County Board renews WBM transitional parking use permit with six‑month review after neighbors cite long‑running violations

Arlington County Board members voted Nov. 18 to renew the transitional parking use permit for WBM of Arlington, subject to the conditions previously attached to the permit and a six‑month review in May 2026.

Planning staff reported that a 1968 conditional use item for a transitional parking area had not been administratively reviewed since the early 1990s and that recent inspections revealed a series of zoning violations: unpermitted storage of vehicles and vehicle stackers, placement of vehicles and equipment in the right‑of‑way on Ivy and Irving streets, failure to maintain required plantings, and a fence installed in the wrong location relative to the 20‑foot buffer required by the 1982 landscape plan. Staff showed recent photographs demonstrating removal of vehicle stackers and some corrective plantings and said a fence permit application is pending while a survey plat is being prepared.

Neighbors told the board they had endured months or years of noncompliance, dead plantings and safety concerns on Ivy Street. Toby McIntosh and others urged the board to press for faster remediation and questioned why enforcement had taken so long. Ashton Heights tree canopy coordinator Brooke Alexander and civic association members asked that the landscape plan be implemented with canopy trees where feasible, and noted historic components (brick walls, stockade fence) in the 1982 plan that the community expects honored.

Ms. Kelly Edmonds, speaking for the operator, said the operator had applied for permits, staked the property and was working with the county to complete required filings and install the fence and plantings. She asked for a reasonable compliance window to finish the survey and permit paperwork.

Board Member Brian Spain moved to renew the use permit subject to previously approved conditions and to set a six‑month review for May 2026. Chair Takis Carantones seconded. Vice Chair de Ferrante recused from the vote after disclosing a family member's relationship to counsel for the operator. The motion passed 4‑0 with one recusal. Board members requested staff track remaining items—fence permit and survey plat, replacement plantings or tree canopy fund payments where on‑site planting is infeasible—and report back at the review date.

The board also discussed the county's enforcement process and the limited staff resources available for continual revisits of longstanding use permits; members urged stronger neighborhood liaisons and suggested a review cycle if the board wants recurring follow‑ups.

The vote recorded the renewal and required a follow‑up in six months to assess compliance and outstanding landscaping, fence, and buffer issues.