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

Ranked Choice Voting Faces Hurdles — “The biggest current challenge? Election software used by the county allows for ranked-choice voting, but only in elections with three or fewer candidates. A pending software upgrade would bring that to five candidates, but ‘I don’t think legally we can limit the number of candidates that can run,’ Reinemeyer said.” [InsideNova]

Levine Running for Lt. Gov. — “Virginia Del. Mark Levine on Monday announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor, joining a roster of nearly a dozen candidates vying for the position. Levine, a 54-year-old Democrat from Alexandria, has served in the state’s House of Delegates since 2016 and represents parts of Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the city of Alexandria.” [DCist]

Credit Union Announces Donations — The staff of Arlington Community Federal Credit Union selected four local nonprofits for the credit union to support with year-end donations: Culmore Clinic, Edu-Futuro, Arlington Department of Human Services’ Secret Santa program and Bridges to Independence. [ACFCU]

Scholarship Applications Open — “The Arlington Community Foundation has a well-established Annual Scholarship Program that in 2020 awarded over $400,000 in college scholarships to 80 new students and 100 renewal students… The scholarship application for the 2021-2022 school year will be available from December 18, 2020, to February 1, 2021.” [Arlington Community Foundation]

Two Arrested After Series of Garage Burglaries

By ARLnow.com

Two people, one from Arlington and another from Alexandria, have been arrested after a series of burglaries and vehicle tamperings.

The incidents happened early this past Friday morning, in the Rosslyn and Clarendon areas.

Police were called after two men were seen walking around and peering into cars in at least two parking garages. Officers arriving at the second garage found two suspects matching the description. The men were taken into custody and then found to be in possession of allegedly stolen items, including a bike, police said.

As previously reported, there has been a significant increase in vehicle-related property crime in Arlington over the past two years.

More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report, below.

BURGLARY/VEHICLE TAMPERING (significant), 2020-12180029/12180036/12180088, 2500 block of Clarendon Boulevard/1200 block of N. Rolfe Street/1800 block of N. Scott Street. At approximately 5:59 a.m. on December 18, police were dispatched to the 2500 block of Clarendon Boulevard for the report of two males looking into vehicles in a garage. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was approaching his vehicle in the garage when he observed two male suspects allegedly looking inside and contacted police, at which time the suspects fled the area. Arriving officers canvased the garage and area with negative results, and nothing was reported missing from the victim’s vehicle. At approximately 6:39 a.m., police were dispatched to the 1200 block of N. Rolfe Street for the report of two suspicious persons inside a garage. Arriving officers observed the two suspects still in the area and detained them without incident. One suspect was in possession of a bike allegedly stolen from the Rolfe Street scene. The suspects were positively identified by witnesses from both locations. During the course of the investigation, one suspect was determined to be in possession of items stolen from a vehicle parked in the 1800 block of N. Scott Street, a second stolen bicycle was located, and officers located a third bicycle with the lock cut. Breon Lassiter, 22, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Burglary with Intent to Commit Larceny (x2), Possession of Burglarous Tools, and Tampering with Vehicle (x2). He was held on no bond. Joshua Wallace, 26, of Alexandria Va., was arrested and charged with Burglary with Intent to Commit Larceny, Tampering with Vehicle, and Possession of Burglarous Tools. He was also served with an outstanding warrant for Probation Violation, and held on a secured bond.

Coronavirus Cases Heading Back Up in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

After a week-long dip in cases, Arlington’s already-high average daily case count is heading back up.

The county recorded 154 coronavirus cases on Sunday alone, a new record. Today (Monday) the cumulative case count crossed 8,000, with 79 new cases, bringing the seven-day trailing average to 84.4 cases per day.

One new COVID-related death and one new hospitalization were reported over the weekend. The seven-day hospitalization total in Arlington is currently 22, unchanged from Friday.

Arlington’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, has dropped to 6.9% as the average daily number of tests performed has again risen above 1,000, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. The average rate of tests performed was last above 1,000 per day around Thanksgiving.

Americana Hotel Bought, May Be Redeveloped as Apartments

By ARLnow.com
1/3

JBG Smith announced today that it has acquired the Americana Hotel in Crystal City and intends to redevelop the property as an apartment building.

The family-owned hotel at 1400 Richmond Highway closed earlier this month after nearly 50 years in business and at least one appearance in a major motion picture.

In a press release, JBG suggests that the 102-room hotel could eventually make way for a big apartment building with more than 500,000 square feet of space. That might be similar to JBG’s The Bartlett one block away, at the corner of S. Eads Street and 12th Street S., which clocks in at 23 stories, 700 apartments and about 750,000 square feet of floor area.

Despite the owners’ hopes to keep the retro hotel in the family, even recently investing in an extensive room renovation, its location across the street from Amazon’s future HQ2 made it an attractive acquisition target.

More from the JBG press release, below.

JBG SMITH (NYSE: JBGS), a leading owner and developer of high-quality, mixed-use properties in the Washington, DC market, announced today the acquisition of the former Americana Hotel situated directly across the street from Amazon’s future headquarters in National Landing.

The 1.4-acre Americana site, which encompasses a recently decommissioned 102-key hotel and adjacent parking lot, has the potential to accommodate a new multifamily development of more than 500,000 square feet.

“As the largest property owner and most active developer in National Landing, we have long viewed the Americana site as one of the best opportunities for development in the Capital region,” said Ed Chaglassian, Executive Vice President, Head of Acquisitions. “This location possesses all of the major ingredients for a successful project, including access to excellent public schools and close proximity to major transportation, retail, and employment opportunities. The potential for this development has only grown with the arrival of Amazon’s headquarters and the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.”

Former Ruby Tuesday Space in Rosslyn May Become Office

By ARLnow.com
1/3

What was once a watering hole and lunch spot for Rosslyn office workers may itself become an office.

The Arlington County Board last weekend approved a Site Plan Amendment for Commonwealth Tower, at 1300 Wilson Blvd, that will allow the building’s street-level restaurant space to instead be used as an office or a “retail-equivalent use,” like a doctor’s office.

The space — which includes a somewhat inconspicuous outdoor plaza — was last used by Ruby Tuesday, which closed two years ago.

“Since the Ruby Tuesday restaurant vacated the space in December 2018, the applicant has unsuccessfully marketed the space for restaurant or retail use,” a county staff report notes. “In addition to the adverse impacts of COVID-19 on retail viability, the subject space’s elevated frontage above street level and the plaza retaining wall pose challenges related to visibility and accessibility from the street.”

The building’s owner has a prospective office tenant that may be interested in the space, the report says.

“The applicant is proposing flexible use of the subject space and upgrades to the plaza and building entrance to increase attractiveness and viability for future tenants and better engage the street,” county staff wrote. “Currently, the applicant is in negotiations with a sizeable office tenant that would occupy space in Commonwealth Tower, including use of the subject space and plaza.”

The amendment, which was approved unanimously as part of the Board, consent agenda, will also allow the building’s entrance and plaza to be renovated, while making it easier to put up a rooftop sign.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Lovings Might Not Want Name Used for Road — “The problem with these efforts [to rename Lee Highway as “Loving Avenue”] is that the surviving family has strong feelings about these efforts, statues, renaming of roads etc. They do not want this and the attention it brings. We in Caroline [County] try to be sensitive to their wishes and how they view these efforts and the Loving story. I would like nothing better than to see her remembered in this way, but must defer to the wishes of the family.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Barcroft Field Getting Video Screen — “Tucker Field at Barcroft Park will have an enhanced look for the 2021 season, as it was announced on Friday, Dec. 16 that construction has begun on a new videoboard to be used by the GW Baseball program. The project, entirely privately funded, was made possible due to a lead gift from Joe and Leslie Barmakian, parents of current GW student-athlete and baseball team member, Steve Barmakian.” [GW Sports]

Jail COVID Tests Only Find One Case — “In partnership with the Arlington County Public Health Department and the Virginia National Guard, the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office tested 196 inmates and 274 deputies, civilians and contractors for COVID-19. There was only one staff member who tested positive among the 470 people tested.” [Arlington County]

Beyer Proposes New COVID Research Funding — “Rep. Don Beyer this week introduced the COVID-19 Long Haulers Act, which would authorize and fund research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PICORI) to benefit so-called “long haulers,” people who experience long term effects of COVID-19 infections.” [Press Release]

Funding Available for Overdue Utility Bills — “Arlingtonians who are having trouble paying their water and sewer bills due to pandemic-related economic hardship may be eligible to have their bills paid through the County’s new Utility Relief program. The application deadline is January 15. The program is funded through a $383,338  state coronavirus relief grant accepted by the County Board at its Tuesday, Dec. 15 Recessed Meeting.” [Arlington County]

Strong Leasing for New Ballston Building — “I’m expecting revenue to increase next year because of [B.F. Saul]’s new project called The Waycroft delivered earlier this year. The project comprises 491 apartment units and 60,000 square feet of retail space in Arlington, Virginia, as mentioned in the business update. Around 353, or 72% of available units, are leased.” [Seeking Alpha]

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

The week started with a bang, literally.

The demolition of the former Rosslyn Holiday Inn hotel tower on Sunday, with photos and video from ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott, was far and away our most-read story of the week.

If you’re looking for a unique angle on the implosion, check out Rosslyn resident (and Axios co-founder) Mike Allen’s view from his condo, in item #8 of this Axios AM newsletter.

Here are the most-viewed articles of the past week:

  1. Video: Implosion of Rosslyn Holiday Inn Hotel Tower
  2. Crystal City Staple Americana Hotel is Permanently Closed
  3. Winter Weather Advisory Issued Ahead of Expected Wednesday Snowfall
  4. ACPD Officer Dragged After Traffic Stop on I-66
  5. Arlington Ranked Safest Locality in U.S., With Lowest Cost of Crime
  6. Arlington Asks Richmond for Authority to Install Speed Cameras and Lower Speed Limits
  7. Police: Drug Deal Gone Wrong Leads to Beating Near Ballston
  8. Demolition of Alpine Restaurant is Approved, Kickstarting Work on The Children’s School
  9. Construction Wraps Up on Crystal City Building That Will House Amazon Offices
  10. County Board Speeds Up Timeline to Change the Arlington Logo

Feel free to discuss those stories, or anything else of local interest, in the comments. Have a nice weekend!

Local Coronavirus Cases Down from Previous Highs, But Hospitalizations Rise

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) After peaking last week at just under 100 cases per day, the average rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington has dropped by 25%.

The seven-day trailing average currently stands at 72 cases per day. Forty-nine new cases were reported Friday, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the county over the course of the pandemic to 7,710.

Arlington’s test positivity rate currently stands at 8.1%, the same rate as one week ago.

Hospitalizations, however, have risen. Fourteen new hospitalizations were reported on Wednesday alone, bringing the trailing seven-day total to 25, the highest point since late May. The current seven-day trailing total of COVID-related hospitalizations is 22, with two new hospitalizations reported in each of the past two days.

Four new coronavirus deaths in Arlington have been reported since Monday. That brings the cumulative pandemic total to 168, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.

Despite the recent drop in cases, county officials sounded the alarm about the level of new cases at Tuesday’s County Board meeting.

“The level of community transition is unacceptably high and has various negative impacts on how our society operates,” Public Health Director Dr. Reuben Varghese said in the County Board recessed meeting this week. “The vaccine is one way we can hopefully leave this nightmare behind us at some point.”

Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington started administering Pfizer vaccines on Thursday. and Varghese said that the vaccines will soon be more widely available.

Pfizer vaccines can be administered by CVS or Walgreens to residents of skilled nursing facilities, as early as next week, he said. Likewise, the Moderna vaccine, set for likely authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, could come to Arlington “as early as next week,” according to Varghese.

The County is waiting on a Vaccine Administration Management System, or VAMS, from the CDC and the Virginia Department of Health, which streamlines appointments, patient monitoring and communication with patients for temporary vaccine clinics. Appointments will be needed to suppress the spread of germs in lines.

“While we’ve had plans for years for mass vaccination, the wrinkle is providing for six foot distances in those plans,” Varghese said. 

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Cristol Recovering from Surgery — County Board member Katie Cristol was absent from this week’s Board meeting. She is on medical leave after surgery to treat Graves’ disease, she said. [Twitter]

Axios Makes Local News Moves — Clarendon-based media company Axios has purchased North Carolina-based Charlotte Agenda as it makes a push into local news. [New York Times]

Board Balks at Preservation Request — “Efforts to place the 9-acre Rouse estate at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North McKinley Road into a local historic district appear to have pushed the property owner to move forward with the ‘nuclear option‘… And, county officials say, there is not much they can do to prevent it. ‘Our hands are pretty much tied,’ County Board Chairman Libby Garvey said Dec. 12, effectively rebuffing a request that the county government take stronger actions.” [InsideNova]

Board Responds to Reopening Request — “A request that Arlington County Board members use their influence – whether through sweet-talking or something more forceful – to get county schools back up and running fell largely on deaf ears Dec. 12. Board members said they were working with their School Board counterparts, but had no power to force a reopening of schools that have been shuttered since last March.” [InsideNova]

Local Nonprofit Expands Aid — “Since April of this year [Arlington] Thrive has provided more than $5 million is assistance to 1,300 families and individuals, a dramatic increase from the $805,000 Thrive provided to families and individuals during the same period last year. Typical requests to Arlington Thrive used to be for one or two months rent but since the pandemic now extend to six or seven months.” [Press Release]

Church Continues Drive-Thru Donations — “Clarendon Presbyterian Church recently announced that it will continue holding monthly Drive-thru Food and Toiletry Collections to support our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. Since the first Collection in June through the most recent one in December, the community donated the equivalent of 756 brown paper bags of groceries – an estimated value of $30,000.” [Press Release]

Northam Proposes State Budget — “Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) on Wednesday proposed a state budget that would restore some spending frozen earlier this year amid uncertainty around the coronavirus pandemic, updating a spending document that the General Assembly just finished tinkering with last month.” [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

Construction Wraps Up on Crystal City Building That Will House Amazon Offices

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Construction has wrapped up on one of Amazon’s new, temporary office buildings in Crystal City.

The renovation project, part of developer JBG Smith’s extensive development plan for the area, helped to modernize the office building’s 273,000 square feet of space while giving the exterior a shiny new glass-and-steel look.

Amazon is temporarily leasing the 14-story building while the first phase of its permanent HQ2 is under construction. Amazon currently leases 857,000 square feet of temporary space in five local JBG Smith buildings, the developer says.

“The opening of the newly reimagined 1770 Crystal Drive coincides with the two-year anniversary of Amazon’s selection of National Landing as the location of its second headquarters and JBG SMITH as its partner to house and develop the project,” JBG said in a press release. “The building was completed two quarters ahead of schedule and under budget.”

The construction started shortly after Amazon announced that National Landing — the collective term for the Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard neighborhoods — was getting the new HQ2.

“The return to productive use of 1770 Crystal Drive represents yet another significant milestone in National Landing’s ongoing transformation into a vibrant 18-hour neighborhood,” said Matt Kelly, CEO of JBG Smith, in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with Amazon and accommodate its growing presence in the region as we continue to make progress on its modern new headquarters.”

The building is a short walk from the Crystal City Metro station and has “expansive views” of the D.C. skyline and the Potomac River from the top floors, the press release notes. It will be part of a new retail district that is expected to feature new stores, buzzy restaurants and an Alamo Drafthouse movie theater.

Virginia Hospital Center Employees Are Getting Vaccinated

By ARLnow.com

Vaccinations are underway at Virginia Hospital Center.

Healthcare workers at Arlington hospital are receiving some of the first does of the recently-authorized Pfizer vaccine.

The hospital at 1701 N. George Mason Drive administered 500 COVID-19 vaccines yesterday, with another 1,450 doses expected to be administered through Saturday.

“VHC was one of 18 hospitals in Virginia to receive a portion of the initial Pfizer vaccine shipment,” according to a press release, adding that it “was one of the first hospitals in Northern Virginia to secure the necessary equipment to store and distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.”

In all, Virginia is receiving an initial vaccine distribution of nearly a half-million doses, set to go to healthcare workers, first responders and those in long-term care facilities.

“Virginia Hospital Center is thrilled to have this opportunity to vaccinate our front-line workers,” said Rohit Modak, MD, the hospital’s infectious disease chief, in a statement. “While we are definitely not out of the woods just yet, and people should remain vigilant about masking and social distancing guidelines, the arrival of this vaccine brings us hope that we are approaching the end of this pandemic.”

More vaccine is on the way, the hospital says.

“VHC expects to receive an additional shipment of vaccine before the end of the year and will distribute the doses in accordance with CDC and state guidelines,” the press release notes.

On social media, hospital workers expressed their appreciation.

VHC released the following video of the vaccine distribution.

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