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.

Just Listed in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Just Listed banner

Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”

The summer real estate market in Arlington has slowed to a crawl this week as the heat wave hits our area and many people are still vacationing at beaches and lakes.

Only 44 new listings came on the market this week, while 49 homes went under contract. But there is quality in the low number of fresh listings. About 1/3 of new listings are single family homes priced $750,000 – $950,000.

Interest rates plunged this week amid news of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, Brexit as it’s affectionately called. The move sent shivers through world financial markets, and the economic uncertainty has caused a rush of capital into safe havens like U.S. Treasury Bonds.

The flight of capital to 10-yr Treasury notes has caused the yield to drop, and that has caused long term interest rates to plummet. The 30-yr fixed rate mortgage now stands at about 3.52%. Refinance applications shot up 100% this week over the same period last year. Rates may continue to drop. Stay tuned.

Click to see all the fresh new inventory in MRIS and call Team Cathell (703-975-2500) when you find a home you like.

Big Tree Fall Hard in Ashton Heights

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) A downed tree in the Ashton Heights neighborhood is leading to a call to the county ombudsman’s office.

The big tree, said to be more than a century old, fell last night near the intersection of N. Lincoln Street and 5th Street N., knocking out power to the area.

The neighborhood listserv is now abuzz with talk of what might have caused the old tree to fall during calm weather. Paving work on the street, residents are speculating, may have had something to do with it.

“A massive road repaving project brought in heavily vibrating equipment — many thought unnecessarily vibrating — which, according to our neighborhood listserv buzz, may have contributed to the tree’s fall, given very wet soil conditions,” a resident told us. “I lack professional credentials to shed light on that one way or another.”

Whether rooted in fact or not, residents are not content to leave the issue alone. They’re barking up the tree of the county ombudsman, according to a listserv email.

“Scott Sklar is contacting the county ombudsman about this problem today and complaining on behalf of Ashton Heights,” the email says. “The tree was 125 years old. Very sad.”

Sklar, president of the Ashton Heights Civic Association, said residents felt as if there was an “earthquake” when the heavy equipment was in use. One resident even reported that her morning cup of coffee rolled off the kitchen counter and broke as a result of the pervasive vibrations.

There’s “no question” about what caused the tree to fall, he said.

“The County contractors are using percussion rollers to compress the road under-bed — which uses intense weight and sound rather than the usual heavy roller compression approach,” he told ARLnow.com. ” There is no question in my mind, that this new approach is what caused this old tree to fall after the heavy rain we just had.”

“Use of percussion rollers should not be used in areas where there are large trees and old homes (pre-2000),” Sklar said. “Manufacturer’s warnings on percussion rollers explicitly state they should not be used near large trees or old buildings

Meghan McMahon, spokeswoman for the Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services, said in a statement that the county is “reviewing the matter.”

DES crews have been performing roadbed reclamation and paving on Lincoln Street over the past week. The roadbed reclamation process, which was completed on June 30, is more disruptive than normal paving or patching. This process uses a machine that churns and mixes the base of the road at a deeper level so more vibrations and disturbance may occur. This process is specifically used for underbuilt, lower volume roads like Lincoln Street. Our paving contractors use vibratory rollers and other heavy machinery during the roadbed reclamation process. These rollers are also used on every street during maintenance and repaving. Rollers are commonly used to gain better compaction in asphalt construction. Yesterday’s work on Lincoln Street was repaving.

We have used these processes for several years in this neighborhood and several others like it that have older trees and houses. This is the first we have heard of such impacts from this type of work. We are reviewing the matter to determine what caused the tree to fall.

As seen in the photos above, some paving equipment was underneath the tree when it fell.

“Two County vehicles were enclosed by the tree canopy when it fell, but neither were impacted or damaged,” said McMahon. “The storm drain was damaged, but we have already put in a work order to fix this. It will be prioritized based on other work we have and safety.”

Photos courtesy Elizabeth Lyon

Power Outage Reported in Shirlington, Fairlington

By ARLnow.com

Power outage in the Shirlington and Fairlington areasUpdate at 11:15 a.m. — Power has been restored to all but 77 Dominion customers in Arlington.

The Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles office on Four Mile Run Drive is reported to be among those affected by a widespread power outage this morning.

On what may be the hottest day of the year so far, large portions of the Shirlington and Fairlington areas are without power.

According to Dominion, around 750 customers are without power in Arlington and another 800 are without power in Alexandria. As of 9:45 a.m., traffic lights were dark on busy King Street near I-395.

Via its Twitter account, Dominion says that the cause of the outage has not yet been determined, but crews are working to restore power by 2 p.m. A resident said she heard an “explosive sound” before the outage, suggesting a possible transformer failure.

Another Twitter user reports that customers have left the Four Mile DMV office after it lost power.

https://twitter.com/BHProut/status/751040835362381824

https://twitter.com/amandaspets/status/751039013805371392

Protest Planned Against Israel Film at Arlington Central Library

By ARLnow.com

Israel film Facebook page screenshotExpect dueling activism on the topic of the state of Israel at Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street) this coming Sunday.

From 6-8 p.m., the group Jewish Voices for Peace, together with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington Committee for Peace and Justice in Israel/Palestine, is showing the film “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States.”

The viewing is taking place at the library’s second floor meeting room. (Outside groups often rent out rooms in the library, which does not imply a county endorsement.)

Opponents describe the film, which is narrated by rocker Roger Waters, as anti-Semitic, saying that attacking the legitimacy of Israel as a country lends credibility to terrorism. A protest is planned in response to the film screening.

“A group of concerned, pro-Israel advocates, led by Citizens Opposed to Propaganda Masquerading as Art (COPMA), plans to protest at the event, including distributing literature inside the room,” says the conservative activism website Truth Revolt.

Morning Poll: Should War Memorial Plaque Be Changed?

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Local leaders are considering a new plaque for Arlington’s World War I memorial in Clarendon.

As reported by the Sun Gazette, the 1930s-era memorial has a plaque with a dozen names of local war dead. Two of the names are presented away from the others — and include the extra label “colored.”

It’s unclear if Arlington can legally make changes to the memorial, under state law. Ideally, what do you think should be done?

Arlington Assisting With Restaurant Fire in Del Ray

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Arlington County firefighters are responding to a two-alarm blaze at a restaurant in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood.

The second alarm was sounded just before 4 p.m.

The mutual aid call is for a fire at Al’s Steak House (1504 Mt. Vernon Avenue), which reopened today after a months-long hiatus, according to an article published on Del Ray Patch less than an hour ago.

https://twitter.com/buggie73/status/750782400381288448

Jaywalking Between Clarendon Whole Foods and Starbucks Prompts Sign

By ARLnow.com
1/6

There were enough people jaywalking between the Starbucks and the Whole Foods in Clarendon that it apparently prompted Arlington County to install a new sign.

The sign recently appeared mid-block on the Whole Foods side of Clarendon Blvd. It instructs pedestrians not to cross and to use one of the marked crosswalks up the block.

The block is often congested with traffic turning into the Whole Foods parking lot, making it even more dangerous for pedestrians trying to cross the street outside of a crosswalk.

Update at 1:05 p.m. — As readers are pointing out, the sign has, in fact, been there since at least 2014, as proven by Google Street View. It is not “new” except, perhaps, on a geological timeframe. The 2012 Street View image does not show the sign. The 2007 and 2009 Street View images both show people standing where the sign currently is, apparently waiting to cross the street.

H-B Woodlawn Parents Worried About Temporary Fire Station Plan

By ARLnow.com

Wilson site plan (image via Arlington County)The H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program is gearing up to move to a brand new building in Rosslyn for the 2019-2020 school year, but a new wrinkle in that plan is worrying parents.

On Friday, Arlington County announced that it was collaborating with Arlington Public Schools on a money-saving plan: a temporary fire station will be placed on the school’s field while developer Penzance constructs two new mixed-use buildings next door, on the county-owned site of the current Fire Station No. 10.

The development will provide a new, permanent fire station and 100 underground parking spaces for the school — when it’s completed in 2022. In the meantime, the temporary fire station will be placed on the field at the corner of N. Quinn and 18th streets, and Arlington County will provide off-site fields and parking for the school.

The county says the plan will save it $20 million and will save Arlington Public Schools $5 million — thanks to Penzance paying for the parking, the new fire station and a new Rosslyn Highlands Park, adjacent to the development.

“We realize that opening the school without a field will inconvenience students and staff,” County Board Chair Libby Garvey said in a statement. “We chose this site because the parking provided to APS for schools will save a considerable amount of money for the school project, and it is the best location by far for the temporary fire station. We believe that when the project is finally completed, this site will not only be a great new home for H-B and the Stratford Program, but will also provide many, many benefits to our community.”

Members of the H-B Woodlawn Parent Advisory Committee, however, were none too pleased with the idea of opening the school without a field and other factors that could have “an adverse impact on our children.”

In an email to members, the committee urges parents to reach out to County Board and School Board members before each considers approving the plan at their July meetings.

Dear Members of the H-B Woodlawn Community:

Our apologies for sending this message out on the Friday before a three-day weekend, but we thought it was important to bring this issue to your attention as soon as possible.

The School Board and County Board announced today that they are in negotiations to build a temporary fire station on the planned athletic fields at the new home of the H-B Woodlawn and Stratford programs, at the Wilson site.  This plan is being rushed through with very limited public input and without serious consideration of its impact on students, staff, and visitors, in the name of saving money.  A press release regarding this proposal can be found here: Press Release

We strongly urge you to express your opposition to this proposal to members of the County Board ([email protected]) and members of the School Board ([email protected]).  Your emails should be addressed to County Board Chair Libby Garvey and School Board Chair Nancy Van Doren, and will be distributed to all members of each respective board, including H-B Woodlawn’s School Board member liaison Reid Goldstein.  The County Board plans to vote on this issue on July 16th and the School Board on July 21th.

Here are suggested points to make in your communications with Board members:

  • I strongly urge you to oppose the proposed licensing agreement that would allow a temporary fire station to be built on the planned athletic field at the Wilson site.
  • H-B Woodlawn and Stratford students’ instruction would be seriously compromised by the elimination of all outdoor physical education classes for three years or more if this proposal went forward.  The idea of bussing students to parks almost a mile away is unworkable, as the entire class period would be spent loading and unloading busses and driving back and forth.
  • The safety of HB Woodlawn and Stratford students, as well as staff and visitors, would be put at risk as the planned covered drop off and pick up entrance would be obstructed by an active fire station.  There has been no analysis of the transportation impact of this major change that will result in students being dropped off and picked up on Wilson Blvd., an idea the stakeholder representatives serving on the Wilson project design committee and APS already rejected.
  • There has been no public input to this last minute, backroom deal with a private developer.  Indeed, the APS School Board is considering this significant change to the new building without even asking the architects for revised schematics to understand the impact on the building design, without knowing what the temporary fire station would look like or how its colocation could impact instruction, and without a new traffic analysis to determine the safest and most efficient ways for bus, auto, pedestrian, bicycle, and emergency traffic to flow on and/or around the new campus.
  • The County should relocate the temporary fire station to another location that doesn’t have such an adverse impact on our children.

We will keep you informed as we gather more information about this proposal and its potential impact.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Deer in Four Mile Run (photo courtesy B. Heather)

Steamy Stretch Starting — It’s hot and humid outside today and through the end of the week. Afternoon storms are possible each day. During this hot stretch, authorities are warning people to stay hydrated and to make sure their air conditioners are in good working condition. [Washington Post, Twitter, Twitter]

Ultra-Nationalist Group Based in Arlington — The National Policy Institute, the “institutional center” of the nationalist movement that has come out of the woodwork in the U.S. thanks to the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, is based here in Arlington. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called the think tank a “white supremacist” group. [Forward]

New Book About Arlington — Local author HK Park has published another book about Arlington. This kid-oriented, 44-page paperback is called “How Your City Works!! Behind The Scenes In Arlington, VA.”

Discussion of Pike Development — Arlington County Board members Libby Garvey and Christian Dorsey discussed the approval of the Rappahannock Coffee site redevelopment in the county’s Board meeting wrap-up video. [YouTube]

Signature Theatre Announces New Cast — The cast for the Signature Theatre production of “Jelly’s Last Jam” includes a Tony Award winner, a Helen Hayes Award winner and a star jazz pianist. The musical begins at the Shirlington theater in August. [Playbill]

Arlington’s Got Talent Winner — Lyfe, a spoken word artist, is the 2016 winner of the Arlington’s Got Talent competition. [InsideNova]

Photo courtesy B. Heather

BREAKING: Girl Critically Injured in Multi-Vehicle Crash

By ARLnow.com
1/18

(Updated at 9:50 p.m.) Arlington County police and firefighters responded to a serious multi-vehicle crash on S. Glebe Road Tuesday night.

The crash happened just before 7:45 p.m. near the intersection of Glebe and 19th Street S. Police on scene reported that four people were injured, including an 8-year-old girl who was initially trapped in one of the vehicles.

“A vehicle was on S. Glebe Road driving at a high rate of speed when it crossed into oncoming traffic, striking two vehicles,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

Three of the injured individuals are being transported to the trauma center at Inova Fairfax Hospital, according to scanner traffic.

“All three occupants of one vehicle were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries,” Savage said. “An 8-year-old girl suffered critical injuries. Occupants of the second vehicle were treated by medics on scene but refused transport.”

One person has been taken into custody by officers on reported suspicion of DUI, according to scanner traffic.

“The driver of the striking vehicle is expected to face charges,” said Savage. “Those charges have not been determined at this time.”

There were three men in the striking vehicle, according to Savage. One was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, for a total of four who were hospitalized.

The crash involved a Chevrolet Camero, a Land Rover SUV and a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle.

Both directions of Glebe Road were closed at the crash scene. The road was expected to remain closed while the cars are removed, debris is cleared and a police investigation is conducted.

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