Arlington County’s small-business owners are still waiting for proof that the county board will keep its promise to make the county more business-friendly. Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman pledged on New Year’s Day to meet with business owners and those owners have delivered plenty of ideas during the first five sessions, particularly for changes to the county’s sign law.
But some businesspeople are growing impatient, questioning why the county hasn’t implemented any of the simple changes they’ve suggested.
“You can have all the roundtables you want, but as far as I’m concerned, Arlington County consists of a three-ring circus,” said Mark Kerwin, owner of Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub. “They’re not being run properly. At the end of the day, they have to make changes in personnel in there.”
Kerwin has tried repeatedly to get signs approved for his pub, but Arlington officials have rejected them all, from the table umbrellas to Celtic window graphics to a menu hung near the door. All violated the county sign law, Kerwin was told.
So far, Kerwin said he spent more than $3,000 in county fees and ended up with about $18,000 worth of signs and other items in storage, collecting dust rather than attracting customers.
“There’s got to be certain rules and regulations, but you have to look at each thing individually at some point and have some kind of deliberation,” said Ryan Fochler, who said signs for his business, Dog Paws and Cat Claws, are barely visible from the road. “It’s all black and white in Arlington.”
Officials at Arlington Economic Development urge patience, and said they can help businesses understand the sign ordinance while it’s still under review.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, so it’s not going to be as simple as pushing a lever or flipping a switch and it all naturally falls into place,” said economic development spokeswoman Karen Vasquez. “But does anyone want it to linger? Absolutely not.”
A draft of a new sign ordinance should be ready this summer and a new law adopted by year’s end, Zimmerman said. He said he’s also willing to consider some temporary changes. The chairman’s involvement has given business owners tempered hopes for sign change.
“If anyone can do it, [Zimmerman’s] the one that can do something,” Fochler said. “He wasn’t the chairman when I opened my business, but he was a huge voice in my corner on the board.”
