In Planning: New Rail and Pedestrian Bridges — “The only solution, they say, is to add two tracks and create a four-track crossing over the Potomac to handle more commuter and intercity rail service as well as expected increases in freight transportation over the next decades… A stand-alone bike and pedestrian bridge would be built upstream from the new rail bridge, allowing people to walk or bike across the Potomac.” [Washington Post]
Metro Stations Getting Brighter — “A boost in lumens looms for three Arlington Metrorail stations next month.” [WMATA, Twitter]
School Libraries to Buy New Print Material — “Officials with the school system’s libraries say they are working to ensure that, by the end of the school year, the average age of materials in their print collections is no more than 10 years old.” [InsideNova]
Experts Expect Arlington Appreciation — “The quarterly survey, sponsored by Zillow and conducted by Pulsenomics LLC, asked more than 100 real estate economists and investment experts for their predictions about the U.S. housing market… Denver, Washington, Atlanta and Dallas ranked as the four markets most likely to outperform the national average rate of home-value appreciation.” [InsideNova]
Registration Open for MLK Day of Service — “Volunteer Arlington, a program of Leadership Center for Excellence, will host the second annual MLK Day of Service on Monday, January 21 from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Those looking to turn a day off into a ‘Day On’ can register free of charge.” [Volunteer Arlington]
Incoming: 25 New ACPD Officers — “On December 18, 2018, family, friends, and fellow officers gathered to celebrate the graduation of Session 139 from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy (NVCJA), who took their oath to serve and protect the residents of Arlington County.” [Arlington County]
A Brief History of Rosslyn — “The many tall office buildings… make Rosslyn look more like a modern city than Washington does. It got that way by not being included in the District of Columbia — the result of political decisions that propelled the two neighboring cities in vastly different directions over the centuries. After all, Rosslyn wasn’t always this glossy — far from it.” [Politico]
Amazon’s Helipad in Doubt — Amazon requested that it be able to build a helipad at both of its new campuses, in Crystal City and New York City. But it’s unlikely that the company will be able to win approval for operating a private helicopter in the restricted airspace around Washington. [WAMU]
Wawa Looks to NoVa — “‘Fairfax County and Northern Virginia is a really important market for us,’ Wawa CEO Chris Gheysens was quoted as saying… ‘We are looking at strategically bending our store model to get more access to that area and plan to announce some openings in that area coming up.'” [Tysons Reporter]
Metro Holiday Schedule — Metro is operating on a reduced schedule today and tomorrow, as well as New Year’s Day. It will operate on a regular weekday schedule on New Year’s Eve, with special late night service until 2 a.m. [WMATA]
Christmas Is a Recycling Nightmare — “Your holiday wish list – or at least what it comes wrapped in – may be causing big problems for recyclers. ‘It surprises a lot of people,’ Arlington County Solid Waste Bureau Operations Manager Shani Kruljac said. Here’s the deal: a bunch of holiday-related stuff you may assume is recyclable actually isn’t.” [Fox 5]
APS Seeking Nominations for Top Cross Guards — “Arlington Public Schools is asking the public to consider nominating local crossing guards for Virginia’s Most Outstanding Crossing Guards competition… Nominations are open through Jan. 25.” [InsideNova]
Arlington Firms Awarded Federal Contracts — Ballston-based CACI has been awarded “a prime position” on a $12.1 billion U.S. Army information technology contract. Meanwhile “DTS, a small business in Arlington, Virginia, has won a $2.6 million contract with the Fish & Wildlife Services to provide IT program management and change management services.” [BusinessWire, Washington Technology]
Police are investigating after a truck struck a pedestrian near a busy Crystal City intersection this morning (Friday).
County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said the crash happened around 6:30 a.m. today near the intersection of Jefferson Davis Highway and 23rd Street S.
Savage said a vehicle struck the pedestrian, who was transported to a local hospital with “non-life threatening injuries.”
A tipster told ARLnow that the vehicle in question was a landscaping truck.
Based on the initial investigation, police do not believe the pedestrian was in the crosswalk at the time of the crash. Savage said the investigation is still ongoing.
Someone tried to break into the Saint Agnes Catholic School last Friday, according to Arlington County Police.
Police say they were called to the 2000 block of N. Randolph Street around 3:30 p.m. The Cherrydale neighborhood is home to both St. Agnes Catholic Church and its attached school building.
Callers told police that “an unknown suspect(s) attempted to force entry” to the school. However, they could not offer any description of the would-be burglars. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Full details from a county crime report:
ATTEMPTED BURGLARY, 2018-12140180, 2000 block of N. Randolph Street. At approximately 3:23 p.m. on December 14, police were dispatched to the report of destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that between approximately 1:00 p.m. and 2:29 p.m., an unknown suspect(s) attempted to force entry to a school. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.
And here are some other highlights from the past week of crime reports, including some we’ve already reported:
ROBBERY, 2018-12170009, 900 block of S. Buchanan Street. At approximately 1:05 a.m. on December 17, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown. Upon arrival, it was determined that the two victims were walking in the area when a known male suspect began following them. When the victims arrived at their destination, they asked the suspect to leave, however, the suspect threatened the victims and stole one victim’s cell phone before fleeing on foot prior to police arrival. A warrant for robbery was obtained for the suspect.
BURGLARY, 2018-12140219, 1200 block of N. Taft Street. At approximately 4:30 p.m. on December 14, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary just discovered. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 7:50 a.m. and 4:15 p.m., an unknown suspect gained entry to a residence and stole items of value. The suspect is described as a black male, 30-40 years old, approximately 6’0″ and 180-210 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. The investigation is ongoing.
PEDESTRIAN-INVOLVED CRASH, 2018-12130082, Fort Myer Drive at Lee Highway. At approximately 9:26 a.m. on December 13, police were dispatched to the report of a pedestrian-involved crash with injuries. Upon arrival, it was determined that a pedestrian pushing a child in a stroller was struck by a dump truck as she crossed the street. The pedestrian maneuvered the stroller out of the way and the child was not injured. The pedestrian was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the striking vehicle, John Washington, 63, of Silver Spring, MD, was charged with Reckless Driving and Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian in a Crosswalk.
BOMB THREAT, 2018-121300147, 1900 block of S. Eads Street/4300 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 2:00 p.m. on December 13, Arlington County Police began responding to three locations in Arlington County which had received bomb threats through electronic communications. Each location self-evacuated prior to police arrival. The threats are believed to be related to similar threats received through the United States. There is no known credible threat in Arlington County.
Dockless electric scooters at a corral in Crystal City.
Dockless electric scooters at a corral in Rosslyn.
Dockless electric scooters at a corral in Courthouse (Staff photo)
Arlington has now created seven “scooter corrals” around the county, in a bid to make the storage of the pervasive dockless electric vehicles a bit more orderly.
County workers set up the new storage spaces over the course of the last week, generally using some spray paint to cordon off specific areas for the scooters.
Officials have been considering such a step dating back to this fall, when the scooters first started popping up around Arlington and concerns about where the vehicles might be scattered began cropping up. Other cities, from Austin to Santa Monica, have adopted a similar technique.
The corrals are mostly clustered around Metro stops, as that’s where many riders first pick up the scooters. Per the county website, locations include:
Ballston
N. Stuart Street & 9th Street N.
Courthouse
Clarendon Blvd & N. Uhle Street
Crystal City
18th Street S. & S. Bell Street
Pentagon City
S. Hayes Street & 12th Street S.
Rosslyn
N. Lynn Street & Fairfax Drive
N. Lynn Street & 19th Street N.
Virginia Square
N. Monroe St & 9th Street N.
George Mason University has set up a similar “corral” near its Virginia Square campus, after briefly trying to establish a “no scooter zone” in the area (drawing fierce criticism from students and staff alike).
Bird, Lime and Lyft all currently offer electric scooters in the county, with a variety of other dockless companies eyeing Arlington, given the county’s pilot program to test the devices.
Christmas Closures in Arlington — “Arlington County Government offices, courts and libraries will be closed on Mon., Dec. 24 and Tue., Dec. 25, 2018, for Christmas and on Tue., Jan. 1, 2019, for New Year’s Day. Courts will also be closed on Dec. 31, 2018, and libraries will close at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31.” [Arlington County]
Low-Income Workers Finding Metro Alternatives — “As Metro fares have risen, hours for train service have been cut and gentrification has made it more difficult for low-income workers to live near rail stations, workers making lower wages in Washington and in Arlington have become less likely to commute by transit… down 5 percent from the previous five years.” [Washington Post]
Arlington, Alexandria Firefighters Learning Yoga — “It’s a revolutionary training course helping firefighters cope [with] stress & sleep deprivation. One firefighter who was at the Pentagon on 9/11 says it helps him deal [with] the memory of that day.” [NBC Washington, Twitter]
Rain, Flood Watch Continues — “The Flood Watch continues through this afternoon. Unseasonably warm today with showers and perhaps an isolated afternoon/evening thunderstorm.” [Twitter]
Holiday Wrapping Paper Alternatives — Local designer Beth Singer, whose firm designed the ARLnow logo, has penned a new blog post just in time for the holidays: “Five Reasons I Will Never Buy Wrapping Paper Again.” [Beth Singer Design]
Eclectic Estate Sale Near Clarendon — “Looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for that special person? Are you a collector of unusual paintings, furniture, or sculpture? A curious browser of all things uncommon and quirky? You won’t want to miss this special estate sale, this weekend in Ashton Heights.” [Team Cathell]
Nearby: Amazon’s Effect on Chirilagua — “Between Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood and the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington is a swath of land home to a vibrant Hispanic community… For many Chirilagua residents, Amazon’s arrival threatens the end of the community they love, bringing increased housing costs, new residents and creeping gentrification.” [NBC Washington]
Police investigate a crash near the Lee Harrison shopping center in Yorktown.
Police investigate a crash near the Lee Harrison shopping center in Yorktown.
Police investigate a crash near the Lee Harrison shopping center in Yorktown.
Police investigate a crash near the Lee Harrison shopping center in Yorktown.
Police investigate a crash near the Lee Harrison shopping center in Yorktown.
Police investigate a crash near the Lee Harrison shopping center in Yorktown.
Police investigate a crash near the Lee Harrison shopping center in Yorktown.
Police are now investigating after an Uber driver ran off the road near the Lee Harrison Shopping Center, crashing into some street signs and knocking down a light pole.
The crash happened this morning on Lee Highway in Yorktown, near its intersection on N. Harrison Street.
It appears as if the driver of a hatchback, complete with an Uber sticker, lost control of the vehicle and drove down the sidewalk near the shopping center. The driver managed to knock down several street signs and a light pole, which fell into the street, before colliding with another utility pole.
Arlington Police and firefighters are currently on the scene evaluating the driver for injuries and administering a field sobriety test.
They’ve closed the westbound lane of Lee Highway as the investigation continues.
After 31 years, Ballston’s annual “Taste of Arlington” street fair will be replaced by a new event focusing on the neighborhood’s largest development: “QuarterFest.”
The Ballston Business Improvement District announced the swap today (Thursday), sketching out plans for a similar spring festival geared around Ballston Quarter, the newly revamped Ballston Common mall.
QuarterFest is slated to be held on May 18-19, 2019, and will be managed by “BallstonGives,” the BID’s charitable arm. Though the event will be more focused on Ballston Quarter, it will still be held in the same general area as Taste of Arlington, largely centered on Wilson Blvd near the mall.
BID CEO Tina Leone told ARLnow that her group decided to make the switch because “we really accomplished what we wanted to do” with Taste of Arlington over the years.
“The goal was always to put the spotlight on Ballston, and now with Ballston Quarter, we have this big draw,” Leone said. “We really wanted to move [the event’s] focus to center more on Ballston and now we have Ballston Quarter, which is a great way to do that.”
By the time QuarterFest rolls around, Leone expects that the new development will be about “80 percent open.” Shops and restaurants in the overhauled mall have been slowly opening for business over the course of the last month, and Leone believes a “big bunch” are hoping to open up by early January or February.
“By May, it’s going to be very active and vibrant around there,” Leone said. “By the time it’s fully open, Ballston will have 90 restaurants in all, so this will just be a great way to get people into the physical space, get them to visit and bring them into all those restaurants.”
Leone said that the change doesn’t mark the end of Taste of Arlington, necessarily. She points out that the BID could always “bring it back or partner with other organizations,” so she views it as being on more of an indefinite “hiatus.”
So while she hopes the new event is “the same amount of fun with the same amount of activity,” she also believes it will mark a new chapter in the county’s evolution.
“To us, this is a whole new festival,” Leone said. “Ballston is going through so many changes right now, and that really represents what’s going on Arlington-wide.”
Christmas Travel Crunch Starts Today — “A record number of people are expected to travel this Christmas season, spurred on by economic comfort and relatively modest gas prices… This year INRIX, a traffic data firm, has forecast the very worst time for drivers to set out on the highways, and for the Washington region, that’s five days before Christmas, on Dec. 20, between 1:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.” [Washington Post]
County Manager Pans ART Service — “‘The ART bus performance, recently, stinks,’ Mark Schwartz said during a meeting with Arlington County Civic Federation delegates… In the second quarter of 2018, on-time performance dropped to 83 percent from 92 percent a year before, according to data provided to the county government’s Transit Advisory Committee. Ridership in that quarter was down 14 percent from a year before.” [InsideNova]
Free ART Rides Today and Tomorrow — “Free ART rides on Thurs. December 20 & Fri. December 21. Everyone rides for free! Happy holidays and thank you for riding ART!” [Twitter]
Small Fire in Under-Construction Home — “ACFD is on the scene of a small trash fire at an under-construction home near Discovery Elementary and Williamsburg Middle School.” [Twitter]
Ballston Company Announces New Funding — “Acendre, a leader in secure, cloud-based talent management software for regulated industry verticals, today announced a majority growth investment from Strattam Capital. The investment will enable Acendre to accelerate its growth and more quickly advance its innovative, easy-to-use Software as a Service (SaaS) talent management platform, which helps organizations solve some of today’s most challenging hiring problems.” [Acendre]
Amazon Joins Arlington Chamber — “Amazon.com Inc. has agreed to join the Greater Washington Hispanic and Arlington chambers of commerce and could join more in the region in 2019… The e-commerce giant formally joined the 760-member Arlington chamber on Dec. 3. and subsequently sent a senior public policy official to its annual meeting on Dec. 7, said Kate Bates, chamber president.” [Washington Business Journal]
Nearby: Georgetown Wawa Opening Today — “What an exciting couple of days this week will bring, for fans of hoagies and tacos and caffeine and alcohol-infused frozen Pepsi products. Wawa announced Monday it will open its second D.C. location Thursday, in Georgetown at 1222 Wisconsin Ave. NW. As usual, the event will feature free coffee and a sampling of Wawa fare, in addition to a ‘Georgetown-inspired beverage.'” [WTOP]
Nearby: D.C. Population Breaks 700K — “Today, the U.S. Census Bureau released new official population numbers that put the District’s population at 702,455 as of July 1, 2018. The District’s population has risen every year since 2006 and has soared by more than 100,000 people since the 2010 Census.” [PoPville]
Clerk of Circuit Court Paul Ferguson swears in Matt de Ferranti.
The County Board and state lawmakers look on at Matt de Ferranti’s swearing in.
Matt de Ferranti, the new County Board Chair, speaks at his swearing in (in 2018)
Matt de Ferranti speaks at his swearing in.
Clerk of Circuit Court Paul Ferguson swears in Matt de Ferranti.
Matt de Ferranti greets guests at his swearing in.
For now, Matt de Ferranti can enjoy all the pomp and circumstance that comes with his status as Arlington’s newest elected official.
The Democrat’s swearing-in ceremony yesterday (Tuesday) certainly did not lack for bells and whistles. The brief gathering to commemorate de Ferranti’s big win over independent County Board member John Vihstadt last month was highlighted by everything from a ceremonial honor guard to a choir singing Christmas carols.
But, just a few weeks from now, de Ferranti will be spending time in the County Board chambers facing some considerably less pleasant circumstances.
Immediately after he officially joins the Board on Jan. 2, he’ll face one of the most consequential decisions to ever come before Arlington’s leaders: whether or not to approve an incentive package designed to bring Amazon to the county. Then, he’ll dive straight into budget deliberations in what’s set to be one of the most fiscally challenging years for Arlington in recent memory.
It all adds up to a bit of a trial by fire for the first-time officeholder, and he knows it.
“I’ve done a lot of work, but there’s still a lot of work to get up to speed,” de Ferranti told ARLnow. “After Amazon, the budget is going to be front and center… And people need to remember, the budget is not going to be helped by Amazon this year and probably not next year, so we have tough decisions and that will come at me.”
De Ferranti says he’s already held “12 to 14 meetings” with county staff, not to mention some with his future Board colleagues and even a sit-down with Vihstadt himself. But the most important preparation he’ll have to do will be catching up to speed on the state’s proposed deal with Amazon, which only came to light shortly after his campaign ended.
The Board is set to sign off on the county’s portion of that deal in late February, giving de Ferranti just over a month after his first meeting as a Board member to sort through the details and hear from his new constituents.
In particular, he says he’s interested in learning more about the incentive package the county offered to Amazon. That was a key focus during his campaign for office, even though he generally supported Arlington’s courtship of Amazon overall.
“I want to learn all the facts, then I want us to have a robust conversation as a community,” de Ferranti said. “There were some standards that I described during the campaign with respect to Amazon and I also mentioned that the office vacancy rate was a big concern. So I’ll be looking at those standards and the vacancy rate.”
But beyond the specific issues he’ll confront, de Ferranti sought to use the ceremony to strike a unifying note after a long campaign.
Though he was the lone independent on the Board, Vihstadt attracted the support of plenty of Democrats over the course of his three bids for office, some of whom even attended de Ferranti’s swearing in. Accordingly, the new Board member sought to patch up any old resentments that might’ve lingered from election season.
Specifically, de Ferranti led a round of applause for Vihstadt, dubbing him a “dedicated public servant and good man, [who] ran an honorable campaign.”
“I am so proud that our community showed civility this past year,” de Ferranti told the crowd. “We showed ourselves, Virginia and the country what’s possible. I am committed to continuing that civility and to listening to and hearing the perspectives of all Arlingtonians, whether you were one of the 52,000 who voted for me or the 46,000 who did not.”
Such good feelings may not last long. Beyond such contentious issues as the Amazon wrangling or the prospect of the Board raising taxes next year, two more slots on the Board will be up for election next year — and Vihstadt could well use the opportunity to mount a political comeback.
But until the calendar turns to 2019, and the hard work begins, Arlington leaders struck an upbeat note about what de Ferranti’s elevation says about the county’s prospects.
“I firmly believe Matt’s service will be in the best tradition of Arlington County’s values,” said County Board Chair Katie Cristol.
