Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
⛈️ Wednesday’s forecast
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. West wind 6 to 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Christopher Columbus
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti and her challenger, Josh Katcher (photo illustration by ARLnow)
In the race to pick the next Democratic candidate for Arlington and Falls Church’s top prosecutor, incumbent Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has topped her opponent, Josh Katcher, in fundraising.
A campaign financing report released yesterday (Monday) says she netted $356,220 in cash donations for her re-election bid from April 1-June 8. She raced ahead after falling behind Katcher in the last filing period. The Democratic primary is on June 20 and early voting started last month.
Most of the cash Dehghani-Tafti received — $295,000 — came from one progressive political action committee (PAC) founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros. She also received nearly $75,000 in in-kind donations from a handful of other liberal groups, including $45,992 from New Virginia Majority and $23,435 from Justice and Public Safety PAC.
Katcher’s largest donation this round, $15,000, comes from the Arlington Coalition of Police. He still bests his opponent when it comes to number of donors above and below $100. He also has loaned himself $30,000, whereas Dehghani-Tafti reported no loans during this period.
Fundraising has yet to reach the nearly $1 million seen ahead of the June 2019 primary, when Dehghani-Tafti bested incumbent Theo Stamos and in one filing period received $515,492 in cash and in-kind donations from a Soros-funded group.
In a statement this morning, the campaign to elect Dehghani-Tafti celebrated these donations and went after Katcher for trying to discredit them.
There are those, like our opponent, who will seek to sow distrust in these upstanding organizations, who have already aimed to diminish their right to bring together the voices of those who are normally disenfranchised, and support both democracy and Democratic values; those who utilize Republican scare tactics, demonizing the hard work of members of these American institutions.
We do not agree with our opponent. We embrace not only the right these groups have to support our campaign, but we celebrate this support, accepting these contributions of time, money, and labor by hard-working Americans who are invested that ALL people in Arlington be treated equally under the law, that ALL people can expect justice under the law, and that ALL people here can expect a safe community for their families to grow, love, and prosper.
Katcher’s campaign lambasted his opponent today for omitting the $295,000 in what it says is “dark PAC money.” His campaign manager, Ben Jones, said the following:
Over the past month, our campaign has pointed to a clear pattern of behavior by Parisa Dehghani-Tafti where she refuses to tell the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth to our community, even on the most elementary matters. Whether it is relating to information on crime statistics, how many vacancies are open in her office, how her office operates or even just an hour ago when talking about her campaign contributions, she has shown over and over again that she is incapable of transparency or even fidelity to the truth.
Jones argued that Katcher has more broad support from Democrats than his opponent, with 1,151 individual contributions in the past six months compared to the 822 contributions to Dehghani-Tafti over the last two years.
Echoes of the fundraising rhetoric can be heard in the ads for the two candidates. Some highlight their experience and high-profile endorsements while others demonstrate their Democrat bona fides and undermine those of their opponent.
Address:2607 Washington Blvd Neighborhood: Lyon Park Type: 3 BR, 2 (+1 half) BA single-family detached – 1920 sq. ft. Listed: $1,274,900
Noteworthy: Beautifully updated brick colonial in the heart of Arlington!
This charming 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home perfectly blends classic character with thoughtful modern updates. The handsome brick exterior and flagstone retaining wall create exceptional curb appeal, enhanced by professional landscaping and private off-street parking for three cars. Inside, wood floors flow throughout both levels, complemented by fresh modern paint and abundant natural light.
The renovated kitchen showcases granite countertops, painted paneled cabinetry with brushed nickel hardware, a marble tile backsplash, pendant lighting, spacious pantry, and stainless steel appliances including a Bosch dishwasher, LG refrigerator, and five-burner gas stove. The adjoining family room features a cozy wood-burning fireplace with brick hearth and wood mantel, plus a sliding glass door leading to a large deck overlooking a fully fenced backyard with lush landscaping and a storage shed.
Upstairs, the expansive primary suite offers a deep walk-in closet, additional custom-organized closet, and a luxurious private bath with double sinks, granite counters, new lighting, and upgraded hardware. Two additional bedrooms with ceiling fans share an updated hall bath featuring a granite vanity, ceramic tile floor, and tub with tile surround.
Additional highlights include a newer Carrier gas furnace, State water heater, LG front-load washer and dryer, central vacuum system, and double-pane windows. Ideally located just blocks to Clarendon Metro and minutes to downtown D.C., the Pentagon, National Landing, and local parks and trails—this home delivers a rare combination of comfort, convenience, and timeless charm.
A delivery driver on foot in Rosslyn (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Chefs in the La Cocina, now Kitchen of Purpose (courtesy photo)
“Ghost kitchens” on the parking lot eyed for redevelopment near the Whole Foods in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
In another bid to encourage business growth, the Arlington County Board has made it easier to open shared kitchens and catering and food delivery operations.
On Saturday, the Board voted to amend the zoning ordinance to allow these uses by right in mixed-use, commercial and industrial zones throughout Arlington County. The changes streamline the regulatory approval process for several food-related uses, according to a county report.
“The outcomes of expanding food delivery to a by-right use support small business resilience by relieving businesses of unnecessary work,” the report said. That includes going before the County Board to seek approval for each use.
The changes are part of a flurry of approvals in the last 14 months to allow more uses by-right in these zoning districts. So far, the County Board has greenlit uses such as breweries, micro-fulfillment centers, podcasting studios, indoor pickleball and other emerging businesses to operate where they previously could not set up shop or needed special permission to do so.
All these updates happened in quick succession because County Manager Mark Schwartz debuted a faster zoning approval process that streamlined community engagement. The intent was to help Arlington respond quickly to changing market conditions and, ultimately, tackle the high office vacancy rate.
Food service was the next candidate for an update because, the report says, local regulations treated delivery operations like it was still 1988. (The iPhone debuted in 2007.)
Per the report, the zoning ordinance “does not account for the present-day popularity of modern food delivery services,” requiring food delivery not to exceed 20% of a restaurant’s sales.
Restaurants were relieved of that kind of provision — borne from a concern about delivery vehicle congestion — during the pandemic, the report said.
Food delivery has become a permanent part of how Arlingtonians eat, even after Covid dining restrictions lifted. This new way of doing business was under threat by the expiration of the Covid-era Continuity of Governance ordinance that relaxed delivery regulations.
The changes approved on Saturday, then, came in the knick of time for new and existing businesses, as the ordinance is set to expire in August — meaning the county would have reverted to 1988 delivery standards.
Businesses would have had to obtain County Board approval to continue delivery, had the Board voted down the zoning change. Some already did — Foxtrot in Rosslyn, for instance, went before the Board earlier this year to continue delivering beverages, ready-made food and grocery items.
Saturday’s vote also is helping another player in the app-based food delivery ecosystem: trailer-based ghost kitchens, the kind of which you might see in a parking lot between Clarendon and Courthouse. Ghost kitchen operators will no longer need certain permits to continue cooking.
Highs & Lows in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Highs & Lows in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Highs & Lows in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A new “weird” shop specializing in collectibles and snacks from around the world has opened at the Pentagon City mall.
Highs & Lows is now open on the mall’s third floor, across from the children’s clothing store The Children’s Place. This is the fourth location of Highs & Lows, after two stores in Springfield and the original on Richmond Highway in Alexandria
The Pentagon City shop primarily sells snacks and treats from “all seven continents,” per an employee at the Richmond Highway location, while the others focus more on collectibles, antiques, and apparel.
The Arlington location opened late last week, a mall spokesperson told ARLnow.
“Highs & Lows is quickly becoming the weird place you can’t help but love! Come in and bear witness to the wackiest place around! Look up, Look down, Look all around, because if you don’t, you may just miss that one perfect thing for you,” reads a description of the store description on the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City’s website.
It also notes that the store has the “biggest selection of exotic sodas and snacks” in all of Virginia. That includes numerous snacks and candies from Japan.
Highs & Lows isn’t the only small, independently-owned business that has announced its move to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in recent months. Steel Life Booksellers is also planning an opening at the mall soon.
