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May 19, 2026
Comprehensive Plan Update Project: Draft Arlington Guiding Principles
In this edition, we’re focusing on Healthy & Safe Arlington. The Supporting Statements that go with it reflect community input and align with County-adopted policies and initiatives.
Read the previous edition on the Economically and Socially Resilient Arlington Guiding Principle.
What are Guiding Principles?
They are value-based statements that express the Comprehensive Plan's intended direction at its highest, overarching level, and guide its goals, policies, maps, and any other related components.
What are Supporting Statements?
They are descriptive statements that indicate policy direction and provide greater clarity and definition to each Guiding Principle.
View the Project Documents webpage to read more details on the County-adopted policies and initiatives with which the Guiding Principles and Supporting Statements align.
Ensure Arlington supports a healthy lifestyle and strengthens protections for everyone through equitable access to healthy food, essential services, recreation, trusted public safety and emergency response teams, safe transportation options, and reliable infrastructure and information resources.
Supporting Statements:
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Healthy Living: Remove barriers to healthy living by reducing food insecurity, closing service gaps for the most vulnerable groups, and ensuring access to healthy food choices, stable housing, healthcare facilities, and supportive services such as aging and childcare services for all community members.
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Community Wellbeing: Support wellbeing and behavioral health for all by providing public spaces, parks, and programs that promote active lifestyles, strengthen social connection, and reduce isolation.
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Safe and Convenient Transportation: Create safe, comfortable, people-centered streets that accommodate all ages and abilities while eliminating transportation related deaths and serious injuries.
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Healthy and Accessible Built Environment: Provide accessible, affordable, and adaptive housing that supports community integration for people with disabilities and enables aging in place through universal design, multigenerational living, supportive care systems, and assisted living arrangements.
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Public Safety and Emergency Response: Provide quality public safety facilities, fire protection, community policing, and trusted emergency response to meet crisis situation needs, with a focus on protecting vulnerable individuals and communities.
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Safe, Reliable, and Resilient Critical Infrastructure: Maintain resilient critical infrastructure that provides safe and reliable drinking water, fire flow, stormwater, wastewater, energy and transportation systems.
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Health Data and Continuous Improvement: Foster a community committed to health and wellbeing through education and reporting on health metrics to guide equitable planning and investments and close service gaps.
Community feedback on these draft Arlington Guiding Principles and Supporting Statements is essential so that community members' lived experiences, needs, and values are reflected in the Comprehensive Plan Introduction.
Share your input here now.
Please provide input by Sunday, June 7.
Drop in to our open office hours or visit us at a pop-up to learn more and ask questions!
Office Hours
- Thursday, May 21, 12-2 p.m., Fairlington Community Center Room #118
- Thursday, May 21, 6-8 p.m., Fairlington Community Center Room #118
- Tuesday, June 2, 12-2 p.m., Hendry House
- Tuesday, June 2, 6-8 p.m., Hendry House
Pop-ups
- Saturday, May 30, MetPark Farmers Market, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
- Sunday, May 31, Columbia Pike Farmers Market, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
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