News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A house set to be torn down and replaced with new construction in North Arlington (staff photo)

Shots Fired Investigation in Green Valley — From the Arlington County Police Department: “ACPD is investigating the report of shots heard in the area of 25th Street S. and S. Kenwood Street. At this time, no injuries have been reported. Police remain on scene investigating and a police helicopter is assisting with an aerial search of the area.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Local Statements on Tyre Nichols — Both the Arlington County Police Department and Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti issued statements over the weekend following the release of video showing the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers. [Twitter, Twitter]

Candidate Wants Missing Middle Referendum — “Candidate Natalie Roy said Jan. 26 that if County Board members enact Missing Middle housing changes in the spring as currently anticipated, the public should be asked to authorize the changes in a November referendum… In Virginia, getting an advisory referendum of this type on the ballot is complicated at best, impossible at worst.” [Sun Gazette, Patch]

Planetarium Back Open — A celebration of the reopening of Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium, after an overhaul and a nearly three-year closure, was held on Saturday. [NBC 4]

Origin of Arlington’s Name — “Today, the Arlington Heights folks, says Murawski, would like to “dispel the rumor that we were named after” that long-gone earl (also called Baron Arlington). He put me in touch with Craig Chapman, chairman of the Bibury Parish Council, who knows the subject. Chapman assured me that his study of the 370-year association between our two hometowns shows no link to the other two British Arlingtons, only Bibury’s.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Beaver Family Near Roosevelt Island — From the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail: “We discovered a family of beavers has built a lodge near our volunteer location tomorrow near TR Island. Volunteer with us tomorrow to improve the trail and maybe see a beaver up close.” [Twitter]

Wakefield Wins Track Meets — “By wide margins and with multiple first-place finishers, the Wakefield Warriors won both the girls and boys Arlington County indoor track and field championships. The girls amassed 125 points in the high-school meet at Thomas Jefferson Middle School to win by 79 points over the Washington-Liberty Generals. The Wakefield boys scored 123 and won by 77.5 over the runner-up Yorktown Patriots.” [Sun Gazette]

Va. Sens. Support D.C. Statehood — “It’s a bill that is going absolutely, positively nowhere this two-year session of Congress, but Virginia’s two U.S. senators have signed up as cosponsors of a measure giving statehood to a portion of the District of Columbia.” [Sun Gazette]

It’s Monday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 56 and low of 41. Sunrise at 7:17 am and sunset at 5:28 pm. [Weather.gov]

Workers laying foundation for new ART bus facility in Green Valley

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

(Updated 3:40 p.m.) Work is ramping up on a new Arlington County bus maintenance building and parking garage in Green Valley.

Crews are set to wrap up laying the foundation for the Arlington Transit (ART) Operations and Maintenance Facility at the end of this month, says Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Alyson Jordan Tomaszewski.

“The facility will perform regular preventive bus maintenance, repairs and other unscheduled maintenance work,” per a project webpage. “It also will include administration and operations functions and parking for buses and staff.”

Then, passers-by may notice a crawler crane on site, which will be used to install steel columns. That work is set to last until sometime in March, according to the project webpage.

Meanwhile, work on the foundation of the parking garage is planned to start at the end of January, she says.

Construction began in June 2022 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2024.

“We have experienced both weather and supply chain delays with the ART Operations and Maintenance Facility,” she said. “However, we are still on track for completion in fall 2024. To mitigate the supply chain issue, we are expediting material approval and procurement as best we can.”

The Green Valley Civic Association welcomes the new facility.

“The county used to park about 60 ART buses right in Jennie Dean Park, next to the basketball court,” Robin Stombler, community-affairs chair of the civic association, tells ARLnow. “Moving the buses into a new operations facility adjacent to I-395 is not only a welcome change, but should mitigate noise and light disturbances on the residential community.”

Still, the civic association has some lingering concerns.

“We were vocal on the need for improved environmental conditions. This meant a state-of-the-art facility outfitted for a future electric bus fleet, better stormwater management and bioretention ponds, and lit signage that does not face the residential part of Green Valley,” Stombler said.

“The new county bus campus will house a staff-only, multi-story parking garage,” she continued. “We need some creative thinking to make sure this amenity is shared with the rest of the neighborhood.”

Next door, the general manager of the Cubesmart storage facility tells ARLnow that the county has “been very sensitive to the fact that we have traffic flowing in and out of there and has done great job keeping the road clean.”

The Cubesmart opened a second facility near the construction site back in March 2021. Between the original building, now “The Annex,” and the new building, there are nearly 2,400 storage units, she said.

This construction project follows on the heels of other recently completed ones in the Green Valley neighborhood, aimed at realizing a community vision of an arts and industry hub. The new John Robinson, Jr. Town Square, with a towering sculpture, as well as the renovated Jennie Dean Park opened with great fanfare this spring.

The County Board approved the purchase of the three parcels in Green Valley to build the ART facilities back in 2018.

“This project is essential for ART’s long-term sustainability and will address the current and future needs for parking, operations and maintenance of the County’s growing ART bus fleet,” according to the project webpage. “ART has significantly increased its number of routes and hours of service during the past 10 years and plans to continue growing during the next 20 years, supported by a fleet of more than 100 buses.”

The total cost to buy the land, plan and design the project and construct it is $81.2 million.

Work hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Friday, with some weekend work occurring between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.

This article was updated to add comments from the Green Valley Civic Association.

Del. Hope files legislation to exempt scouting troops from personal property taxes

By Jo DeVoe
Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (via Wikimedia Commons)

Local Boy Scouts of America and Girls Scouts troops in Virginia may get some tax relief — if a local lawmakers succeeds in modifying the state constitution.

Inspired by the testimony of one Arlington Boy Scout, Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) has introduced legislation that would exempt property owned and used by the organization “solely for the purpose of supporting” troops from personal property taxes.

The organizations would join other nonprofits that also enjoy this status, including museums, churches, the YMCA and similar religious groups.

Last September, Boy Scout Troop 167 member Griffin Crouch told the Arlington County Board that his troop was saddled with $3,000 in personal property taxes on its vans.

He asked them to see if there was a way to get the troop out of this obligation, as it eats up a chunk of the $21,000 budget.

Hope says he read ARLnow’s coverage and decided to try and help.

“I know many Scout troops rely on vehicles for camping trips and backpacking adventures across the state and the country,” Hope said. “Many troops, however, cannot afford other means of transportation to these excursions and owning your own van(s) is an economical way to afford these life-changing experiences.”

Up until last year, Mount Olivet United Methodist Church (1500 N. Glebe Road), near Ballston, officially sponsored Troop 167.

But last summer, the United Methodist Church, the largest supporter of scouting troops, told local churches to stop officially sponsoring local troops. Troops can still use their facilities, however.

Troop 167 member Griffin Crouch addresses the Arlington County Board during its meeting on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022 (via Arlington County)

Troop 167 decided to incorporate a nonprofit to sponsor the troop, but getting 501(c)(3) status and federal tax-exempt status did not protect it from state tax code or Arlington’s personal property tax.

So far, Hope says he’s only aware of Troop 167 facing this dilemma but he filed the resolution expecting other troops will also lose their sponsorship and face similar circumstances.

“More and more troops are going to lose their once enjoyed tax-exempt status and, while localities have the statutory authority to grant narrow exceptions to non-profits, there will be many that will refuse to open that door and, therefore, a state solution through amending the Virginia Constitution is the only available remedy,” he said.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Long Bridge Park at dusk (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Limits to Ranked Choice Voting — “The field may be as many as a half-dozen by the time the dust settles, but for voters in June’s Arlington County Board Democratic primary, there will be some limits on how many candidates one can rank as part of the new instant-runoff process. Technical constraints mean that voters will only be able to select their top three choices, no matter how many candidates emerge, county elections chief Gretchen Reinemeyer confirmed.” [Sun Gazette]

Arlington’s Busiest Battalion Chief — From the Arlington County Fire Department: “The busiest Battalion Chief (BC) for the ACFD in 2022 was Battalion 111 with over 1,000 calls for the year. BC’s are dispatched on all significant incidents to serve in a command capacity. Day to day they manage their battalions which are comprised of multiple fire stations.” [Twitter]

GOP Mainstay Dies at 100 –“In the days before COVID sent public events into lockdown mode for a number of years, Arlington County Republican Committee meetings were made just a little bit sweeter by Clara ‘Delle’ Macrae. A familiar face at GOP meetings, Macrae provided brownies, cookies and refreshments for monthly membership gatherings when they were held at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) building in Ballston for years… Macrae died Jan. 14, having turned 100 years old last summer.” [Sun Gazette]

Yet Another Gun at DCA — “On Wednesday, an Alexandria man was prevented from bringing his 9mm handgun onto his flight. The gun was loaded with 10 bullets… The gun marked the third gun caught at one of the airport security checkpoints within the past week, TSA said. The total number of guns confiscated at Reagan National Airport checkpoints now stands at six in the first 25 days of 2023.” [Patch]

Job Posting Requirement Stats — “Northern Virginia’s employers say they’re flexible about degree requirements for entry-level positions, seemingly opening the door to more community college students and a broader, more diverse talent pool. But their job postings suggest otherwise… 56% required at least a high school diploma or vocational training, while 32% required a bachelor’s degree, 8% an associate’s degree and 4% a graduate degree.” [Washington Business Journal]

Metro Increasing Train Frequency — “Metro announced today that beginning Feb.7, customers on the Blue, Blue + (Yellow Line replacement) and Orange lines will see trains every 12 minutes from 6 – 9 a.m. and 3 – 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday. Beginning Feb. 21, Red Line customers will see trains departing every 8 minutes all day until 9 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday.” [WMATA]

It’s Friday — Clear throughout the day. High of 43 and low of 31. Sunrise at 7:20 am and sunset at 5:25 pm. [Weather.gov]

JUST IN: Armed carjacking reported in Pentagon City after carjacked vehicle crashes nearby

By ARLnow.com
Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) Police are investigating a crash and carjacking that occurred just blocks apart and around the same time, in Pentagon City.

Arlington County police responded to a crash around 9:20 p.m. Thursday night on Route 1 at 12th Street S. The driver fled the scene prior to police arriving and “the investigation determined the involved vehicle had previously been reported stolen in a carjacking in Washington D.C.,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.

Then, a short time later, police were dispatched for reports of a person with a gun on the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street, in front of the Matchbox restaurant at the Pentagon City mall.

From an ACPD crime report published on Friday:

At approximately 9:33 p.m. on January 26, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 9:20 p.m., the male victim was inside his parked vehicle when Suspect One opened his door, brandished a firearm and demanded the vehicle. The victim exited and Suspect One, along with two additional suspects, entered and fled the scene in the vehicle. The stolen vehicle was later recovered in Washington D.C.

Both vehicles involved were said to be BMWs, according to scanner traffic. No injuries were reported.

This is the third carjacking in the Pentagon City and Crystal City area in the past two weeks. A man parked outside of a restaurant on Crystal Drive was carjacked by armed suspects Wednesday night.

A recent mini-rash of student deaths is part of deepening mental health crisis among local youth

By Jo DeVoe
The Arlington Public Schools Syphax Education Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

There has been a mini-spate of deaths and reported suicide attempts among Arlington Public Schools students in the last month, ARLnow has learned.

A middle schooler died after Christmas and a high schooler died in mid-January, according to sources in the school community.

Medics have been dispatched to Arlington schools a number of times since the end of winter break, for suicide attempts, overdoses and other substance abuse issues among students, according to scanner traffic. In one instance, medics were dispatched twice in one day to the same school for reports of suicide attempts through taking pills.

“Based on anecdotal information — reports from principals and Student Services personnel — we do remain concerned about the needs of our students and how they are handling the multiple impacts to their lives and how those are manifesting themselves in some of their choices, behaviors and statements around mental health,” Darrell Sampson, APS Executive Director of Student Services, tells ARLnow.

He couldn’t comment on specific cases, citing privacy concerns.

These incidents are part of a broader trend upward in mental health needs among children. Sampson says during the 2021-22 school year, APS saw a “significantly higher” number of suicide risk assessments compared with the 2020-21 academic year. Meanwhile, clinicians with Arlington County Dept. of Human Services reported seeing more students exhibiting self-harming behaviors.

Generally, he said, school mental health professionals are seeing students struggling to navigate stressful life experiences because they have fewer past social interactions to draw from due to pandemic-era isolation. APS ended in-person learning in the spring of 2020 and resumed in-person instruction for all students midway through the 2021-22 school year.

“You have kids… who have missed out on years of being able to build those resiliency skills and social-emotional competencies through everyday experiences,” he said. “Now, they’re back in school and they’re experiencing the same things our students have always experienced in school — whether that’s struggles with a class, or with friends, or struggles with everyday experiences — and their bag of skills is just not at all [equipped] and when things happen in our lives that are stressful it can impact them in more intense ways.”

Elizabeth Hughes, the senior director for research at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, tells ARLnow mental health is worsening among children in the entire Northern Virginia region. She will be releasing detailed findings next Wednesday.

Some 37% of public high school students experienced recent symptoms of clinical anxiety and depression last winter and 34% reported past-year persistent sadness, according to her forthcoming report.

One in 10 high schoolers seriously contemplated suicide over the past year, with comparably high rates among middle school students. Just under one in two high school students in the region had past or recent mental health needs.

She says the pandemic only accelerated a longer upward trend in anxiety, persistent worry, sadness and loss of interest among teens.

“The [American Academy of Pediatrics] has declared a national emergency around children’s mental health, but the word ’emergency’ feels so much more ephemeral than what we are seeing,” she said. “More youth than ever need help, yes. But this story is so much bigger than the aftershocks of a pandemic.”

(more…)

Arlington seeks funding to increase bus service to Amazon HQ2 via Columbia Pike

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

Arlington County is applying for regional funding to run buses every six minutes between Fairfax County and Amazon’s second headquarters in Pentagon City during peak hours.

The Arlington County Board on Saturday authorized staff to apply for up to $8 million in Northern Virginia Transportation Commission funding. Funding would offset the operating costs associated with running 10 buses per hour during peak times for two years along a new Metrobus route dubbed the 16M, connecting the Skyline complex in the Bailey’s Crossroads area of Fairfax County down Columbia Pike, to Pentagon City and Crystal City.

The report suggests that the county is preparing for an increase in ridership after the opening of the first phase of Amazon’s HQ2, despite work from home trends.

“The 16M service will provide a direct connection to Amazon HQ2 with its first phase of construction (2.1 million square feet of commercial space) coming on-line in Summer/Fall 2023,” per a county report. “This service will also take advantage of the recently built portions of Columbia Pike and [eight] new transit stations located on Columbia Pike.”

But recommendations to increase frequency along this route date back well beyond Amazon’s decision to move into Arlington, says Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Claudia Pors.

She says the request acts on a 2016 study, which “recommended creating a route connecting Skyline with Crystal City through Columbia Pike in anticipation of growth in Crystal City.” That followed the cancellation of the Columbia Pike streetcar project, which would have followed largely the same route.

“The study evaluated ridership forecasting, current service patterns, like bus and seat availability, and travel patterns, like trip lengths, ridership rates and traffic volume in the area to make the recommendation to increase frequency,” Pors said.

Sometime this spring, the new 16M route will begin revenue service with a base frequency of buses every 12 minutes during the service day.  The new route will replace existing 16G/H service.

Pors said the average weekday ridership for the last four-and-a-half years along the 16G/H line peaked at a little over 4,500 average weekday riders before Covid, and is now about 60% recovered compared to pre-pandemic levels.

(more…)

Arlington to kick off variable-price parking pilot along two Metro corridors

By Jo DeVoe
Parking along 13th Street S. in Pentagon City near Amazon’s second headquarters in 2019 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Next month, Arlington County will hold a community event to kick off a three-year parking pilot program that prices parking by demand in a few highly trafficked corridors.

This is the first official step forward since the Arlington County Board accepted a $5.4 million grant from the Virginia Dept. of Transportation for the “performance parking” program.

The pilot would electronically monitor parking space usage alter parking prices based on the day, time and the number of people competing for a metered parking space along the Rosslyn-Ballston and Crystal City-Pentagon City corridors. It would also give drivers real-time information on spot availability and price.

In the meeting description, Arlington County says the three-year pilot project could “improve the user experience for metered parking spaces in two key commercial and residential corridors in Arlington.”

“Join the project team for a Community Kick-Off meeting to learn more about the pilot project, the technology we’ll be using to inform the project, and share your input on the pilot project’s goals to help us understand your priorities for metered parking spaces in the Rosslyn-Ballston and Route 1 corridors,” per the website.

According to the event page, meeting attendees will be able to:

  • Learn about the pilot’s background and purpose
  • Get briefed on the status of metered parking in the two Metrorail corridors
  • Learn what technology will be used and what data will be collected, and how this will inform the project’s next steps
  • Get a first look at a demonstration site

Arlington County Board members approved the program in late 2020 after hashing out concerns from some opponents about how this would impact people with lower incomes. Members were convinced by the case staff made that lower-income people are less likely to have one or more cars and could save money on parking by choosing to park on less-popular streets and for shorter time periods.

Ultimately, however, the pilot project is intended to sort out these concerns and “map out any mitigations that are necessary,” parking planner Stephen Crim said at the time.

Project proponent Chris Slatt said at the time that variable-price parking ensures that spots are generally available where and when people want them. He pointed to the city of San Francisco, which found that the program made it easier for people to find parking. This reduced double parking, improved congestion and lowered greenhouse gas emissions.

An online Q&A about the project lists as goals, “Drivers spend less time looking for on-street parking” and “Vehicle miles travelled resulting from on-street parking search or ‘cruising’ are reduced.” That will come at a cost, though, as parking rates are increased in busy areas.

The virtual community kick-off meeting will be held Thursday, Feb. 23 from 7-8:30 p.m.

NEW: Man carjacked last night outside of Crystal City restaurant

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A man was carjacked by armed suspects in Crystal City last night.

The crime happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday along the 2200 block of Crystal Drive, in front of a row of restaurants. It’s the third reported carjacking in Arlington in two weeks and the second in Crystal City, specifically.

“The male victim was inside his parked vehicle when the suspect vehicle, with three unknown male suspects inside, pulled alongside him,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “Suspect One allegedly displayed a firearm from within the suspect vehicle as Suspect Two approached the victim and demanded his vehicle. The victim exited his vehicle and Suspect Two entered and fled the scene in the stolen vehicle with the suspect vehicle following.”

“Responding officers canvassed the area yielding negative results,” the crime report continues. “No injuries were reported. During the course of the investigation, the stolen vehicle was recovered in Prince George’s County, MD.”

The three suspects remain at large. The stolen vehicle was a 2017 BMW, according to public safety watcher Alan Henney.

Pentagon City theft suspect was out on bond after alleged BB gun shooting in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
Metro Transit Police SUV (file photo)

A 32-year-old man is in jail after being arrested for a second time in less than a month.

Necho Taylor, a D.C. resident, was initially arrested the night of Friday, Dec. 23, after he allegedly shot a woman with a BB gun while riding an escalator at the Rosslyn Metro station. Taylor was taken into custody by Metro Transit Police outside of the Clarendon Metro station, after attempting to flee from officers, and the gun was found in his coat, according to an arrest report.

Taylor spent Christmas in the Arlington County jail on a felony malicious wounding charge but was released on bond by a judge on Dec. 28, according to court records. He is also facing a felony conspiracy charge and a citation for resisting arrest in connection to the case.

The motive for the BB gun shooting was unclear. The victim was treated for an arm injury at Virginia Hospital Center, per the Metro Transit Police arrest report.

Three weeks after being released on bond, Taylor was back in Arlington. Police say he entered a business on the 1000 block of S. Hayes Street — which corresponds with the Macy’s in Pentagon City — and, around noon, fled with stolen merchandise.

He was spotted by Arlington officers and led them on a brief foot pursuit before being taken into custody, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

More from ACPD:

GRAND LARCENY (Significant), 2023-01180108, 1000 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 12:04 p.m. on January 18, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect had entered the business, selected merchandise and attempted to exit without payment. A loss prevention officer confronted the suspect and he fled the scene on foot. A suspect description was broadcast and responding officers located him walking in the area. An officer gave the suspect commands which he refused to follow and fled the scene on foot. Following a brief foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody. Necho Taylor, 32, of Washington, DC was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny and Obstruction of Justice. He was held without bond.

Taylor previously was sentenced to 5 months in jail in Arlington in 2016, for petty larceny, according to court records. He’s currently in the county jail awaiting his next court hearing on Feb. 23, records show.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A local bird mid-chomp (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

Park Booze Expansion Approved — “Arlington County Board members on Jan. 21 added two additional local parks – Penrose Square and Long Bridge Park – to those where alcohol can be sold and consumed during special events. Such temporary sales already had been allowed for events at Fort C.F. Smith Park, Gateway Park and Clarendon Central Park, if approved by a county-government committee that oversees the issuance of special-event permits.” [Sun Gazette]

Court Security Stops Man With Gun — “The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office stopped an individual from entering the courthouse with a fully loaded, concealed Smith & Wesson .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol on Jan. 17. The individual reported to the Arlington County Courthouse for a court hearing in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations court, when deputies spotted the gun in the checkpoint X-ray machine. The handgun was loaded with seven bullets and located in the individual’s bag.” [ACSO]

Rosslyn Office Building Sold at Discount — From Bisnow’s Ethan Rothstein: “A big haircut for a very sophisticated player on a Class-A building… This building, at 1776 Wilson Blvd., sold for $90M when it was 90% leased in 2014. It’s now 82% leased and sold for less than $60M.” [Twitter, Bisnow]

New Kids Playspace at DCA — “At Reagan National Airport… a new children’s playspace will pique pre-flight imagination. National Children’s Museum — a learn-through-play institution in downtown Washington, D.C., that sparks curiosity through science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) exhibits and programs — has partnered with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and The Boeing Company to open Curiosity Runway, a children’s playspace inside of Reagan National Airport.” [MWAA]

It’s Thursday — Partly cloudy but breezy throughout the day. High of 51 and low of 37. Sunrise at 7:21 am and sunset at 5:24 pm. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

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