INSIDE
Long Bridge Park aquatics center remains in limbo – See Page 7
Guide to the Winter Real Estate Market
16
WAKEFIELD SWEEPS W-L ON THE COURT
A Special Pull-Out Section Inside!
6 6 11 14 18 23 23
Highs & Lows Letters 55+ News Schools/Military Classified Crossword Local History
“A Tradition of Exceptional Service and Success”
Bret Brock, NVAR Liftetime Top Producer
703.538.6030
SunGazette
VOLUME 80 NO. 9
www.BrockRealty.com
ARLINGTON’S SOURCE FOR HOMETOWN NEWS SINCE 1935
JANUARY 22, 2015
No Consensus on New Elementary School
Task Force Determines Building Will Fit on Thomas Jefferson Site, Is Divided on Whether It Should Be Constructed SCOTT McCAFFREY Staff Writer
A new 725-student, $50 million elementary school is capable of being shoehorned into the western end of the Thomas Jefferson Middle School campus, a task force has con-
cluded, but its members are deeply divided over whether constructing one there is the right course of action. The Thomas Jefferson Working Group delivered its final report to County Board members on Jan. 16, but its recommendations offer no
firm guidance on whether county officials should move forward with building the school. The matter now rests with County Board members themselves, who have scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for Jan. 24 and could make a final decision as early as Jan.
27.
School Board members last spring designated the Thomas Jefferson site as their preferred option for addressing elementary-school overcrowding in central Arlington, but the final decision rests with the County Board because much of
Continued on Page 18
2015 Home Assessments Rise, Office Values Down
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF DR. KING
The Saint Augustine Gospel Choir, under the direction of Samuel Edison Cromwell, was featured at the annual Arlington County salute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., held Jan. 18 at Washington-Lee High School. Also performing was the Dance Institute of Washington’s Pre-Professional Group. On Page 15 of this week’s ediPHOTO BY DEB KOLT tion, find winners of the Arlington Public Schools’ annual literary and visual-arts competition honoring Dr. King.
Barring a cut in the rate, a typical Arlington homeowner will see his or her 2015 real estate real estate tax bill rise 4.9 percent to a record $5,775 this year, based on property assessments released Jan. 16. The county government reported that the average assessment for all types of residential real estate, from single-family homes to condominiums, increased from $552,700 in 2014 to $579,800 in 2015. The increase was in line with expectations, and will put pressure on County Board members to find a way to lower the real estate tax rate, currently 99.6 cents per $100 assessed valuation. But that won’t be easy, as it was a flat year for commercial real estate, which makes up nearly half the county’s overall tax base. Valuations of existing office space declined 4.5 percent, due Continued on Page 18
www.insidenova.com l Like us on Facebook: sungazettenews l Follow us on Twitter: @sungazettenews @sungazettespts
TEMPS MAY BE COLD BUT REAL ESTATE IS STILL HOT!
Local Postal Customer
Linda Murphy • Anne Cronin
703.525.1900
PAID
www.LindaAnneRealEstate.com
4720 Lee Hwy Arlington, VA 22207
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE
703.850.0190 703.597.3082
BURKE, VA PERMITNO.44
ONLINE UPDATES
the land involved is owned by the county government, not the school system. The County Board in early 2014 set up the 20-member working group, chaired by Carrie Johnson,