Arlington Board OKs Columbia Pike Streetcar, Neighborhoods Plan
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…
Jason Spencer
4:11 pm on Tuesday, July 31, 2012
This story has been updated to reflect a correction in my math. The original story indicated that percentage-wise, the number of affordable housing units along the Pike is projected to increase. That calculation only included the number of certified affordable housing — that is, units where the rent is locked in to a certain range through negotiations with the county government. The original … more ›