There’s a large emergency response in Shirlington following reports of an armed man suffering a mental health crisis.
Numerous police units are on scene, along with medics standing by, due to the incident on the 4200 block of Campbell Avenue. Some roads in the Shirlington Village area have been blocked during the response.
An Arlington County police spokeswoman confirmed the incident, which started around 2 p.m.
“Police remain on scene investigating,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.
Update at 3:50 p.m. — The situation has been resolved and officers are now leaving the scene, according to police.
POLICE ACTIVITY: ACPD investigated a mental health call for service in the 4200 block of Campbell Avenue. The investigation did not reveal an ongoing threat to the community and officers are returning to service. pic.twitter.com/SbybkZV4Bh
At least five cars were damaged by airbag thieves in a pair of North Arlington neighborhoods yesterday.
The thieves made off with airbags from three of the vehicles, all of which were Hondas, according to Arlington County police. The thefts were reported Thursday morning along N. Glebe Road, just north of Langston Blvd, and in the nearby Waverly Hills neighborhood.
LARCENY FROM AUTO/VEHICLE TAMPERING (Series) (Late), 2023-03160084/03160162/03160165/03160186, 2000 block of N. Woodstock Street/4400 block of Cherry Hill Road/26th Street N. at N. Glebe Road/N. Utah Street at Cherry Hill Road/2500 block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 10:32 a.m. on March 16, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. During the course of the investigation, it was determined five vehicles had their driver’s side windows shattered and airbags were stolen from three of the vehicles. All involved vehicles are Honda models. No other items were reported stolen. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.
Grace Community Church in Ballston Quarter (staff photo)
Grace Community Church in Ballston Quarter (staff photo)
Grace Community Church in Ballston Quarter (staff photo)
A church featuring a 500-person capacity auditorium is about to open at Ballston Quarter mall.
Grace Community Church, which had previously been holding services at Arlington’s Thomas Jefferson Middle School, is planning a grand opening at Ballston Quarter this coming Sunday, March 19.
The new space is located on the second floor of the mall, near Macy’s, and will also soon include a childcare center, the church said in a press release.
Grace’s Pastor John Slye, Jr. called the new space — which ARLnow first reported on last January — “a safe place to explore faith and to ask questions.”
“We have been able to design a space that is unique and fits perfectly with the unique calling that God gave us,” Slye said in a video message.
As of this (Friday) morning, work was still underway on the church’s expansive, window-lined lobby. The overall space, across from WHINO restaurant, is 23,280 square feet.
More, below, from the church’s press release.
Grace Community Church has moved from Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington, VA to Ballston Quarter. A newly customized space on the second level near Macy’s contains an auditorium that seats 500 people and a children’s ministry for ages 0-6th grade. Grace also has youth groups for middle and high school students and space for community classes.
Grace Community Church has been serving the Arlington community for over 20 years. This move brings Grace right to the heart of the city. Grace has a strong focus on compassion and justice initiatives, creating an engaging Sunday environment that is welcoming to all, and providing opportunities to connect and engage with others. The new space will also become home to a childcare center and many concerts, events and service opportunities for the community.
Services are held on Sundays at 9:00, 10:15 and 11:30am. Grace is celebrating its grand opening on Sunday, March 19 by giving away Ted’s Tarts from Ted’s Bulletin.
No-right-on-red signs in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
No-right-on-red signs in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
More signs preventing right turns at red lights are going up around Arlington County to reduce crashes.
They were added to long stretches of major arterial streets, including Columbia Pike and Wilson Blvd. The county has concurrently reprogrammed walk signals to give pedestrians a head start crossing the street.
These changes are being made to eliminate crashes that are fatal or result in serious injuries, the aim of its two-year-old traffic safety initiative known as Vision Zero.
“This is a win for pedestrian safety benefit,” said Chris Slatt, a member of Sustainable Mobility for Arlington, which has advocated for more of no-turn-on-red signs in areas with many pedestrians. “You would want to be safe to walk and not have to worry about driving through crosswalk.”
Some drivers have anecdotally reported congestion and longer idling times to ARLnow.
“Seems like these signs cause a lot of cars to sit and idle at intersections longer than they used to,” notes one tipster. “They also generally gum up traffic.”
County documents note there have been safety benefits seen in areas with high pedestrian volumes. Additionally, a focus group of elderly adults appreciated the red light restrictions.
The county’s view is that any reasonable trade-off is worth it.
“Although traffic may slightly increase at times due these safety interventions, the trade-off is a safer environment for our most vulnerable users — pedestrians and bicyclists,” Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien said.
During Vision Zero’s second year, per a report, the county has been adding no turn on red signs on:
Columbia Pike from the county line to Washington Blvd
Fairfax Drive from N. Glebe Road to N. Kirkwood Dr
Clarendon Blvd from N. Highland Street to Ft. Myer Drive and Wilson Blvd
Wilson Blvd from N. Glebe Road to Fort Myer Drive
Year 2 of Arlington’s Vision Zero plan wraps up this spring.
The county says it has also grown the number of signalized intersections with a 3-7 second head start for pedestrians from 31 to 77 during Year 2. Studies show this change can reduce pedestrian-vehicle collisions by up to 60%.
As of March 2022, the county had no-turn-on-red signs at 147 approaches — each point of an intersection — after adding signs at 35 approaches in Year 1 of Vision Zero, per a May report.
Priority intersections for these changes include those with many pedestrians and bicyclists, restricted sight distance and a history of turn-related crashes, according to a “Vision Zero toolkit” of traffic safety treatments.
Arlington joins other states and municipalities, including D.C., phasing out the right-on-red at busy intersections. A number ofstudies have shown right on red decreases safety and restrictions improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
Right on red was legalized 50 years ago to prevent idling and save gas during an oil embargo proclaimed by oil-exporting Arab countries, according to the county. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 required states to allow right turns on red to receive certain federal funds.
“Unfortunately, the country has been experiencing the trade-offs of right on red turns ever since,” the county said in the Vision Zero toolkit.
Ireland’s Four Courts, still under renovation this St. Patrick’s Day (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
St. Patrick’s Day Reminders — A number of St. Paddy’s Day celebrations are planned at pubs and other venues around Arlington today. Meanwhile, SoberRide is offering free Lyft rides home starting at 4 p.m. [
Anti-DUI Event Tonight — “As part of the Department’s anti-drunk driving educational efforts, the Arlington County Police Department is hosting an interactive event highlighting the impacts alcohol has on motor skills — because even one drink is one too many to get behind the wheel. This event is free and open to the public.” [ACPD]
Missing Middle Vote This Weekend — “For the better part of the past year, Arlington’s ‘missing middle’ plan has generated a polarizing debate, leading to marathon public meetings and sometimes vicious exchanges on social media. Like in other communities considering similar moves — from Victoria, B.C., to Raleigh, N.C. — residents have sparred over whether similar efforts are an effective way to combat soaring housing costs.” [Washington Post]
MM May Define Dem Primary — “Even as Arlington County Board members prepare to push through changes that represent the biggest housing and zoning changes in a century, it could – in theory at least – be a brief victory for proponents of Missing Middle. But that likely will depend on the outcome of the June 20 Democratic County Board primary, where two of the six contenders are hostile to the proposed changes, at least as currently envisioned.” [Gazette Leader]
Arlington Rent Remains Area’s 2nd Highest — Arlington remains second only to D.C. when it comes to the cost of one-bedroom rentals, and the two are now nearly neck-and-neck, according to new data from the rental website Zumper. The February 2023 data shows the median one-bedroom rental in Arlington costing $2,280/mo, up 8.6% over a one year period. That compares to $2,300/mo for the median one-bedroom in D.C., up only 3.6% year over year. When comparing one-bed rents from Feb. 2020 to Feb. 2023, Arlington rent is up about 10%. [Zumper]
Church Donates to Rent Relief — “Today, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) announced that the Arlington Presbyterian Church (APC) congregation has committed $200,000 to help low-income residents facing eviction remain in their homes at four APAH-owned properties along Columbia Pike. This funding will help eliminate outstanding rent balances for as many as 200 APAH residents and their families.” [Press Release]
Food Bank Seeing High Need — “A perfect storm of challenges has pushed more people than ever before to seek aid from the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). ‘Our families cannot get a break,’ the social-safety-net agency’s CEO Charlie Meng said. ‘First it was the pandemic, then inflation, and now the loss of [expanded] SNAP benefits means they are worse off than they were before March 2020.'” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Friday — Cloudy with possible light rain in the afternoon and evening. High of 60 and low of 45. Sunrise at 7:18 am and sunset at 7:18 pm. [Weather.gov]
Emergency response on scene of the Crystal City Metro station
Update at 7:45 a.m. — The station is back open and operating normally this morning after last night’s smoke incident.
Crystal City is open and train service is operating as expected this morning. We apologize for the inconvenience to anyone traveling on the 🔵 Blue Line and to the station last night. #wmata
Earlier: Trains are bypassing the Crystal City Metro station and the station has been evacuated due to smoke coming from a set of escalators.
The initial call went out shortly before 9 a.m. for the station filling with smoke. A large fire department response is now on scene.
No injuries have been reported.
Bus service is helping to bring passengers from Crystal City to the nearby Pentagon City station. As of 9:40 p.m., the source of the smoke had been found, according to the fire department, and most personnel were in the process of leaving the scene.
#FINAL: Source has been located and has been isolated. Smoke conditions are improving and most units are in the process of clearing the scene.
Blue/Blue+ Line Alert: Due to fire department activity at Crystal City, Metrobus routes 7A, 10A, 22A and 16E operate btwn Crystal City and Pentagon City.
LOCATION: Crystal City Metro INCIDENT: Fire Department Activity IMPACT: Trains are temporarily bypassing Crystal City due to fire department activity. Bus service has been requested by Metro. pic.twitter.com/fbsHf3UE5a
Renderings of the proposed apartments to replace the Americana Hotel (via Arlington County)
Renderings of the proposed apartments to replace the Americana Hotel (via Arlington County)
Americana Hotel in Crystal City in July 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction equipment around the former Americana Hotel in Crystal City in August 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Renderings of the proposed apartments to replace the Americana Hotel, with the existing elevated Route 1 in view (via Arlington County)
Renderings of the proposed apartments to replace the Americana Hotel, with the ‘tabletop’ feature in view (via Arlington County)
(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) Plans to redevelop the Americana Hotel in Crystal City with apartments could get final approval next month, Arlington County says.
“The County is targeting April for full Planning Commission and Board review, but that is subject to change,” Dept. of Community Planning, Housing and Development spokeswoman Erika Moore told ARLnow.
JBG Smith proposes to demolish the former hotel at 1400 Richmond Hwy and build a 19-story, 639-unit apartment building with 3,885 square feet of ground-floor retail. If approved next month, construction could wrap up in 2026 or 2027, a company representative said in a Site Plan Review Committee meeting last month.
Up to this point, JBG Smith has overcome sloping terrain and maneuvered future development plans for neighboring sites and Route 1, which the Virginia Department of Transportation plans to lower. Per the meeting discussions, the developer is spending the remaining time before final review ironing out transportation and sustainability elements.
The building will have 188 on-site residential and visitor parking spaces. JBG Smith proposes setting aside 206 spaces for residents at the nearby Bartlett Apartments, which is a quarter-mile away. County code allows property managers to provide spots on other properties they own up to 800 feet away, says Kedrick Whitmore, an attorney for the project.
Some SPRC members differed over whether this would be a burden.
“One of our group members in that situation, they lived in a place and had off-site parking, it was so hard every time they had shopping to get from one place to another,” said Pedestrian Advisory Committee Secretary Pam Van Hine. “How are you going to mitigate that?”
Also speaking from experience, Transportation Commission Chair Chris Slatt said his first apartment after college had off-site parking about the same distance away.
“It was occasionally annoying but otherwise not a big deal,” he said. “We all know how much parking costs to build. If it means you are 100 bucks a month under rent because it’s annoying, I would happily take that if I were fresh out of college.”
Malcolm Williams, an associate with JBG Smith, said the Bartlett garage is three-quarters full and use will likely decrease with additional transit usage.
(The county is expanding bussing in the area via the extension of the Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway, while advocates of an at-grade Route 1 want to see more walking, cycling and scooting along the urban boulevard.)
The building will also target younger people working at Amazon or other nearby companies who are less likely to own cars. To Van Hine’s point, however, Williams did acknowledge the need for additional managerial effort.
“Anytime you have shared parking, it’s going to require heavy touch from the onsite property manager to make sure that drop offs and things of that nature are managed efficiently… and it’s legible for people,” Williams said. (more…)
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
A triple fatal crash Wednesday morning in D.C. has claimed the lives of two young Arlington men.
U.S. Park Police just released the names of those killed. They include Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23, and Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22, both of Arlington.
The men were killed while riding in a Honda Accord with 42-year-old Mohamed Kamara of Burtonsville, Maryland. It is currently unclear whether Mendez and Velasquez knew Kamara or whether the Honda was being operated as a rideshare vehicle at the time of the crash.
The crash happened just before 1:45 a.m. on a curved section of the Rock Creek Parkway near P Street NW when a Lexus SUV slammed into the Honda. NBC 4, Fox 5 and other local news outlets reported that the Lexus had just fled an attempted traffic stop and had dozens of outstanding speeding violations associated with its license plate.
A man in the Lexus suffered injuries not considered life threatening, while a woman in the SUV suffered critical injuries, according to USPP.
More from today’s Park Police press release, below.
United States Park Police (USPP) officers have identified the victims of the crash that occurred on March 15 on Rock Creek Parkway involving a Honda sedan and a Lexus SUV.
On Wednesday, March 15 at 1:43 a.m., USPP officers were dispatched to a crash on the Rock Creek Parkway near P Street NW. The three occupants in the Honda were pronounced dead on the scene. The deceased were later identified as Mohamed Kamara, 42, of Burtonsville, MD, Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23, of Arlington, VA, and Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22, of Arlington, VA. The Lexus was occupied by an adult woman and adult man. The adult woman was transported to the hospital with injuries later considered life-threatening and the adult man was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
USPP detectives are working in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia as the crash remains under investigation. No additional information is available at this time.
Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to contact the USPP Tip Line at (202)379-4877 or email [email protected].
35th Street N. in the Rock Spring neighborhood (via Google Maps)
Signage at Thrifton Hill Park (via Arlington County)
Washed out pathways at Thrifton Hill Park (via Arlington County)
Playground at Bailey’s Branch Park (via Google Maps)
A missing sidewalk link on 7th Street S. in Alcova Heights (via Google Maps)
(Updated 03/29/23 at 4:30 p.m.) The next batch of neighborhood-level improvement projects is headed to the Arlington County Board for approval.
These include installing new LED streetlights along 35th Street N. in the Rock Spring neighborhood, fixing a missing sidewalk link along a street in Alcova Heights, and improving two parks — one in South Arlington and one in North Arlington.
The four were winnowed down from nearly 60 prospective projects. Of them, one — improvements to Baileys Branch Park in Columbia Forest — meets new equity criteria that the Arlington Neighborhoods Program says it has started using to evaluate worthy projects.
Location of neighborhood projects set for County Board approval (via Arlington County)
For decades, this program has served as a community-driven process by which residents can identify small-scale infrastructure projects that are vetted and then recommended to the Arlington County Board for approval. A long-standing criticism has been that this process favored wealthier neighborhoods where residents had the time, resources and connections to be more civically engaged.
Last year, the Arlington Neighborhoods Advisory Committee struck “conservation” from its name, saying it connotes exclusivity, and added equity criteria to how it evaluates projects. At the start of this year, the Arlington County Board welcomed these changes to “embrace equity.”
The new criteria are two-fold: first, whether the neighborhood has a high population of people of color, and second, whether it has high rates of poverty and lower rates of higher education, homeownership and English proficiency.
“The equity considerations are a work in progress and will be evaluated and refined as needed over time,” per the report.
Neighborhood Conservation projects from 1989 to 2019 compared to neighborhoods with high and low populations of people of color (via Arlington County)
More details about the project are as follows.
35th Street N. from Little Falls Road to Williamsburg Blvd, in Rock Spring, is going to get new, “cobra-style” LED streetlights for $268,710. Road safety is a particular concern in this part of residential North Arlington. This stretch is a few blocks from where Washington-Liberty High School student Braylon Meade was killed by a teen accused of drunk driving.
Bailey’s Branch Park (990 S. Columbus Street), a 2-acre park with a playground and green space in Columbia Forest, will get $750,000 in improvements, including the removal of invasive plants, additional native trees and plantings, new site furnishings and park signage.
After invasive plants are removed from Thrifton Hill Park, new site furnishings, a picnic shelter and potentially, a dog run will be added. This will cost $985,000. The park at 2814 23rd Street N. in the Maywood neighborhood has trails and provides access to Custis Trail.
A missing sidewalk link, with crosswalks and ramps that are accessible to people with disabilities will be installed along a 200-feet stretch of 7th Street S., near where it curves and intersects with 8th Street S. in the Alcova Heights neighborhood. This street improvement will cost $342,741.
The recommended projects went through the standard public engagement process for Arlington Neighborhoods Program, according to the county report, described as a “collaborative effort that seeks input from residents and civic associations on concept designs.”
The Rock Spring and Alcova Heights projects went through a two-step petitioning effort for affected residents and received the necessary support to qualify.
“The Columbia Forest and Maywood park projects were approved by their civic associations at one of their advertised meetings,” the report says. “All four civic associations continue to support each of the projects in their respective neighborhoods.”
(Updated at 1 p.m. on 03/21/23) Arlington County is looking to buy its first home for flood prevention.
The county has entered an agreement to buy the home at 4437 18th Street N. in the Waverly Hills neighborhood for $969,200, according to a staff report to the Arlington County Board.
The Board is set to review and approve the agreement during its meeting on Saturday.
The single-family home and detached garage is located in the Spout Run watershed, which has been hit hard by recent flooding events, such as the floods seen in July 2019. It will be torn down and the property will be replanted to serve as “overland relief,” at a cost of around $350,000.
Overland relief is a safe flowpath for flood waters to the nearest stream or storm drain during a large storm event. (An earlier version of this story incorrectly explained overland relief.)
Arlington County is looking to step up its mitigation efforts in response to severe weather events. While the 2019 flood has been described as a “100-year flood” — or a flood that has a 1% chance of happening each year — some research suggests these may occur more frequently due to rising sea levels and more frequent and severe storms, which are linked to climate change.
As part of this effort, last year county staff sent letters of interest to 38 properties in parts of the Waverly Hills and Cherrydale neighborhoods where overland relief is “an essential element” to manage extreme flooding, the report says. Funding for this voluntary property acquisition program was included in the adopted one-year 2022 capital improvement plan.
“The County will pursue acquisitions of properties whose owners are willing to sell to the County, and whose properties would allow for greater access to existing stormwater infrastructure for potential future upgrades, provide overland relief during periods of intense rainfall,and other future engineering solutions,” it says.
“Several” owners have indicated interest in selling to the county, the report added.
ARLnow last reported that there is some interest among residents in selling, while a number of others say that uprooting their families would come at too high a cost.
We were also told several had unanswered questions about the process and how these properties will be managed. One concern is that a piecemeal acquisition process would result in a “checkerboard” of homes and blighted-looking properties.
That “checkerboard” could result in “community fragmentation, difficulty with providing municipal services, and inability to restore full floodplain functionality,” and is one reason local governments may have a hard time getting enough community support for buyouts, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
Other reasons include the potential impacts on property values and housing stock and fears of displacement, it says.
Still, people are more likely to be interested in selling after a major flooding event.
“Buyouts are often a politically unpopular option unless there is a particularly catastrophic event that changes people’s willingness to move and creates unified state and local support for relocation,” the report noted.
A still from a video showing flooding in the Waverly Hills neighborhood on May 22, 2018 (via YouTube)
Other research shows that property buyouts are one of the most effective tools at the disposal of local governments to combat frequent flooding.
“At their best, they provide a permanent solution,” according to Pew Research. “Effective buyouts prevent future damage, make people safer, and ideally protect entire neighborhoods or communities. Moreover, once bought-out properties become natural open space, they can provide an added benefit of absorbing additional stormwater, further reducing flooding and helping to conserve habitats.”
Blooms in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A Modest Proposal for Upzoning Arlington — “According to my calculations, if Arlington allowed five stories of apartments above commerce by right in all of what are now ‘one family dwelling districts’ in the county zoning database, the county could accommodate as many as 900,000 new residents in 545 million square feet of residential living space.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Nat’l NAACP Weighs In on Missing Middle — From the Washington Post’s Teo Armus: “The @NAACP’s General Counsel (yes, at the national level) is getting involved in the debate over “missing middle” housing in Arlington. The Jan vote to limit this plan to 6-unit buildings ‘would prevent Black and other people of color from moving into Arlington.'” [Twitter]
Death in Pentagon Parking Lot — “Police found a service member deceased in his car in the Pentagon parking lot on Tuesday afternoon, spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Ryder announced late Monday. Following a request for a welfare check, officers from the Pentagon Force Protection Agency discovered the service member and called Arlington County Emergency Medical Services, who confirmed the death, Ryder said in a statement.” [Military Times]
Flea Market Ready to Return — ” The Arlington Civitan Flea Market is kicking off its 2023 season on Saturday, April 1 at the Washington-Liberty High School parking garage. The garage sale and flea market, started in 1986, attracts vendors from across the Washington, D.C., area and Mid-Atlantic region. The Arlington Civitan Club is expecting at least 75 vendors at the kick-off flea sale on April 1 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.” [Patch]
New Date for Jeni’s Grand Opening Event — “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is holding a rescheduled grand opening celebration at its new shop in Arlington on Tuesday, March 21… The grand opening celebration was originally scheduled for March 8 but had to be pushed back.” [Patch]
County Statement on EPA Regulations — “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday proposed regulations for six types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water… Arlington has been closely following these proposed regulations and working with regional partners on this issue to ensure the County’s water supply continues to meet or exceed all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Department of Health safety standards.” [Arlington County]
Major Jewelry Theft in Falls Church — “City of Falls Church Police request help in identifying grand larceny suspects. On Friday, March 10 at about 1:45 p.m., the suspects entered Tri State Jewelers at 110 W Broad St.Two male suspects kept the employees occupied while three female suspects walked around the store. While the employees were distracted, one female, wearing a purple dress with a white checkered design and a blue head scarf, crawled to the back room and stole approximately $500,000 worth of jewelry.” [City of Falls Church]
It’s Thursday — Clear throughout the day. High of 59 and low of 33. Sunrise at 7:19 am and sunset at 7:17 pm. [Weather.gov]
