Friday, March 8, 2013
The Arlington County Board will vote on whether to allow a year-round homeless service center in Courthouse later this month.
Residents of the Woodbury Heights condominiums in the Courthouse community began mobilizing in November 2011 to oppose Arlington County's plan to acquire a seven-story office building and convert two floors to a year-round homeless service center. They showed up at meeting after meeting, voicing concerns over security and, in some cases, the potential effect on their property values. Elected officials assured them that all they were doing at that point was voting on whether to pursue the acquisition of the Thomas Building at 2020 14th St. N. They would have time to voice their concerns about the homeless center during a permitting process later on. They recall the county saying it looked forward to public discussion — after all, that's …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
County offices are closed Wednesday due to snow.
An Arlington Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed year-round homeless service center in the Courthouse community has been postponed until 7 p.m. Thursday due to inclement weather. The commission originally intended to hear the matter tonight, though Arlington county and schools offices are closed thanks to the snow storm. The hearing is on the county's application — to itself — to put a dormitory in the seven-story building at 2020 14th St. N. It's part of the larger process of converting two floors of the building into a year-round comprehensive services center. The county bought the building under threat of condemnation for about $27 million in November. The plan has caused some heartburn to Courthouse-area residents, …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Arlington County will host its final community meeting in January.
Arlington County staff this week met with neighbors of the recently acquired building at 2020 14th St. N., two floors of which will be converted to a year-round homeless service center. The residents' initial furor seems to have started to give way at exasperation. After spending nearly three hours hearing about the county's plans and giving their input earlier this month, several residents said Tuesday they were frustrated at what they perceived as the county continuing to ignore their concerns. "I'm just sick of people trying to make us feel bad," said January Holt, a resident of the Woodbury Heights condominium building adjacent to the county's new office and homeless service center building. "And I'm tired of going to these meetings." …
38.88966
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2020 14th St N, Arlington, VA
Thomas Building; Future site of year-round homeless center
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Thursday, December 6, 2012
Arlington County acquired the Thomas Building last month under threat of condemnation.
Arlington County held the first in a series of public input meetings Wednesday night on the design of the planned year-round homeless service center for the Courthouse community. By coincidence or by design, the evening doubled as a first attempt to broker peace between the county government and people in the neighborhood who feel they've been ignored, their concerns neglected. In some ways, it was a victory for the county that no one threw their hands up in the air and left, frustrated. Kurt Larrick, the communications manager for the county's Department of Human Services, said he was "encouraged" to see "the Hatfields and the McCoys" sitting at the same table, talking through their concerns. "It's not lip service," he said. "It's genuine…
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Unanimous vote takes place under protest of nearby residents.
The Arlington County Board on Saturday unanimously approved spending about $27 million to buy the Thomas Building at 2020 14th St. N. in the Courthouse area, two floors of which are planned to be converted to a year-round homeless service center. The county is expected to close on the deal Tuesday with its current owner, Toronto-based BREOF Thomas REO. It's being sold under the threat of condemnation. The sale, too, will happen under the protest of many of the residents of the neighboring Woodbury Heights condominium building. Kenneth Robinson, president of the condo owner's association, said 20 residents have sold their units since the county announced its intention last year — double the number of units typically sold in a year. Some …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Elected officials will vote Saturday on whether to buy a seven-story building in the Courthouse community. Plans call for spending $42.6 million over five years on acquisition, renovation.
Following nearly a year of negotiations, Arlington County is poised to acquire the seven-story Thomas Building and turn two floors of it into a comprehensive year-round homeless service center. The Arlington County Board on Saturday will consider a recommendation to buy the building at 2020 14th St. N. in the Courthouse community for about $27 million and begin renovations. Over the next five years, the project is expected to cost $42.6 million, which includes financial assistance to some of the building's business tenants, who will be forced to relocate. Much of the building eventually will be used for county office space, but it’s the homeless center proposition that has drawn outrage from neighbors concerned about its proximity to …
Friday, December 9, 2011
Businesses Worry About ‘Death Sentence’
Not everyone at Ragtime was in the best of spirits Thursday night. The Courthouse-area restaurant is a popular hangout for the people who work above it in the Thomas Building at 2020 14th St. North. Some businesses in the building use restaurant space for their quarterly meetings, or to conduct job interviews. Now, though, they’re trying to come to grips with the county government’s desire to take their building – through purchase or condemnation – to use for a year-round homeless shelter and office space. About 15 gathered Thursday night to share information and discuss some of the alternatives that, to them, everyone but Arlington County seems to be talking about. “It was pretty dire,” said Jeremy Hicks, practice operations manager for …
GreaterClarendon
1:53 pm on Thursday, December 20, 2012
Please don't bring logic and common sense to this issue. I want to feel good about what I've done to help disadvantaged people, while I live far away from the shelter. more ›