Author: ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Ireland’s Four Courts, still under renovation this St. Patrick’s Day (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

St. Patrick’s Day Reminders — A number of St. Paddy’s Day celebrations are planned at pubs and other venues around Arlington today. Meanwhile, SoberRide is offering free Lyft rides home starting at 4 p.m. [

Anti-DUI Event Tonight — “As part of the Department’s anti-drunk driving educational efforts, the Arlington County Police Department is hosting an interactive event highlighting the impacts alcohol has on motor skills — because even one drink is one too many to get behind the wheel. This event is free and open to the public.” [ACPD]

Missing Middle Vote This Weekend — “For the better part of the past year, Arlington’s ‘missing middle’ plan has generated a polarizing debate, leading to marathon public meetings and sometimes vicious exchanges on social media. Like in other communities considering similar moves — from Victoria, B.C., to Raleigh, N.C. — residents have sparred over whether similar efforts are an effective way to combat soaring housing costs.” [Washington Post]

MM May Define Dem Primary — “Even as Arlington County Board members prepare to push through changes that represent the biggest housing and zoning changes in a century, it could – in theory at least – be a brief victory for proponents of Missing Middle. But that likely will depend on the outcome of the June 20 Democratic County Board primary, where two of the six contenders are hostile to the proposed changes, at least as currently envisioned.” [Gazette Leader]

Arlington Rent Remains Area’s 2nd Highest — Arlington remains second only to D.C. when it comes to the cost of one-bedroom rentals, and the two are now nearly neck-and-neck, according to new data from the rental website Zumper. The February 2023 data shows the median one-bedroom rental in Arlington costing $2,280/mo, up 8.6% over a one year period. That compares to $2,300/mo for the median one-bedroom in D.C., up only 3.6% year over year. When comparing one-bed rents from Feb. 2020 to Feb. 2023, Arlington rent is up about 10%. [Zumper]

Church Donates to Rent Relief — “Today, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) announced that the Arlington Presbyterian Church (APC) congregation has committed $200,000 to help low-income residents facing eviction remain in their homes at four APAH-owned properties along Columbia Pike. This funding will help eliminate outstanding rent balances for as many as 200 APAH residents and their families.” [Press Release]

Food Bank Seeing High Need — “A perfect storm of challenges has pushed more people than ever before to seek aid from the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). ‘Our families cannot get a break,’ the social-safety-net agency’s CEO Charlie Meng said. ‘First it was the pandemic, then inflation, and now the loss of [expanded] SNAP benefits means they are worse off than they were before March 2020.'” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Friday — Cloudy with possible light rain in the afternoon and evening. High of 60 and low of 45. Sunrise at 7:18 am and sunset at 7:18 pm. [Weather.gov]

Listing of the Day: 936 N. Quantico Street

By ARLnow.com
1/7

Address: 936 N. Quantico Street
Neighborhood: Madison Manor
Type: 5 BR, 3 BA single-family detached — 2,800 sq. ft.
Listed: $1,495,000

Noteworthy: Exceptionally renovated, expanded home on a parklike quarter acre lot

In 2016, this classic Madison Manor home was transformed with a high quality renovation and expansion.

The expansive living room is anchored by a wood burning fireplace and offers built in cabinets with a sink and beverage fridge. Doors across the back lead to a multi-tier deck and the beautifully landscaped back yard. Well-situated between the dining room and family room, the renovated kitchen provides Holiday custom cabinets, soapstone tops, and Jenn-Air appliances. The dining room has a gas fireplace for cozy gatherings, and the family room has a heated tile floor.

One door leads to the driveway — so convenient for bringing packages directly into the home — and atrium doors open to the patio. The primary suite incudes a bedroom, walk-in closet with organizers, and bathroom with double sink vanity and large shower. Three more bedrooms are served by a renovated hall bathroom. The fifth bedroom and renovated bathroom are on the lower level along with the laundry room, storage and utility room.

The HVAC, roof, insulation, and electrical panel box were updated, and the large shed has electricity. New interior doors, hardware, light fixtures, new or refinished wood floors, and stylish paint, too.

Blocks from the bike and walking path for those working from home and near all commuter routes. Cardinal, Swanson, Yorktown schools are nearby. A renovated welcoming home awaits a fortunate buyer.

Listed by:
Betsy Twigg — McEnearney Associates
[email protected]
(703) 967-4391

NEW: Crystal City Metro station evacuated due to smoking escalators

By ARLnow.com
Emergency response on scene of the Crystal City Metro station

Update at 7:45 a.m. — The station is back open and operating normally this morning after last night’s smoke incident.

Earlier: Trains are bypassing the Crystal City Metro station and the station has been evacuated due to smoke coming from a set of escalators.

The initial call went out shortly before 9 a.m. for the station filling with smoke. A large fire department response is now on scene.

No injuries have been reported.

Bus service is helping to bring passengers from Crystal City to the nearby Pentagon City station. As of 9:40 p.m., the source of the smoke had been found, according to the fire department, and most personnel were in the process of leaving the scene.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Mar 16, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 12032 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Mar 16, 2023.

  1. Arlington to buy its first home to use to relieve extreme flooding
  2. Morning Notes
  3. JUST IN: Two Arlington men killed in triple fatal Rock Creek Parkway crash
  4. Americana Hotel redevelopment in Crystal City nears finish line

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☔ Friday’s forecast

Overcast throughout the day. High of 59 and low of 43. Sunrise at 7:18 am and sunset at 7:18 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Thought of the Day

Life is infinitely small in the grand scheme of the universe yet infinitely important to each of us in our own lives.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Most and least expensive townhouses sold in Arlington (Feb-Mar 2023)

By ARLnow.com

This past week saw 39 homes sold in Arlington.

The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $233,400 while the most expensive was $3,000,000.

Over the past month, meanwhile, a total of 12 townhouses were sold. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive townhouses sold over the past month.

Most expensive townhouses sold

  1. 2859 11th Street N — $1,670,000 (3 Beds | 4.5 Baths | 2,991 SQ FT)
  2. 1522 N Colonial Court — $1,500,000 (4 Beds | Baths | 2,689 SQ FT)
  3. 4515 Wilson Boulevard — $1,240,000 (3 Beds | 3.5 Baths | 2,097 SQ FT)

Least expensive townhouses sold

  1. 5511 7th Road S — $402,000 (2 Beds | 1 Bath | 918 SQ FT)
  2. 5009 22nd Street N — $680,000 (3 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,248 SQ FT)
  3. 4067 Columbia Pike — $715,000 (3 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 1,664 SQ FT)

“There are currently 356 homes for sale, of those 198 are condos, 134 are detached homes, and 24 are townhomes,” according to Homesnap.

JUST IN: Two Arlington men killed in triple fatal Rock Creek Parkway crash

By ARLnow.com
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

A triple fatal crash Wednesday morning in D.C. has claimed the lives of two young Arlington men.

U.S. Park Police just released the names of those killed. They include Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23, and Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22, both of Arlington.

The men were killed while riding in a Honda Accord with 42-year-old Mohamed Kamara of Burtonsville, Maryland. It is currently unclear whether Mendez and Velasquez knew Kamara or whether the Honda was being operated as a rideshare vehicle at the time of the crash.

The crash happened just before 1:45 a.m. on a curved section of the Rock Creek Parkway near P Street NW when a Lexus SUV slammed into the Honda. NBC 4, Fox 5 and other local news outlets reported that the Lexus had just fled an attempted traffic stop and had dozens of outstanding speeding violations associated with its license plate.

A man in the Lexus suffered injuries not considered life threatening, while a woman in the SUV suffered critical injuries, according to USPP.

More from today’s Park Police press release, below.

United States Park Police (USPP) officers have identified the victims of the crash that occurred on March 15 on Rock Creek Parkway involving a Honda sedan and a Lexus SUV.

On Wednesday, March 15 at 1:43 a.m., USPP officers were dispatched to a crash on the Rock Creek Parkway near P Street NW. The three occupants in the Honda were pronounced dead on the scene. The deceased were later identified as Mohamed Kamara, 42, of Burtonsville, MD, Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23, of Arlington, VA, and Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22, of Arlington, VA. The Lexus was occupied by an adult woman and adult man. The adult woman was transported to the hospital with injuries later considered life-threatening and the adult man was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

USPP detectives are working in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia as the crash remains under investigation. No additional information is available at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact the USPP Tip Line at (202)379-4877 or email [email protected].

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Blooms in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A Modest Proposal for Upzoning Arlington — “According to my calculations, if Arlington allowed five stories of apartments above commerce by right in all of what are now ‘one family dwelling districts’ in the county zoning database, the county could accommodate as many as 900,000 new residents in 545 million square feet of residential living space.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Nat’l NAACP Weighs In on Missing Middle — From the Washington Post’s Teo Armus: “The @NAACP’s General Counsel (yes, at the national level) is getting involved in the debate over “missing middle” housing in Arlington. The Jan vote to limit this plan to 6-unit buildings ‘would prevent Black and other people of color from moving into Arlington.'” [Twitter]

Death in Pentagon Parking Lot — “Police found a service member deceased in his car in the Pentagon parking lot on Tuesday afternoon, spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Ryder announced late Monday. Following a request for a welfare check, officers from the Pentagon Force Protection Agency discovered the service member and called Arlington County Emergency Medical Services, who confirmed the death, Ryder said in a statement.” [Military Times]

Flea Market Ready to Return — ” The Arlington Civitan Flea Market is kicking off its 2023 season on Saturday, April 1 at the Washington-Liberty High School parking garage. The garage sale and flea market, started in 1986, attracts vendors from across the Washington, D.C., area and Mid-Atlantic region. The Arlington Civitan Club is expecting at least 75 vendors at the kick-off flea sale on April 1 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.” [Patch]

New Date for Jeni’s Grand Opening Event — “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is holding a rescheduled grand opening celebration at its new shop in Arlington on Tuesday, March 21… The grand opening celebration was originally scheduled for March 8 but had to be pushed back.” [Patch]

County Statement on EPA Regulations — “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday proposed regulations for six types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water… Arlington has been closely following these proposed regulations and working with regional partners on this issue to ensure the County’s water supply continues to meet or exceed all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Department of Health safety standards.” [Arlington County]

Major Jewelry Theft in Falls Church — “City of Falls Church Police request help in identifying grand larceny suspects. On Friday, March 10 at about 1:45 p.m., the suspects entered Tri State Jewelers at 110 W Broad St.Two male suspects kept the employees occupied while three female suspects walked around the store. While the employees were distracted, one female, wearing a purple dress with a white checkered design and a blue head scarf, crawled to the back room and stole approximately $500,000 worth of jewelry.” [City of Falls Church]

It’s Thursday — Clear throughout the day. High of 59 and low of 33. Sunrise at 7:19 am and sunset at 7:17 pm. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Mar 15, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 9751 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Mar 15, 2023.

  1. JUST IN: Large gas leak shuts down I-66 ramps in Ballston
  2. Just Reduced Properties in Arlington
  3. UPDATED: Police investigating gunfire last night near Columbia Pike
  4. Morning Poll: How do you describe where you live to out of towners?

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

⛅ Thursday’s forecast

Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 59 and low of 47. Sunrise at 7:19 am and sunset at 7:17 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Thought of the Day

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

JUST IN: Large gas leak shuts down I-66 ramps in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 9:15 p.m.) A busy set of highway ramps were shut down in Ballston due to a construction mishap.

A construction crew accidentally ruptured a large, 6-inch gas line along the 4600 block of Fairfax Drive, in front of the Holiday Inn hotel.

The fire department quickly requested that Arlington County police and Virginia State Police shut down all of Fairfax Drive between N. Glebe Road and I-66, including the ramp from the highway.

Firefighters also evaluated whether they should evacuate the hotel and surrounding buildings, but no evacuations were ultimately reported.

As of 3:15 p.m., the leak was still active, according to the fire department, despite Washington Gas crews having been on scene for about an hour, and the odor of natural gas was spreading throughout the area.

“Odor can be smelled throughout Ballston,” ACFD said on social media. “This will be an extended operation with impacts for an unknown duration.”

Firefighters were dispatched to at least one location outside of Ballston, in the nearby Bluemont neighborhood, after a caller reported a concerningly strong smell of gas.

As of 7:15 p.m., the roadway and the ramps reopened, though lane closures remain on Fairfax Drive.

UPDATED: Police investigating gunfire last night near Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
1000 block of S. Wayne Street (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) Arlington County police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire near Columbia Pike last night.

The incident happened around 11 p.m. Tuesday on the 1000 block of S. Wayne Street, near several high-rise apartment and condo buildings.

Initial reports suggest that multiple shots were fired, possibly in a parking garage, where arriving officers found a dissipating cloud of smoke. Callers also reported seeing several people running from the scene, according to scanner traffic.

John Antonelli, who lives in one of the residential towers nearby, described hearing “automatic weapons fire,” followed by someone driving away at a high rate of speed and, shortly thereafter, “a lot of cops” arriving on scene.

On Twitter, others also reported hearing between 8 and 11 shots fired in rapid succession, followed by a car speeding off.

There were no initial report of injuries.

The investigation was quickly moved to an encrypted police channel. An Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an ARLnow inquiry sent last night, but provided the following from the department’s crime report early Wednesday afternoon.

SHOTS FIRED, 2023-03140266, 1000 block of S. Wayne Street. At approximately 10:58 p.m. on March 14, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. Responding officers recovered evidence in the area of S. Courthouse Road at 12th Street S. confirming shots were fired. During the course of the investigation, officers established a perimeter, processed the scene and spoke with potential witnesses who reported observing several individuals flee the area on foot following the shots. No property damage or injuries were reported. There are no suspect descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.

This is just the latest gunfire incident in Arlington. On Jan. 29, two separate shots fired calls drew a police response to the Green Valley and Arlington Mill neighborhoods. On Jan. 30, gunfire between two vehicles speeding down Columbia Pike resulted in bullet holes in the front windows of Bob & Edith’s Diner, a block from last night’s incident. On Feb. 20, more shots were fired between two vehicles in the Virginia Square area.

Morning Poll: How do you describe where you live to out of towners?

By ARLnow.com
Aerial view of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor at left, the Crystal City-Pentagon City corridor at right, and the Four Mile Run Valley at bottom (staff photo)

For those who travel, especially, it’s a common experience.

Someone not from the D.C. area will ask where you live. And if you’re an Arlington resident, you then face a mini dilemma.

You can tell them you’re from Arlington, Virginia — not to be confused with the other Arlingtons in Texas, Massachusetts and elsewhere. But, at the risk of bruising some local egos, not everyone knows where that is.

For those not familiar with the region’s geography, you can try something more familiar or more general: D.C., the D.C. area or Northern Virginia. But saying you’re from D.C. when you actually live in the surrounding suburbs comes with its own pitfalls.

What’s your go-to answer for out of towners curious about where you like?

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