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.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 16, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Nov 16, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌤️ Friday’s forecast

Patchy fog is expected to clear by 9am, giving way to partly sunny conditions and a high near 69 degrees. South winds will range from 5 to 11 mph, with potential gusts up to 18 mph. Friday night, there is a slight chance of showers, with mostly cloudy skies and a low around 52 degrees. South winds will decrease to 5 to 7 mph before becoming light and variable, and the chance of precipitation stands at 20%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.”
– Jim Rohn

🌅 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 (October 2023)

By ARLnow.com

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive townhouses sold last month (October 2023).

Most expensive townhouses sold

  1. 2117 21st Rd N — North Highland — $1,550,000 (3 beds | 5 baths | 3,532 sq. ft.)
  2. 5740 10th Rd N — Westover Village — $1,125,000 (4 beds | 5 baths | 2,420 sq. ft.)
  3. 1737 N Wakefield St — Waverly Hills– $990,000 (4 beds | 3.5 baths | 2,250 sq. ft.)

Least expensive townhouses sold*

  1. 1100 S Barton St Unit 297 — Arlington Village — $320,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 800 sq. ft.)
  2. 1201 S Barton St Unit 151 — Arlington Village — $325,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 800 sq. ft.)
  3. 1200 S Barton St Unit 318 — Arlington Village — $332,000 (1 beds | 1 baths | 840 sq. ft.)

*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.

NEW: County truck drives off bridge in local park

By ARLnow.com
1/6

An Arlington County-owned pickup truck was driven off the side of a small concrete bridge in Lubber Run Park this afternoon.

The low, narrow bridge over Lubber Run is located just to the north of the park’s amphitheater, in the Arlington Forest neighborhood.

Initially, the incident drew a large rescue response to the park, but arriving firefighters quickly determined that no one was injured nor trapped by the crash. They secured the truck in place ahead of the arrival of tow crews.

Police and county personnel remain on scene as crews work to pull the truck back onto the trail.

Morning Poll: How much has Amazon HQ2 actually changed Arlington?

By ARLnow.com
Amazon HQ2 Phase 1 (photo courtesy Amazon)

This week marks the five-year anniversary of Amazon’s decision to locate its second headquarters in Arlington.

The initial plan had HQ2 split between Arlington and New York City, but a few months later NYC was out and Arlington was the sole destination for the tech and retail giant.

In the five years since, Amazon has completed the first phase of its planned office complex and hired about 8,000 Arlington-based employees out of the 25,000 it says will eventually work here. Disappointing fans of the proposed “Helix” tower, however, it has delayed construction on the second phase of HQ2.

Arlington, and the dozens of cities that competed for HQ2, had visions of emerging as another Silicon Valley with the addition of a large Amazon presence. While Amazon certainly has provided a boost to the local tech scene, it’s hard to argue that Arlington is anywhere close to rivaling the Bay Area.

HQ2 is now a gleaming presence in Arlington, and adjacent Metropolitan Park has gotten a big upgrade from its former days as a defacto dog bathroom, but Pentagon City lacks the throngs of security-badged employees that one might expect around a major tech headquarters.

Meanwhile, fears of skyrocketing housing prices have only partially come to fruition. After the HQ2 announcement Arlington real estate prices rose disproportionately compared to the rest of the region, the Washington Business Journal reported, but that has since reversed, calling into question the true impact.

Housing prices and tech employment may be objective ways to measure the local HQ2 impact, but today we’re running a poll that takes a different approach: vibes.

Given your local knowledge, how do you assess the Amazon-driven changes in Arlington? How much of an impact do you think HQ2 has actually had?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Leaves from a vine bask in the light from the setting sun along Patrick Henry Drive (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Williamsburg Middle in Va. Top 10 — “Several elementary and middle schools around Virginia are included among the best in the country, according to new rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. The news outlet based its 2024 Best Elementary and Middle School rankings on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education.” [Patch]

ART Celebrates 25th Anniversary — “Arlington’s transit agency – ART – is rolling into a milestone 25th year of serving the community and providing reliable and sustainable bus service across the County. The bus service, which first launched in 1998 with one route in Crystal City, was established to connect Arlington neighborhoods along with the growing regional transit network anchored by Metrorail and Metrobus.” [Arlington County]

Natty Landing Dog Event — “Join the National Landing BID and PuppyLuv for an unforgettable day of canine delight. This family-friendly event promises a wagging good time with a variety of activities and attractions designed to bring joy to dogs and their owners.” [National Landing BID]

YHS Runners Fifth in State — “The 6D North Region girls champion Yorktown Patriots cross country team finished fifth at the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state meet Nov. 11 on the 5,000-meter Oatlands Plantation course in Leesburg.” [Gazette Leader]

‘Girls on the Run’ Closures — “The 2023 Girls on the Run 5k Race will take place in Pentagon City on Sunday, November 19, and will begin at 8:30 a.m. The following roadways will be closed from approximately 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to accommodate the event.” [ACPD]

Music at Clarendon BBQ Joint — “Smokecraft Modern BBQ in Arlington is kicking off Acoustic Late Nights on Friday, a weekly event that will bring in some of the best local acoustic artists each weekend.” [Patch]

Free Cups Today at Starbucks — “Starbucks is giving away free reusable cups Thursday for its sixth Red Cup Day. The coffee giant’s highly anticipated day is considered the start of the holiday season by many and comes two weeks after holiday drinks returned.” [Axios]

It’s Thursday — Expect a sunny day with a high temperature near 66 degrees and a light wind. Thursday night will be mostly clear as the temperature drops to around 45 degrees. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 15, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Nov 15, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high around 68, with light variable winds becoming southerly at 6 mph during the morning. Thursday night will be mostly clear, featuring a low of about 46 and a steady south wind at 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Listing of the Day: 915 18th Street S

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Address: 915 18th Street S
Neighborhood: Addison Heights
Type: 4 BR, 4 (+1 half) BA single-family detached — 4,265 sq. ft.
Listed: $2,179,000

Noteworthy: Open concept 4-level home with outdoor entertainment spaces!

Welcome home to Addison Heights! This 4 bedroom, 4.5 bath Classic Cottages design features an open concept floor plan and plenty of outdoor entertaining spaces, including a screened porch, covered porch and roof top deck.

The ground level of the home includes a tandem two car garage, mudroom, entry level bedroom and full bath with private entrance, exercise room and rec room. The main level includes a generous sized office, dining room and butler’s pantry, great room, kitchen featuring JennAir appliances. Bedroom level features laundry and two secondary bedrooms and baths. The Primary bedroom has a large walk-in closet and spa bathroom.

Go up one more level to the roof top deck — a great space to enjoy the outdoors. All this within a 13 minute walk to Metropolitan Park!

Listed by:
Michelle Lynch — Urban Living Real Estate, LLC
[email protected]
(571) 366-3324

NWS: Elevated fire danger in Northern Virginia today

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Arlington is not known as a hotspot for forest fires, but there’s an elevated danger of wildfires throughout Northern Virginia today.

Other parts of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia are also being warned of the fire hazard, owing to an ongoing drought, low humidity and breezy conditions.

Brush fires are not common in Arlington but they do happen, notably in 2021 when multiple brush fires broke out along the GW Parkway.

A special statement on today’s fire danger, below, from the National Weather Service.

…ELEVATED FIRE DANGER THROUGH EARLY EVENING FOR NORTHERN AND CENTRAL VIRGINIA, WESTERN MARYLAND, AND EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA…

Elevated fire weather conditions are expected through early evening across northern and central Virginia, western Maryland, and eastern West Virginia. Relative humidity values are expected to drop back to around 20-35 percent this afternoon (lowest in far western MD and the WV mountains, highest across the VA Piedmont and eastern portions of the WV Panhandle). Winds will be out of the south at around 5-10 mph with gusts to around 15 mph in most locations, but locally higher along the Allegheny Front (10-15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph at times). 10-hour fuel moisture will be as low as 10 or 11 percent.

Residents and visitors are urged to exercise caution if handling open flames or equipment that creates sparks. Also, dispose of
cigarette butts, matches, and other flammable items in appropriate containers. Keep vehicles off of dry grass and obey local burn bans. Most dry grasses, dead leaves, and other tree litter could easily ignite and spread fire quickly.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A couple walks across I-395 on a pedestrian bridge in Shirlington (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Historic Resources Plan Approved — “On Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, the Arlington County Board approved an update to the Historic and Cultural Resources Plan (HCRP), concluding a multiyear process to develop a more modern approach to how the County advances the preservation and appreciation of its built and cultural environments.” [Arlington County]

Burglary at Clarendon Smoke Shop — From Dave Statter: “Burglars hit a smoke & vape shop in Arlington County (VA). Video shows two people looking at the business at 2907 Wilson Boulevard in Clarendon just after 1:00 a.m. yesterday. A few minutes later, according to @ArlingtonVaPD, the pair broke through the glass of the front door. One of the burglars tripped on the way out less than a minute later.” [Twitter]

I-395 Crash on Camera — Also from Dave Statter: “While there are close calls daily (really hourly) on I-395S at Exit 8C to Crystal City, this is the first crash I’ve spotted in a while. As usual, it involves jockeying for position trying to get either to the left exit or 8B’s right-side exit at the last second.” [Twitter]

Arlington Real Estate is Lukewarm — “The Arlington residential real-estate market was essentially the only one across the Washington region with any wind beneath its wings in as autumn took hold. The county proved the only locality to sustain a three-digit rating in the monthly T3 Home-Demand Index, which looks at buyer interest all the way down to the ZIP code level.” [Gazette Leader]

’40 Under 40′ Nominations — “The Leadership Center for Excellence and Leadership Fairfax again in 2024 will collaborate on a ’40 Under 40′ initiative, honoring young leaders throughout the region… Nominations are due by Jan. 19.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high of around 57 degrees. Winds will be light and variable before shifting to the south at 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy, with a low of 38 degrees. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 14, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Nov 14, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌤️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect partly sunny skies with a high around 57 degrees and calm winds shifting to the south at 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy with a low of approximately 38 degrees, accompanied by south winds at 5 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Listing of the Day: 4305 4th Court N.

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Address: 4305 4th Court N.
Neighborhood: Ballston
Type: 3 BR, 3 (+1 half) BA townhouse — 1,600 sq. ft.
Listed: $999,000

Noteworthy: Walk to everything, terrace with views, 2 car tandem garage

Located in a lushly landscaped courtyard near the heart of Ballston, this pristine three bedroom, three and a half bath home awaits the buyer who values space and location.

Desirable details include top floor terrace with skyline views; tandem two car garage and additional guest parking; large living area with a sunny spot for a desk; kitchen island, ample cabinets, stainless appliances; each bedroom has a private bathroom and generous closet space; fresh paint, wood floors on main level and halls; and flexible space.

Walk to Ballston for Metro, restaurants, gyms, groceries, parks, tennis courts, library, graduate programs at multiple universities, and nightlife. Blocks to Lubber Run Rec Center with extensive facilities, programs, and Saturday farmer’s market. Easy commute to Washington, military, business, government centers, and airports.

Don’t miss this opportunity to live near everything in a tucked away spot.

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

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