News

New apartment tower proposed for Route 1 in Crystal City

By Jo DeVoe
1/8

A sliver of an apartment building is being proposed for Crystal City along Route 1.

Developer Dweck Properties proposes to construct a new, 412,975-square-foot building with 403 residential units and additional mixed-use space near the existing Crystal Plaza Apartments (2111 Richmond Hwy), according to an application filed with Arlington County on May 3.

Doing so will require demolishing 70,899 square feet of the northern portion of the existing North Crystal Plaza Apartments building. Dweck says in its application that it will develop, with county staff, a plan to relocate tenants affected by the demolition.

Parking for the project at 2111 and 2101 Richmond Hwy would be provided in an underground garage that will connect to an existing garage under the Crystal Plaza Apartments complex.

The new apartment building would be wedged between Richmond Hwy and S. Clark-Bell Street, a new contiguous street created by realigning the current S. Clark and S. Bell streets. This is called for in the Crystal City Sector Plan, the planning document guiding development in the neighborhood.

“The realignment of Clark-Bell Street will remove elevated portions of the existing street, provide greater distance from Richmond Highway/US-1 at critical locations, establish a more regular street grid, create new development sites, and facilitate two-way traffic flow,” per a document included in the application.

The realigned S. Clark-Bell Street (via Arlington County)

S. Clark Street will shift east and tie into the existing S. Clark Street while the northern end of the road would line up with S. Bell Street north of 20th Street S.

Another major Crystal City property owner, JBG Smith, is realizing part of this reconfigured street — west of the Crystal Plaza Apartments — as part of a separate redevelopment project building two multifamily buildings. Construction on the two buildings, immediately north of Dweck’s proposal, started in January 2022.

If approved, 2111 and 2101 Richmond Hwy would tackle another part of the realignment. Filings with Arlington County highlight the work as a primary community benefit of this project.

“The proposed development will include significant site improvements, including (but not limited to) partial implementation of realigned Clark-Bell Street, improved onsite circulation, and new infrastructure,” writes Kedrick Whitmore, a land-use attorney representing Dweck.

“The proposed development will help to create the 18-hour active environment, provide substantial transportation upgrades, particularly along Clark-Bell Street, and enhance the retail environment,” he continued.

Bringing retail and residents to the heart of Crystal City realizes a “significant” goal of the Crystal City Sector Plan, Whitmore said.

“The influx of new residents and mixed uses will not only activate the existing fabric of Crystal City, but they will also provide a built-in market for the recently proposed retail projects on this same block,” he said.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Virginia Hospital Center expansion under construction (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

NAACP Grant for More Trees — “Today the local branch of the oldest and largest civil rights organization in America announced a $60,000 charitable contribution to EcoAction Arlington, which was founded in 1978 and whose mission focuses on encouraging environmentally-friendly behaviors, ensuring environmental justice, and addressing the climate crisis. The NAACP selected EcoAction Arlington through a strategic grant and partnership from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” [Press Release]

Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign — “As the Memorial Day holiday approaches, the Arlington County Police Department is again partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remind motorists about the importance of seat belt use. The high-visibility Click It or Ticket seat belt campaign, which coincides with the busy travel season, runs from May 22 through June 4, 2023.” [ACPD]

Costs Rise for Project Near Rosslyn — “The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing now expects to spend 14 percent more in hard construction costs; 19 percent more for soft construction costs; and a whopping 100 percent more in financing costs than previously estimated in its plan to create a new 12-story apartment property at 1300 North Pierce St.” [Gazette Leader]

Single-Family Home Prices Up — “The high fever has to break eventually – right? – but for now, there seems no upper limit on sales price of single-family homes in Arlington. The average price of the 74 single-family properties that went to closing in April rose 8 percent year-over-year to $1.455 million even as other segments of the market declined.” [Gazette Leader]

Local Battle Over Traditional Latin Mass — “In the months after Traditionis Custodes was issued, many priests and families personally pleaded with Cardinal Gregory of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. and Bishop Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington not to restrict the Traditional Latin Mass. Parishioners warned of dire spiritual and financial consequences and destruction of parish communities. I authored an open letter that received over 2500 signatures from Catholics in Arlington Diocese.” [Catholic Herald – UK]

It’s Friday — Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 7 to 11 mph. At night: A chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. [Weather.gov]

Langston Blvd planning effort elicits strong opinions from residents about the future of their neighborhoods

By Jo DeVoe
1/8

It has been about 10 months since Arlington County released drawings of a future Langston Blvd.

That vision included apartment buildings of up to 12-15 stories, cafés and wide sidewalks buzzing with people, and bike lanes buffered by lavender bushes — a substantial change from the commuter route lined with strip malls, car dealerships and quick-service establishments with drive-thru windows.

Now, the county is gearing up to publish a more formal draft plan that refines the ideas set forth last year. That draft will take into account all the supportive and critical feedback people submitted last fall and winter.

Once the draft is released — and exact details and dates on this are yet to be determined — there will be more public engagement opportunities, Dept. of Community Planning, Housing and Development communication specialist Rachel LaPiana tells ARLnow.

The multi-year effort to create this planning document is known as Plan Langston Blvd. It re-envisions what was once known as Lee Highway as a walkable and bikeable, verdant commercial corridor with more affordable housing.

After hearing hundreds of hours of comments from residents, and a decade’s worth of work, Langston Blvd Alliance Executive Director Ginger Brown says she is excited to get her hands on the draft plan soon.

“We know this is a huge step forward,” she said. “We’re very eager to see the final draft plan.”

The draft plan is supposed to be informed by community and commission input but in many cases, that input is deeply divergent, according to snippets of comments included in a summary of public engagement year.

“If we wanted to live in denser, taller neighborhoods we would have moved to [Rosslyn],” wrote one person. “Stop forcing your vision of redevelopment down residents throats.”

“As a working professional with a young child, I look forward to eventually being able to buy a house in Arlington as a result of projects like this one,” wrote another. “Please ignore grumpy people who hate change and implement this plan!”

There were some points of agreement.

People generally want to see a safer Route 29 — the other name for the VDOT-maintained artery — with more street trees and wider sidewalks, as well as underground utilities and fewer driveways. Some wrote in strong support for protected bike lanes over cyclists and drivers sharing lanes, a traffic pattern that may harm, not help, cyclists.

Feedback shows drivers and cyclists have mixed opinions about sharing lanes (via Arlington County)

“We’d like to see a greater emphasis on pedestrian safety and transportation and transit improvements and more affordable housing,” Brown said.

Majority support for greater development broke down somewhat when it came to what buildings should look like.

“People in my neighborhood are looking for development similar to the unified and attractive character of King Street in Old Town [Alexandria], not the development and tall buildings that characterize Ballston or Clarendon,” wrote one person.

“We should allow 15 stories for all sites between Langston & [I-66],” wrote another. “This could provide so many amenities and increase property values.”

For instance, where Route 29 is bordered by the Waverly Hills, Donaldson Run, Old Dominion, Glebewood and Waycroft Woodlawn neighborhoods, a slight majority favored taller heights — with many others preferring a range of other, shorter options.

Preferences for building heights in some neighborhoods along Langston Blvd (via Arlington County)

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DCA Noise Working Group ‘strongly objects’ to adding longer flights

By ARLnow.com
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A group formed to address noise issues associated with National Airport says allowing more and longer flights is a bad idea.

A bill introduced last week in Congress would “allow 28 more flights daily and permit airlines to offer more long-distance service out of National Airport, where federal rules allow only a handful of flights to operate beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter,” the Washington Post reported.

A subsequent (unscientific) ARLnow poll found that just over 50% of respondents “definitely” support the bill, while another 15% support it with reservations. But the DCA Community Noise Working Group said Tuesday in a letter to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation that it “strongly objects to any changes to the DCA perimeter rule.”

“DCA was designed as a regional airport and is situated in the middle of densely populated and noise-sensitive residential areas,” the group wrote. “While expanding the perimeter to permit non-stop flights to cities such as San Antonio or El Paso may benefit a limited few in terms of convenience, many thousands more D.C. area residents would suffer the negative impacts of those flights.”

A spokesperson for Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) tells ARLnow that local lawmakers have expressed objections to the bill.

The bill “would dangerously overload DCA’s operational capacity and the very significant noise impact on the area,” said Aaron Fritschner, Beyer’s Deputy Chief of Staff.

“There’s a reason this bill is getting pushed by people who represent Delta [Air Lines] hubs over the objections of people who actually work with [the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority] and the local community to strike the balance for the different things people want from DC’s airport system,” he added.

Arlington, D.C., Montgomery County (Md.) and Alexandria residents, especially those who live along flight paths near the Potomac, have long engaged in a tug of war over aircraft noise associated with National Airport. The complaints have led to noise studies, tweaks in flight paths, and — last year — a provision in a law, inserted by Beyer, that calls for NASA to accelerate work on quieter and more climate-friendly aviation technology.

The full letter from the Community Noise Working Group is below.

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Green Valley residents voice concerns about open-air substance use, shootings near town square

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

Amid community pressure, Arlington County is taking a closer look at ways to improve safety in Green Valley.

Some residents are pushing for more action from the county on two fronts: dealing with nuisances and more actively policing criminal activity. In response to the mounting concerns, an internal county workgroup is beginning to meet this week to find ways to do just that.

The nuisances are related to drinking and smoking as well as public urination and loud music associated with some of the people who hang out around the John Robinson, Jr. Town Square, neighbors tell ARLnow. The criminal issues relate to gun violence, which some neighbors tie to the unaddressed open-air substance use.

Throughout the day, people can be seen hanging out in the area. Yesterday (Tuesday), for instance, ARLnow observed a handful of people sitting in folding chairs outside of The Shelton, an affordable housing building, while two other groups were congregated in the town square, talking and listening to music.

Neighbors, including Yordanos Woldai, say they don’t have an issue with people hanging out. They just want people not to drink alcohol or smoke marijuana outdoors, urinate in public or play music during quiet hours.

“Having lived in Arlington for such a long time, I am not aware of any other residential neighborhood where this conduct is allowed to happen in plain sight and not be addressed by the police,” Woldai tells ARLnow. “Children have to walk on the streets at times because there is no way to pass and there are broken beer bottles on sidewalks and grass.”

A few of the people hanging out told ARLnow that nearly everyone on the square yesterday likely came from outside Green Valley to this area to be together. Many grew up in the neighborhood but have since moved away.

One man, who appeared to be drinking beer from a plastic cup, put his hand out close to the ground and raised it up slowly to show how much of early childhood, marked in growth spurts, he spent in the neighborhood.

“They feel they are very much part of the community,” Woldai said. “I love the idea that people come to Green Valley to connect with old friends… It’s the illegal activities that are bothersome.”

Woldai addressed the Arlington County Board on Saturday about her concerns and said she had the support of 37 neighbors. This includes Lily Bozhanova, a Bulgarian immigrant who has lived in the area for five years with her family.

“My children are 5 and 7-year-olds. We often go to the spray park there and I sometimes have to explain to my children why they see people smoke or drink plein air. It’s not good but they see it every day and it’s a deterrent for going in the area,” she told ARLnow.

Bozhanova says she tries to avoid the area in the evening and lately Googled whether bullets can pass through brick.

“I shouldn’t be looking up to see whether my house can sustain gunshots. Brick is relatively safe, by the way,” she said.

Although she is grateful for the life she has built, she says, “it’s not exactly the American Dream we were trying to achieve moving here.”

Frank Duncan, a longtime resident of The Shelton (3215 24th Street S.) said he was shot last summer. A relative was also shot not long after.

“That’s the story about the life we live here,” he said.

Still, he said he cannot move away because it will be hard to find space in another low-income apartment building. He says he does what he can to promote safety in part by volunteering as a crossing guard for Drew Elementary School students.

Woldai ties the shootings to the nuisance issues.

“When people know there isn’t really a police presence in a neighborhood where you can drink and smoke marijuana, it attracts more serious crimes,” she said. “That has been a serious concern for residents living near the town square.”

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Performers from the Washington School of Ballet perform at the second annual Freedom Concert at the Netherlands Carillon (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)

Redevelopment Plan for Goodwill — “An all-affordable residential development has been pitched for the site of a Goodwill store in Arlington. Goodwill and AHC, Inc. have filed plans with Arlington County for a 128-unit development at the site of the Goodwill retail store and donation center at the intersection of South Glebe Road and Arlington Boulevard.” [UrbanTurf]

Gov. Visits Local Legion Post — From Gov. Glenn Youngkin: “During the opening of American Legion Post 139 in Arlington, we rolled out the Gold-Standard Digital Hub which will improve connectivity and access to resources and benefits for veterans, transitioning service members, and their families.” [Twitter]

Arlingtonian Assumes Office as U.S. Archivist — “Dr. Colleen Shogan assumed the role of Archivist of the United States today and, immediately after taking the oath of office, began her work as the head of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).” [National Archives]

Road Closures for Shirlington Event — “The Shirlington Spring Fling: A Village Block Party will take place on Saturday, May 20, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures from approximately 5:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. in order to accommodate the event.” [Arlington County]

N. Va. Real Estate Prices Still Rising — “The median sales price of homes sold in April ($690,000) was up 0.7 percent from a year before, as the lack of inventory helped those sellers who did opt to put their homes on the market. And when held up against the last pre-COVID April (2019), the median sale price had grown 23 percent from $560,000.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Thursday — Sunny, with a high near 69. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent

Disabled resident prevails in zoning appeal over plans to build a therapeutic sunroom

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Thomas Peters and his wife Natalie found the perfect home in Arlington — one that already had an elevator that Thomas would need to get around in his wheelchair.

It did have one downside, however. The trees on his neighbor’s property, which is at a higher elevation, block natural light from reaching his backyard.

That poses a problem for Peters, whose spinal cord injury — sustained while swimming 10 years ago — left him paralyzed and made it harder for his body to regulate his temperature and stay healthy. The need for accessible sunlight became obvious during the pandemic when he was stuck in his apartment.

“UV light is the best disinfectant and it is hard to get in the wintertime,” he said. “I knew I wanted a place where I could live in the sunlight.”

So Peters commissioned an architect to draft plans for a sunroom. Before those could be realized, however, he learned he would have to get special permission to build it because the home already exceeds the allowable size for a main building on a 10,000-square-foot lot, according to the zoning code.

The last 15 months became a winding legal process that frustrated Peters at times.

“My journey of living with a disability has been one of losing lots of agency,” he said. “I’m a very go-getter type of guy. One of the most frustrating things about living with a handicap is that there are things you just can’t overcome. It’s especially frustrating when you can’t overcome things in your own home after pursuing the dream of independent living.”

Last Wednesday, however, his vision for the property eventually prevailed. He he got the go-ahead for the sunroom when the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) unanimously greenlit a variance for the site. The citizen commission considered not just local zoning ordinances but also the Americans with Disabilities Act and ultimately acted against a recommendation by county staff to deny his request.

ARLnow reached out to some of the five BZA members but did not hear back before deadline.

Barnes Lawson, the lawyer for Peters, said last week’s decision was a rare one that resolved a cordial disagreement with the county over what constitutes a reasonable accommodation for a disability.

“Zoning Division staff does not believe that the applicants have proven an explicit connection between the requested size of the proposed improvements and their ability to remedy a hardship, as they have not shown that the benefits provided by the proposed conservatory could not also be provided elsewhere in the dwelling,” according to a county report.

In a county report, staff emphasized that the Peters home already exceeds the maximum lot coverage allowable for a main building on a lot of its size. The county offered Peters two paths forward that would not require a variance.

He could build a front porch of at least 60 square feet and earn the right to extend the footprint of his house by 3%. The zoning code encourages the construction of front porches — and, as another example, discourages garages near the front of the house — as a way to promote neighborly interactions.

(more…)

ACPD: Drunk woman threw bottle at passing car in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A 23-year-old Minnesota woman is facing a pair of charges after police say she drunkenly threw a bottle at a passing car.

The incident happened around 5:45 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday) in Pentagon City, at the intersection of 12th Street S. and S. Hayes Street, near the Metro station entrances.

“Police were dispatched to the report of a possible intoxicated subject walking in and out of traffic,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined the female suspect allegedly threw a bottle at the windshield of a passing vehicle.”

“Responding officers located the suspect on scene, took her into custody and she was evaluated by medics,” the crime report adds. “No injuries or property damage were reported. [The suspect], 23, of Brainerd, MN was arrested and charged with Throwing a Missile at an Occupied Vehicle and Public Intoxication. She was held without bond.”

County adds all-way stops along Little Falls Road and in Ballston to increase pedestrian safety

By Jo DeVoe
1/5

Arlington County has converted two intersections near Nottingham Elementary to four-way stops, in the wake of last year’s fatal crash on Little Falls Road.

In October, a driver struck and killed a woman at the intersection of Little Falls and John Marshall Drive. She was the third pedestrian killed along a two-block stretch of Little Falls Road near the school over the past eight years.

In the aftermath, the county began investigating the appropriateness of an all-way stop at the intersection.

Two such traffic patterns were installed along Little Falls Road in mid-March, Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien says: one at the intersection with John Marshall Drive and the other with N. Ohio Street.

“The two new all-way stop locations are located on both sides of the Nottingham Elementary School and help facilitate crossing opportunities for pedestrians and traffic control on this section of roadway,” O’Brien said. “Additional pavement markings and tactical improvements were made at the intersection of Little Falls Road and N. Nottingham Street.”

Last winter, as part of a traffic safety campaign, the county temporarily ramped up traffic enforcement on Little Falls Road, which saw two previous fatal crashes in 2014 and 2019.

Then, with the urging of the County Board to make safety improvements faster, it made some other short-term updates to the two intersections, says O’Brien.

The all-way stops were deemed necessary after multiple observations and on-site reviews to “assess the operations and effectiveness of the recent short-term improvements,” the spokeswoman said.

Updates to Little Falls Road and John Marshall Drive (via Arlington County)

In another step to increase safety, last week the county reduced speeds near Nottingham. It made the area around the school a “School Slow Zone,” where there is a permanent 20 mile-per-hour speed limit on a neighborhood street within 600 feet of a key access point to a school.

Earlier this week, meanwhile, at the intersection of N. Quincy Street and 9th Street N. in Ballston, an all-way stop was added in response to an extensive study and data collection effort. Pavement markings will follow soon, says O’Brien.

Safety concerns at this intersection date back more than a decade. The county has added upgrades incrementally to the originally sign-free intersection, Google Maps shows.

By 2010, ARLnow previously reported, a crosswalk and “yield to pedestrians” flags were added. Then, the county added neon yellow pedestrian signs and a repainted crosswalk.

O’Brien says the county studied whether to add stop signs given the limited impact of previous upgrades and repeated safety concerns from residents who cited the high volume of traffic at the intersection.

“This most recent study’s conclusion at this location reflects further consideration of the travel volumes and crash history at this location,” O’Brien said. “It also is part of our Vision Zero approach to safety intervention that calls for a progressive method on implementing safety measures when past efforts do not result in the desired outcomes.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A cyclist rides in front of the under-demolition RCA building in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Prosecutor-Police Relationship Debated — “‘To wear animosity towards the police department almost as a badge of honor makes no sense,’ said Josh Katcher, who is seeking to knock off first-term prosecutor Parisa Dehghani-Tafti in the primary and clearly aimed that remark in her direction. Dehghani-Tafti shot back that she has a ‘healthy’ relationship with the police rank-and-file and its leadership, suggesting that Katcher (who long served in the prosecutor’s office) has had a ‘too cozy’ relationship with them.” [Gazette Leader]

New Taxiway for DCA — “The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $5 million to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for the construction of a new taxiway, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Tuesday. The funding was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s fiscal year 2023 Airport Improvement Program.” [Patch]

GOP Faces Historic Electoral No-Show — “Not to put any additional pressure on the Arlington County Republican Committee leadership team – that’s not the media’s job – but if the party can’t in coming weeks find any candidates for local/legislative races this year, it will be the first time in at least a half-century the GOP has come up so short.” [Gazette Leader]

Bike to Work Day Coming Up — “Friday, May 19, 2023… Hop on a bike and ride with us this Bike to Work Day (BTWD) whether you’re working at home or commuting to the office. Join people all over the region in celebrating this fun, healthy, and sustainable activity. Celebrate biking and commuting with us.” [Bike Arlington]

It’s Wednesday — Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Tonight: Clear, with calmer winds and a low around 47. [Weather.gov]

County Board approves delivery permit for Foxtrot in Rosslyn

By Matt Blitz
1/2

Foxtrot in Rosslyn can now lawfully deliver you a magical charm crispy cake, thanks to County Board approval.

The Arlington County Board approved a use permit this past Saturday (May 13) to allow the upscale market, cafe, and convenience store to operate a delivery service from its 1771 N. Pierce Street location.

While it appears the market has already been offering deliveries since it opened earlier this year, it was being done under Covid-era rules that suspended enforcement of delivery-related ordinances.

The approved permit will essentially allow Foxtrot to continue to deliver anything from non-alcoholic sparkling wine to a tuna wrap beyond the expiration of the county’s Continuity of Government Operations (COGO) Ordinance on August 15.

“During the Covid-19 pandemic, Arlington County enacted a Continuity of Government Operations (COGO) Ordinance, which among other things put a stay on Zoning enforcement actions for food delivery services that are allowed primarily by use permit approval in most zoning districts,” reads the staff report. “This application, if approved, would permit Foxtrot Café to operate food delivery services legally following the expiration of the COGO.”

The report also notes that, with food delivery services growing in popularity during the pandemic, the county is in the midst of a study that explores “how food delivery services may be permitted in a manner different than what is currently provided for in the Zoning Ordinance.”

However, since that effort is ongoing and it’s not known when the study will be completed, the County Board went ahead and approved Foxtrot’s permit now.

The approval does come with a notable caveat, however.

Foxtrot initially proposed using a number of parking spots along N. Pierce Street as temporary parking for delivery drivers. The county was not too keen on this, with the report noting that staff observed delivery drivers and their vehicles blocking traffic a number of times.

“This presented issues with vehicles illegally standing and blocking traffic lanes along North Pierce Street… as on-street parking is limited to five (5) two-hour limited parking spaces,” said the report.

Foxtrot has since been able to come to an agreement with the owner and operator of a nearby underground parking garage to allow drivers to park in any available retail space for 15 minutes with validation.

With county staff agreeing that this arrangement will help “mitigate against further congestion and potential traffic violations on North Pierce Street,” the Board approved the permit with a review set for six months from now — which is November.

At that time, the Board will review the “effectiveness of the parking validation mitigation measures as well as the status of the Zoning Ordinance Amendment.”

Foxtrot provides delivery from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days, with the service being extended an extra hour or two on weekends. The company estimates that about 8% of its business comes from delivery.

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