Board Approves Neighborhood Conservation Project Funding

Published on November 16, 2019

The Arlington County Board today approved $3 million in Neighborhood Conservation bond funds for four projects proposed by neighborhoods and approved by the County's Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee (NCAC).

The street, intersection and beautification projects the Board voted to fund were selected from 34 proposed neighborhood projects considered by the committee in June. Funding for the projects comes from bonds approved by Arlington voters in 2018.

The four approved projects include two street improvement projects in the Glencarlyn and Dominion Hills neighborhoods, an intersection improvement in the Highland Park Overlee Knolls neighborhood, and a landscape and beautification project in the Old Dominion neighborhood.

"These projects reflect a grassroots approach that allows the people who live in a neighborhood to identify the projects that they think will make their neighborhood safer or more beautiful," Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey said.

The Board voted unanimously to approve the funding. To read the staff report, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 21 on the agenda for the Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019 Regular County Board Meeting.

About Neighborhood Conservation

Through the County's Neighborhood Conservation program, neighborhoods across Arlington may propose projects to the County. The NCAC, comprised of neighborhood representatives, reviews and ranks the projects and recommends them to the County Board for funding. Projects are ranked according to how recently the neighborhood has completed or updated a Neighborhood plan, how many rounds a neighborhood's projects have gone unfunded and several other criteria.

For more than 50 years, Arlington's Neighborhood Conservation program has allowed residents to identify public improvement projects they regard as priorities for their neighborhood. Financed by voter-approved public bonds, the program has added sidewalks, park improvements, streetlights, landscaping and more to neighborhoods across the County. The program is currently undergoing a review, led by a County Manager-appointed working group of staff and neighborhood representatives, to examine and explore opportunities related to the program's mission, processes, and results.  The group is expected to present its findings and recommendations to the Manager in 2020.