax increase Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan recommended in her proposed $1.1 billion budget last week. Donnellan's budget would cost the average…
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New chairman announces series of town halls, town walks and other initiatives.
Walter Tejada became the new Arlington County Board chairman on Tuesday and unveiled an agenda that includes an increased focus on affordable housing and encouraging healthy lifestyles. Tejada was unanimously elected to the leadership post, which rotates annually, at the board's traditional New Year's Day organizational meeting. "The heart of Arlington is our community, our inclusion, diversity, mutual respect and sustainability," Tejada said in his remarks. "…So the question for us is how can we make it even better for all of Arlington?" The "moving forward together" agenda — or "juntos hacia adelante" as Tejada, an El Salvador native often referred to it — breaks down into four key focal areas: While all of these ideals have guided …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
County will offer 30-year, interest-free loans to qualified first-time buyers.
Arlington County has $1.2 million set aside to help low- to moderate-income families make their down payment when purchasing a home for the first time. A little less than half of that, approved earlier this year, is set aside specifically for residents of the Buckingham Village community. The rest can provide up to 15 families with the up-front cash they would need to buy a home. "The general premise of all homeownership programs is that most low- to moderate-income people can make their monthly payments. It's coming up with that up-front cash" where they need the most assistance, said Doug Myrick, the county's homeownership program coordinator. While much of the Arlington County Board's action in the past year has been aimed at creating …
Monday, November 19, 2012
Board divided on best way to fund affordable housing commitment.
The Arlington County Board this weekend authorized a mixture to spending cuts and tax increases to close a projected budget gap of up to $50 million for the local government and school system next year. It's the beginning of a long budget process, one that showed elected officials might already be divided on how to best realize the county's commitment to preserving affordable housing. Board members approved their budget guidance to County Manager Barbara Donnellan on Saturday with a 3-2 vote. Vice Chairman Walter Tejada and board member Chris Zimmerman voted against the direction after failing to push through stronger commitments to preserving affordable housing. Chairwoman Mary Hynes said she wouldn't rule out additional investments in …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The renovation of Buchanan Gardens Apartments cost about $32.4 million.
Affordable housing advocates celebrated the completed renovation of Buchanan Gardens Apartments on Monday, a $32.4 million project that will serve as a home to 111 families. The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing bought the property, just north of Columbia Pike in the Barcroft neighborhood, in 2009. Renovation was phased in, and about 70 percent of the former tenants returned. "They're beautiful," said resident Kelvin Flores, 27, who lives at the apartment complex with his family. "It's a lot better than it was before." The housing partnership renovated and furnished a single unit to show residents before the larger renovation began in order to make the transition easier, said partnership president Nina Janopaul. The partnership …
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Board voted 4-0 shortly after 1:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The Arlington County Board voted 4-0 to approve the development of a streetcar system along a five-mile stretch of the Columbia Pike corridor early Tuesday morning. The vote reaffirms a 2006 decision and sets in motion a chain of events to develop and redevelop the Pike. Chairwoman Mary Hynes, shortly before the 1:30 a.m. vote, said the matter boiled down to the need to increase the connectivity of existing bus and rail routes in Northern Virginia. She said she would love to see Arlington residents one day be able to take a one-seat ride to Northern Virginia Community College off Beauregard Street in Alexandria. "Think of how many doors that will open," she said. Board member Jay Fisette said the streetcar moves Northern Virginia away from…
Saturday, April 21, 2012
County's $1 billion budget also bolsters tax support for affordable housing programs and restores library hours cut during recession.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday unanimously approved a $1 billion budget that includes a 1.3 cent real estate tax increase. The budget also bolsters taxpayer investments in four key areas identified by board members — affordable housing, libraries, capital maintenance and employee compensation. It also funds new facilities like a planned year-round homeless shelter, Long Bridge Park, the Mary Marshall Assisted Living Residence and developments at Penrose Square. The tax hike will cost the average Arlington County homeowner an extra $160 annually. The average assessed value of a home in Arlington is about $520,000. Trash and recycling fees will be reduced by $32 per household. "We are fortunate here in Arlington that our financial …
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
A tale of two Arlingtons? Zimmerman: Income level here 'more skewed than ever.'
The juxtaposition of the average Arlington County wage with the percentage of public school children who receive free or reduced lunch helps paint a picture of Two Arlingtons. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arlington County’s average salary per job in 2010 was $107,476 -- the third highest in the country, behind New York and Santa Clara, Calif. -- and its median home cost was $514,700. But despite being one of the wealthiest counties in America, this county still has almost 32 percent of its children in the public school system on free or reduced lunches. A student is eligible for free or reduced meals if he or she comes from a household income at or below federal guidelines. A household of four is eligible if their …
James
4:44 pm on Tuesday, April 9, 2013
I remember that 7/11 on Crestview got robbed pretty recently. more ›