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.

Columbia Pike Resident Surprised to Get $1,537.13 Uber Bill

By ARLnow.com

Crazy Uber billA Columbia Pike resident was charged more than fifteen hundred dollras for what she says was a short Uber ride to a friend’s place in Shirlington.

Jenny Partington says she was trying to call an Uber ride Friday night, but the app told her she couldn’t because she was “still on a trip.” The last time she had taken an Uber was the previous Saturday, Aug. 8, when she visited her friend. Partington canceled the trip, then was shocked when a four-figure bill arrived via email.

Partington was charged $1,537.13 for the ride — which was debited from her checking account because she pays for rides via Paypal.

“I figured this was obviously some kind of system error, either with the driver or with the software and that it would get reversed by Uber immediately,” she told ARLnow.com this morning. “I’ve tried to reach out to Uber via email about eight times and have heard nothing. And when I try and log in to Uber it now says my account has been disabled.”

“Clearly I’m super frustrated, especially as I’m closing on a house on Thursday and need that money for my down payment!” Partington continued.

ARLnow.com reached out to Uber to ask about the charge. Within an hour, Partington said she received the refund she had been seeking.

“I understand mistakes happen but the total lack of response after four days is unacceptable,” she said after being notified of the refund. An Uber spokesman declined to comment on the incident, citing the company’s privacy policy.

Letter to the Editor: Support the Affordable Housing Master Plan

By ARLnow.com

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Jim Whittaker, chairman of the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my support for Arlington’s Affordable Housing Master Plan and for its goals of ensuring that middle and lower income workers can continue to call Arlington home. Frankly, I am confused by the controversy that has been stirred up regarding the Plan. This plan is the logical extension of efforts that have been underway here for years to limit the loss of existing affordable housing units and to create some new ones. The plan is not radical, nor will it be sufficient to entirely stop the loss of affordable housing, but it presents a reasonable approach for stemming the tide.

I serve as Chairman of the Board of A-SPAN, and we are working hard to lift hundreds of our most vulnerable neighbors out of homelessness. To accomplish this we depend on the availability of affordable housing. In Arlington the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment is $1,700 per month and rising.  When one of our veteran or other homeless clients qualifies for a VA or HUD housing voucher we must find a willing landlord and an apartment that rents for $1,300 per month or less. While these are becoming harder to find, the plan before the County Board gives us hope that enough units will be available for us to achieve our goal of ending chronic homelessness in Arlington.

It’s not good for anyone to leave our homeless neighbors on the streets. It’s also expensive. A recent American Medical Association study found that homeless individuals cost a community about $45,000 per person per year in police, court, and hospital costs. We can provide housing and other services to that person for about $22,000, improve their health, and in many cases get them back into the workforce.

We have learned how to solve the problem of homelessness. But, we need Arlington to adopt the Affordable Housing Master Plan so that when A-SPAN clients are ready for housing there’s an affordable apartment available for them.

Sincerely,

Jim Whittaker
Chairman, A-SPAN Board of Directors

ARLnow.com occasionally publishes thoughtful letters to the editor about local issues. To submit a letter to the editor, please email it to [email protected]. Letters to the editor may be edited for content and brevity.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

August wildflowers (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

Woman Takes Stage to Find Bathroom — An apparently intoxicated woman climbed on stage during a recent Signature Theatre production in Shirlington, made her way backstage and asked a cast member for directions to the bathroom. [Playbill]

Spout Run Closure — The eastbound lanes of the Spout Run Parkway will be completely closed from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today for road paving. No detours will be in place and “alternative routes should be used,” according to the National Park Service.

Arlington Murder to Be Featured on TV Show — This coming Sunday, at 10 p.m., the show “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” on Investigation Discovery will feature the 2012 homicide of Mack L. Woods Sr. in Arlington. [Patch]

Charleys Now Open in Pentagon City — A Charleys Philly Steaks restaurant is now open in the food court of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall food court. “Charleys brings a unique experience to the food court with its grilled-fresh-in-front-of-you flavor,” the company said in a press release.

Food Truck Stops Taking Cash — The Lemongrass food truck, which frequents Arlington, has decided to stop accepting cash. The truck now only takes credit and debit cards. [Washington Post]

Why Arlington Went to Paper Ballots — Arlington reintroduced paper ballots this year after dumping its electronic voting machines. Why did it get rid of the more modern tech? The WINVote system was found to be grossly insecure and the touchscreen devices were dubbed the “worst voting machines” in America. [Wired]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

ACPD to Drivers: Don’t Stop in a Bike Lane

By ARLnow.com

Blocked bike lane in Courthouse (photo via arlingtonbikelaneblockers.tumblr.com)

The Arlington County Police Department is reminding drivers not to stop in bike lanes.

The department tweeted a cheeky “bike safety tip” flyer (below) with a simple flow chart this afternoon. The chart asks: can I stop in a bike lane? If you are riding a bike, the answer is yes — if you are not, the answer is no.

The flyer encourages those who see a bike lane hazard to call the Arlington public safety non-emergency line at 703-558-2222.

Photo (top) via arlingtonbikelaneblockers.tumblr.com

Fumes Close Dept. of Human Services Offices

By ARLnow.com

Sequoia Plaza Dept. of Human Services building (photo via Arlington County)One of the buildings used by Arlington’s Dept. of Human Services is closed today due to construction-related fumes.

Earlier this morning the fire department was called to the Stambaugh Human Services Center Building at 2100 Washington Blvd — also known as Sequoia Plaza building one — to investigate “strong fumes” that were making some employees feel ill.

Firefighters determined that the fumes were coming from an epoxy floor sealant.

DHS spokesman Kurt Larrick said the following DHS offices will be remain closed Monday but are expected to reopen tomorrow:

  • Housing Assistance Services, including Housing Grant, Housing Choice Voucher and Real Estate Tax Relief programs
  • Community Assistance Bureau and Public Assistance Bureau services
  • Public Health clinics
  • Child and family services and aging and disability services (All hotlines are still active)

The Arlington Employment Center Resource Room services will be available on the fifth floor of the Arlington Mill Community Center from 1-4 p.m. today, Larrick noted.

Photo via Arlington County

RIP Lenny B. Robinson, the Maryland Batman

By ARLnow.com
1/19

Lenny B. Robinson, the Maryland man who captured national attention after he was pulled over in his “Batmobile” Lamborghini while dressed as the Caped Crusader, has died, according to the Washington Post.

The Post reports that Robinson died after apparently being struck by a car on I-70 Sunday night, after his Batmobile broke down.

Robinson delighted children and adults alike in Arlington two years ago, when he dropped by the Arlington YMCA at 3422 13th Street N. to warn kids about the danger of poison and toxic household items. He was also spotted cruising the streets of Arlington and hanging out in Clarendon after the event.

Robinson was in his early 50s.

Photos courtesy Eddie Paylor Photography

Large Power Outage Reported in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Dominion logoUpdate at 10:30 a.m. — Dominion says power was restored in Crystal City around 10 a.m.

A damaged power line may be to blame for a large power outage in Crystal City this morning.

Power is out to numerous office and apartment buildings, mostly along Crystal Drive. Dominion Power says a failed underground electrical cable is to blame. They hope to have power restored within an hour.

The outage has closed restaurants and offices in the neighborhood, according to Twitter users.

https://twitter.com/rydaka/status/633253420917477378

https://twitter.com/nickohbaby/status/633251058349903872

https://twitter.com/tina_tinaworden/status/633266964224442368

https://twitter.com/BakedSzita/status/633254379462787072

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

A weather station in Fairlington

Arlington No. 1 in Public Transit to D.C. — Among suburban D.C. counties, Arlington has the highest percentage of commuters who travel to the District via public transit. In Arlington, 53 percent of D.C. commuters take public transit, while 36 percent drive alone and 8 percent carpool. Montgomery County was second, with 43 precent of D.C. commuters taking public transit. [WTOP]

Vihstadt Campaign Website Hacked? — County Board member John Vihstadt’s campaign website has apparently been hacked by online porn purveyors and its homepage now displays a profane message. That message is also visible when you search for “John Vihstadt” on Google. Vihstadt was elected to a four year term last November and won’t be up for reelection until 2018. [Twitter – NOT SAFE FOR WORK]

County Ranked Top 50 Event Destination — Arlington County has been ranked No. 36 on a list of the top 50 U.S. localities for meetings and events. The District ranked No. 6 and National Harbor ranked No. 35 on the list, from event software provider Cvent. The ranking “reflects Arlington’s appeal as a vibrant urban destination in the heart of the nation’s capital – one that offers the convenience of downtown D.C. with hotel rates averaging up to 20 percent less,” a county official said. [Arlington County]

Columbia Pike Parking Mishap — A car ran partially over an embankment in a shopping center parking lot at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street on Sunday evening. [Twitter]

Pike Photography Book — “Living Diversity: The Columbia Pike Documentary Project,” has been published by the University of Virginia Press. The book “is the extraordinary result of a team of five insightful and highly skilled photographers and interviewers portraying the contemporary life of people and sites along the exceptionally ethnically-diverse and rapidly-changing Columbia Pike corridor.” The hardcover version is selling for $39.95 on Amazon. [Preservation Arlington]

Adam Gallegos Takes Unlikely Path to Real Estate Success

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Adam Gallegos, Realtor, Real Living | At Home
Phone: 703-627-1255
Email: [email protected]

Adam Gallegos was working for a tech startup when the real estate bug bit.

Gallegos was buying his first home and he decided to do it himself. Handling your own real estate transaction, however, turned out to be pretty complicated. After hitting snag after snag, Gallegos committed himself to putting in the hours of research he needed to get it right.

By the time the deal was done, Gallegos had fallen in love with real estate. He ditched the long office hours of his technology company, got a real estate license and was soon enjoying being out and about, helping people buy and sell homes.

That was ten years ago. Three years later, in 2008, Gallegos got another itch. Entrepreneurial by nature, he left a large real estate firm and founded Arbour Realty.

With Arbour, Gallegos invested less in recruiting other agents to join his firm and more in customer service. Many of his customers were younger, first-time homebuyers, so he focused on education — extensively explaining the home buying process to clients before viewing homes.

“We always start off with, let’s meet at the office, let’s talk about the whole process, let’s talk about anything you have questions about, all your goals,” Gallegos said. “We map out what we’re going to do for those clients, set their expectations correctly, and then do everything we can to exceed those expectations.”

Gallegos also made listening a cornerstone of his business. After each deal closed, he asked for candid feedback from his clients.

“That helped us to improve along the way,” Gallegos said.

Another avenue for client education was his blog. In 2012, Gallegos partnered with ARLnow.com to bring the blog to the entire Arlington community, in the form of his popular Ask Adam column.

“I’d get recognized on the street, it was kind of weird,” he said.

Gallegos still works with first-time homebuyers, but he’s also been working with many of those early clients, who are now second- and third-time homebuyers. The Orange Line condos purchased by those young professionals shortly after the recession have appreciated in value, allowing them to move up to townhouses and single-family homes.

Arbour, meanwhile, was recently acquired by D.C.-based Real Living | At Home. That has allowed Gallegos to focus less on management and get back to being a Realtor first and foremost. He still works out of his Ballston office but can spend more time outside the office, with clients. Plus, the deal has put Real Living | At Home’s resources — including an in-house photographer, videographer and marketing team — at his fingertips.

“When we put a listing on the market, it stands out every time,” Gallegos said.

(This year Gallegos was recognized for leading one of the top real estate teams in the D.C. area by Washingtonian Magazine.)

Gallegos said that while much of his business is north of Route 50, he is seeing interest in south Arlington as a less expensive, “nice alternative market.” That interest has, however, waned just a bit since the cancellation of the streetcar project.

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Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

The heat is back this weekend with temperatures around 90 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. One way to beat the heat: touring open houses, which presumably will have ample air conditioning for your real estate shopping pleasure.

As always, see our real estate section for a full listing of open houses. Here are a few highlights:

arlington-mill812 S. Arlington Mill Drive
2 BD / 1 BA Condominium
Agent: Jamaal Carey, Weichert, Realtors
Listed: $205,000
Open: Saturday from 1-4 p.m.

2643-S.-Walter-Reed-Dr2643 S. Walter Reed Drive
2 BD / 1 BA Condominium
Agent: David Lloyd, Weichert, Realtors
Listed: $315,000
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

1021-Garfield-Street1021 N. Garfield Street
2 BD / 2 BA Condominium
Agent: Rajesh Patel, Ikon Realty
Listed: $689,891
Open: Sunday from 1-3 p.m.

846-Edison-Street846 N. Edison Street
3 BD / 2 BA Single Family Detached
Agent: Keri Shull, Optime Realty LLC
Listed: $724,900
Open: Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

2643-Arlington-Ridge-Road2643 S. Arlington Ridge Road
4 BD / 2 Full, 1 Half BA Single Family Detached
Agent: Virginia Smith, Arlington Realty, Inc.
Listed: $789,000
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

1206-N.-Johnson-Street1206 N. Johnson Street
3 BD / 4 Full, 1 Half BA Townhouse
Agent: Sita Kapur, Arlington Premier Realty
Listed: $1,250,000
Open: Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

UPDATED: McCain Claims Expansion of Cemetery Stalled Due to Possible Bus Facility

By ARLnow.com

Updated map of a 2015 land swap agreement between Arlington County, VDOT and the U.S. Army

(Updated at 5:00 p.m.) Arlington County and VDOT are considering building a bus maintenance facility on the east end of Columbia Pike, according to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

The powerful Arizona Senator sent a letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh on Wednesday urging him to oppose a planned realignment of Columbia Pike that’s being sought by the county. McCain said the alignment would allow construction of the bus facility but would reduce the number of potential interment spaces available to Arlington National Cemetery as it expands to include the former Navy Annex site.

“We should instead pursue an alignment that maximizes the number of interment sites and places restrictions on the remaining property that ensure whatever is built reflects the solemnity of this national cemetery,” McCain wrote. “It would be shameful to have to tell the family of a fallen American hero that there is no space available at Arlington National Cemetery, because rather than expand its grounds, Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Transportation decided to build a bus maintenance facility.”

Flags in at Arlington National Cemetery (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Reardon)The expansion of the cemetery to the Navy Annex grounds, however, requires the federal government and Arlington County to agree to a land swap.

Brian Stout, the county’s federal government liaison, said late Friday afternoon that a bus facility is just one use that’s being considered for the land along a realigned Columbia Pike. There are no concrete plans for such a facility, and a formal planning process will not begin until the land swap takes place, he said.

An Arlington County heritage center and parking for the Air Force Memorial are among the other potential uses for the land, said Stout.

Stout said Arlington County, VDOT and the U.S. Army reached a “verbal agreement” on July 16, outlining a swap that would give the Army 38 acres of interment space for Arlington National Cemetery north of a realigned Columbia Pike.

According to Stout, that that represents a 250 percent increase in burial space provided to the cemetery compared to space that would be available without a land swap. The swap would reduce the footprint of the road network from 23 to 9 acres, and would provide Arlington County with 7.5 acres of land south of the Pike for county use, Stout said.

Stout said it’s incorrect to say that the county is “planning” to build a bus facility on the land, though it is a potential use. He denied that discussion of a bus facility has “stalled” talks with the Army, as McCain claims.

Earlier this year the Arlington County Board approved a $14.2 million project to expand and enhance its Arlington Transit bus facility along S. Eads Street and Route 1. Construction on the project is expected to begin this month and last 18 months.

Despite the large investment, the county notes on the project page that an additional ART facility is needed, especially in order to enhance bus service on Columbia Pike in the wake of the cancellation of the Pike streetcar project.

“The new bus facility will not be large enough to fully house the existing ART fleet, or current plans for fleet expansion, nor will it accommodate additional buses that may be necessary to enhance bus service along Columbia Pike and Crystal City-Pentagon City,” the county says. “Where to add bus maintenance and parking space is one of many County needs being examined by the Community Facilities Study, a broad-based, year-long planning effort launched in January 2015 by the Arlington County Board and the Arlington School Board.”

The full letter from Sen. McCain, after the jump.

Flickr pool photo (bottom) by Jeff Reardon

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