Arlington board approves Langston Boulevard redevelopment, orders safety audit and corridor study

Arlington County Board members on April 18 approved a multipart plan to redevelop 3130 Langston Boulevard — the former Walgreens site — including a general land-use plan amendment, rezoning to a mixed‑use district and a site plan that will allow a new mid‑rise building with up to 300 residential units and ground-floor retail. The vote on the main package (29a) passed 5–0, and the board unanimously approved related easement vacations (29b).

The county's planning staff said the project, proposed by Rooney Properties, would demolish the existing commercial building and construct what staff characterized as a 13‑story project that reads as 12 stories from Langston Boulevard, with roughly 300 units, about 7,200 square feet of street-level retail and 361 parking spaces. Staff emphasized stormwater measures and flood mitigation: the building slab was raised to elevation 180 feet and an overland relief corridor and a new culvert system are part of the design. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance Review Committee granted an exception for resource-protection encroachment subject to conditions, including a 0.49‑pound‑per‑year…