The Arlington County Board has approved the creation of a Ballston Business Improvement District on Jan. 1. About half of the businesses in Ballston approved creating the improvement district, which allows a special tax to be levied against the district’s occupants and applies the money it generates toward improving the area, according to county officials. The BID’s proposed $1.1 million introductory budget for fiscal 2012 will be funded by a commercial property surtax of $.045 per $100 of assessed property value. Only the 119 commercial properties in the area will be taxed. Like the county’s other BIDs in Crystal City and Rosslyn, the Ballston BID will operate as a nonprofit. – Ben Giles
