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.

UPDATE: Severe thunderstorm and flood watches issued ahead of evening storms

By ARLnow.com
Rainy drive in Clarendon (file photo)

Updated at 2:15 p.m. — A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was also just issued for the area.

Earlier: Arlington and much of the D.C. and Baltimore area is under a Flood Watch today, starting at 4 p.m.

Storms are expected later today, forecasters say. Heavy rain and strong winds are likely.

“Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening,” the National Weather Service says. “Damaging wind gusts and large hail are the primary threats. An isolated tornado is also possible.”

More on the Flood Watch from NWS, below.

…FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING…

* WHAT…Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible.

* WHERE…Portions of DC, Maryland and northern Virginia, including the following areas: in DC, District of Columbia. In Maryland, Anne Arundel, Central and Southeast Howard, Central and Southeast Montgomery, Northern Baltimore, Northwest Howard, Northwest Montgomery, Prince George’s and Southern Baltimore. In northern Virginia, Arlington/Falls Church/Alexandria, Fairfax and Prince William/Manassas/Manassas Park.

* WHEN…From 4 PM EDT this afternoon through this evening.

* IMPACTS…Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…
– Strong to severe thunderstorms will move across the region late this afternoon through the evening hours. Heavy rain will accompany a number of these storms which may drop 1 to 2 inches of rainfall in an hour. Additionally, some regions could see repeat thunderstorm activity leading to an enhanced threat for flooding.
– http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued.

NEW: Arlington sets record after again ranking No. 1 on American Fitness Index

By ARLnow.com
Runners in Long Bridge Park in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington has ranked No. 1 on the American Fitness Index for a record fifth year in a row.

The county topped the list, published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Elevance Health Foundation, after placing first in the nation in six separate fitness and health categories. The new rankings were announced this morning.

“Arlington, Virginia, earned its No. 1 designation for the fifth time, a Fitness Index record, by ranking first in six indicators and scoring among the top 10 cities in 19 of the 34 categories,” ACSM said in a press release. “Arlington was ranked No. 1 in both the personal health and community/environment sub-scores.”

The categories for which Arlington received top marks, out of the 100 U.S. localities indexed by ACSM, are below.

  • % exercising in the last 30 days (Arlington 93.8%, city average 77.6%)
  • % in excellent or very good health (Arlington 70.1%, city average 55.9%)
  • % physical health not good during the past 30 days (Arlington 16.1%, city average 27.5%)
  • % with high blood pressure (Arlington 15.2%, city average 30.4%)
  • % with stroke (Arlington 0.4%, city average 3.2%)
  • % with diabetes (Arlington 5.2%, city average 10.3%)

Arlington’s overall rank was 85, compared to an average of 51.7, while the county’s personal health rank was 86.8, compared to an average of 50.5.

2022 Fitness Index Top 10 Infographic (courtesy ACSM)

There was good news for a nation in as a whole in this year’s rankings, with ACSM reporting an “increase in the percentage of Americans exercising in the previous month (77.6%); sleeping 7+ hours/day (68%); and reporting excellent/very good health (55.9%), since last year’s Fitness Index.”

An excerpt from this morning’s press release is below.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A flying porta-potty over a construction site in Clarendon (photo courtesy Peter Golkin)

More New Transit Stations Along the Pike — “Arlington County Board members on July 16 are expected to approve a contract revision that will allow for installation of eight transit stations along Columbia Pike, rather than the four originally envisioned when the contract was first consummated. The proposal calls for upping the contract total from $1.65 million to $2.72 million to accommodate the doubling of pre-fabricated transit stations to be installed at various spots along the route.” [Sun Gazette]

Missing Middle Form Closes Today — A feedback form for Arlington’s Missing Middle Housing Study is closing today, as the County Board is set to hold a work session on the draft proposal to allow relatively small-scale multifamily housing where only single-family homes can currently be built. The work session, which comes amid both vocal opposition to and support for the proposal among dueling groups of residents, starts at 3 p.m. today. [Arlington County, Arlington County]

Local Credit Union Merger — “Arlington Community Federal Credit Union (FCU) has announced plans to seek regulatory approval to merge with Alexandria-based InFirst Federal Credit Union, resulting in an organization with combined assets of more than $700 million. As part of the merger process, Arlington Community FCU will determine and announce a name for the combined credit union before merger completion.” [Sun Gazette]

It’s Tuesday — Humid throughout the day with storms possible in the afternoon and evening. High of 90 and low of 70. Sunrise at 5:55 am and sunset at 8:36 pm. [Weather.gov]

Police investigating armed mugging in Courthouse

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

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) A man was attacked by two would-be robbers, including one with a gun, in the Courthouse neighborhood Friday night, police say.

The mugging happened around 10:30 p.m. in the area of Rocky Run Park.

The suspects threatened the victim with a gun after knocking him to the ground, but fled without stealing anything after he called out for help, according to police

From today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2022-07080245, N. Barton Street at Fairfax Drive. At approximately 10:27 p.m. on July 8, police were dispatched to the report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was walking southbound on N. Barton Street when Suspect One struck him with an unknown object, knocking him to the ground. Suspect Two then brandished a firearm, threatened the victim and demanded his property. The victim yelled for help and the suspects fled the scene on foot without the victim’s property. A canvass of the area for the suspects yielded negative results. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated on scene by medics. Suspect One is described as a Black male in his 20’s, slim build, approximately 5’7, with short black hair, light-colored shirt and jeans. Suspect Two is described as a Black male in his 20’s, slim build, approximately 6’0, with short black hair wearing a light colored shirt and jeans.  The investigation is ongoing.

The crime report also has details about an arrest made after an alleged road rage incident Friday afternoon.

Police say a 21-year-old Falls Church man was charged with brandishing a weapon after the incident — which started in Courthouse and ended with a dramatic, guns-drawn traffic stop along Route 50 — even though the weapon ended up being an airsoft gun.

The man is facing additional charges, police say, because two children were inside his car at the time.

From ACPD:

BRANDISHING, 2022-07080144, 1500 block of N. Veitch Street. At approximately 1 p.m. on July 8, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Arriving officers located the two involved vehicles and initiated a traffic stop in the area of Arlington Boulevard and N. Irving Street. The investigation determined the occupants of the vehicles had been traveling along Arlington Boulevard when they became involved in a traffic dispute, during which the passenger in the suspect vehicle allegedly displayed what was believed to be a handgun. During the traffic stop, officers recovered an airsoft gun inside the suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle was also determined to have to juvenile occupants at the time of the incident. Manuel Rivas, 21, of Falls Church, VA was taken into custody without incident and charged with Brandishing and Contributing to Delinquency of a Minor (x2).

Arlington office vacancy rate continues to rise amid work-from-home trends

By ARLnow.com
Amazon HQ2 construction (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The pandemic and work from home trends are causing pain for owners of office buildings in Arlington and across the region.

Arlington’s office vacancy rate reached 20.8% this month, according to data from CoStar, as relayed by Arlington Economic Development. That’s up from 16.6% at the beginning of 2020, as the pandemic first took hold, and 18.7% at the beginning of 2021.

Arlington two main office submarkets, meanwhile, are seeing even higher vacancy rates. The Rosslyn-Ballston corridor’s office vacancy rate rose to 23.3% and that of National Landing (Crystal City and Pentagon City) rose to 24.4% as of the second quarter of 2022, according to new data from commercial real estate firm Colliers.

“The trend of rising vacancy and falling demand in the Northern Virginia market continued during the second quarter,” Colliers said in a report. “Vacancy rates reached 19.0 percent and over a million square feet of space has been returned so far in 2022.”

Northern Virginia office rental rates compared to vacancy rates (courtesy Colliers)

That’s despite some positive developments, like the renewal of Accenture’s 120,687 square foot lease at 800 N. Glebe Road in Ballston, the company said. Likewise, recent news of Boeing and Raytheon moving their corporate headquarters to Arlington are likely to mostly be moral victories for the county, as neither company is believed to be leasing any significant amount of additional office space.

Colliers noted that the highest-end office space (“Class A”) had the highest total area of additional vacancy. It also noted that a significant amount of office space is currently under construction in Arlington — though much of that can be attributed to Amazon’s forthcoming HQ2 in Pentagon City.

Demand in Northern Virginia fell for the third consecutive quarter returning 522,850 square feet of space to the market. In the second quarter, Class A product was the largest contributor to the negative demand, with 385,327 square feet of negative net absorption. The combined Class B and C product also registered negative demand, returning 137,523 square feet to the market. Subsequently, overall absorption figures for Northern Virginia in the first half of the year reached negative one million square feet.

[…] At the end of the quarter, just under four million square feet of construction was underway with half of that future inventory in Arlington County. This is down from the recent peak of over five million at the end of 2021.

On its face, high office vacancy rates might not seem like a problem for those living in Arlington, but in reality it could raise costs for residents. That’s because nearly half of Arlington’s local tax base comes from commercial property and more vacancy means less tax revenue for the county, which in turn puts pressure on residential property owners to make up the difference — or accept lower levels of local government services.

Arlington Economic Development, which helps to promote the county to potential office tenants, tells ARLnow that it is working to reverse the current trends.

“The commercial office market is an important component of the Arlington County tax base, which leads Arlington Economic Development to closely monitor vacancy trends and proactively direct resources to attracting and retaining businesses in Arlington,” the department said in a statement. “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered the way businesses operate, particularly those in an office environment, and the elevated office vacancy rate across Northern Virginia is an indicator of this change.”

More from AED:

AED is committed to further reducing the office vacancy rate through a multi-faceted approach, including the following three areas:

  • Targeted business attraction and retention efforts within our key industries to bring new operations to Arlington and support existing operations expand within the County
  • Cultivating and catalyzing the local entrepreneurial ecosystem to further produce homegrown startups that mature into larger companies using more space.
  • Enhanced regulatory flexibility that will expand the number of allowable uses within commercial buildings and quickly adapt to economic and market shifts.
  • AED is pursuing this area In collaboration with the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development and other County stakeholders.

AED is confident that communities like Arlington with a skilled workforce, flexible and proactive policies, and a high quality of life will be well-positioned to capture growth in the coming years.

Colliers, meanwhile, says it’s difficult to predict what will happen with office space down the road, though for many companies the days of bringing every employee into the office five days a week may be a relic of pre-pandemic times.

(more…)

Speed limit reductions coming to roads in Courthouse and Glencarlyn

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A pair of local road segments are set for a speed limit reduction.

At its meeting this coming Saturday, the Arlington County Board is expected to vote to advertise changes in the speed limit along Fairfax Drive from Arlington Boulevard to N. Barton Street, near Courthouse and Rocky Run Park, and on 5th Road S. from South Carlin Springs Road to the Fairfax County line, near Carlin Springs Elementary School.

“The Department of Environmental Services, Division of Transportation has conducted a study on each of the above-mentioned corridors,” a report to the County Board says. “The results of the studies recommend that the speed limit be decreased from 30 miles per hour (mph) to 25 mph on the studied segment of Fairfax Drive and from 35 mph to 25 mph on the studied segment of 5th Road South.”

The ultimate goal is safety.

“One of the implementation actions for that policy is the adoption of lower speed limits for arterial streets on which there are high volumes of pedestrian crossings and higher density land development,” said the report.

The changes will advertised, ahead of a final Board vote on the change set for September. The price tag for the speed limit changes is about a thousand dollars.

“Public notices advertising the County Board’s consideration of this item at its September 17, 2022, meeting will be published in the June 23 and June 30 editions of the Washington Times newspaper,” said the Board report. “The cost of purchasing and installing speed limit signs to reflect these changes will be approximately $500 per corridor, for a total of $1,000.”

More on why the speed limits are being changed, per the report:

The Department of Environmental Services, Division of Transportation has conducted engineering studies on the aforementioned corridors. These studies compiled data on speed statistics, collisions, traffic volumes, current and anticipated pedestrian and bicyclist activity, adjacent land uses and development patterns, future projects, and roadway characteristics. The data were evaluated to determine if the existing speed limits are appropriate, or if a modification to the speed limit is recommended to improve safety. These engineering studies formed the basis of staff’s recommendation to amend the code to lower the speed limits along each of the corridors.

Fairfax Drive from Arlington Boulevard to North Barton Street is classified as a neighborhood roadway and its adjacent land uses are medium to high density residential homes and the popular Rocky Run Park. The street has high pedestrian activity, including a weekday average of over 400 pedestrian crossings per day. The design of the roadway encourages a lower speed limit, supported by the collected data showing 85th percentile speeds just above 25 mph and average speeds just above 20 mph. For these reasons, it is recommended to lower the speed limit from the existing 30 mph limit to 25 mph.

5th Road South between South Carlin Springs Road and the Fairfax County line is a minor arterial roadway that fronts Carlin Springs Elementary School and low-density residential homes. The entirety of the segment is within a school zone, as well as within the walking zone for Carlin Springs Elementary School and Kenmore Middle School. The roadway also includes a buffered bike lane to encourage biking. It is recommended to lower the speed limit from the existing 35 mph limit to 25 mph in order to create a safer environment for all roadway users.

Following an appropriate Board approval, new speed limit signs will be placed in accordance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).

Photos via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Sunset along Columbia Pike near Dama restaurant (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Baseball Tourney in Arlington — “One area’s loss became another’s big gain in recent days when Arlington County was added as an emergency replacement site for this month’s American Legion state-baseball tournament. The eight-team competition, which will include local District 17’s Arlington Post 139 as the host team, will take place July 26-30 at the Barcroft Park and Wakefield High School fields.” [Sun Gazette]

Grant for Second Ballston Metro Entrance — From the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission: “[Arlington County] received $4.5M from I-66 Commuter Choice to construct a second entrance at Ballston-MU Station that will improve access to transit and support continued redevelopment in the area.” [Twitter]

More Whinos on the Way? — “Whino is a 6,300-square-foot bar, restaurant, art gallery and entertainment venue on the second floor of Brookfield Properties’ Ballston Quarter. While it’s only a year old, founder Shane Pomajambo has big expansion plans for his budding brand.” [Washington Business Journal]

Honor for Local Catholic Newspaper — “The Catholic Herald was named the best diocesan newspaper in its class — one of 36 awards received at the annual Catholic Media Association conference in Portland July 4-7.” [Arlington Catholic Herald]

Today in Dubious Data — “A new survey suggests that Virginia residents have a clear preference for their milkshakes. Chocolate? Nope. Vanilla? Negative. Strawberry? Sorry, Charlie. According to a statistical analysis of Google search data, Virginians are most enraptured by peppermint milkshakes, according to new data from RTA Outdoor Living.” [Sun Gazette]

It’s Monday — Clear throughout the day. High of 82 and low of 65. Sunrise at 5:54 am and sunset at 8:36 pm. [Weather.gov]

Portion of Route 50 shut down after reported road rage incident

By ARLnow.com
Traffic stop shutting down WB Route 50 after reported gun brandishing

A road rage incident that allegedly involved a gun has temporarily shut down all westbound lanes of Route 50.

Around 1 p.m. police received a 911 call reporting that someone in a vehicle had brandished a gun and threatened the occupants of another vehicle during some sort of road rage dispute. One of the drivers followed the other driver until police caught up with them at the intersection with N. Irving Street, according to scanner traffic.

Several people in the suspect vehicle have been detained while police sort everything out. No injuries have been reported.

At least one lane of westbound traffic is being reopened, though the right-hand lane is expected to remain closed while police investigate.

JUST IN: Flood Watch issued for Arlington and D.C. area tonight

By ARLnow.com
Flood Watch map 7/8/22 (via National Weather Service)

Arlington and much of the D.C. area will be under a Flood Watch starting tonight.

Heavy rain and storms are expected tonight. The rain is expected to persist through Saturday afternoon, raising the possibility of flooding, including flash flooding caused by “excessive rainfall.”

The Flood Watch takes effect at 11 p.m.

From the National Weather Service:

URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1253 PM EDT FRI JUL 8 2022

…FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON…

* WHAT…FLASH FLOODING CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE.

* WHERE…WASHINGTON DC, MARYLAND AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS: IN DC, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN MARYLAND, ANNE ARUNDEL, CARROLL, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST HOWARD, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY, FREDERICK MD, NORTHERN BALTIMORE, NORTHWEST HARFORD, NORTHWEST HOWARD, NORTHWEST MONTGOMERY, PRINCE GEORGES, SOUTHEAST HARFORD AND SOUTHERN BALTIMORE. IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA, ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA, EASTERN LOUDOUN, FAIRFAX, PRINCE WILLIAM/MANASSAS/MANASSAS PARK AND WESTERN LOUDOUN.

* WHEN…FROM 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS…EXCESSIVE RUNOFF MAY RESULT IN FLOODING OF RIVERS, CREEKS, STREAMS, AND OTHER LOW-LYING AND FLOOD-PRONE LOCATIONS.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…
– SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS EVENING INTO MIDDAY SATURDAY. AVERAGE RAINFALL AMOUNTS AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE EXPECTED, BUT LOCALIZED AMOUNTS AROUND 4 TO 7 INCHES IN HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES WITHIN AN HOUR OR TWO ARE POSSIBLE IN AREAS WHERE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OCCURS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL BE OVERNIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING.

Open houses in Arlington this weekend

By ARLnow.com

Happy Friday!

We have a new list of open houses to check out this weekend.

According to Homesnap, 535 homes are currently for sale. Of those homes for sale, 311 are condos, 186 are detached homes and 38 are townhomes. Homes spent an average of 54 day on the market. The median list price is $699,000 and the median sales price is $667,500.

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

  • 3166 18th Street N.
    5 BR/4.5 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Wood floors, wine fridge, backyard pond
    Listed: $3,295,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Richard Dale – Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc)
  • 2821 23rd Road N.
    5 BR/4.5 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Walk-out lower level, balcony, wood burning fireplace
    Listed: $2,100,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Gary Dopslaff – Washington Fine Properties, LLC)
  • 3301 20th Road N.
    5 BR/4.5 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Remodeled bathrooms, 45 bottle wine fridge, covered front porch
    Listed: $1,400,000
    Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Renata Briggman – KW Metro Center)
  • 1705 N. Roosevelt Street
    5 BR/4.5 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Updated kitchen, jacuzzi tub, finished basement
    Listed: $1,095,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Michael DeCarlo – Coldwell Banker Realty)
  • 3018 16th Road S.
    7 BR/3 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Covered front porch, back patio, over 4,000 sq. ft.
    Listed: $899,990
    Open: Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (Jonathan Lahey – EXP Realty, LLC)
  • 1276 N. Wayne Street #1125
    2 BR/2 BA Condo
    Noteworthy: Two balconies, gas fireplace, remodeled kitchen
    Listed: $759,900
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Bruce Tyburski – RE/MAX Executives)

See all Arlington open house listings here.

Want your open house to appear here? You can now submit sponsored listings.

1705 N. Roosevelt Street

* Denotes sponsored listing

1705 N. Roosevelt Street image via Google Maps

Arlington’s Covid test positivity rate spikes while cases drop

By ARLnow.com
Covid cases in Arlington as of 7/8/22 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)

The Covid test positivity rate in Arlington has reached a level last seen in January during the Omicron surge, but cases have been dropping.

The numbers reflect, at least in part, significantly lower testing volumes amid Fourth of July vacations.

The county’s test positivity rate currently stands at 21%, up from a seasonal low of 13.8% two weeks ago. The seven-day moving average rate of new daily cases, meanwhile, is 116, down from 163 one month ago, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.

Covid test positivity rate in Arlington as of 7/8/22 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)

Encouragingly, Covid hospital admissions continue to slowly fall. According to the CDC, Arlington is recording 5.9 weekly admissions per 100,000 people, down from 7.2 about two weeks ago.

Experts say newer Omicron sub-variants are even more transmissible and can re-infect those who recently recovered from a Covid case just a few weeks ago. That may explain why this summer has so far not seen the usual lull in infections. The test positivity rate in Arlington had its last well-defined bottom point in March.

The county recently started vaccinating children ages 6 months to 5 years and reported more than 400 vaccinations for that age group in the first week that shots were available.

All-time Covid test positivity rate in Arlington as of 7/8/22 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)
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