News

Arlington Man Claims $1 Million Lottery Prize

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington attorney who says he never plays the lottery has finally stepped forward to claim a $1 million lottery prize he won on New Year’s Day.

Daniel Schuman’s wife bought him the winning New Year’s Millionaire Raffle ticket from the 7-Eleven store at 4223 Fairfax Drive in Ballston. It was one of three $1 million tickets sold statewide.

“It was shocking,” Schuman said about realizing he won. He claimed his check on Feb. 20 but has “no immediate plans for the winnings,” according to the Virginia Lottery. The store received $10,000 for selling the winning ticket.

More from a lottery press release:

Daniel Schuman is not a lottery player. In fact, the Arlington man said he never plays. But as it turns out, his wife bought him a ticket for Virginia’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle, and that ticket ended up winning $1 million.

“We saw that the number matched, and we checked again,” he told Virginia Lottery officials. “It was shocking. It’s like, this isn’t what we expected!”

The winning ticket was bought at the 7-Eleven at 4223 North Fairfax Drive in Arlington. That ticket, #149613, was one of three top prize winners in the New Year’s Day drawing.

On February 20, he went to the store to receive his check from the Virginia Lottery. The store received $10,000 for selling the winning ticket.

Mr. Schuman, who is an attorney, said he has no immediate plans for the winnings.

The other two top prize tickets in the January 1 drawing were bought in Portsmouth and Chesapeake. Five additional tickets won $100,000 each. Those tickets were bought in Arlington, Fredericksburg, Midlothian, Narrows and Winchester. An additional 500 tickets each won $500.

The Virginia Lottery is good fun for a great cause. Arlington received more than $4.8 million in Lottery funds for K-12 public education in Fiscal Year 2019. For more information and a complete list of Lottery funds distributed to Virginia school districts, visit the Virginia Lottery’s Giving Back page.

Photo via Virginia Lottery

Thefts at Local Malls Lead to Assaults, Arrests

By ARLnow.com

A pair of incidents at Arlington’s two shopping malls led to four arrests and charges against six people.

The first incident happened Wednesday afternoon at the Pentagon City mall. Around 3 p.m., according to Arlington County Police, two juvenile suspects shoplifted from a store and were soon thereafter located by officers at the Pentagon City Metro station. One of the suspects lashed out violently, spitting on and hitting officers, according to police.

More from an ACPD crime report:

ASSAULT ON LAW ENFORCEMENT, 2020-02190151, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 2:56 p.m. on February 19, police were dispatched to the report of shoplifting. Upon arrival, it was determined that suspects allegedly entered a business, stole items of value, and fled on foot. A lookout was broadcast and arriving officers located the juvenile suspects on the metro platform. One suspect actively resisted by pushing, elbowing and spitting on the two arresting officers. Once detained, she continued to resist and kicked two additional officers. Petitions for Assault and Battery on Police (x4) and Obstruction of Justice were sought for Suspect One. Petitions for Petit Larceny, Fugitive from Justice and Identity Theft were sought for Suspect Two.

Later Wednesday evening, four juvenile suspects allegedly shoplifted from a store at the Ballston Quarter mall. A security officer who tried to chase after and stop the group was pepper sprayed by one of the suspects, police say.

In coordination with Metro Transit Police, two suspects were later taken into custody at the Rosslyn Metro station.

From the crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING BY CAUSTIC SUBSTANCE, 2020-02190225, 700 block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 7:26 p.m. on February 19, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with injury. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was working as loss prevention for a business when he observed a group of juvenile suspects allegedly selecting and concealing merchandise. When he attempted to stop the group as they exited the business, they fled. The victim attempted to chase the suspects when one suspect allegedly dropped the merchandise he had, then pepper sprayed the victim. A lookout was broadcast and officers located and made contact with the suspects at the Rosslyn Metro Station and, with the assistance of Metro Transit Police, took them into custody without incident. Petitions were obtained for Suspect One for Malicious Wounding by Caustic Agent, Robbery, Grand Larceny and Possession of Burglarous Tools. Petitions for Conspiracy to Commit Felony and Grand Larceny were obtained for Suspect Two. Two additional suspects remain outstanding.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Ballston-Based E*TRADE Acquired —  “Morgan Stanley and E*TRADE Financial Corporation have entered into a definitive agreement under which Morgan Stanley will acquire E*TRADE, a leading financial services company and pioneer in the online brokerage industry, in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $13 billion.” [BusinessWire, Wall Street Journal]

County Wants Feedback on Capital Projects — “As part of this year’s budget season, you’re invited to share your input on capital priorities for Arlington County Government. Where should we make investments? Which types of projects top your list? We want to know what you think. Your input will help guide development of the County Manager’s Proposed Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Fiscal Years 2021 – 2030, which will be presented to the Arlington County Board in May.” [Arlington County]

More on Upcoming EPA Move — “‘Facing budget constraints during the past few years, the agency has tried to reduce impacts on its programs by using rent savings to absorb appropriations cuts,’ said the EPA spokeswoman. ‘The lease for [Potomac Yard South] expires in March 2021 and by not renewing it, the agency can expect to attain approximately $12.7 million in rent savings annually,’ she said.” [E&E News]

New AED Director Settling In — “Tucker is pledging not to lose focus on helping the county’s existing businesses, particularly its small, family-owned companies. Critics of AED have long accused it of pursuing large corporate tenants at the expense of supporting mom-and-pop shops, a perception Tucker is keen to reverse.” [Washington Business Journal]

AHC Returns $$$ to Affordable Housing Fund — “AHC Inc., an Arlington, VA-based affordable housing developer, deposited more than $710,000 this week into the County’s revolving low-interest loan program, the Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF). This year’s annual repayment boosts AHC’s total repayments to more than $45 million since the AHIF program began in 1988. The payments vary from year to year. Last year, AHC returned $4.9 million to the fund.” [Press Release]

Saturday: Census ‘Celebración Comunitaria’ — “Join us at the Gates of Ballston Community Center for food, family activities, an art contest, a kid’s raffle, and information about the upcoming 2020 Census 2020! Event sponsored by Arlington County, Census 2020, Alfo-Conce, Producciones POPB’IL.” [Arlington County]

‘Good News Budget’ Gives County Staff Raises, Has No Tax Rate Increase

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) Amazon is moving in at a quickening clip and Arlington County’s budget-makers are breathing a sigh of relief.

After a few years of tight budgets, involving tax rate hikes and a handful of county staff layoffs, “this is a good budget year,” County Manager Mark Schwartz said today, ahead of presenting his proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget to the Arlington County Board.

That means a lack of hard choices: under the proposal, the $1.013 per $100 property tax rate remains steady, county staff — particularly public safety personnel — are getting raises, and library fines are being eliminated.

“We’ve gone through some lean years where we’ve been challenged on the revenue side,” Schwartz told reporters. “This is a good news budget, based on the fact that… we have a revenue infusion that has allowed us to do some things we just weren’t able to do before.”

In all, the $1.4 billion budget increases spending by 2.9% and anticipates a 4.6% increase in tax revenue, thanks in part to rising property assessments and a boost in business taxes paid to the county.

The average homeowner can expect to pay an extra $376 in property taxes, even with the rate holding steady. Arlington’s tax rate is lower than that of Alexandria ($1.130), Fairfax ($1.150) and Loudoun ($1.045).

After years of budget pressures caused by increases in health costs and Metro funding, among other rising expenses amid slowly-growing revenue, Schwartz struck a decidedly upbeat tone this year. He predicted future revenue growth as Amazon continues to grow its presence and other businesses flock to the county.

“The past few years we have seen the effects of a record-high commercial vacancy rate,” Schwartz said in a statement. “Now we are beginning to see the results of our commitment to economic development and spending realignments. This budget represents an investment in the cornerstones of County government with an eye toward an innovative future in Arlington.”

“We’re coming out of the trough,” Schwartz added.

Perhaps the biggest source of budget friction this year will be with Arlington Public Schools.

Schwartz is taking pains in his presentation to emphasize that Arlington County has been increasing the percentage of tax revenue it sends to the school system, a separate governmental entity. This year, under Schwartz’s budget, APS is slated to receive $550 million, up from $500 million two years ago.

Schwartz says he expects APS, with its ever-rising student enrollment, to ask for more. But the extra $17.7 million the schools are receiving this year should be more than adequate to account for the increase in students, he said.

The budget presentation notes that APS spends $19,921 per student, according to the Washington Area Board of Education formula — the highest per-pupil cost in the region.

Other highlights from the budget include:

  • An additional $9.1 million for affordable housing, including more for housing grants, rent assistance and affordable housing development.
  • A 3.25-3.5% increase in pay for general county employees and an approximately 6.5% increase in pay for public safety employees (to help, in part, with police and fire department recruitment.)
  • $49.3 million for Metro, a 4 percent increase from last year.
  • Creating a new “traffic enforcement and control” position inside the police department, with six new full-time staffers charged with enforcing things like scooters on sidewalks and cars parked in bike lanes.
  • Nine new positions in the fire department and funding for a second recruit class.
  • Eliminating library fines, as part of the county’s new focus on equity. The fines disproportionally are imposed on people of color who live on the western end of Columbia Pike, Schwartz said.
  • “Funding to phase in [County] Board member salary increases over a three-year period.”
  • Additional funding for sidewalk, street, and streetlight maintenance.

The budget focuses “on foundational area of County government” and “shores up investments in County infrastructure and core services,” Schwartz says in his presentation.

(more…)

Democratic Presidential Hopeful Pete Buttigieg Coming to Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 6:10 p.m.) Pete Buttigieg, Democratic candidate for president and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is making another appearance in Arlington — and this time it won’t be in a resident’s backyard.

Buttigieg will be holding an upcoming Northern Virginia town hall meeting in Arlington, at the Washington-Liberty High School stadium, the campaign confirmed Thursday evening.

The event is being held this coming Sunday, Feb 23, from 3:45-5:15 p.m. It’s taking place ahead of the March 3 Super Tuesday primary in Virginia, and after last week’s Elizabeth Warren campaign event at Arlington’s Wakefield High School.

Buttigieg’s last known campaign appearance in Arlington was a private fundraiser at a Waverly Hills home this past June.

State Sen. Adam Ebbin, who endorsed the mayor’s presidential candidacy early in the race, sent the following email to supporters about the event:

On Sunday, February 23rd from 3:45 to 5:15 Mayor Pete Buttigieg will be holding a town hall in Arlington, at a location to be announced.

Throughout my political career I have had the opportunity to work with only a handful of candidates who simultaneously embody pragmatic progressive reform, and possess both the strong commitment to our nation formed by service, as well as the ability to bring Americans from all walks of life together with the common purpose of ensuring that future generations will be better off than their parents.

Mayor Buttigieg embodies these qualities, and has outlined a plan to address gun violence, advance and support communities of color, and build a [resilient] path forward for America.

What’s ‘Missing Middle Housing’ Anyway?

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is in the midst of a “Missing Middle Housing Study,” to determine whether legalizing additional housing types in certain areas could  “address the shortage of housing supply in Arlington.”

So what is “missing middle housing” anyhow?

It’s described by Opticos Design, whose founder claims to have coined the term, as “a range of multi-unit or clustered housing types — compatible in scale with detached single-family homes — that help meet the growing demand for walkable urban living.”

Alternately, Wikipedia describes it as “multi-unit housing types such as duplexes, fourplexes, bungalow courts, and mansion apartments that are not bigger than a large house, that are integrated throughout most walkable pre-1940s neighborhoods, often [on] blocks with primarily single-family homes, and that provide diverse housing choices and generate enough density to support transit and locally-serving commercial amenities.”

In a nutshell, missing middle housing is what’s between single-family detached homes and mid-rise apartment buildings, including duplexes, townhouses and fourplex apartments. And Arlington County is studying zoning changes that would allow it in certain places, to increase housing supply and provide alternatives to moderate-income households that can’t afford pricy detached homes (median sale price in 2019: about $950,000, compared to $575,000 for townhouses and duplexes.)

In a recent webinar, below, county staffers said the study is being conducted as housing costs rise and the county’s population is expected to exceed 300,000 by 2045.

Without finding ways to increase the housing stock and the types of housing in the county, the webinar suggested, Arlington will become more expensive and less diverse.

Current building trends, according to the presentation, are skewed toward the replacement of smaller, older homes with large, luxury houses in single-family home neighborhoods, while developers build small one- and two-bedroom apartments and condos along Metro corridors.

Neither are good options for a family of moderate means.

“We have a gap in housing options here in Arlington,” the presentation said. “Arlington’s Metro corridors offer smaller apartment and condo units in medium to high density buildings, however that style of housing does not suit everyone’s needs. Other neighborhoods offer single-family homes or townhomes and only a very limited quantity of other housing types.”

“If we do nothing to address these challenges, the existing housing stock will continue to get more and more expensive while existing mid-sized homes will continue to be replaced by large single-family homes and very little else,” the presenter continued. “Arlington’s vision to be diverse and inclusive will become less and less attainable. Our lowest income households are at home risk of being squeezed out, while moderate income households will also be at risk, further burdened with rising housing costs and potentially unable… to stay here.”

The webinar went on to explain the history of Arlington’s zoning ordinance, which echoes the history of such zoning decisions in many other communities. Currently, the zoning ordinance prevents duplexes and triplexes in most neighborhoods.

“A recent study found that 73 percent of the land zoned for residential use in Arlington is zoned exclusively for single-family detached housing,” the presenter said. “These zoning restrictions originated in early 20th century decisions that required the separation of different housing types. This enabled patterns of racial and economic segregation and the repercussions of that persist today.”

(more…)

New Streets Coming With New Marriott Redevelopment in Rosslyn

By Vernon Miles
1/3

The redevelopment of the Key Bridge Marriott in Rosslyn will come with some changes to the local streetscape.

The plan is to redevelop the current site into three separate buildings: a condominium building, a hotel, and an apartment building.

N. Nash and N. Meade Streets are proposed to be extended north through the site to help separate and provide better accessibility to the three buildings.

“The development proposal calls for the establishment of two new street sections to serve the new residences and the existing hotel,” a county staff report said. “Both streets will intersect with Lee Highway in approximately the same locations as current driveways used to access the Marriott Hotel.”

The new streets are scheduled to be considered at the upcoming Saturday, Feb. 22 County Board meeting.

Though built for use primarily by the private development, the new streets would be accessible to the public. Part of the staff report included some insight into the behind-the-scenes discussions that go into naming streets.

The development has proposed to name the two streets Potomac Lane and River View Lane. Since 1932, Arlington County has had a street naming system in place and has used that system for all new street additions. To avoid public confusion, staff recommends that all new publicly accessed streets should be named in accordance with the County’s street naming system. The western-most of the two new streets will connect to Lee Highway at the location of North Nash Street and therefore should also be named North Nash Street. According to the Arlington street naming system, the eastern-most of the new streets should have a single-syllable name that begins with the letter “M.” There are two single-syllable “M” street names currently in use in the County system, they are “Moore” and “Meade”. Based upon the new street’s proposed physical location, Meade is the more appropriate name as there already is an intersection of Lee Highway and North Moore Street elsewhere in Rosslyn.

In addition to the new condo and apartment buildings, the development plan calls for demolishing part of the existing, 582-room hotel and remodeling it into a 449-room hotel. The Key Bridge Marriott is the second Marriott ever built and the company’s longest continuously operating hotel; the first was the former Twin Bridges Marriott Motor Hotel near Crystal City.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

HQ2 Employment Up 50% in Two Months — “Less than two months into the new year and Amazon.com Inc. says it has more than 600 employees at its second headquarters — a fairly significant staffing jump considering there were some 400 employees there as of late December.” [Washington Business Journal]

Construction Progress at DCA — “It’s happening: Reagan National’s nightmarish Gate 35X at Terminal C will soon be demolished. Construction is underway for Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority’s Project Journey, which will bring a new concourse to the north end of the airport and add new security checkpoints for Terminal B/C.” [NBC 4, DCist]

Fire Alarm Delays DCA Flights By 30 Minutes — “Flights have resumed and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) controllers have returned and continued tower operations after a control tower was evacuated to investigate a sprinkler alarm activation Wednesday.” [WJLA]

Food Delivery Driver Robbed in Claremont — “At approximately 11:04 a.m., the victim, who was operating as a food delivery driver at the time of the incident, exited his vehicle to make a delivery and was approached by three male suspects. The suspects demanded the victim provide them with the contents of the delivery, then attempted to assault him. The suspects stole the delivery and fled on foot.” [Arlington County]

Property Owner Goes 100% Renewable — “Brookfield Properties has added 100 percent clean, renewable power to six of its office buildings in Northern Virginia, with the new energy source going into effect this month… The changes are impacting three of the firm’s Arlington properties: Potomac Tower at 1001 19th St., 601 South 12th Street, and 701 South 12th Street.” [Commercial Observer]

Big Raise for Startup With Clarendon Office — “Carbon Relay and Insight Partners today announced a $63 million transaction to accelerate the growth of its Red Sky Ops solution for optimizing application performance in Kubernetes environments.” [Carbon Relay via Potomac Tech Wire]

‘Mr. Z’ Wins Award, Gets on TV — “The Virginia Department of Transportation has named an Arlington County crossing guard one of 2019’s Most Outstanding Crossing Guards. He’s one of only four in the state. Affectionately called Mister Z by faculty and students, Zeleke Taffesse says his smiling students make him feel younger every day. Taylor Elementary School is one of three schools he’s worked for.” [Local DVM]

Police Make Another Vehicle Break-In Arrest

By ARLnow.com

A D.C. man has been arrested and charged in another series of vehicle break-ins in Arlington.

The arrested happened early Saturday morning, near the Wellington Apartments at the corner of S. Scott Street and Columbia Pike.

Officers were called to the area for a report of a vehicle tampering, according to Arlington County Police, and while investigating a man jumped out of the vehicle and started running. He was taken into custody after a brief foot chase, police said, and is now accused of three break-ins in the area.

More from an ACPD crime report:

VEHICLE TAMPERING (significant), 2020-02150063, S. Scott Street at Columbia Pike. At approximately 4:25 a.m. on February 15, police were dispatched to the late report of a tampering with auto. Upon arrival, officers were directed to a vehicle, which the reporting party had previously observed the suspect allegedly enter. While investigating, the officer heard noise from inside the vehicle and, while determining if the vehicle was occupied, the suspect exited and attempted to flee on foot. A brief foot pursuit ensued and the suspect was taken into custody without incident. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect had also gained entry to two other vehicles in the area. Rudolph Renfrow, 68, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with Tampering with Vehicle (x3), Entering or Setting in Motion a Vehicle, Possession of Burglarous Tools and Obstruction of Justice. He was held on no bond.

The arrest comes amid a continued rash of vehicle break-ins and thefts.

Two D.C. men were arrested last week and charged with three break-ins in the Rosslyn area. Arlington police say at least 882 cars were broken into between July 2019 and January 2020.

Redevelopment Plan for Courthouse ‘Landmark Block’ Appears Ready to Move Forward

By ARLnow.com
1/8

A long-awaited redevelopment in Courthouse appears poised to take the next step forward this year.

The “Landmark Block” is a full block of low-slung commercial buildings across from the Courthouse Metro station, which include the former Cosi, Boston Market and Jerry’s Subs restaurants, and the current Summers Restaurant and Mattress Warehouse. According to a presentation by Arlington’s planning division to the County Board yesterday, county planners expect developer Greystar to file redevelopment plans this year.

Planners anticipate the site plan filing being considered by the County Board by the end of the year, according to the presentation.

It’s unclear what will be built on the block, but there are some clues.

Greystar bills itself as the “global leader in rental housing,” suggesting an apartment building may be in the works. A planning process five years ago suggested that at least some of the building facades on the block would be preserved. And that same planning process — dubbed Envision Courthouse Square — resulted in renderings that depicted a tall tower on the current Landmark Block.

(The tower is just north of what is currently a large county-owned surface parking lot but envisioned as “Courthouse Square,” a large green park with underground parking below and subterranean connections to the Landmark Block and other nearby buildings.)

It’s anticipated to be a busy year for Arlington’s planning division, with some 15 major site plans expected to be considered in 2020. The post-HQ2 workload is also set to include land use studies for Clarendon, Shirlington and Lee Highway.

Crash, Road Rage Incident Leads to Arrest of Alexandria Man

By ARLnow.com

A 69-year-old Alexandria man is facing a felony charge after police say a minor, two-vehicle crash led to a physical altercation along Lee Highway.

The crash happened shortly before noon this past Friday — Valentine’s Day — near the intersection of Lee Highway and N. George Mason Drive. In its aftermath, numerous people called police to report a physical fight in the street.

Police responded and determined that one of the drivers punched a window on the other car several times, then “produced a knife and allegedly attempted to strike the victim,” according to Arlington County Police. The suspect was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding.

More from a new ACPD crime report:

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2020-02140133, N. George Mason Drive at Lee Highway. At approximately 11:40 a.m. on February 14, police were dispatched to the report of a fight. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim and suspect were involved in a minor vehicle crash when the suspect began yelling obscenities towards the victim. The suspect then pulled his vehicle in front of the victim’s vehicle, exited and approached the victim. The suspect struck the victim’s window multiple times with a closed fist. The victim attempted to push the suspect away by opening his door, however, the suspect produced a knife and allegedly attempted to strike the victim. The victim was not injured. Ralph Graham, 69, of Alexandria, Va., was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding.

ARLnow posted about the incident on Twitter at the time:

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