News

‘100 Homes Campaign’ Reaches Goal

By ARLnow.com

100 Homes logo (via Arlington County website)(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) Arlington County is celebrating a milestone in its efforts to end homelessness. The county’s “100 Homes Campaign” reached its goal of housing 100 homeless Arlingtonians.

The achievement will be celebrated tonight at the annual Community Meeting on Homelessness. The public is welcome to attend the event, which will be held at the National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association (NRECA) Conference Center (4301 Wilson Blvd) from 7:00-8:30 p.m. John Harvey, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, will be the keynote speaker. He will talk about Virginia’s efforts to end veteran homelessness by the end of next year. Other speakers include County Board members and State Senator Barbara Favola.

County staff worked with nonprofit organizations to find housing for the people selected for 100 Homes. The following programs allowed for the housing:

  • Arlington County Permanent Supportive Housing — 63 housed
  • Housing Grant or Housing choice voucher — 12 housed
  • Veterans (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Voucher) — 11 housed
  • Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing — 13 housed
  • Mary Marshall Assisted Living Residence — 1 housed

“This is an important milestone in our efforts to prevent and end homelessness,” said County Board Chairman Jay Fisette. “It’s wonderful to see residents, nonprofit groups, faith-based organizations, the business community and County government coming together to make a difference in the lives of some of our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Of the 100 residents housed since the program launched in 2011, 93 continue to live in the housing. Many of them had been on the streets for years and had difficulty accessing and maintaining housing.

“The retention rate has been remarkable,” said Kathy Sibert, president and chief executive officer of Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN). “The key to this success is the supportive services that come with the housing. Case managers have done an outstanding job working with the clients to address issues like managing finances, maximizing employment and benefits, and connecting with mental health and substance abuse services.”

Just because the 100 Homes Campaign reached its goal does not mean the push to end homelessness in Arlington is finished. There will be a new initiative announced at tonight’s public meeting, called “Zero: 2016.” Arlington is joining the nationwide effort to end veteran and chronic homelessness.

“The [100 Homes] legacy will live on,” said Arlington Department of Human Services spokesman Kurt Larrick. “We learned a lot during the campaign, and partnered with a lot of great nonprofits, and we are carrying forward a lot of the concepts we learned.”

$23 Million Arlington Mansion Target of Possible Home Invasion Robbery

By Ethan Rothstein
1/7

The $23 million mansion at 201 Chain Bridge Road in Arlington was the scene of a possible home invasion robbery this morning.

The robbery is at least the second time the 23,000-square-foot, Mediterranean house overlooking the Potomac River has been broken into in the past seven months. This time, police were dispatched around 10:30 a.m. for a report of a burglary in progress, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Police arrived with a large response; more than two dozen vehicles were at the scene, blocking off one lane of Chain Bridge Road and occupying the entirety of the hilly driveway. Sternbeck said police took two subjects into custody and had multiple K-9 units sweeping the massive house to ensure no one else was on the property.

“This is a known residence to police,” Sternbeck said, referencing previous calls for “a variety of incidents,” including when valuable art was stolen from the home.

The mansion near the border with McLean belongs to Rodney P. Hunt, the former CEO of RS Information Systems who sold the I.T. company for $1.2 billion, he told ARLnow.com in April. The April incident was also allegedly perpetrated by two individuals, who made off with some crystal ware, Hunt said.

Sternbeck could not confirm if anything was taken from the house before police arrived. Hunt and another person were inside the home when the break-in occurred, Sternbeck said.

County Manager Recommends 40 New Wheelchair-Accessible Taxis

By Ethan Rothstein

An All-Access Taxi cab (photo courtesy All-Access Taxi)County Manager Barbara Donnellan has changed her mind and is now recommending the Arlington County Board approve licenses for 40 new, wheelchair accessible cabs.

Donnellan said in a memorandum in July she would recommend issuing no new taxi licenses in the county. But when the Accessibility Subcommittee of the Transit Advisory Committee took up the issue in September, it found that there was a need the county had not adequately addressed.

“[The subcommittee] that the low level of taxi complaints reported in the 2014 Certificate Determination Report was not a meaningful measure to determine the amount of accessible taxis needed,” Donnellan’s memorandum, issued earlier this month, states. “Since taxi dispatchers are informing callers that a three-hour wait is required for an accessible taxicab ride, customers are unlikely to complain to the County or request a same-day accessible taxi trip in the future.”

An All Access Taxi accessible cab (photo courtesy All Access Taxi)All Access Taxi requested 60 accessible taxi licenses in the summer after Donnellan issued her initial recommendation. Donnellan revised her recommendation to allow All Access Taxi 30 accessible taxi licenses and 10 more licenses for Blue Top Cab, bringing the total number of accessible cabs in the county to 77. All Access CEO and Founder Julie Piché said that 30 is not the optimal number to serve the disabled population in Arlington.

“Sixty wheelchair accessible taxis in Arlington County would maximize service to this underserved population by providing 2 taxis per square mile,” Piché said in a press release. “This will allow the population of disabled individuals to receive spontaneous service for the first time in history. The days of having to call more than 24 hours ahead, or waiting over 3 hours for an accessible taxi after a spontaneous call will be a thing of the past with our 60 taxi accessible fleet.”

According to the county report, the need for accessible services is increasing in Arlington. Arlington’s STAR program and MetroAccess — two public paratransit services — have seen their registrations in Arlington increase 26 percent in the last two years, the memorandum states. Both services use cabs when they don’t have other vehicles available, and there have been more reported late pickups among Arlington STAR riders from March to June this year than during any period since March 2011.

The new taxi license recommendation will go before the county’s Transportation Commission on Thursday, and hopes to see a larger number approved by the County Board when the matter goes before them in December. If approved, accessible cabs will make up 9.3 percent of the county’s taxi fleet, up from the current level of 4.7 percent.

Photos courtesy All Access Taxi

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Changing Colors (Flickr pool photo by Nathan Jones)

Decal Competition Underway — The annual competition for high school students to design the county’s new vehicle decal has begun. Entries for the 2015-2016 decal are accepted until December 1. [InsideNova, Arlington County]

DIY Network Casting Call — DIY Network is accepting applications from residents of the D.C. metro region for its show “I Want That.” It is not a renovation program, but rather focuses on the best and newest home and garden products. Homeowners within a 30 minute drive from downtown D.C. will be considered. [DIY Network]

Business Conference for Latina Entrepreneurs — The Shirlington Employment and Education Center will host a Latino Women’s Business Development Conference next Saturday, November 8. The goal is to find Latino women interested in starting their own businesses and connecting them with resources to succeed. The program primarily will be in Spanish. [InsideNova]

Flickr pool photo by Nathan Jones

Man Robbed of Watch in Lyon Village

By ARLnow.com

Police car lightsA 19-year-old man reportedly was robbed at gunpoint in Lyon Village early Saturday morning.

The man was in the 3300 block of 13th Street N. around 2:05 a.m. on Saturday when he was apparently approached by three strangers. The three men robbed the victim of his watch while showing a gun, according to the police crime report.

Several bystanders allegedly intervened, but they didn’t stay at the scene until police arrived.

Police describe the three suspects as black males, between 5’9″ and 5’11”, with medium builds. One suspect was wearing a red hoodie at the time of the incident and the other two were wearing black hoodies.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the police non-emergency number at 703-558-2222. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477).

Man Stabbed Near Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carA 20-year-old man ended up in the hospital on Saturday night after he was stabbed in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood.

The victim had just visited his girlfriend in the 800 block of S. Frederick Street. Around 6:45 p.m., three teenagers reportedly attacked the man without provocation, stabbing him multiple times in the upper body. Police say the victim’s girlfriend witnessed the attack but was not hurt.

The victim sustained significant injuries and was taken to Fairfax Inova Hospital.

Police have released the following suspect descriptions:

  • Suspect one — Teenage Hispanic male, approximately 5’4″ tall and 165 lbs. He was wearing dark clothing and had a blue bandana covering his face.
  • Suspect two — Teenage Hispanic male, approximately 5’10” tall and 200 lbs. He was wearing dark clothing with grey sweatpants and had a black bandana covering his face.
  • Suspect three — Teenage Hispanic male, approximately 5’4″ tall and 165 lbs. He was wearing dark clothing and also had a black bandana covering his face.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the police non-emergency number at 703-588-2222. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477).”

Leaf Collection Begins Next Week

By ARLnow.com

Leaf collection bags (photo via Arlington County website)Get your rakes ready. The county will begin its leaf collection service next week.

Leaf bag collection begins on Monday (November 3) and will run through Friday, January 9. Bags are collected on the next business day after your regular trash collection day. This includes holidays, except for Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Biodegradable paper leaf bags are available at most hardware stores, or can be used if left over from previous collections. Limited quantities also are available for free at the following community centers:

  • Aurora Hills Community Center, 735 18th Street South, 703-228-5715
  • Courthouse Plaza Information Desk, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-228-3000
  • Lee Community Center and Park, 5722 Lee Highway, 703-228-0552
  • Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Springs Road, 703-228-6535
  • Lubber Run Community Center, 300 N. Park Drive, 703-228-4712
  • Madison Community Center and Park, 3829 N. Stafford Street, 703-228-5310
  • Solid Waste Bureau, 4300 29th Street South, 703-228-6570
  • Thomas Jefferson Community Center, 3501 2nd Street South, 703-228-5920

Residents are asked to follow some guidelines for leaf bag collection:

  • Remove dirt, stones, litter and other debris from your leaves.
  • Place leaves only in biodegradable paper leaf bags because the bags will be made into mulch along with the leaves. Do not use plastic bags.
  • Close the bags by folding the top down.
  • Place your bags at the curb by 6:30 a.m., one business day after your trash day.

Vacuum leaf collection begins on November 10 and runs Monday through Saturday until December 19, except for Thanksgiving. Each civic association will receive two passes — one in November and one in December — and signs will be posted throughout the neighborhood three to seven days in advance. The full schedule is available online.

Residents are asked to follow some guidelines to prepare for vacuum collection:

  • Rake your leaves to the curb.
  • Don’t put leaves in roads more than seven days in advance of your scheduled vacuum leaf collection. It blocks traffic, limits street parking and is a fire hazard.
  • Pile your leaves away from storm drains, water meter covers, low wires and parked cars.
  • Remove stones, litter, branches and other debris from your leaves to prevent equipment damage and worker injuries.
  • Don’t place leaves in plastic bags or trash carts.
  • Never park your car on leaf piles. It’s a fire hazard.

More information is available on the county’s website.

Lyon Park Polling Place Quietly Moves to Garfield Park

By Ethan Rothstein
1/3

The polling place for the Lyon Park voting precinct has moved for the Nov. 4 election, from its normal location at the Lyon Park Community Center to the Garfield Park Apartments.

The community center closed temporarily for major renovations on Oct. 1, but voters in Arlington’s 15th voting precinct — generally, homes south of 10th Street N., east of N. Garfield Street and north and west of Arlington Blvd — have yet to be notified of their new voting center, at 925 N. Garfield Street.

Arlington County General Registrar Linda Lindberg told ARLnow.com today “we are in the process of mailing notices to voters,” and signs are posted at the community center. After they were notified of the community center’s long-term closure, the county struggled to find a suitable replacement.

“Because of a shortage of suitable facilities within the precinct, finding an alternative took a little longer than we would have preferred, but Garfield Park came through for us,” Lindberg said in an email. “Voting will remain there until the community center reopens.”

The Sun Gazette reported on Friday that a June 2015 primary — such as for County Board and Arlington’s General Assembly seats — would also likely have Garfield Park as its polling place before an expected switch back to the community center for next November.

Polling places are determined by local governments, Lindberg said, but because of the short notice before the election, the Electoral Board decided to make an “emergency” switch. The new polling place location must be approved by the County Board with a public hearing, the process for which will happen after the election.

Garfield Park is at the northwestern most corner of the voting precinct, several blocks from the community center, which is on the district’s western edge but more centrally located (it’s the location in yellow on the map in the above photo gallery). At least one resident is concerned about the last-minute change and how it affects voter accessibility.

“This change will certainly result in a much lower turnout for this precinct and prevent many elderly and disabled from voting,” Lyon Park resident Martin Lee told ARLnow.com in an email.

Lindberg said that, like all other polling places in the county, “there will be specific parking blocked off for voters who need accessible spaces.” Voters will enter the apartment building through the community room, and signs will be posted to direct them to the ballot box.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pumpkin in a fountain in Clarendon

Orange/Silver Line Delays — There were delays on the Orange and Silver lines this morning due to a disabled train at Virginia Square. The disabled train has since been cleared and trains are no longer single tracking around it. [Twitter]

Video: Don’t Put H-B Woodlawn in Reed School — A video created by members of the Westover community urges Arlington Public Schools to reject any proposal to relocate the H-B Woodlawn secondary program to the Reed School. [YouTube]

Design Tweaks for Courthouse Building — Developer Carr Properties has made several tweaks to the design of 2025 Clarendon Blvd, its proposed office building which will replace the Wendy’s in Courthouse. Responding to concerns from county planners, Carr has added a fourth retail bay and replaced most of the terra cotta in the facade with more glass and steel. [Washington Business Journal – WARNING: AUTO-PLAY VIDEO]

Health Violations at Arlington Restaurants — WUSA9 investigative reporter Russ Ptacek has set his sights on Arlington restaurants that have had food safety licenses revoked, including Mario’s Pizza, Aroma Indian Cuisine, Pedro & Vinny’s and Astor Mediterranean. In Virginia, restaurants get their violations cleared from the public database after getting a new license post-revocation. [WUSA9 – WARNING: AUTO-PLAY VIDEO]

Parking App for DCA — Starting Nov. 1, those parking at Reagan National Airport will be able to pay via a smartphone app. [MWAA]

Sun Gazette Carries Doomsday Ad — The Arlington Sun Gazette recently carried an ad for Disaster Retreat, a doomsday safe haven in central Virginia for “serious-minded families and executives.” The half-page ad was adjacent to a streetcar editorial and ads for window treatments and dog training. [Slate]

Ads Claim Streetcar Project Doesn’t Make Sense

By ARLnow.com

The group Arlingtonians for Sensible Transit (AST) is responding to the county’s stated benefits of the Arlington streetcar project with a set of ads claiming a streetcar “doesn’t make any sense.”

The four ads posted on the group’s “Myth Busters Page” focus on streetcar capacity, dedicated lanes and comparisons to buses and Metro. They feature a woman and man talking about why the county says residents would benefit from a streetcar, with most of the clips ending on the man stating, “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Streetcar supporters have tried to mislead the public into thinking that streetcars on Columbia Pike would be just like Metro, and that only streetcars have the capacity to handle ridership growth. Supporters also argue that bus rapid transit (BRT) cannot be a transit upgrade on the Pike because BRT requires a dedicated lane,” said Peter Rousselot, a leader of AST and an ARLnow.com opinion columnist. “AST’s new ads feature two AST supporters who explain succinctly why these claims by streetcar supporters are false and make no sense.”

Over the summer, the county released several videos explaining “Why Streetcar.” Last month, the County Board approved a $26 million preliminary design and engineering contract for the streetcar project. That’s 5.4 percent of the estimated $481 million total project cost.

Former Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Charge

By ARLnow.com

Ogregory Hamilton (photo courtesy of Arlington County Sheriff's Office)(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) A former Arlington County firefighter accused of dealing drugs has pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and will be sentenced next year.

Prosecutors say police began investigating Ogregory Hamilton after receiving a tip that the firefighter was dealing drugs. Earlier this year, police also received a tip that the Dumfries resident intended to sell cocaine near Carpool in Ballston on April 17. Detectives staked out the area and observed Hamilton arrive and park at the designated spot for the planned deal.

Police ended up detaining Hamilton and found cocaine inside the trunk during a search of his vehicle, according to a statement of facts entered as part of the plea. Police also searched his home and found a digital scale and baggies commonly used for packaging drugs. The baggies reportedly also had a white, powdery residue that appeared to be cocaine.

There is no indication that Hamilton dealt cocaine on county time or used any county resources to carry out any transactions, according to prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to a lower charge of cocaine possession earlier this month.

Hamilton’s sentencing is set for January 30, 2015.

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