News

As Covid cases continue to fall, local doc publishes his last weekly pandemic post

By ARLnow.com
Coronavirus (photo via CDC/Unsplash)

More than 150 weeks have passed since Dr. Mike Silverman, the emergency department chair at VHC Health, started his Friday night posts about the Covid pandemic.

The public Facebook posts have helped provide medical context and clarity, but in layman’s terms, to those seeking a better understanding of the disease and the response to it. ARLnow has regularly quoted Silverman’s posts in our coronavirus coverage.

Now, three years after Silverman’s first pandemic post from the ER, he’s wrapping up the weekly series. While not ruling out occasional updates, Silverman says now seems like a good time to conclude his Friday writing routine. By Silverman’s count, he has produced more than 195,000 words of updates on the local prevalence of Covid, as seen at the hospital, and the latest medical research on the virus and its treatments.

“Stopping on the second Friday in March three years later seems like a good run,” he wrote last month when announcing the decision.

When Silverman published his first Facebook update on March 13, 2020, only five Arlington cases had been confirmed, local grocery stores were being picked clean and Arlington Public Schools had just announced the closure of schools through spring break in April. The first confirmed case in the county had been announced just four days earlier.

Today, with vaccines and three years of exposure to the virus, it is still deadly and debilitating for some, but not nearly to the extent of earlier, when it was still a novel outbreak. As of last week, cases in Arlington were down to an average of just 11 per day, the lowest point since mid-2021, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.

Covid cases in Arlington as of 3/13/23 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)

The last confirmed Covid-related death in Arlington was reported during the final week of 2022.

“Coronavirus is not quite done with us yet though we’ve learned to live with it,” Silverman wrote on Friday.

That last weekly post is reprinted below with his permission.

It’s been another good week when it comes to the number of COVID cases we’re diagnosing in the ER. Our symptomatic positives are way down, with only a handful of positive cases and a 3% positivity rate this past week (6 week running average 10.3%). This is the second week in a row that is notably less than the previous weeks. Our general screening population (in theory asymptomatic patients or those we think COVID is unlikely) is also below 4% for the second week in a row (6 week average about 6%). The numbers for all comers this week show a 3.7% positivity rate and the last two weeks each had about half the number of cases we saw in the weeks beforehand. These numbers are consistent with other periods of time after surges. The number of hospitalized patients with COVID also dropped about 20% since last week. Hospitalizations climb in the weeks following a surge and are a lagging indicator of when the surge is over. I suspect we’ll continue to see a drop in the number of patients hospitalized with COVID over the next few weeks as well. However, I do anticipate that taking care of COVID patients in the ER and in the hospital will be part of our world for a long time to come.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A cold rain falls on tree buds in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Silicon Valley Bank Failure Hits Home — “Banking regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank Friday morning in a stunningly swift collapse of a financial institution entwined in the D.C. region’s startup ecosystem… Based in Santa Clara, California, Silicon Valley Bank operated an office in Rosslyn… Arlington restaurant software platform company MarginEdge, like many tech startups, maintained a deposit account at Silicon Valley Bank but moved the ‘lion’s share’ of its funds to a different financial institution on Thursday, co-founder and CEO Bo Davis told the Washington Business Journal in an email.” [Washington Business Journal]

Substance Abuse Discussion Tonight — “Arlington H.S.-wide substance abuse crisis panel March 13 at TJ [Middle School] — this event is hosted in part by W-L, Wakefield and Yorktown high schools. Speakers from DEA, DHS, Arlington PD/Fire.” [Twitter]

New Opening Estimate for Four Courts — “As we’re inching closer to St. Patrick’s Day, folks in the Arlington, Va. community are probably wondering when the popular Irish pub Ireland’s Four Courts will reopen. 7News learned that construction is underway and the managing partner of the pub said they’re hoping to reopen by early August.” [WJLA]

Another Gun Caught at DCA — “An Alexandria man was stopped from bringing a loaded handgun onto his flight at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Thursday morning, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The 9mm caliber gun, loaded with 15 bullets, was found in the man’s carry-on bag as he went through a security checkpoint at the airport.” [Patch]

ART Ridership Remains Lower — “An ongoing dearth of riders on the Arlington Transit (ART) bus service is one reason why taxpayers are likely to have to cover the vast majority of the cost for every trip taken on the bus system in the coming year, according to new data. As part of developing the government’s fiscal 2024 budget, officials are projecting cost recovery of 12 percent for the fiscal year that begins in July. That’s up from pandemic years, when ridership fell off a cliff, but is well below pre-pandemic levels.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Monday — Light rain in the morning and afternoon. High of 47 and low of 39. Sunrise at 7:24 am and sunset at 7:14 pm. [Weather.gov]

Arlington Food Assistance Center launches new hub near Fairlington

By Vernon Miles
AFAC staff at new distribution site in Alexandria (courtesy of AFAC)

Like all the cool kids, the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) is expanding to Alexandria.

The nonprofit food pantry announced in a release that it is launching a new distribution center in The Waypoint at Fairlington, an affordable housing complex at 2451 Menokin Drive that opened last year.

“This is a major step for AFAC in moving beyond Arlington to nearby areas where we can expand on our mission to address long-term food insecurity,” Charles Meng, chief executive officer of AFAC, said in the release.

Nonprofit affordable housing provider Wesley Housing is partnering with AFAC to open the site, which is the food pantry’s first in the City of Alexandria and the second outside of Arlington County, per the release.

Around 2,900 families come to AFAC each week for access to fresh and healthy groceries, per the release. The nonprofit has seen an uptick in people needing assistance, as well as higher grocery bills, due to inflation. It is bracing for more clients now that the federal government last month rolled back a pandemic-era expansion of food assistance benefits, known as SNAP.

“AFAC is already seeing a record number of families coming to our doors weekly,” Meng said in his statement. “The reduction in SNAP benefits will only drive more families to seek our services. While many low income families received an increase in the minimum wage, that increase has already been consumed by inflation especially with the cost of food.”

As part of the partnership with Wesley Housing, residents at The Waypoint who participate in AFAC’s program will receive free weekly supplemental groceries, including chicken, beef, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables and canned goods.

“Our residents in Arlington have been the beneficiaries of AFAC’s program for more than 12 years,” said Wesley Housing Director of Resident Services Irrin Suvanasai. “Mitigating food insecurity at one of our newest communities is another example of our ongoing commitment to create and operate healthy, supportive, stable, affordable housing communities.”

Firefighters rescue person struck by a Metro train in Crystal City

By Jo DeVoe
Arlington County firefighters rescue someone stuck under a Metro train in Crystal City (via ACFD/Twitter)

Arlington County firefighters rescued a person from underneath a Metro train last night (Thursday) in Crystal City.

Arlington County Fire Department units were dispatched to the Crystal City Metro station (1750 S. Clark Street) at 8:25 p.m. for a report of an individual struck by a train, per a press release today. They found the person under a train, “conscious and alert.”

“Crews immediately began rescue operations, sending personnel onto the track bed and underneath the train to safely remove the patient,” per the release. “The patient was successfully extricated from beneath the train just before 9 p.m. and loaded onto an awaiting ambulance.”

The person was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, according to ACFD.

“Rescue operations like the one our crews faced on March 9 can be extremely challenging,” Arlington County Fire Chief David Povlitz said in a statement. “I am extremely proud of our responders and WMATA safety partners for their ability to perform such a technical operation safely, proficiently, and quickly.”

Asked about the current condition of the person who was struck, a spokesman said the fire department typically does not do any immediate follow up once someone gets to the hospital.

Metro suspended service between the Reagan National Airport and Pentagon City stations in response to the incident and requested shuttle buses to accommodate passengers, according to a tweet published around 8:4o p.m. last night.

Two hours later, Metro announced that Blue and Yellow line service had resumed.

NEW: Police investigating carjacking in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

Arlington police are investigating a carjacking that happened last night near the Riverhouse apartment complex in Pentagon City.

The suspects were armed and reportedly stole a BMW.

This is at least the eighth reported carjacking in Arlington this year and the fourth involving a BMW in the Pentagon City and Crystal City area.

More from an ACPD crime report:

CARJACKING, 2023-03090228, 1100 block of Army Navy Drive. At approximately 10:34 p.m. on March 9, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were exiting their parked car when three to four unknown suspects approached, brandished firearms and demanded the keys to the vehicle and a cell phone. The suspects then fled the scene in the stolen vehicle and were followed by a suspect driving a dark-colored sedan. The victims’ vehicle was later located unoccupied in Washington D.C.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Rain in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Person Struck By Train in Crystal City — Updated at 8 a.m. — “Blue Line Metro train service was temporarily suspended between National Airport and Pentagon City Thursday night after a person was struck by a train at Crystal City, officials said. One person was removed from the platform and transported to an area hospital, Arlington Fire and EMS said, adding that the person is in critical condition.” [WJLA]

Marymount Opening Store With Amazon Tech — “Today, Marymount University becomes the first higher education institution in the U.S. to have an on-campus convenience store powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology. Located in the lobby of Gerard Phelan Hall on Marymount’s main campus in Arlington, the new convenience shop – Saints 24 – opens to the University community for the first time today. The implementation of Amazon’s cutting-edge Just Walk Out technology is designed to eliminate checkout lines.” [Press Release]

MU Prez Pushes Back on Coverage — “After several weeks of getting pummeled as a heartless executioner of humanities programs, Marymount University president Irma Becerra on March 8 went on offense. In a recorded video message to alumni and friends of the university that lasted seven minutes, the president said the issue had been blown completely out of proportion by media reporting that was ‘misleading at best and pointedly incorrect at worst.'” [Gazette Leader]

Next Week is Flood Awareness Week — “As we head into the typical spring and summer rainy season, Arlington, Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria are teaming up for Virginia Flood Awareness Week to share key messages of being informed and prepared. Virginia Flood Awareness Week, March 12-18, 2023, stresses personal safety with the ‘Turn Around Don’t Drown’ campaign. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than half of all flood-related drownings occur when motorists attempt to drive through flood water.” [Arlington County]

Shippin’ Up to Ballston — “This realtor literally made a Dropkick Murphys parody song to help sell one of his listings. Genius.” [Twitter]

More on Lubber Run Architecture Award — “‘Completed on time despite the emergence of the pandemic, Lubber Run Community Center solves a uniquely urban problem: preserving access to open space in the wake of unceasing development,’ the seven-member jury noted. ‘Fully integrated into the environment, the project is both a building and a park, a work of architecture truly rooted in its sense of place.'” [Gazette Leader]

Daylight Saving Time Reminder — From NBC 4: “Clocks ‘spring forward’ on Sunday — but losing that hour of sleep doesn’t have to ruin next week!⁠ Swipe for some tips from an expert on adjusting to daylight saving time.⁠” [Instagram]

It’s Friday — A cold rain starts in the morning and will continue for most of the day. High of 47 and low of 38. Sunrise at 6:30 am and sunset at 6:11 pm. [Weather.gov]

Demolition day nears for RCA building in Rosslyn

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

The RCA building in Rosslyn could soon be demolished — not with a bang, but mechanically and over the next five months.

“We are awaiting issuance of the demolition permit,” said Greg Van Wie, the senior vice president for McLean-based Jefferson Apartment Group. “[We] anticipate receiving it any day and commencing immediately thereafter.”

The looming demolition work comes nearly two years after the county approved plans to replace the concrete-cladded office building at 1901 N. Moore Street with a 27-story, 423-unit apartment building in June 2021. Construction of the building is expected to take three years.

“We are currently completing the interior demolition and abatement so [we] have not necessarily been delayed, just working through the County requirements for full demolition,” Van Wie told ARLnow today (Thursday).

JAG is leading a joint venture to demolish the building, built in 1969, as well as the skywalk connecting it to the Rosslyn Gateway building. The new structure, comprised of of a north and a south tower joined at the base and at the rooftop with an “amenity bridge,” will have retail and parking across the third and fourth floors and underground.

A letter to residents of JBG Smith-owned mixed-use apartment building Central Place, shared with ARLnow, informed residents that demolition would start Friday.

Van Wie said he is “not sure it will be Friday.”

Residents noticed prep work for the site occurring last fall. At the time, Van Wie told ARLnow he did not yet have a demolition schedule to share, but did say it will be dismantled, rather than imploded, “so there won’t quite be the same show as with the old Holiday Inn, unfortunately.”

The letter to Central Place residents outlined hours of demolition and expected closures over the next five months.

“We are expecting temporary closures of N. Moore Street just north of N. 19th Street,” it reads. “All closures will be coordinated between the developers and Arlington County.”

Per county zoning ordinances, demolition may take place Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the letter said.

“In our experience, teams will begin working promptly in the mornings, however it is common that activity will slow in the evenings,” the letter continued.

JAG projected demolition would occur in February or March back in December, when the Washington Business Journal reported that a joint venture led by JAG acquired the building for $55.5 million.

Three years ago, JAG took over the plans to redevelop the property from Weissberg Investment Corp., which built the initial building in 1969 and had plans to redevelop it back in 2017. The original plans were later put on hold.

ACPD: Person shot in Pentagon City after neighbor’s gun cleaning accident

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A Pentagon City resident has been charged after accidentally shooting a neighbor.

The incident happened last night on the 1300 block of S. Joyce Street, in the apartments near Pentagon Row.

“At approximately 10:30 p.m. on March 8, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with a weapon,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The investigation indicates the male suspect was allegedly cleaning his firearm inside his residence when it discharged and the round entered an adjacent unit and struck the victim.”

“The victim was transported to an area hospital in stable condition for treatment of injuries considered non-life threatening,” the crime report continues. “The suspect remained on scene and the firearm was recovered. [The suspect], 47, of Arlington, Va. was charged with Reckless Handling of a Firearm.”

Initial reports suggest that the victim was struck in the leg.

Arlington Planning Commission gives thumbs up to ‘Missing Middle’ zoning changes

By Jo DeVoe
The Arlington Planning Commission during its meeting on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 (via Arlington County)

(Updated 11:45 a.m.) Arlington’s Planning Commission voted 8-0 to recommend the Arlington County Board adopt the most flexible option of the proposed zoning changes, known as “Missing Middle.”

Commissioners Denyse “Nia” Bagley and Leonardo Sarli abstained during last night’s vote. Next, the ordinance to allow the by-right development of 2-6-unit buildings on lots currently zoned for single-family homes is slated to go before the Arlington County Board on Saturday, March 18.

“This has been a multiyear process,” said Planning Commission Chair Devanshi Patel. “It hasn’t been just December to March. Staff has labored on this for many, many, many years, and many, many, many hundreds of hours have been put into this process — including lots of hours by this commission itself.”

The county says this will help counteract the last century’s exclusionary housing policies while increasing the supply of options for people looking to buy a smaller, more moderately priced home than what is commonly built today. Large single-family homes have been replacing smaller, older single-family homes throughout the county for years.

Opponents say it is unclear whether the changes will meet those goals. The group Arlingtonians for Upzoning Transparency, formed to oppose the proposal, blasted the Planning Commission for “recommending [the] most extreme Missing Middle options.”

Arlington County staff presented a number of options to commissioners, with their preferred recommendations. Mostly, the commission supported the recommendations of county staff.

In a deviation from staff, the commission recommended removing parking mandates for lots near transit. Staff had recommended 0.5 spaces per unit for these lots.

The Planning Commission also supported 5- and 6- unit buildings on the widest number of lots, which YIMBYs of Northern Virginia Director of Communications Adam Theo, and former County Board candidate, heralded as “the best option for providing homeowners flexibility” during public comment.

Annual caps on the number of permits for “Expanded Housing Option” projects proved an impasse for the commission. Staff had no recommendation here, and the only consensus the commission could reach was that any cap should have a three-year sunset clause.

Missing Middle proponents had advocated fiercely for no caps. A limit of 58 permits per year was proposed, but opponents did not seem to champion this as a concession.

“We have a responsibility to consider what the impacts will be and how it works with competing policies,” said Commissioner Elizabeth Gearin. We don’t know if this will have the outcome that we want, or if it’ll have negative impacts — if we’ll be displacing potentially low-income minority home owners in favor of moderate-income renters.”

“For this reason,” she continued, “I am definitely supporting caps, either that or some sort of pilot study, until we know more than we originally new and that we examine these impacts as we go forward.”

Member Daniel Weir said there is “no rationale in Arlington County’s Comprehensive Plan, or other planning documents, upon which to recommend annual limitations to EHO permits.”

Vice-Chair Sara Steinberger said she appreciates the sentiment behind this, but caps are “an appropriate way to push us into EHO and see what impact that has on the county.”

When the final vote came, Sarli confessed he “was struggling,” before ultimately abstaining.

“I think it’s really great our community is embracing this — a little trepidatiously — but it is,” he said.

Sarli did make two recommendations that received full approval from the commission. One was the creation of a design guidebook with conceptual designs for EHO conversions and new constructions.

The other was a future study of ways to tackle policy concerns like the proliferation of oversized dwellings, including single-family homes derided by critics as “McMansions.” Commissioners wondered whether it might remain more profitable for developers to simply continue building large single-family homes, undermining the advancement of EHOs.

A large single-family home being built on N. McKinley Road (courtesy anonymous)

Sarli had a message for the Arlington County Board, expressing dismay with the unfolding of the multi-year process, which was rife with contention.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Mist on the Potomac near the landing path for Reagan National Airport (Flickr pool photo by Emma K Alexandra)

Planning Comm. Hears ‘MM’ Feedback — “In testimony before the Arlington County Planning Commission, David Gerk, an Arlington resident who was speaking on behalf of Arlingtonians for Upzoning Transparency, a group that opposes the Missing Middle housing proposal, argued that single-family zoning is not preventing teachers or firefighters or people of color from owning homes in Arlington. Gerk, an attorney and an engineer, emphasized that it’s the cost of housing that is preventing many of these people from owning homes in the county.” [Patch]

School Board Candidate Withdraws — “Due to family health issues and the need to be present for my family, I have come to the difficult decision to withdraw from the race for the Democratic nomination for the Arlington County School Board.” [Erin Freas-Smith for Arlington School Board]

No Michelin Stars for Arlington Eateries — “The little red book’s anonymous inspectors have selected eight new restaurants in today’s DC drop, spanning from Peruvian tasting menu spot Causa to breakfast taco hotspot La Tejana.” All of the Michelin-recognized additions are in D.C. [Washingtonian, Twitter]

Local Attorney Arrested for Theft — “An Arlington defense attorney has been arrested and charged with allegedly stealing credit cards from an Alexandria office building multiple times last year. The attorney is charged with credit card theft and credit card fraud, both as felonies, and another credit card fraud misdemeanor charge.” [ALXnow]

New Book About Pike Restaurants — “Registration is now open for the April 14 release of ‘Columbia Pike Recipes for Recovery,’ a book featuring stories of the resilience of Columbia Pike restaurants during the pandemic… The book was commissioned from Arlington artist Sushmita Mazumdar, who gathered stories from the 22204 ZIP code to create a collection of unique and diverse experiences.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Thursday — Clear throughout the day. High of 54 and low of 32. Sunrise at 6:31 am and sunset at 6:10 pm. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Emma K Alexandra

EXCLUSIVE: Builders and business owners say Arlington’s new permit system is lagging

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

(Updated 4:45 p.m. on 3/14/23) Builders and entrepreneurs tell ARLnow they are waiting up to twice as long as they used to for Arlington County to issue permits, costing them thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of dollars.

Permits that used to be issued the same day now take 1-3 weeks while those that took 2-3 months take double that time, they say. Meanwhile, the Arlington Permit Office’s limited hours of operation compound the delays and the high permitting fees exacerbate the costs incurred from waiting.

The apparent degradation of the county’s permit operation — corroborated by a number of sources, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals — follows the years-long development of a new online permitting system dubbed Permit Arlington.

The online system was touted by the county as a solution for long-standing problems with the former, more antiquated paper system.

“They have completely destroyed the system. They are slowing progress. The new system still doesn’t work nearly two years later,” a local custom home builder said. “Builders’ and developers’ holding costs are staggering.”

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce concurs.

“Some of our members may accept paying more for a quality permit service, but the timeframe and process must improve in order to justify the costs,” spokesman John Musso said. “We encourage the County to continue to recognize businesses as customers seeking a service, in this case permits.”

The complaints come as Arlington County continues transferring all permitting processes to its online system. The county has tied delays to the migration of permits into the system but has maintained that the overall wait time has not changed.

“With the phased launches of Permit Arlington, we are moving from a system with 1990 technology to a modern system,” said Dept. of Community Housing, Planning and Development spokeswoman Erika Moore. “This type of technological transition is complex and presents a learning curve for both staff and customers as all users adjust to using a new system.”

As part of the migration process, which started in 2019, Certificate of Occupancy permits moved online last week and last summer, nearly 10,000 active applications for building, trade and land disturbing activity permits moved online.

In response to customer inquiries, Moore said the Permit Arlington team is actively working through issues, has increased the size of the help desk team, has added numerous “how-to” documents and is making permanent fixes to prevent issues that caused earlier delays.

“The team will continue to work through these fixes until all the issues are resolved,” she said.

She says the Permit Arlington team applied lessons learned from the launch last summer to improve the implementation process for Certificates of Occupancy, “which launched smoothly two weeks ago.”

Musso counters there were still some issues.

“We have had several members note pain points with the transition of Certificates of Occupancy to Permit Arlington, resulting in confusion and uncertainty,” he said.

Concurrently, the county is requesting feedback about the permit process from recent applicants.

“We have heard from 250 people, but we want to provide enough time for people to respond,” Moore said. “Once it is closed, we will analyze the feedback and identify any potential action items.”

Meanwhile, the feedback was rolling into ARLnow.

Another home designer and builder was frustrated with office hours, which are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Every third Thursday, the office closes at noon. The Permit Office re-opened for in-person service in September after being completely virtual due to the pandemic.

“I would be willing to say that the eight hours a week are just not enough and that the threat of Covid is no longer there,” said home designer and builder Leonard Matthews. “How odd it is that Arlington County Schools are [fully] open but the permit office is not?”

(more…)

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