Board adopts $4.9 billion CIP, Invests in Current Infrastructure Needs

The Arlington County Board voted Tuesday, July 21, 2026, to adopt a $4.9 billion FY2027-FY2036 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The plan was informed by more than 1,800 community members who weighed in on their top priorities. The CIP is the County’s 10-year plan for building, maintaining, upgrading, or replacing County facilities and infrastructure.

“This CIP focuses on investing in maintenance and good repair of critical public infrastructure that we already have, both because doing so is sound policy and because the uncertainty of this moment compels us to do so,” said Chair Matt de Ferranti. “We have delivered a solid foundation to meet the current and planned needs of the next two years. We look forward to the next CIP process where we hope to explore and invest thoughtfully in improvements and new projects for and with our community."

The Capital Improvement Plan is prepared every two years. In the course of preparing the plan, the Board approves any adopted general obligation bond referenda to be presented to voters in November of even-numbered years. The plan includes major infrastructure investments such as community facility infrastructure, environmental resiliency, parks, transportation, stormwater management, utilities, and more.

The timing of project implementation will change over the course of upcoming CIPs. Examples of major priority areas covered in the adopted ten-year CIP include the below:

Arlington Neighborhoods and Economic Development investments totaled $80.1 million. Over the next 10 years, $79.1 million will go toward neighborhood beautification and improvement efforts. The remaining $1 million will go toward maintaining the County’s public art and joint use facility portfolio.
Information Technology and Public Safety investments cover a wide variety of technology hardware, software, data management, and capital maintenance across all County departments totaling $264.7 million in the adopted CIP. The adopted CIP also reinvests in public safety technology and equipment, including equipment replacement in the County Courthouse and Detention Center, radio infrastructure, Emergency Call Center (ECC) equipment, and Fire/Police/Sheriff records management systems.
Local Parks and Recreation program investments include $286.1 million in funding for park trail and bridge modernization, parks capital maintenance, synthetic turf replacements, parks master plans, and land acquisition. The following are non-exhaustive lists of projects, but provide examples of the scale of the impact of this funding:
- Parks Trail and Bridge program funding includes projects located at Douglas Park, Alcova Heights Park, Rock Springs Park, and Barcroft Park. Funding is also provided for continued milling and paving on various trail segments, with a goal of approximately two miles per year.
- Parks Capital Maintenance projects include renovation projects at Douglas Park, Glebe Road Park, and Gunston Park. Funding is also included for refreshing equipment at DPR facilities, for updating the Parks Capital life cycle assessment database, and for the replacement of the existing synthetic turf fields at Long Bridge Park (Field 1 and Field 4) and both the diamond and rectangular fields at Gunston Park.
- Master Plan Program funding includes the Arlington Boathouse, Barcroft Park, Courthouse Sector Plan, Crystal City Parks and Public Space, Drew Park, Fairfax Drive Open Space, Gateway Park (Rosslyn), Langston Boulevard Open Space, Penrose Square, Quincy Park, Shirlington Park, Short Bridge Park, Virginia Highlands Park, and a new park at 26th & Old Dominion. Funding is included for several programs including the Parks Sport Courts and Parking Lot Program, the Emerging Uses Program, and the Natural Resiliency and Habitat Restoration Program.
Metro funding totals $442.6 million, which is in line with the expenditures projected by the previous CIP.
Public and Government Facilities investments total $449.4 million. This includes capital maintenance of 92 owned buildings to maintain them in a state of good repair, increasing our electrical energy commitments within county buildings to include solar ready, electric vehicle (EV) charging, and equipment replacements. Renovations, upgrades, and improvements are also planned for the 32-year-old Courts and Police building, the Detention Facility, and the Central Library.
Transportation investments total more than $1.5 billion and include a broad range of complete street projects that improve connectivity, safety, and accessibility; Metrorail station projects that expand access to transit and safety for users; and ART bus fleet and maintenance facilities and ART operations investments. The CIP also ensures maintenance of the County’s transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair, with $126.1 million for paving, $12.5 million to fund proactive maintenance of sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, as well as $10.6 million to maintain our bridges.
Water and Sewer Infrastructure funding includes $971.7 million with an emphasis on maintenance capital, wastewater treatment improvements, and drinking water redundancy and resiliency projects. Funding will maintain a state of good repair for close to 1,000 miles of water and sanitary sewer lines across the county.
Stormwater Management funding includes $265.1 million, with $184.5 million going to capacity improvements, $28.8 million for water quality projects, and $51.8 million for a variety of maintenance capital projects. More than $151 million is being invested in five critical watersheds throughout the County, including Spout Run, Crossman Run, Bailey’s Branch, Lubber Run, and Torreyson Run.
Arlington Public Schools adopted its CIP on June 18, 2026, which totals $604.77 million. This includes $80.0 million in general obligation bonds. Funding is also included for the Thomas Jefferson & Swanson Middle Schools, relocation of the Montessori school, and investments in major infrastructure addressing aging roofs, heating and cooling equipment, electrical systems, and other critical facility needs across multiple schools.

Guidance to the County Manager

In adopting the Capital Improvement Plan, the County Board also provided guidance to the County Manager, outlining instructions to certain amendments incorporated into the adopted CIP. Below are summaries of these instructions:

Accelerated Environmental Investment in Public Facilities: The Board added additional funding to the CIP, requesting that the County Manager accelerate lighting retrofitting at the Justice Center and Fairlington Community Center ($300K), retro-commissioning of 2 to 3 public buildings ($200K), and upgrading of any one public facility’s roof for solar installation ($500K). The Board also asked the Manager to implement an increase in public EV charging rates to address the rising electricity and capital costs with maintaining this infrastructure.
Libraries, Parks, & Third Places: The Board also instructed the County Manager to advance the following objectives related to libraries and parks: Ensure funding and the planning process for Quincy Park is inclusive of Central Library as mutually supportive assets; implement Phase 2 of the Penrose Park project, which is included in the CIP, as soon as practical after the associated privately owned parcel is conveyed to the County; engage in a scoping process, no later than December 31, 2028, for the future use of the Lee Center building. The Board also asked the Manager to assess corridor-specific “third place” needs, availability, and delivery, to foster placemaking, community connection, programming, events, and well-being for our residents.
Transportation: The Board instructed the County Manager to include $2 million for the ArNAC program in this year’s Community Infrastructure bond referendum. The Board also asked the Manager to work with NOVAParks to address growing concerns regarding safety on the regional bike trail system.
Housing: In response to the County Manager’s proposal to consider capital investments in housing, the Board has directed the Manager to work toward a proposal for the FY 2029 – FY 2038 CIP that will 1) use CPHD’s updated Housing Needs Analysis and supply forecasts to understand overall community need; 2) explore a funding partnership model where funding is split evening between public funds, private, and community philanthropy; 3) and, explore using bonds and other funding sources to provide the County’s share of contributions in future capital projects. An interim update is requested with the FY 2028 proposed budget in February 2027. Separately, the Board also asked that the Manager identify any capital needs related to the Residential Program Center, which provides quality nutrition for residents in the County’s services facilities for the unhoused.

Read the full Board guidance to the County Manager here.

Adopted 2026 Bond Referenda
The Board also approved more than $184 million of new bond referenda, including $163.5 million for County projects, $20.7 million for Utilities fund projects, and $80 million for Arlington Public Schools.

These referenda will be placed on the November 2026 ballot and, if approved by Arlington voters, will allow the County to issue general obligation bonds to pay for many of the improvements planned in the CIP over the next few years.

View the board report and approved resolutions for the bond referenda here.

Media Contact

David Barrera
Communications & Constituent Services Manager
Arlington County Board Office
dbarrera@arlingtonva.us
703-228-3121

View this release in our newsroom

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