Post date: May 9, 2015 1:45:15 PM

May 2015 County Board Meeting Agenda Highlights

Items of interest that the Arlington County Board will consider at its May Board Meeting, on Saturday, May 16 and Tuesday, May 19: View the full agenda for the Saturday, May 16 meeting, and staff reports.

Saturday, May 16 Regular Meeting

(Note: this meeting starts at 8:30 am with public comment.)

Parking Meter rates, hours

The County Board will hold a public hearing and vote on the County Manager’s proposal to raise parking meter rates by 25 cents an hour and extend operating hours by two hours – from the current 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

If approved by the Board, this would be the first increase in the County’s parking meter rates since 2011. The long-term parking rate would go from $1 per hour to $1.25 per hour. The short-term rate (under four hours) would rise from $1.25 per hour to $1.50 per hour.

The County Manager is recommending the rate increase and extension of hours to cover rising parking operating costs and better manage curbside parking. The proposed rate increase, if approved, is expected to increase annual revenue from parking meters by $950,000, and the operating extension is expected to produce a $675,000 increase in revenue.

The proposed changes in rates and hours of operation would help achieve the goal adopted in the Parking Element of the Master Transportation Plan of an optimal parking occupancy of 85 percent, by encouraging parking turnover in areas where short term parking is needed and encouraging use of off-street parking garages.

The County has discussed the proposal with the business community, through the County’s Business Improvement Districts and other organizations, and has reached out to the general public through social media and by posting information on the County’s website. If the changes are approved, they are expected to go into effect by September 7, 2015. Read the staff report for Item #33 on the Regular Agenda.

Bond sales

The Manager proposes selling $77 million in new bonds in May to fund a variety of projects: These are General Obligation bonds being issued from referenda previously approved by Arlington voters.

• $44.44 million for capital projects: paving; ConnectArlington (the County’s fiber-optic project); Metro; the Neighborhood Conservation Program; non-parks land acquisition; parks and facilities maintenance capital; facilities infrastructure; WalkArlington; BikeArlington andNeighborhood Complete Streets.

• $30 million in General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds for Schools for additions and renovations at two elementary schools; renovations at a high school, planning and design of expansion projects, and infrastructure, HVAC and roofing projects.

• $3 million in General Obligation Public Improvement Bonds for utilities for non-expansion improvements to the Water Pollution Control Plant.

• Up to $200 million to refinance previously issued bonds for savings. Since 2009, the County has been able to refinance more than $430 million of County, Schools and Utilities Fund general obligation debt – saving more than $23 million.

• The bonds sale will take place after the County receives its bond ratings from Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s the week of May 18. The County expects to have its Aaa/AAA/AAA rating reaffirmed.

Read the staff report for Item #31 on the Regular Agenda.

New ART bus facility

The Board will consider approving a contract with W.M. Schlosser Company, Inc. to build an ART Bus facility at 3201 S. Eads Street and 3175 S. Eads Street in Crystal City, and improve the streetscape on South Eads Street and Jefferson Davis Highway. If approved, this would build a new two-story facility, a bus wash bay, light duty maintenance bay, bus parking, and a compressed natural gas fueling station for Arlington County Transit buses. Currently, ART fueling and wash services are contracted from adjacent WMATA facility on a space-available basis. Building our own facility is expected to cut costs by about $57,000 a year. The contract would also cover the cost of improving the s. Eads Street streetscape and improve pedestrian, bike and other connections between Crystal City and adjacent single-family neighborhoods. There was a competitive bid for this contract, and W.M. Schlosser Company, Inc. is the lowest responsive and responsible bidder. Funding comes from a combination of state grants and local funds. Read the report for Item #24 on the Regular Agenda.

“We Work”

The County Manager is recommending approval of a site plan amendment request from CESC Plaza Limited Partnership (Vornado/Charles E. Smith) to permit two floors of a planned residential building in Crystal City, the former Crystal Plaza 6 12-story building at 2221 S. Clark Street, to be used as office space. This would incorporate the “We Work” concept of providing individuals and companies with flexible shared work spaces into a residential building that is planned to have 216 efficiency units with common amenity and gathering spaces between floors, providing flexibility in an area of the County that with a high office vacancy rate. In July 2014, the Board approved a plan to convert the office building into a residential building that emphasizes communal spaces. If approved, this site plan amendment change would reduce the number of planned apartments from 252 to 216. Read the staff report for Item #1 on the Regular Agenda.

Tuesday, March 19 Recessed Meeting

At the 3:00 session

The County Board Chair, members of the County Board and the County Manager will report on items of interest:

• The Board will honor Outstanding Volunteers and Connect with Kids Champions.

• The County Manager will present the results of the County’s 2015 Resident Satisfaction Survey

At 6:30 p.m. the Board will consider any items pulled from Saturday’s Consent Calendar.

View the full agenda for the Recessed County Board meeting.

Media contact: Mary Curtius, 703-228-7943

View this release in the County newsroom.