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.

Rising costs, mortgage rates and office vacancies putting pressure on upcoming county budget

By ARLnow.com
Arlington County Mark Schwartz (file photo by Jay Westcott)

The upcoming Arlington County budget process will be tough, albeit not the toughest, according to County Manager Mark Schwartz.

Schwartz made the remark at the end of Saturday’s Arlington County Board meeting, as the Board discussed its guidance to the manager as he starts work on a proposed 2023-2024 budget.

The backdrop is an economy that may or may not be heading into a recession in 2023, while inflation puts upward pressure on costs — and higher mortgage and office vacancy rates put downward pressure on county revenue.

According to Schwartz and a budget presentation given by staff last month, the county is expecting overall revenue to rise more than $40 million, or 3.4% in the next fiscal year. But inflation, wage growth and other factors are expected to lead to a $35 million gap between expected revenue and county expenditures if current service levels and tax rates are held steady.

That’s on top of the flow of federal Covid relief dollars, which bolstered county finances over the past two years, largely shutting off.

“The revenue picture is tough,” Schwartz told the Board.

Chart showing rising mortgage rates and office vacancy rates, putting downward pressure on Arlington County property tax revenue (via Arlington County)

The county is currently expecting a modest 1.9% rise in residential property assessments, which will be mailed out to homeowners in mid-January. And with office vacancies rising, commercial assessments are expected to remain flat.

The office vacancy issue could get even worse over the next few years, Schwartz warned, as long-term leases expire. Office building owners are struggling to fill vacant space amid work-from-home trends, he said, and that will likely result in falling commercial property assessments for much of the decade.

Schwartz said he has “a lot of faith in the long-term resiliency of the economy,” but that it may be rough seas for awhile.

“We’re still transitioning,” he said of the local economy. “We don’t know where we’re transitioning to.”

At the Saturday meeting, the Board adopted budget guidance for Schwartz, outlining priorities including:

  • A balanced budget
  • Preserving the county’s AAA bond rating
  • Budget decisions made with equity in mind
  • Funding for collective bargaining with county employee groups
  • Continuing to invest in affordable housing, eviction prevention, mental health and environmental priorities
  • Maintain ongoing funding of the county’s affordable housing fund

The guidance calls for “actionable strategies for economic development that fully recognize and respond to the impacts of the work-from-home paradigm shift on Arlington’s office vacancy rate.” It also suggests exploring “reductions” and “efficiencies” in the budget and “eliminating programmatic activities that are no longer priorities.”

Schwartz is expected to present his proposed Fiscal Year 2024 budget in February, followed by County Board adoption two months later. Public engagement, work sessions and hearings will be conducted between now and final adoption.

FY 2024 county budget timeline (via Arlington County)

Busy day for ACPD amid vehicle thefts, foot pursuit and an officer nearly run over

By ARLnow.com
Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

It was a busy Monday for Arlington County police, as a string of incidents kicked off the holiday week.

Starting that morning, ACPD responded to a pair of car thefts in the Bluemont neighborhood and what might have been an attempted carjacking in the nearby Dominion Hills neighborhood.

From the lastest police crime report:

GRAND LARCENY AUTO/ATTEMPTED GRAND LARCENY AUTO, 2022-12190049/12190058, 5600 block of 8th Street N./1000 block of N. Liberty Street. At approximately 6:42 a.m. on December 19, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was making a delivery in the 5600 block of 8th Street N. when she observed the suspect vehicle pull up alongside her parked vehicle. The unknown male suspect exited the passenger side of the vehicle and attempted to enter into the victim’s vehicle, during which the victim confronted him. The suspect then entered back into the suspect vehicle and fled the scene. The suspect vehicle is described as a silver SUV. During the course of the investigation, it was determined between approximately 5:13 a.m. and 6:13 a.m., two vehicles with keys inside were stolen in the 1000 block of N. Liberty Street. The vehicles are described as a 2017 silver Ford Explorer and a 2022 white Toyota Prius. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 6’0″, wearing a black mask, black jacket, gray jeans and black shoes. The investigation is ongoing.

That evening, in Pentagon City near the mall, an officer conducting a traffic stop was nearly run over by a suspect in a BMW trying to flee from another traffic stop, according to ACPD.

That led to a brief car chase that ended when the suspect crossed the suspect crossed the bridge into D.C. The chase was caught on video by local public safety watchdog Dave Statter.

From ACPD:

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING OF POLICE, 2022-12190190, 800 block of Army Navy Drive. At approximately 4:55 p.m. on December 19, an officer attempted a traffic stop for a vehicle displaying improper registration. The driver refused to stop and fled at a high rate of speed, nearly striking an officer on a separate traffic stop at Army Navy Drive and S. Hayes Street. Officers initiated a pursuit of the suspect vehicle onto I-395 NB. The pursuit was terminated after the suspect vehicle fled into Washington D.C. The suspect is described as a Black male with a medium to slender build wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up. The investigation is ongoing.

A short distance away in Pentagon City, around 7:30 p.m., police found four stolen vehicles in the parking lot for Virginia Highlands Park. They then chased six potential suspects on foot, arresting and charging four in connection to the stolen vehicles.

All of the charged suspects were between the ages of 18-20 and from either D.C. or Maryland.

From the crime report:

RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLES, 2022-12190216, 1600 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 7:29 p.m. on December 19, police received an alert for a stolen vehicle in the area and located it parked and unoccupied. During the course of the investigation, officers determined three additional vehicles in the parking lot were also reported stolen. Officers approached a group as they returned to the vehicles and the group ran. A foot pursuit was initiated and officers detained six individuals. Based on the investigation, four of the individuals were arrested and charged. Aziyah Johnson, 18, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny of a Motor Vehicle and Possession of Burglarious Tools. Malik Blocker, 19, of Temple Hills, MD was arrested and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle. Xavier Mitchell, 18, of Laurel, MD was arrested and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and Receiving Stolen Goods. Marquis Hailstorks, 20, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle and Possession of Burglarious Tools.

The apparent aftermath of the chase and arrests was also posted online.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)

County Courts Climate Kudos — “Arlington is one of 122 global cities and counties named a Climate Action Leader by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2022 A-List, and one of just 36 cities in the United States with this distinction. CDP recognized Arlington County for ambition, leadership, and transparency on climate action. Only 12% of cities and counties that were scored in 2022 received an A score.” [Arlington County]

Rush Hour Chase on I-395 — From Dave Statter: “Brief @ArlingtonVaPD chase just before 5. BMW fled #police near the Fashion Center. Officer reported driver tried to run him over. Chase halted crossing into DC in the express lanes.” [Twitter]

DCA Busier Than Before Pandemic — “Northern Virginia’s two commercial airports continue to show different comebacks to the residual impacts of COVID. For October, the passenger count at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (2,271,546) was up 6.3 percent from October 2019, the last pre-COVID comparable month, while the passenger total at Washington Dulles International Airport (1,953,593) remained down 10 percent.” [Sun Gazette]

Menorah Lighting Tonight — “Join us as we celebrate the holiday of Chanukah! Enjoy delicious Latkes, hot cocoa, donuts and more! Clarendon Menorah Lighting and Community Celebration. Experience the festival of lights!” [Events]

Local Restaurants Open on Xmas — “Not everyone in Arlington wants to spend hours preparing a Christmas feast, some families are on the road and others with holiday vacations coming up are looking for restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Most restaurants are closed on Christmas Day, but plenty also stay open for business to serve those who don’t celebrate the holiday or who would rather focus on their family and friends rather than cooking.” [Patch]

Gift Wrapping for Charity at Mall — “Have your gifts beautifully wrapped for a nominal fee and support local charities! Members of A Charm School will operate the gift wrapping service located on the First Level, near the Santa Set.” [Fashion Centre at Pentagon City]

It’s Tuesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 39 and low of 27. Sunrise at 7:24 am and sunset at 4:51 pm. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Dec 19, 2022

By ARLnow.com

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Today we published 5 articles that were read a total of 7144 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Dec 19, 2022.

  1. Bar inside of Ballston Quarter food hall is now boarded up and closed
  2. Morning Notes
  3. Police investigating pair of vehicle thefts and another pellet gun drive-by shooting

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌤 Tuesday’s forecast

Clear throughout the day. High of 38 and low of 28. Sunrise at 7:24 am and sunset at 4:51 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Thought of the Day

“The future holds great surprises for you!”

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Police investigating pair of vehicle thefts and another pellet gun drive-by shooting

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Arlington County police are investigating a pair of vehicle thefts along the Langston Blvd corridor.

The incidents happened Friday night or early Saturday morning. Two thieves wearing facial coverings stole cars in Cherrydale and near Courthouse, according to an ACPD crime report. Both stolen vehicles were later located in Alexandria, police said.

The thieves also allegedly attempted, unsuccessfully, to steal a car at an apartment complex on Spout Run Parkway.

From the crime report:

GRAND LARCENY AUTO/VEHICLE TAMPERING, 2022-12160312/12170013/12170061, 1900 block of Key Boulevard/3000 block of Spout Run Parkway/2100 block of N. Monroe Street. At approximately 11:32 p.m. on December 16, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. The investigation determined between approximately 6:30 p.m. on December 16 and 4:23 a.m. on December 17, the two unknown male suspects broke rear windows, tampered with the ignition and stole two vehicles in the 1900 block of Key Boulevard and the 2100 block of N. Monroe Street and attempted to steal a third vehicle in the 3000 block of Spout Run Parkway. The two stolen vehicles were subsequently located and recovered in the City of Alexandria. No items were reported stolen from inside the vehicles.

Also on Friday, teens driving around in an SUV allegedly fired a pellet gun at at least one person walking by near the intersection of George Mason Drive and Langston Blvd.

Similar incidents were reported earlier this year and earlier this month. This particular pellet gun drive-by happened after dismissal on the last day of school before winter break for APS students.

More from ACPD:

ASSAULT & BATTERY (Significant), 2022-12160182, N. George Mason Drive at Langston Boulevard. At approximately 4:10 p.m. on December 16, police were dispatched to the report of suspicious circumstances. The investigation indicates unknown male suspect(s) discharged a water pellet gun from a vehicle, striking at least one victim. The victim did not require medical attention. The suspect vehicle is described as a black SUV with three juvenile male occupants. The investigation is ongoing.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A work crew at George Mason Drive and Washington Blvd (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Macy’s Redevelopment Approved — “On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Arlington County Board greenlighted a 16-story mixed-use building on the current site of the Ballston Macy’s, while also approving a residential density transfer that preserves 118 affordable housing units along Columbia Pike. The new building will feature 553 residential units above ground floor retail uses, including a grocery store, replacing the Macy’s and vacant office space above it.” [Arlington County]

W-L Star Heading to SoCal — “After a year of silence regarding his recruitment, Arlington (Va.) Washington-Liberty three-star defensive lineman Elijah Hughes committed to USC Saturday… Hughes ultimately commit to USC over Virginia Tech, but also had scholarship offers from Stanford, Duke, Maryland, Miami and Virginia. He is rated Virginia’s No. 16 player overall and he No. 69 defensive lineman nationally.” [247Sports, Twitter]

Bittersweet Dog Rescue Story — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “Because of your amazing response and generosity, Charlie Brown was given a chance and all the care he needed. Many other facilities do not have the resources or support to have even been able to give Charlie Brown that chance. And instead of being outside in a freezing rain storm, Charlie Brown was cuddled up in a warm bed, with pain medications, surrounded by love.” [Facebook]

TikTok Banned By State Gov’t — “Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin banned the use of several Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok and WeChat, on state government devices and wireless networks on Friday, calling them a threat to national security. Youngkin’s executive order covers apps developed by ByteDance and Tencent. Businesses who contract with Virginia must also prohibit their use on state-owned devices or IT infrastructure.” [WTOP]

It’s Monday — Clear throughout the day. High of 37 and low of 27. Sunrise at 7:24 am and sunset at 4:50 pm. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Dec 16, 2022

By ARLnow.com

Good Friday evening, Arlington. Today we published 6 articles that were read a total of 7453 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Dec 16, 2022.

  1. Another overturned vehicle crash at the usual spot on the GW Parkway
  2. UPDATED: H-B Woodlawn secured after telephone threat
  3. Mount Vernon Avenue bridge replacement to receive $17 million in state funds

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. UPDATED: Power outage in Courthouse area after reported transformer explosion (8782 views)
  2. JUST IN: Ballston’s Philz Coffee is closing Friday (8184 views)
  3. Gun store employee chases down thief in Clarendon (6197 views)
  4. Former Rosslyn coffee shop owner convicted of credit card fraud (5509 views)
  5. Key Bridge Marriott redevelopment stalls as financial woes worsen for L.A. developer (5474 views)
  6. A lone detached home along Route 50 near Courthouse could become apartments (4874 views)
  7. New ‘indoor dog park & bar’ says it’s coming to same building as New District Brewing (4834 views)
  8. JUST IN: Toxic gas from batteries was released into Ballston Metro station this summer (4775 views)
  9. Miss Arlington is competing for the Miss America crown this week (4370 views)
  10. Planning Commission hearing on Missing Middle draws nearly 100 speakers (3945 views)
  11. Arlington’s first medical cannabis dispensary now set to open early next year (3795 views)
  12. Photos: Items from the closed Silver Diner in Clarendon now up for auction (3630 views)
  13. Arlington Community High School finds next temporary home in Ballston office building (3418 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

And here are the events planned for Sunday:

⛅ Saturday’s forecast

Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 42 and low of 29. Sunrise at 7:23 am and sunset at 4:49 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Thought of the Day

“Life is a journey and only you hold the map.” – Unknown

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋

UPDATED: H-B Woodlawn secured after telephone threat

By ARLnow.com
Police car seen on traffic camera near H-B Woodlawn school in Rosslyn

(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) The H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Rosslyn was put in “secure the building” mode after reports of a shooting threat phoned in to the school.

Police were first dispatched to the school at 1601 Wilson Blvd around 3 p.m.

Around 3:45 p.m. Arlington Public Schools said via social media that “all students and staff are safe at this time” but the school was still secured. About 35 minutes later, the school said that students had been safely dismissed.

“Responding officers have not located evidence of a crime inside the school and no injuries have been reported,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow just before 4 p.m. “Police remain on scene investigating and will assist with dismissal.”

The anonymous threat might be a case of “swatting.” Arlington County is asking the Virginia legislature to strengthen laws against such false threats, particularly those called in to third parties like schools and then reported to police.

Today was the last day of school before winter break for APS students.

Arlington home hunt highlights for Dec 16, 2022

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Happy Friday!

There’s only one weekend left until Christmas and still time to check out a few open houses across Arlington. According to Homesnap, there’s still plenty of detached homes, condos and townhomes available with a median listing price of $699,000.

Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place this weekend:

  • 1300 Crystal Drive #PH12s, Crystal Gateway*
    2 BR, 2 BA (+1 half) condo
    Noteworthy: By far the best value in National Landing. Priced below assessed value!
    Listed: $825,000
    Open: Sunday, Dec. 18 from 1-3 p.m. (Jon DeHart – Keller Williams McLean/Great Falls / Homes From DeHart)
  • 4950 Little Falls Road
    5 BR, 5.5 BA single-family detached
    Noteworthy: Gas fireplace, exercise room, screened porch
    Listed: $2,195,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Steven Watson – KW Metro Center)
  • 5920 35th Street N.
    3 BR, 2 BA single-family detached
    Noteworthy: Hardwood floors, finished basement, two gas fireplaces
    Listed: $1,100,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Liz Kirby – Iron Valley Real Estate of Northern Virginia)
  • 1816 N. Ode Street
    2 BR, 2.5 BA townhome
    Noteworthy: Three levels, wood burning fireplace, pull down attic
    Listed: $899,999
    Open: Sunday, 12-1:30 p.m. (Lisa Koch – Weichert Realtors)
  • 5004 12th Street S.
    4 BR, 2.5 BA single-family detached
    Noteworthy: Renovated kitchen, fenced backyard with gazebo
    Listed: $799,900
    Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Tak Cheung – IMG Realty, LLC)

See all Arlington open house listings here.

Here are some other options to consider if you’re in the market to rent or buy:

  • 1020 N. Highland Street #7171
    1 BR, 1 BA condo
    Noteworthy: Balcony, hardwood floors, reserved garage space
    Listed: $2,300/mo
    (Mirjana Stanisavljev – Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.)
  • 1200 S. Arlington Ridge Road #416
    Studio, 1 BA condo
    Noteworthy: New carpet, large windows, renovated bathroom
    Listed: $1,600/mo
    (Dillon Clark – RE/MAX Allegiance)

Want your listing to appear here or as the Listing of the Day? You can now submit sponsored listings.

* Denotes sponsored listing

5920 35th Street N. image via Google Maps

ACPD: Man exposed himself to girls near Swanson Middle School

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car (file photo)

A man allegedly exposed himself to four girls near Swanson Middle School in Westover.

Police are investigating the incident, which reportedly happened around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The girls told officers they heard a banging sound then saw an older man inside a residence exposing himself through the window.

From yesterday’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE (Late), 2022-12140164, 5800 block of Washington Boulevard. At approximately 3:43 p.m. on December 14, police made telephone contact with the reporting party regarding a late indecent exposure. The investigation indicates that at approximately 2:30 p.m., the four juvenile female victims were walking in the area when they heard banging and observed the male suspect in the window of a residence allegedly exposing himself. The suspect is described as an older, heavy-set, White male. The investigation is ongoing.

Around the same time on Wednesday, police say a 31-year-old Arlington man kicked and shattered an ART bus door along Columbia Pike. The man is also accused of kicking a police officer after his arrest.

More from ACPD:

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2022-12140119, Columbia Pike at S. Dinwiddie Street. At approximately 2:15 p.m. on December 14, police were dispatched to the report of destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that an Arlington Transit bus was slowing to a stop at this location when the suspect approached and allegedly kicked the door, causing the glass panel to shatter. Responding officers located the suspect and took him into custody. While conducting their investigation, the suspect twice kicked a police officer. Yohana Gebremeskel, 31, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Assault on Police, Destruction of Property and Public Intoxication. He was held without bond.

Another overturned vehicle crash at the usual spot on the GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com
1/2

(Updated at 11 a.m.) There was yet another crash this morning involving an overturned vehicle in the “usual spot” on the GW Parkway.

Today’s wreck was reported around 8 a.m. on the northbound lanes of the GW Parkway, in a bend in the road near the Key Bridge. No one in the overturned SUV was trapped and only minor injuries were reported, according to scanner traffic.

The crash resulted in lane closures and backed up traffic on the Parkway for part of the morning rush hour.

This particular portion of the Parkway, as evidenced by the pockmarked stone wall and ripped-up grass, has seen numerous crash, particular when the roadway is wet.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) has been in touch with the National Park Service about safety on the GW Parkway, a spokesman told ARLnow this morning.

“Congressman Beyer’s office is in regular communication with NPS to improve safety including in that section of the parkway,” said Deputy Chief of Staff Aaron Fritschner. “The [Park Service] has indicated it is working to adjust signage to slow speeds in that specific area, which Rep. Beyer fully supports. The topography in that area makes any major structural road changes extremely difficult.”

ARLnow reported on recent crashes there on Oct. 2, Oct. 4, Oct. 5 (with overturned vehicle), and Oct. 31 (also with overturned vehicle). Other notable crashes nearby on the GW Parkway but not in that exact spot have been reported in February (with overturned vehicle and critical injury), November, and yesterday afternoon (with overturned vehicle).

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