Ramp from Glebe to I-395 blocked by police activity (photo courtesy Thornton Thomas)
Ramp from Glebe to I-395 blocked by police activity
Police responding to incident on S. Glebe Road
Ramp from Glebe to I-395 blocked by police activity (photo courtesy Thornton Thomas)
(Updated on 2/17/23) A ramp from S. Glebe Road to I-395 was blocked Thursday afternoon due to a report of a man with a gun.
Shortly before 3:30 p.m., a 911 caller told police that another driver was pointing a long gun at them after a crash. Numerous Arlington County police units rushed to the scene, detained those involved and are now sorting out what exactly happened.
No injuries have been reported. The ramp reopened around 4:30 p.m.
ACPD provided more information about the incident in a crime report on Friday.
BRANDISHING, 2023-02160183, I-395 at S. Glebe Road. At approximately 3:21 p.m. on February 16, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined the victim and suspect had been involved in a traffic collision, during which the suspect exited the vehicle and allegedly displayed a firearm on his waistband. No injuries were reported. During a search of his person incident to arrest, a firearm was recovered. [The suspect], 45, of Alexandria, Va., was arrested and charged with Brandishing.
(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) When Arlington Economic Development tried to help a local tech business take advantage of a county tax incentive program some 2.5 years ago, it hit a snag.
The Commissioner of Revenue denied the company’s application to be recognized as a “qualified technology business,” per a county report. Under this designation, as part of the county’s “Technology Zone” program, it would have paid half the rate normal rate for the Business, Professional, Occupational License (BPOL) tax.
“Technology Zone” allows qualifying companies in Arlington’s “high-technology business corridors” to pay $0.18 per $100 of gross receipts for 10 years, as opposed to the $0.36 that many companies pay for a business license.
AED says the program is one of its “most effective tools” to recruit and retain tech companies, and a spokeswoman for the division tells ARLnow that 105 businesses have been approved for this designation since its inception in 2014.
After talking with the tax assessor’s office, AED learned the business was denied because it used a third-party organization, known as a Professional Employer Organization, to manage company payroll. It also learned “several” other businesses had been turned away for the same reason.
To qualify for the tax break, businesses must show, and the Virginia Employment Commission must verify, they increased their full-time employees by at least 25% within the 12 months before applying for the program.
“PEOs report a company’s employees and wages to the VEC under the PEO’s federal employer identification number, and the reports indicate that the employees are affiliated with the PEO rather than with the company,” said the staff report to the Arlington County Board. “This leaves the company unable to demonstrate employment growth to the County via its own VEC filing and therefore unable to meet the Technology Zone program’s criteria.”
This affects between four and six companies interested in applying for the program every year, AED spokeswoman Cara O’Donnell said.
Now, AED and the Commissioner of Revenue are asking the County Board to allow businesses that use these services to be eligible. The Board is set to review the request during its meeting on Saturday.
“The language does not align with current business processes and trends in the technology industry, specifically the increasing usage of third-party organizations to manage and process company payroll,” the staff report says, asserting that this is “inconsistent with the original intent” of the ordinance.
The proposed changes would also update the definition of “qualified technology business,” which the county says is “vague and outdated.”
County code currently says that a “qualified technology business” has a “primary function in the creation, design, and/or research and development of technology hardware or software.”
It adds that using computers, telecommunications services or the internet “shall not, in itself, be sufficient to qualify as a qualified technology business.”
But AED says this “does not capture many new business models” and recommend emphasizing proprietary technology instead.
Lastly, businesses would have 24 months, rather than 18, to apply to be “qualified technology businesses” after setting up a business in Arlington.
“The proposed amendments are minor technical changes to the ordinance language, not expansive policy changes,” the staff report says. “Together, these changes would enhance the effectiveness of the Technology Zone incentive as a business attraction and retention tool.”
An incoming jet to DCA passes by construction in Rosslyn at 1900 Ft. Myer Drive (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
APS Sub’s Class Activity Questioned — “An Arlington Public Schools 8th grade student and his mother are demanding answers after they tell 7News a long-term substitute teacher forced him to pick up cotton with his face for a game… ‘Other students participated. The activity featured a player from each team taking turns. Using only their nose, the players were challenged to move the cotton balls one at a time from one end of the table to a bowl at the other end of the table. The object was [to] see who could move the most cotton balls,’ said district spokesperson Frank Bellavia.” [WJLA]
Rental Scooter Charging Ban Reminder — From the Arlington County Fire Department: “Recent changes to the statewide fire prevention code makes it ILLEGAL to charge commercial electronic transportation devices within multi-family residential buildings!! Personal devices are still OK but are capped at 1 device per 200 Sq Feet of living space.” [Twitter]
YHS Girls Take Swim Title — “The Yorktown Patriots on the girls side and the Langley Saxons on the boys won 6D North Region swim and dive championships the weekend of Feb. 10 and 11 at Oak Marr RECenter in Oakton. For the Yorktown girls, the title was its second straight.” [Gazette Leader, Gazette Leader]
It’s Thursday — Light rain starting in the afternoon. High of 68 and low of 50. Sunrise at 7:00 am and sunset at 5:48 pm. [Weather.gov]
Arlington and its neighbors are getting an early start on an annual tap water change.
The Washington Aqueduct, which serves Arlington, D.C. and part of Fairfax County, is preparing for a reservoir rehabilitation project. As a result, the yearly “spring cleaning” practice of switching water disinfectants is kicking off a month early.
Starting this coming Monday, Feb. 20, locals may notice a slight chlorine taste and smell from their tap water. It’s perfectly safe, the county says, and will last through May 15.
More, below, from a county press release.
Arlington County, along with the District of Columbia and northeastern Fairfax County, will modify the water treatment process beginning Feb. 20, 2023, in an annual practice lasting through May 15. The safeguard involves the industry-standard practice of temporarily swapping the system disinfectant from chloramine, used most of the year, to chlorine. This practice ensures that the water mains remain clean and clear.
Although traditionally begun in March, this year’s early start will allow the Washington Aqueduct to complete a reservoir rehabilitation project. The Aqueduct, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, supplies the three jurisdictions with drinking water and initiates the cleaning process for pipes down the line. The Arlington network is made up of some 500 miles of pipes linked to homes, businesses and schools.
Purification systems and constant monitoring by Arlington staff ensures the County’s water is safe and essentially unchanged, although users may notice a slight difference in smell and taste. The switchover will not involve any interruption in service to customers.
Concurrent with the disinfection switch, Arlington will conduct a system-wide flushing to enhance year-round water quality. Residents may see some of the County’s 3,700 fire hydrants flowing at the curb as part of the procedure.
What to expect Feb. 20 through May 15:
Customers who experience a chlorine smell or taste from the tap can run the cold-water line for about two minutes before using water from the tap; employ a filter system; or let the water sit in a container for an hour or two as the chlorine smell and taste dissipate.
Customers who take special precautions to remove chloramine from tap water during the rest of the year should continue such methods during the temporary switch to chlorine. As always, those with special concerns should consult their health care provider.
Arlington’s drinking water continues to meet or exceed all safety standards established by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Virginia Department of Health.
The County uses approximately 8 billion gallons of tap water each year, around 1 trillion 8-ounce glasses of water, all originating from the Potomac River.
Graffiti on a train car near Long Bridge Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Civic Associations Want Say in VHC Plan — “Plans by VHC Health (Virginia Hospital Center) and the Arlington County government for a new [mental health] facility on South Carlin Springs Road have drawn concern from the leaders of two adjacent civic associations. ‘We are disappointed that no effort was made for meaningful engagement with us prior to the finalization of the letter of intent,’ wrote Julie Lee, president of the Glencarlyn Civic Association, and Brian Glosh, president of the Forest Glen Civic Association, in a letter to County Board members and hospital officials” [Gazette Leader]
Protest in Rosslyn Yesterday — “There’s a small anti-war protest currently underway in Rosslyn, in front of Raytheon HQ at 1100 Wilson Blvd. It’s organized by the group Code Pink and scheduled to go until 12:30.” [Twitter]
Arlington Woman Completes Feat — “An Arlington woman, Jill Jamieson, has completed the adventure of a lifetime after running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. She raised funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. Jamieson completed the World Marathon Challenge on Monday after starting in Antarctica. Runners completed the standard 42.2 km marathon distance in Antarctica, Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and North America within 168 hours, or seven days.” [WJLA, Today]
New CVS Opens — The new CVS store in the Virginia Square area — the one with the somewhat controversial brick wall — has reportedly opened, several people tell ARLnow.
Free Food for Fillmores, Fords — “‘Presidents’ eat free at WOB Bar & Kitchen Arlington this Presidents Day! On Monday, February 20, 2023, to celebrate the holiday, anyone with the last name of any U.S. President will receive a free BYO (build your own) Burger.” [Press Release]
HQ2 Is Huge — “The first phase of Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington, known as Metropolitan Park, is scheduled to open in the coming months, making it the biggest office project scheduled for completion in the United States in 2023 outside of New York City. The top five office projects scheduled for completion in 2023 are in New York City, according to a new report from CommercialCafe.” [Patch]
F.C. Has Priciest Homes — “It doesn’t happen often, but the District of Columbia in January was displaced as the priciest local real-estate market on a per-square-foot sales-price basis in January. The itty-bitty city of Falls Church rose to the top, with homes selling for a median $504 per square foot… Falls Church leapfrogged both D.C. and traditional second-place finisher Arlington to land the top spot with a 29.9-percent increase in median per-square-foot costs.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Wednesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 64 and low of 45. Sunrise at 7:01 am and sunset at 5:47 pm. [Weather.gov]
A man was shot and seriously injured in Courthouse early this morning.
Initial reports suggest a man was shot in the lower torso in the parking garage of the Hilton Garden Inn on N. Courthouse Road, a block from Arlington County police headquarters, potentially as a result of a robbery.
The victim was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Police are working to sort out the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“The investigation into the events that preceded the shooting is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact ACPD’s tip line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected],” police said via social media.
UPDATE: The victim sustained serious, non life-threatening injuries. The investigation into the events that preceded the shooting is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact ACPD’s tip line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]
A park in Clarendon is slated to get a series of improvements identified by neighbors almost four years ago.
11th Street Park, located on the corner of 11th Street N. and N. Danville Street at 2751 11th Street N., will receive paving and accessibility upgrades as well as new landscaping, lighting and furnishing.
“Existing gravel walkways will be replaced in approximately the same location and will be concrete” and accessible to people with disabilities, a county webpage says. “Other features include new site furnishings, renovation of the existing lawn areas, additional trees and new native pollinator plantings, signage, natural boulders and path lighting.”
The overall project budget for the park improvements in 11th Street Park totals $492,338, which includes “design, soft costs and construction,” the report says.
Construction is set to begin before spring and end before October, per the website.
A design plan for 11th Street Park’s renovation (via Arlington County)
The Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association flagged the need for upgrades to the green space near The Crossing Clarendon retail center back in 2019, when it submitted requests to the Arlington Neighborhoods Program (formerly known as the Arlington Neighborhood Conservation Program).
This kicked off a community process that resulted in the Arlington County Board approving the scope of the project in April 2021.
“This plan received the support of the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association through a collaborative community process with staff from Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation,” a county report notes. “Several meetings were held to prepare a refined concept plan and develop the final design.”
Design meetings were also held in 2021 and, as part of the project, the open space was renamed 11th Street Park in 2022.
The park’s old name was a longer but equally literal descriptor: 11th Street North and North Danville Street Park. Community members considered other names, including one to honor Nguyen Ngoc Bich, a Vietnamese refugee and Arlington resident who advocated for immigrants and shared Vietnamese culture.
Bich, who died six years ago, could instead be remembered with a historical marker. It would also pay tribute to Clarendon’s historical monicker, Little Saigon, as many refugees settled and built businesses there. Many have since relocated due to rising rents.
Haute Dogs opening at Williamsburg Shopping Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Haute Dogs hot dogs (photo courtesy of Haute Dogs)
Haute Dogs tater tots (photo courtesy of Haute Dogs)
Haute Dogs burgers (photo courtesy of Haute Dogs)
Haute Dogs opening at Williamsburg Shopping Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Haute Dogs is planning its grand opening later this month in Arlington’s Williamsburg neighborhood.
The Nationals Park favorite that serves up fancy hot dogs is aiming to open its first Arlington brick-and-mortar location on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Williamsburg Shopping Center. It’s filling the space that was previously occupied by Smoking Kow BBQ, which closed last year.
The grand opening celebration starts at 11 a.m. and will include a raffle, giveaways, samples, and prizes.
“Bring your bestie, your favorite foodie, your bae, your brother, sister, neighbor, colleague, auto-mechanic, mother and child — the doors will open at 11am until 9pm (or till we sell out),” reads the grand opening announcement.
The opening of the eatery at 2910 N. Sycamore Street is a homecoming for the owners, who attended Yorktown High School and have lived in Arlington for decades.
“We have been seeking a location in Arlington for as long as we can remember. My mother and founding partner, Pamela Swanson, was raised in Arlington and went to Yorktown High School,” co-founder Chloé Swanson wrote ARLnow in October.”Our family has been rooted in Arlington for 3 generations.”
Haute Dogs serves up souped-up hot dogs, sausages burgers, fries, and tots, including a number of vegan and vegetarian options. The eatery first started in Purcellville in 2009 before opening an Old Town Alexandria location in 2012. Four years later, the restaurant won a Washington Nationals-sponsored contest that resulted in them opening a concession stand at the ballpark.
Swanson said that they took over the space in October and it has been “all hands on deck” to get it ready to open just a few months later.
An American Elm outside 5513 4th Street S. (via Google Maps)
A willow oak outside 2411 N. Monroe Street (via Google Maps)
A red maple in front of 6111 35th Street N. (via Google Maps)
An American Elm outside 5524 4th Street S. (via Google Maps)
Four privately owned trees of “outstanding size” in Arlington could be protected from future removal or injury.
The owners, who live in the Williamsburg, Cherrydale and Glencarlyn neighborhoods, nominated these trees to be recognized as “specimens” worthy of protection, the county says in a report.
The trees meet criteria for this designation “by virtue of their outstanding size and quality for their particular species,” the report says. The Arlington County Board is set to grant this protection at its meeting this coming Saturday.
Over two decades ago, the Board approved a tree preservation ordinance that provides a four designations — “Heritage, Memorial, Specimen and Street Trees” — through which trees on public or private property can be protected from removal or injury. Some 17 trees are highlighted on the county’s website for their size, condition and heritage.
There are approximately 755,000 trees in Arlington, according to a draft of an update to the county Forestry and Natural Resources plan. The county controls about 120,000 trees, including those in parks and about 19,500 street trees. The remainder grow on private property or on public institutions that are not directly managed by Arlington County.
Protecting private trees is one strategy the county has for maintaining its canopy. For about as long as this ordinance has been in place, and despite redevelopment on private property, tree canopy has covered about 41% of land area in Arlington.
“This level of canopy has remained constant for the past 20 years, largely because significant losses on private property were offset by tree planting and preservation on parks and other public lands,” the plan says.
Arlington will have to rely more on designating and preserving trees, like the four going before the County Board this weekend, going forward, per the plan.
“With little ‘plantable space’ remaining on existing county-owned land, opportunities to offset future losses will be limited by the need to conserve natural areas,” it says.
Trees play an important role in reducing carbon, energy use and runoff.
Tree branches, roots and trunks remove and store about 9,360 tons a year of carbon in Arlington, but that represents “only a fraction of the County’s greenhouse gas emissions,” the plan says.
Tree canopy provides shade, reducing energy use in buildings and transportation and preventing the radiation of heat back into the environment. A recent study found leafier — and often wealthier — Arlington neighborhoods are cooler than its Metro corridors and lower-income areas, a disparity a local nonprofit is working to address.
Tree roots hold soil in place, reducing runoff during rain storms. Since a deluge in 2019 caused extreme flooding, there has been increasing focus on county stormwater infrastructure, as well as concern that trees are lost due to the redevelopment of older homes into larger homes that cover more of a given lot.
Clarendon twilight (Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler)
Advocates See ‘Missing Middle’ Support — “The DC metro region needs to produce 32,000 units a year for the foreseeable future to meet demand, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. And there’s still a need for more housing and ownership opportunities; missing middle may not initially move the needle much in either case, say proponents, but every bit helps, and aids in addressing equity concerns. Part of the reason the pro-housing voices have been so loud during this debate is because there’s a much larger constituency for more housing, said Maribojoc, a result of a growing number of apartments along the Metro corridor.” [Commercial Observer]
Home Ownership Program in F.C. — “The City of Falls Church has launched its Affordable Homeownership Program (CFCAHP), which will make $3.8 million available to support affordable homeownership. The City has received $3.4 million from Virginia Housing’s Resources Enabling Affordable Community Housing (REACH) program and has provided a $400,000 match.” [City of Falls Church]
Dangerous Driving Prompts Traffic Stop — From Dave Statter: “Where’s a cop when you need one? You’ll want to see where this @VSPPIO trooper was last night when a driver tried to dash across 4 lanes of I-395S to reach Exit 8C (Rt 1).” [Twitter]
Va. Ranked Choice Bills Fail — “All bills in the Virginia General Assembly to allow ranked choice voting (RCV) for town council, school board and constitutional officer elections, plus presidential primaries, were passed by indefinitely Feb. 7 by House and Senate committees, essentially being killed for this legislative session. Even in the Democrat Senate, the RCV bill was killed unanimously.” [Bacon’s Rebellion]
It’s Tuesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 54 and low of 35. Sunrise at 7:02 am and sunset at 5:46 pm. [Weather.gov]
The Arlington man arrested Friday and accused of drunkenly breaking into Washington-Liberty High School is being charged with two additional incidents.
Police say the 30-year-old suspect also smashed a window at Arlington Central Library on N. Quincy Street and shattered a glass door at Arlington Science Focus Elementary School on N. Lincoln Street.
All three incidents occurred early Friday morning.
More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Series) (Late), 2022-02100079/02100081, 1000 block of N. Quincy Street/1500 block of N. Lincoln Street. At approximately 7:44 a.m. on February 10, police were dispatched to the late report of a destruction of property in the 1000 block of N. Quincy Street. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 3:04 a.m., the male suspect allegedly smashed a window to the library before fleeing the scene on foot. At approximately 7:56 a.m., police responded to the 1500 block of N. Lincoln Street for the late report of a destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that during the early morning hours, the male suspect shattered a glass door to a school before fleeing the scene on foot. [The suspect], 30, of Arlington, Va., was charged with Damaging Public Buildings (x2).
