News

New Coronavirus Cases in Arlington Continue to Steadily Rise

By ARLnow.com

The growth of new COVID-19 cases in Arlington doesn’t appear to be going down — though it doesn’t seem to be accelerating either.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 865 known coronavirus cases in Arlington and 157 reported hospitalizations. That’s up from 625 cases and 114 hospitalizations a week ago, and from 836 cases and 144 hospitalizations on Monday.

The number of new cases over the trailing 7-day period is up modestly since last week. As of today there have been 272 new cases reported over the past 7 days, compared to 235 a week ago.

While newly-confirmed cases are still being added to it, the statewide coronavirus stats show — for now — a plateau in the number of cases when sorted by the week in which the illness began.

The latest Virginia Dept. of Health data shows 14,339 reported COVID-19 cases, plus 2,165 hospitalizations, 492 deaths and 82,753 people testest statewide.

Some Virginia officials, meanwhile, are calling on the state to release more specific information about outbreaks at long-term care facilities. Such a move would follow the lead of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who ordered the state to reveal where such outbreaks have taken place.

Thus far state and Arlington County health officials have refused to release such data.

“The Public Health Division does not provide information on reportable diseases on less than a county level,” and Arlington Dept. of Human Services spokesman previously told ARLnow. “This is due to health care privacy laws and also because we believe that all geographic areas of Arlington County currently are at risk of disease transmission.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Board Defends COVID-19 Response — “Arlington leaders continue to push back against accusations they could be doing more to address the COVID-19 crisis within the county’s 26 square miles. A number of civic-activists used the public-comment period of the County Board’s April 25 meeting (held ‘virtually’ after the government received state authority to do so) to rap officials for not imposing more aggressive regulation of daily life.” [InsideNova]

More Contributions for Small Biz Grant Fund — “The Arlington County Industrial Development Authority has joined Arlington Economic Development’s (AED) efforts to help small businesses… [The authority] approved a contribution of $326,000 of its own funding. Together with the $674,000 of funding from the County, and the recently announced contributions of $100,000 each by the Crystal City and Rosslyn Business Improvement Districts, total GRANT program funding has reached $1.2 million.” [Arlington County, Rosslyn BID]

Ballston Hotel Donates Rooms to Healthcare Workers — “The Ballston BID is collaborating with local organizations to coordinate free accommodations at the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston for essential healthcare workers in the community. Chesapeake Hospitality, which manages the Ballston-based Holiday Inn on North Fairfax, is donating a complimentary block of 50 rooms per day… to frontline medical staff, their families, and those most vulnerable within the community.” [Press Release]

Arlington Gets Okay Social Distancing Marks — “Falls Church has a C+, Fairfax County has a C and Arlington gets a B- in social distancing grades from @Unacast. Virginia’s grade is D- and the U.S. as a whole gets a D+.” [Falls Church News-Press, Twitter]

New Deputy Chief for ACPD — “Arlington County Police Chief M. Jay Farr is pleased to announce the appointment of Captain Adrienne Quigley to the position of Deputy Chief of Police, effective Sunday, May 10, 2020. Deputy Chief Quigley will assume command of the Systems Management Division at a later date.” [Arlington County]

Historic Home and Huge Lot Not for Sale, Yet — “Long coveted by developers and planners for schools and parks, the home built just after the Civil War has stirred interest since the death in 2017 of owner Randy Rouse, the homebuilder and equestrian. But his widow still lives in the home. And this week, it appears that some speculation on marketing the house was premature, the chances that the county could purchase it almost nil.” [Falls Church News-Press]

COVID Case Shuts Down Credit Union Branch — “The Arlington Community Federal Credit Union is closing one of their branches after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, the credit union announced Monday morning.” [Patch]

Bankruptcy for Hair Cuttery, Bubbles — “Ratner Cos., the Vienna-based parent company of hair salon chains including the Hair Cuttery, Bubbles and Cielo, has filed for bankruptcy protection after closing more than 80 locations across the country in March. The company and related entities, including Creative Hairdressers Inc., filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.” [Washington Business Journal]

Flickr pool photo by Lisa Novak

Arlington Still Charging Late Fees, Sending Letters Threatening to Turn Off Water Service

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is still sending letters threatening to turn off the water service of delinquent utility customers, though it actually stopped the practice last month amid the coronavirus outbreak.

On March 16 the Virginia State Corporation Commission ordered utility providers to stop disconnections of electricity, gas, water and sewer utility services as a result of the public health emergency. The next day Arlington announced that it was suspending water shut offs.

“Arlington County will not shut off any customer’s water service for non-payment, effective March 17,” the county government said. “This is to ensure access to safe, clean water during the coronavirus outbreak.”

But delinquency notices sent to homeowners whose water bills have not been paid have continued to list a “turn off date” and threaten that “water service is subject to be turned off without further notice.” The county has also continued assessing late fees.

In response to questions from ARLnow, Arlington officials say that is going to change.

“We are in the process of suspending the application of late fees and charges, including the mailing of delinquency notices,” Utility Billing and Customer Service Manager Kevin Connolly told ARLnow in a statement Friday afternoon.

“This change will be effective for the upcoming billing cycle. Residents who received a delinquency notice in April and are unable to pay their County utility bill should speak with the DES Contact Center at 703-228-5000, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” Connolly said. “You may be eligible for special payment arrangements without accrual of additional late fees. Arlington County understands that this is a difficult time for many residents and will not shut off any customer’s water service for non-payment during the outbreak.”

An automated message on the customer service phone line informs callers that water disconnections have been suspended.

Connolly said the county will work with those who can’t pay water, sewer and trash bills, encouraging them to call the customer service line at 703-228-5000.

“As a relief from the economic hardship that any of our customers are enduring as a result of COVID-19 events, the County has also expanded eligibility to our payment arrangement program, where customers can negotiate the payment of their bills in installments,” he said. “This program is available to any of our customers experiencing economic hardship.”

Water disconnections are suspended “until further notice,” Connolly said.

New Senior Living Facility Along Lee Highway Approved

By ARLnow.com
1/4

The Arlington County Board has voted unanimously to approve a new, 175-unit assisted living facility along Lee Highway.

The elder care center will replace a handful of single-family homes on a large parcel of property at the corner of Lee Highway and N. Taylor Street. In addition to more homes for seniors in need of memory care and assisted living services, the project includes environmentally-conscious features and a new 10,000+ square foot public open space.

It was approved despite some opposition from those in nearby townhomes and a condo building.

“Residents from Tazewell Place, a townhouse development located directly to the south of the site, have expressed concerns regarding parking along Lee Highway, light pollution, noise pollution and construction,” noted a county staff report. “Residents from Yorktown Condominium building directly to the west of the site have noted concerns regarding the rezoning request and also parking and traffic on Lee Highway.”

Plans for the facility were first reported in early 2019. Its approval at the Board’s Saturday meeting was made possible by zoning changes, allowing elder care facilities in more parts of the county, that were approved unanimously this past December.

More on the project and its approval from an Arlington County Press release:

The Board approved a plan for an assisted living facility, Artis Senior Living, at the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Taylor Street, in the Waverly Hills neighborhood. The six-story, 175-unit facility will include 80 units for memory care and 95 for assisted living, and a parking garage with 112 spaces. The project’s architecture will embrace biophilic principles, including bird-safe glass windows. The project will obtain LEED silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council for sustainable design, construction materials, and energy efficiency.

Community benefits will include a 10,174-sq. ft. public open space on the southwest corner of the site that the developer will landscape with a lawn, flowering tree grove, benches, and rain garden, and maintain. A walking path through the public space will connect to Lee Highway and N. Taylor Street. The developer also will contribute $356,528 to the County’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund and will contribute to the County’s Utilities Underground Fund, and Public Art Fund.

“We know that Arlington needs more assisted living facilities to accommodate our growing number of residents who are seniors,” Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said. “This project will provide much-needed quality assisted living for our seniors and new open space for the entire community.”

The Board voted 4-0 to approve a rezoning and the proposed Site Plan for the redevelopment. […]

The 2.79-acre site is currently comprised mostly of vacant lots and some vacant single-family homes. The new facility will be U-shaped, with two wings framing a private interior courtyard that will cover the parking deck. The building will include community rooms, medical, physical therapy and exercise rooms, locker rooms, kitchen and dining rooms, beauty salons, game and tv rooms, and three outdoor terraces for residents.

The Board, at its socially-distanced Saturday meeting, also approved a number of other notable items:

  • “Renaming the Crystal City Business Improvement Service District to reflect its expanded boundaries… ‘The Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Potomac Yard at National Landing Business Improvement Service District.'”
  • “Naming a new park after Selina Norris Gray, an enslaved woman who preserved Washington family heirlooms left behind in Arlington House by the fleeing Lee family during the Civil War.”
  • “A $1.33 million contract with Ardent Company LLC to improve pedestrian access and safety on both sides of 23rd Street South between South Eads Street and Richmond Highway, in Crystal City.”
  • “Two agreements with the federal government related to the Southern Expansion Project for Arlington National Cemetery.”

Satellite image via Google Maps

Car Tampering Suspect in Stolen Vehicle Flees from ACPD

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Police are looking for a suspect that allegedly fled from a traffic stop in a stolen car early this morning.

Police say they responded to the 1500 block of S. Quincy Street around 2 a.m., for a report of someone tampering with cars. While checking around, an officer spotted a suspect in a stolen car near the intersection of N. George Mason Drive and Carlin Springs Road, southwest of Ballston.

Despite efforts to pull the vehicle over, the driver sped off and made a successful getaway. (Arlington police are generally not authorized to conduct vehicle chases, particularly for nonviolent crimes.)

The incident a months-long wave of vehicles being broken into. In February it was revealed that nearly 900 vehicle break-ins had been reported in Arlington since July 2019.

More from an ACPD crime report:

ELUDING (Significant), 2020-04270011, N. George Mason Drive at N. Carlin Springs Road. At approximately 2:00 a.m. on April 27, police were dispatched to the report of a possible tampering with auto in the 1500 block of S. Quincy Street. While checking the area, officers observed a dark colored sedan which was determined to have been reported stolen out of Manassas, Virginia. Officers attempted a traffic stop and the driver fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The investigation is ongoing.

Driver Charged in Serious Crash on N. Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) The person behind the wheel of a car that careened down a hill and onto N. Glebe Road is now facing a criminal charge.

The crash happened this past Wednesday night near the Old Glebe Road overpass. It left the vehicle’s two passengers trapped and seriously injured, including one with life-threatening injuries. Firefighters used hydraulic tools to remove them from the heavily-damaged vehicle.

As of today both were still in the hospital, with one listed in stable condition and the other in critical condition, according to Arlington County Police.

Police say the driver — who walked away from the crash and suffered only minor injuries — has been charged with driving under the age of 21 after illegally consuming alcohol, a misdemeanor. The driver’s identity “is not releasable… in accordance to Virginia law,” according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage, implying that he or she is under the age of 18.

“This remains an active criminal investigation,” Savage said. “Anyone with information related to this incident and/or personal surveillance that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Detective J. Cox of the Critical Accident Team at 703-228-0491 or [email protected].”

Coronavirus Outbreaks, Deaths and Cases Rise in Arlington, But There’s One Hopeful Sign

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) The latest coronavirus data for Arlington seems like more bad news, though there’s at least one sign of possible light at the end of the tunnel.

As of Monday, the Virginia Dept. of Health reported 836 COVID-19 cases in Arlington, along with 32 deaths, 144 hospitalizations and 11 outbreaks. That’s up from 722 known cases, 120 hospitalizations, 24 deaths and 10 outbreaks on Friday.

The 8 additional deaths reported over the weekend represented an increase of 33%.

The additional outbreak was at another long-term care facility. As before, neither the state nor the county is revealing where the outbreaks have happened, nor providing other, more granular data.

Though Arlington’s case count keeps going up and there’s no sharp bend in the curve, at least one indicator is pointed in the right direction. A trailing 7-day tally of new cases, calculated by ARLnow, has gone down two days in a row. While that’s a potentially good sign, that figure has pointed down in the past before going back up.

On Friday Gov. Ralph Northam outlined a “blueprint” for a gradual reopening of business in Virginia, though at least one group urged more drastic actions to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Board Candidates So Far — “Announced Arlington County Board special election (to replace Erik Gutshall, who sadly was forced to resign while being treated for brain cancer) Democratic candidates… so far are: Barbara Kanninen; Chanda Choun; Nicole Merlene.” [Blue Virginia]

Arlington Allocates $300k for Emergency Help — “Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz has allocated $300,000 from the FY 2020 budget to meet increased demand for emergency financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money will be provided from the FY 2020 budget contingency fund to Arlington Thrive, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to County residents who experience sudden crisis.” [Arlington County]

Gov. Northam’s Reopening Conditions — “Gov. Ralph Northam offered what he called a ‘blueprint’ Friday for easing business restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lifting of restrictions will include a phased approach based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Beyond a steady decline in new cases, the state will also have to increase testing and contact tracing, while ensuring hospitals have the necessary capacity, Northam said.” [InsideNova]

Group Urges Northam to Take More Action — “We respectfully request that you immediately implement the following low-cost, high-impact actions: Empower local governments… Maximize social distancing… Expand mask usage… Deploy approaches that have worked elsewhere to cheaply scale up testing… Leverage volunteers to cheaply scale up contact tracing… Convert unused college dormitories into voluntary isolation facilities… Implement ‘safe travel’ rules to prevent importation of new cases.” [EndCoronavirus.org, Google Docs]

Arlington History Jigsaw Puzzles — “In Arlington County there are locally-designated historic districts, which provide the greatest protection for our historic resources… In order to celebrate these locally designated districts AND to provide some relief during the COVID-19 quarantine/stay-at-home order from our local and state governments, Preservation Arlington has put together two collections of online puzzles.” [Preservation Arlington, Jigsaw Planet]

History of Arlington Meteor Caper — A dull black meteorite, found in Murray, Kentucky, in 1950, had gone missing from a Vanderbilt observatory display case, replaced by a suspicious-looking black-painted papier-mache rock… law enforcement sleuths had found fingerprints traced to former observatory employee and student Hugh Heefner Howard, 24. The perpetrator had brought it to his Arlington River House apartment at 1111 Army-Navy Dr., where our cops arrested him for grand larceny.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Small Business Shoutout: Thank You to ARLnow’s Real Estate Sponsors

By ARLnow.com

ARLnow keeps the lights on, and keeps our site free for readers, primarily thanks to our advertisers.

Today we’re specifically thanking a group of advertisers in a business category that is important to community news publications nationwide: real estate.

Yes, the men and women who help you tour, buy and sell homes are also helping to keep you informed. ARLnow, the Sun Gazette, Arlington Magazine — all have significant bases of business from residential real estate firms and agents. If you’re buying or selling a home an in the market for an agent, you might flip through the pages of ARLnow and other local publications to see who is investing in the community.

Today we’re thanking all of our current real estate sponsors, including:

Aaron Seekford / Arlington Realty

Aaron Seekford is Mr. Arlington. Literally, that’s the URL of his website. Aaron comes from a real estate family and graduated from Wakefield High School — he has deep knowledge of the county and the local market. Also, the brand new Arlington Realty office near Crystal City, from which he works, is very cool. Aaron and Arlington Realty sponsor Just Reduced and Open Houses.

Andors Real Estate Group

James Andors took over the Just Listed feature in February and has been providing useful market insights and compilations of interesting new listings since. Andors Real Estate Group is another family affair, with decades of local real estate experience.

Betsy Twigg

A top-selling real estate agent with nearly three decades of experience, Betsy is something of an Arlington real estate legend. She has continued selling and renting out homes over the past two months, providing reliable service to clients during uncertain times.

Buck and Associates

Buck and Associates has been helping clients buy and sell homes in Arlington since disco was still cool. The company is about as Arlington as it gets: founder William Buck was instrumental in the development of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, current CEO Billy Buck is a third-generation Arlingtonian, and Buck and Association generously supports a number of local nonprofits.

Eli Residential Group

Eli Tucker has been writing the Ask Eli column on ARLnow since 2015, and since that time has grown his business into a full-fledged real estate team. Eli has more knowledge of the Arlington real estate market and its underlying trends than perhaps anyone around, something that’s on display each time he publishes another well-researched, data-filled article.

Keri Shull Team / Orange Line Living

Keri Shull and Dan Lesniak are a tireless real estate power couple whose Rosslyn-based company stakes the claim to being the top-producing team in the D.C. area. Also, they literally wrote a book that other real estate agents read when trying to get better at their jobs, which has to be a good sign. When she’s not busy being a local real estate star, serial entrepreneur, public speaker, and mother of three young children, Keri also produces the Neighborhood Spotlight videos that can be seen on ARLnow every other Saturday.

Thank you to all of our real estate sponsors for supporting ARLnow and helping to keep our readers informed.

JUST IN: July 7 Set as Special Election Date

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:40 p.m.) Arlington residents will select a new County Board member on July 7, following the resignation of the late Erik Gutshall.

Gutshall resigned from the Board just 10 days before passing away from brain cancer on Thursday, April 16.

Earlier this afternoon, Arlington Circuit Court Chief Judge William T. Newman, Jr. set Tuesday, July 7 as the special election date for Gutshall’s successor, who serve out the rest of his term through the end of 2021.

State law “provides that the special election shall be held not less than sixty days and not more than eighty days after the occurrence of the vacancy,” Newman noted in his decision. It cannot be held “within the fifty-five days prior to a general or primary election.” The statewide Virginia non-presidential primary this year is scheduled for June 23.

Late Friday afternoon, in an emergency meeting, Arlington’s Electoral Board set a candidate filing deadline of Friday, May 8.

Following the selection of the filing deadline, the Arlington County Democratic Committee announced that it would be holding a closed caucus among its Steering Committee and County Committee members, unless Gov. Ralph Northam and the state legislature act to push the special election date back.

More from an email sent by the local party to members:

Arlington Democrats believe a vote-by-mail nomination caucus open to all Democratic registered voters in Arlington would best serve the interests of democracy and Arlington voters in this unprecedented time of public health crisis. But, in order to meet the aggressive timeline set by the laws of Virginia, it is impossible to facilitate a vote-by-mail nomination process. This leaves the Arlington Democrats with no option but to select the Democratic nominee through a closed virtual caucus, which involves a vote by the members of its Steering Committee and County Committee that will conclude by May 7.

Arlington Democrats is prepared to transform this virtual nomination process — which is detailed in the Arlington Democrats’ new special election webpage — into a vote-by-mail process open to all Democratic registered voters in Arlington if the nomination period is extended to encompass a two-month period. Arlington Democrats is actively exploring options to achieve this extension, including through consultation with multiple legal counsel.

Arlington Democrats also is asking Governor Northam and the General Assembly to move the special election date so that political parties have the ability to hold an open nomination process, while respecting necessary social distancing measures. Please help us to fight for the voting rights of Arlington voters by signing this petition — act today!

BREAKING: Police Investigating Arlington’s Second Homicide of 2020

By ARLnow.com

Police are investigating the killing of a 45-year-old Arlington man last night.

Arlington County Police say the man was found shot to death in the driver’s seat of a car around 10 p.m. Thursday, in the Green Valley neighborhood.

“This is the second homicide in Arlington County in 2020,” police noted. So far there’s no word on any suspects or possible motive.

More from ACPD:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a homicide that took place in the Green Valley neighborhood on the evening of April 23, 2020.

At approximately 9:54 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious vehicle in the 1900 block of S. Lowell Street. Upon arrival, officers approached the vehicle and located the male victim deceased in the driver’s seat suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim has been identified as Marshall Stephens, 45, of Arlington, VA.

This incident remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective J. Trainer of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4185 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

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