December 2024 County Board Meeting Agenda Highlights

Published on December 07, 2024

The Arlington County Board will consider and act on dozens of items at its Regular Board Meeting on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. and its Recessed Meeting on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.  

A swearing-in ceremony will also be held on Saturday, December 14, at 4 PM for incoming County Board Member Julius D. “JD” Spain, Sr. A reception will follow in the Board Room atrium. Both the ceremony and reception are open to the public and will be live-streamed on the County website and on YouTube and broadcast live on Arlington TV, the County's cable channel, with live captioning on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD) and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40.

The meetings, held in the County Board Room on the third floor of 2100 Clarendon Blvd., are open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a County Board Meeting.

Virtual participation options are available to the public through Microsoft Teams.  If you are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please consider watching the meeting's live webcast or cable broadcast or participating virtually via Microsoft Teams. More information on how to participate or watch virtually is provided below. 

Comment on Agenda Items and Speak at the Meeting 
Send your written comments on agenda items to the County Board at CountyBoard@arlingtonva.us. All comments received by the Board are made part of the public record and are before the Board members as they consider items. 

If you wish to comment during the Public Comment period at the start of the Regular Hearing or on a Regular Public Hearing Item, register in advance on the County Board website, where you can also find more details on public participation in virtual Board Meetings, or call the Board Office at 703-228-3130 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Online Registration opens once the agenda for the meeting is posted, approximately one week before the meeting. In-person registration is also available on the day of the meetings.  

Watch it Live 
All County Board meetings are live-streamed on the County website and on YouTube and broadcast live on Arlington TV, the County's cable channel, with live captioning on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD) and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and staff reports) and on YouTube.

Saturday, December 14, 2024 – Regular County Board Meeting 

Item 25 – Gateway Park Master Plan and Design
The County Board will consider adopting a Master Plan and Design Guidelines (PMP & DG) for Gateway Park, an existing approximately 3.7-acre park, located in Rosslyn, just south of the Key Bridge connecting Arlington County with Washington D.C. The PMP & DG aims to preserve Gateway Park’s historical strengths while adding new features that will attract a diverse range of users. The proposed park amenities include, but are not limited to:

• A new pedestrian bridge over North Fort Myer Drive;
• A dog park with areas for small and large dogs;
• Garden rooms that could be used for working outside, meetings, performances, fitness, public art, or other activities;
• Woodland play areas for young (two – five years old) and older (five – twelve years old) children;
• An event pavilion that could be used for both special events and casual use;
• A flexible lawn area for events and recreation;
• Tree planting and landscaping; and,
• Support facilities such as restrooms and storage space.

The final concept for Gateway Park is in alignment with the tree canopy coverage in County-owned Parks (Action 1.1.1.) and increasing the number of native tree species (Action 1.1.2) goals of the Forestry and Natural Resources Plan. The PMP & DG increases tree canopy coverage from around 10% to 46% and introduces native tree species from a variety of local climates. Additionally, two mature Sycamore trees in the northeast corner of the park have been identified to be preserved.

While there is no immediate fiscal impact associated with the adoption of the PMP and DG, the total project budget for Gateway Park is $31.085 million for planning, design, and construction. The developer contributions ($18.45 million) are made up of $5 million from the Holiday Inn Development community benefits package and $13.95 million from the CoStar agreement. Lastly, there is an additional $1 million for park construction as part of a partnership with the Rosslyn BID and other private stakeholders.

Item 26 – Stormwater Credit Utility Program Amendment
The Board will also consider adopting an amendment to Chapter 26 of the Arlington County Code related to the stormwater utility credit program. The proposed amendment would modify the definitions of two credit types to expand the permeable driveway credit to include other permeable surfaces and to expand the rainwater collection credit to include redirection of rainwater to underground features.

The County’s stormwater credit program was adopted by the County Board on April 22, 2023, for the stormwater utility. Credits are earned in the calendar year prior to being reflected on the installment property tax bills. For example, credits earned for actions taken in CY 2024 will be reflected on bills received in CY 2025. Credits are awarded on an annual basis, with the reduction to the stormwater fee applied half to the first bill installment (typically due June 15) and the other half applied to the second bill installment bill (typically due October 5).

Item 27 – Legislative Package
The County Board will consider adopting the 2025 State General Assembly Legislative Package. The public hearing on this item was held at the November 16 Regular Board meeting, when this item was first introduced. The Board also held its annual work session with its General Assembly delegation on December 3, where the legislative package was discussed.

The package outlines the County’s priorities for the 2025 Virginia General Assembly Session focused on education and youth, human services, housing and land use, finance, transportation, economic development, criminal justice reform, , general government, public safety/emergencies, and energy, environment, and climate change. The specific priorities reflect broader principles, such as ensuring state government fully funds commitments to local government, expeditiously implementing and funding the JLARC K-12 education study, strengthening workforce resiliency, and acknowledging the emerging field of artificial intelligence.

Item 28 – Trespass Towing Ordinance Amendments
The Board will consider proposed amendments to the County’s trespass towing ordinance (Chapter 14.3 of Arlington County Code), with an effective date of March 1, 2025. The County Manager’s recommendations include:

• Increasing the maximum base towing fee from $135.00 to $150.00;
• Adding an additional $20.00 fuel surcharge to each tow with an expiration date of July 1, 2025;
• Increasing the “Drop Fee” from $10 to $20;
• Implementing a permitting system with an appeal process;
• Requiring a 48 hours notice to vehicle owners before removal from a multifamily lot based on an expired registration or inspection sticker;
• Implementing regulations for truck signage, smart payment evidence, and timing of load securement; and
• Clarifying requirements around vehicle release, receipt production, and photographs.

Implementation of the above changes is recommended for March 1, 2025, based on two needs. The first is to hire and train the position of “towing coordinator” – the civilian position that will handle permitting, the complaint intake processes, and other towing-related efforts associated with this role. The second is the time required to implement additional software for permitting.

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 – Recessed County Board Meeting 

The Recessed Meeting will begin at 3 p.m. with reports from the Board Members and the County Manager. 

Public Hearings
The Board will hold a public hearing no earlier than 6:30 p.m. and consider items pulled from the Saturday Consent Agenda. Regular public hearings will be held after carryover Consent Agenda items are considered.   

View the agenda and staff reports (Note: some reports are posted closer to the meeting date).