Fall into fun with DC Fray and register for an upcoming league offered at various locations, days and times before spots fill up 🎾.
We’re offering kickball, flag football, softball, soccer, volleyball, bocce, tennis and much more right in Arlington, with additional leagues across Northern Virginia and in D.C.Â
Take a swing at something new or slide into an old favorite pastime. Join as an individual, group of friends, or as a full team.
Secure your spot as leagues fill up fast!
The Arlington County Fair is one of the largest free events on the east coast, and this year, the fair returns bigger and better than ever, August 16-20 at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Park.
Each year, the fair welcomes thousands of local residents for rides and games, and it showcases some of Arlington’s best food, drink, artisans and performers.
The 2023 theme — A Fair for All — reinforces our commitment to providing an inclusive space for everyone. This year we’ve expanded our sensory hours to 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday for greater access for those with sensory sensitivities. We’re also partnering with local organizations to give ride tickets to those in our community with the greatest need. Our complimentary shuttle buses are wheelchair accessible.
For the second year in a row, the fair is offering a night market on Thursday, August 17, and the first 100 shoppers will receive a free Made in Arlington tote bag. While you shop, enjoy the sounds of live music from one of our many live performers. Our pie eating contest takes place Saturday morning and the winners of our competitive exhibits are announced that evening.
Our midway is open daily beginning August 16, and our indoor exhibits open August 18. We encourage visitors to walk or take public transit, but for those that drive and require assistance, we offer a shuttle to the fair from our parking facility.
Learn more at arlingtoncountyfair.us, and we look forward to seeing you at the fair!
This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
Since the days of Florenz Ziegfeild and David Belasco, hopeful performers and audiences alike have harbored glittering dreams of Broadway.
But each one of those dreams begins in regional theater, where performers train and grow, while audiences enjoy the magic of live theater in their own community. Part of the fabric of our area’s rich cultural scene since 1949, Arlington’s Dominion Stage has just announced its’ 2023-2024 season.
Known as the Fairlington Players until re-branding in the late 1980’s, their first production was Ayn Rand’s Night of January 16th, an interactive courtroom drama whose ending depends on the decision of a jury of audience members (the play premiered in January of 1949, of course). Dominion Stage’s website offers a fascinating digital program archive, replete with ads and notices that offer a fascinating window on changing times.
Take a peek at Dominion Stage’s current season, which launched last weekend:
BRUTE FARCE
by Craig Houk
August 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 2023
8 p.m.
Gunston Theatre Two, 2700 S Lang Street, Arlington, VA 22206
Four vengeful, narcissistic actors, with the assistance of a brutish stage manager and a cynical stagehand, abduct and hold captive a theatre critic notorious for shutting down productions and ending careers through his malicious reviews. To confound matters, they intend to carry their plan out during a performance of a show they’re all currently appearing in. Less than an hour before the curtain is due to rise, their scheme begins to quickly unravel; we discover that none of the conspirators are familiar with the actual plan or its designed outcome.
‍
‍MISERY
AÂ thriller by William Goldman based on the novel by Stephen King
Fall 2023
‍Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it, and it does.
TORCH SONG
AÂ dramedy by Harvey Fierstein
Winter 2024
The life of Arnold Beckoff, a torch song-singing, Jewish drag queen living in New York City, is dramatized over the span of the late 1970s and 1980s. Told with a likable, human voice, Torch Song follows Arnold’s odyssey to find happiness in New York. All he wants is a husband, a child, and a pair of bunny slippers that fit, but a visit from his overbearing mother reminds him that he needs one thing more: respect.
‍RENT
‍A musical with book, lyrics, and music by Jonathan Larson
Spring 2024
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.
About Dominion Stage
Dominion Stage will enrich the local arts community by expressing, through live theatrical productions, the different contemporary, traditional, diverse, and historically under-represented stories in our community. Our company will provide an inclusive place for new and continued education and personal development for participants on the stage, in technical roles, and as leaders/administrators behind the scenes.
For more information on the upcoming season, visit the Dominion Stage website.
Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!
Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes.
As of August 7, there are 124 detached homes, 30 townhouses and 139 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 22 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:
819 N. Fillmore Street, 22201 — NOW: $1,750,000 (Reduced $49,000 on 8/3)
5369 8th Road S., 22204 — NOW: $977,985 (Reduced $35,000 on 8/5)
615 N. George Mason Drive, 22203 — NOW: $930,000 (Reduced $45,000 on 8/4)
5205 6th Place S., 22204 — NOW: $839,900 (Reduced $10,000 on 8/4)
3311 Kemper Road, 22206 — NOW: $724,900 (Reduced $15,000 on 8/4)
3650 S. Glebe Road #252, 22202 — NOW: $584,999 (Reduced $15,000 on 8/3)
2100 Langston Blvd. #316, 22201 — NOW: $564,000 (Reduced $25,000 on 8/5)
Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Arlington Realty, Inc.
Help DC Fray and Founders Row pack the backpack and stock the lockers this school year on Thursday, August 10.
You can earn one raffle entry for every three items you donate and enjoy lawn games, free snacks and Lost Boy Cider tastings. Plus, meet with local schools and children’s foundations to get involved.
Pencil us into your schedule to make a difference for underprivileged youth and have some fun while doing it!
This regularly scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Eli Residential channel. Enjoy!
Question: What impact will the new Toll Brothers community have on the Arlington housing market?
Answer: If you have enjoyed my real estate columns over the years, I would greatly appreciate your vote for Arlington Magazine’s Best Of Arlington, Real Estate Agent (in the Home section) and encourage you to support all of your favorite Arlington businesses with a meaningful vote!
Toll Brothers will open sales of 40 new single-family homes at The Grove at Dominion Hills very soon (projected by this fall) starting in the $1.9Ms (really $2M) and I suspect most of the homes will have a final price tag of $2.1M-$2.3M.
All 40 homes will not be available at once, rather they’ll be released in phases based on the pace of sales, but the addition of these homes to the market will have a significant impact on the supply of new construction homes in Arlington and I expect will put downward pressure on the price of new builds under ~$2.6M.
The Grove Will Be a Big Percentage of New Construction Supply
Arlington has averaged just over 95 new homes sold per year since 2018 (per MLS, which includes most but not all new homes sold) so even if it takes two years for Toll Brothers to release all 40 home sites, those homes will represent a significant percent increase in the supply of new homes in Arlington.
If you look at the sales of comparably priced homes ($2M-$2.4M), The Grove will bring an increase of 60-70% more new builds to market over the next 18-24 months (assuming that’s the timeframe they release all 40 home sites within).
Most new homes in Arlington are located in the 22207 zip code, with 52% of new home sales (275 of 524) since 2018. The Grove is in the 22205 zip code and while it’s just 1.5 miles from 22207 and 22205 also commands premium pricing and shares many of the same characteristics as the 22207 zip code, there’s no data to support whether or not the 22205 market is prepared to absorb 40 new homes at this price point. Of the 73 new homes sold in 22205 since 2018, just seven have closed at or above $2.1M — one more is under contract and three are for sale.
And New Homes Are Already in a Softer Sub-Market
Adding that kind of supply to any market is bound to put downward pressure on prices, but I have no doubt that the market would happily gobble up dozens of 2,500-4,000 SqFt homes in the $1M-$1.5M+ range. However when you get into the 5,000+ SqFt market (I imagine most of the 40 homes will finish with 4,500-5,000+ SqFt) and in the $2M-$2.5M range, you enter into that is already pretty well balance between buyers and sellers, softer than the rest of the housing market, without the inventory from The Grove.
The first chart, courtesy of Altos Research, shows the percentage of homes with a price reduction in the “upper” price range of the Arlington single-family home market, which The Grove community will fall within. Notice the upward trend of price reductions this year highlighted by ~30% of homes reducing price this spring compared to previous spring markets with just 20-25% of homes with a price reduction.
I have seen this play out anecdotally as well with more new builds reducing the asking price or accepting larger discounts from ask than in years past. I would expect this trend to continue as the market adjusts to the Toll Brothers inventory rolling in later this year and in 2024-25.
The Months of Supply (MoS) chart below, a good measure of supply and demand where higher MoS suggests a market more favorable for buyers, shows us that the market for homes with 5,000+ SqFt is very much in balance between buyers and sellers, with about six Months of Supply. Most housing economists say that six MoS is a balanced market, below six favors sellers, and above six favors buyers. For comparison, the overall Arlington market measured 1.4 MoS in Q2 2023.
So this chart tells us that unless demand picks up sharply for large homes, the extra supply added by Toll Brothers will likely push this sub-market (~5,000+ SqFt) into a buyer’s market.
Local/Smaller Builders Will Bear the Burden
Most likely, none of this will matter to Toll Brothers and it will be a problem for their competition (everybody else building in Arlington) to bear. Toll Brothers can afford to wait for premium buyers longer than smaller builders can, Toll Brothers has an exceptionally efficient and proficient sales machine including full-time sales staff, model homes, and a nationally recognized brand, and Toll Brothers can offer incentives smaller builders can’t compete with, most notably through the Toll Brothers mortgage company.
If I was a builder in Arlington, I would be careful over the next couple of years on projects in the $2M-$2.5M range with tight margins.
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].
If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.
Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Eli Residential channel.
Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C A
Looking for a reliable childcare in Arlington?
Explore LadyBug Academy — a full-day preschool and daycare — at its Open House on Saturday, August 26!
As a preschool that specializes in providing early childhood education to young children, ages 6 weeks to 5 years old, LadyBug Academy utilizes the Reggio Emilia approach, which emphasizes children’s innate curiosity, creativity and ability to generate powerful ideas.
The teachers are dedicated to fostering a collaborative and hands-on learning environment, where children can actively participate in the learning process, and develop their own understanding of the world around them.
The new facility in Arlington has a capacity of 67 children, with onsite parking, and an outdoor playground — becoming an attractive, reliable option for childcare in the surrounding community. LadyBug Academy still has spots available for the upcoming fall 2023 registration.
LadyBug Academy started as a small, in-home daycare in North Arlington.
Since its inception, Aleksandra Razavi, the owner and founder, has maintained her commitment to providing an enriching and diverse learning environment for children in the Arlington and Merrifield communities. Ten years later, following a tremendous success in Merrifield, LadyBug Academy is accepting enrollment for its third location in Arlington Courthouse.
Be sure to sign up for the LadyBug Academy Open House.
This column is written by the team at Arrowine & Cheese (4508 Cherry Hill Road). Sign up for the email newsletter and receive exclusive discounts and offers. Order from Arrowine’s expanding online store for curbside pickup or in-store shopping. Have a question? Email thenose@
Are you looking for something fun to do on Sunday? How about tasting some phenomenal French Wines? Let’s meet at Arrowine.
On Sunday, August 6th, from 1-4 p.m., don’t miss a special Super Tasting with wines from the award-winning Vintage ’59 Imports portfolio! Specializing in wines from quality family-owned wineries in France’s top wine regions, they’ve now added truly exciting family wineries from Italy and California!
By Reservation only. Attendance is limited to ensure a great experience. All attendees must be 21 and possess a valid picture ID.
Additional details:
Cost: There is no charge for this tasting event!Â
Discounts: Tasting discounts are “on”! Every wine you taste will be ON SALE during the event, at least 10% off the regular price. We’ll have wine available for purchase, and if you want more than we have available, discounts will apply to tasting wines you order during the event, too!
This event will be popular. Please e-mail us at [email protected] and let us know you plan to attend. Please include the following information:
We will be sure to confirm all reservations by e-mail. If attending, we will add you to our e-mail list that announces special events and sales.
We look forward to seeing you!
Doug Rosen
This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.
By John V. Berry, Esq.
Approximately 20,000 federal employees are subject to disciplinary actions a year. Our nationwide federal employee lawyers represent federal employees in these disciplinary cases. Each disciplinary action defense is different and legal assistance is necessary by attorneys familiar with federal employment law.
Disciplinary Process for Federal Employees
There are various types of disciplinary actions for federal employees. These can include letters of counseling, reprimands, suspensions, demotions, and removals. For most serious disciplinary actions, referred to as adverse actions (usually removals), a federal employee will first receive a notice of the proposed discipline and the opportunity to respond. A proposal will typically have an explanation of the conduct or issues leading to the proposed disciplinary action.
If a federal employee is issued a notice of proposed disciplinary action, they will have the opportunity to contest it before it becomes final. Most permanent federal employees (past their probationary period) are entitled to due process. A federal employee can choose to provide a written response, an oral response, or both. We often recommend providing both oral and written responses.
Request Disciplinary Materials
In most disciplinary cases, it is important for federal employees to request all of the materials that have been relied upon by the agency in proposing the discipline. Sometimes they are attached to the proposal, and other times they must be requested. We request these materials before responding on behalf of federal employees at the beginning of a case.
Draft a Written Response
It is important to prepare a full written response to the allegations in proposed disciplinary cases. These responses are typically 5 to 20 pages in length, depending on the underlying facts and number of charges. Most written responses are typically due anywhere from 7 to 30 days after a proposal is given to a federal employee. The written response will address the alleged charges of misconduct or performance and any relevant mitigating factors (also known as the Douglas factors). In our responses, we also attach available evidence that contradicts the charges. Additionally, we attach declarations, affidavits, good performance records, character support letters, and other helpful exhibits.
Presenting the Oral Response
The oral response portion of a federal employee’s response can be very important. While written responses can be key in refuting specific allegations, there is something very important about personally meeting with the Deciding Official that will make the decision. We think that in serious cases, oral responses can make a significant difference in outcomes. We represent federal employees during oral responses. Typically, during an oral response, the federal employee, their attorney, and the Deciding Official (often with their counsel) will be present. The attorney and federal employee will get a chance to argue against the disciplinary action directly to the decision maker. After the oral response, there is usually a few weeks to a few months until a decision is made on the proposed discipline.
Appeals from Disciplinary Decisions
If an unjust disciplinary decision is sustained by a federal agency, there are various options for federal employees to appeal further. If serious enough, an individual can appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Other potential appeals can include filing Equal Employment Opportunity complaints or whistleblower appeals, where applicable. There are also a number of other types of appeals that may be brought, but legal advice is important when making such decisions.
Conclusion
When a federal employee receives or anticipates a proposed disciplinary action, it is important to have an attorney represent or advise them from the beginning. Our lawyers represent federal employees nationwide in all types of federal employee discipline. We can be contacted at www.berrylegal.com or by telephone at (703) 668-0070.
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Doran Shemin, Esq., and Janice Chen, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
Norway is a lovely country. Just ask former President Trump, who famously contrasted Norway with other, (allegedly) less pleasant countries, and publicly wished for more Norwegian immigrants to the United States.
In one of life’s little ironies, we seem to be getting what he asked for. According to data recently released by the Department of Justice, Norway is… a hotbed of successful asylum claims!
Per this data, in FY2023, U.S. immigration courts adjudicated 462 asylum claims by Norwegians, 293 of which were granted — a fantastic grant rate, at over 63%. This would put Norwegians ahead of North Koreans (13%), Sudanese (41%), Venezuelans (33%), and Afghans (55%).
Gentle reader: Greet these claims with heavy skepticism.
The data set is extraordinary. It contains so many puzzling elements that we have difficulty in interpreting it. Here is the snippet which includes Niger through Pakistan:
Per this data, no one was granted asylum from Nigeria or Niger during the six months examined — but 59 cases from Niger were disposed of via other methods. Per this data, 148 people applied for asylum from North Korea during the six months examined, but North Koreans were twice as likely to lose than to win asylum. Per this data, Norway is one of the most likely countries in the world from which to win asylum. (Only Nepal and Egypt stand out as bigger winners among medium-sized countries.)
It is conceivable that much of this data is accurate. (For example, North Koreans are very likely to have received refugee status in South Korea, thereby making them presumptively ineligible for asylum in the United States, if they later try to claim it.) However, there are too many howlers for us to trust the data set. It’s not just Norway — it’s Sweden (grant rate: 47%) and Slovakia (grant rate: 56%).
We would also like to point out that the Heard and McDonald Islands are not a country at all. It is administered by Australia. Its population is zero, except for seals and seabirds. Why is it on this chart?
Another strange entry: the nation of “Upper Volta” changed its name to Burkina Faso in 1984. (Burkina Faso is listed separately.)
Data sets often contain more truth than fiction even when apparently anomalous. But this data set is too strange to be credited. In addition, EOIR’s reputation for data tracking does not give us reason to credit these apparently surprising results.
We are not the only ones who have noticed these peculiarities. We call on EOIR to release the source data for these materials, correct the data as necessary, and provide background on its sources and methods. This data matters — not just to lawyers and judges, but to asylum applicants, who frequently are in the dark about how long their cases will take and what their odds of success are.
As always, we welcome your comments and will do our best to respond.
This article was written by Adam Henry, CEcD, EDP, Senior Business Development Manager for Arlington Economic Development.
In April 2023, the Arlington County Board approved $1 million in funding for the Arlington Innovation Fund.
The goals of this program are to increase access to early-stage funding for tech startups through technical support and grant funding, and also to support local and regional programming that focuses on the tech ecosystem in Arlington and Northern Virginia. Due to the changing landscape in the U.S. economy with remote work, inflation, and economic pressure in the venture capital industry, AED created this fund to fundamentally transform the way we assist early-stage startups by providing resources and programming to help Arlington’s tech ecosystem thrive.
Since approval of the funding, AED staff has been working diligently to complete the design and implementation of the program. The new program is comprised of two components — Catalyst Grants and the Ecosystem Support Fund.
Catalyst Grants
Catalyst Grants will help increase funding for early-stage technology startups through technical assistance and non-dilutive, co-investment grants to help companies extend their funding and gain access to larger venture capital rounds to expand their customer base, employment and operations.
Startups applying for this program must be Arlington-based technology startups that have raised a minimum of $25,000 and up to $500,000 in funding. This is a competitive grant process with the following base eligibility requirements:
Applications for the Catalyst Grants will open in the coming weeks, those interested in the program can sign up to receive updates as they are announced.
Ecosystem Support Fund
The Ecosystem Support Fund is a discretionary tool for Arlington Economic Development to support local and regional programming and strategic initiatives focused on advancing the local and regional technology ecosystem. The goal of this fund is to boost local programming for the startup community and raise Arlington’s profile as a nationally recognized tech ecosystem.
Arlington Economic Development is excited to expand our services to the startup business community through the Arlington Innovation Fund. This unique approach will allow AED to better serve the tech ecosystem and foster the growth of tech startups allowing them to flourish as office users, employers and taxpayers in the Arlington community.
