Green Valley

Early morning armed carjacking pushes Arlington past 2022 total

By ARLnow.com
Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

The 15th carjacking of the year in Arlington — based on ARLnow’s count of public crime reports — happened early Monday morning in the Green Valley neighborhood.

The incident happened around 3:20 a.m. on the 3200 block of 24th Street S., near the Shelton apartment complex.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

CARJACKING, 2023-10090040, 3200 block of 24th Street S. At approximately 3:21 a.m. on October 9, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was inside his parked vehicle when the male suspect approached on foot, brandished a firearm and demanded he exit the vehicle. The victim exited the vehicle and the suspect entered and fled the scene in the vehicle. No injuries were reported. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 6’0”-6’1”, with facial hair wearing a puffy jacket, jeans and a black mask. The victim’s vehicle is described as a black 2017 Lincoln Premiere with Virginia license plate TXN5943. The investigation is ongoing.

The last reported carjacking in Arlington happened on Sept. 21. With this latest incident, Arlington has now exceeded the 14 total carjackings reported in 2022.

Also in the latest ACPD crime report, two Hyundais were stolen while the airbags were taken from six Honda vehicles.

GRAND LARCENY AUTO/ATTEMPTED GRAND LARCENY AUTO/VEHICLE TAMPERING (Series) (Late), 2023-10080168/2023-10080171/2023-10080175, 1900 block of S. Eads Street/2000 block of Richmond Highway/1100 block of Army Navy Drive. At approximately 12:47 p.m. on October 9, police were dispatched to the late report of a larceny. Upon arrival, it was determined between approximately 5:00 p.m. on October 7 and 12:00 p.m. on October 8, the unknown suspect(s) stole two vehicles and caused damage to a third vehicle in the area while attempting to steal it. The stolen vehicles are described as a white 2018 Hyundai Sonata with Virginia license plate UCX2840 and a white 2014 Hyundai Sonata with Virginia license plate UMR4355. There are no suspect description(s). The investigation is ongoing.

LARCENY FROM AUTO/ATTEMPTED LARCENY FROM AUTO/DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (Series) (Late), 2023-10080121/2023-10080182, 2300 block of 25th Street S./2400 block of 24th Road S. At approximately 9:56 a.m. on October 8, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny from auto. Upon arrival, it was determined between approximately 3:00 a.m. and 9:40 a.m., the unknown suspect(s) caused damage to the driver side door handles of eight vehicles in the area and stole airbags from six of the vehicles. No additional items were reported stolen from the vehicles. All involved vehicles are Honda models. There is no suspect description(s). The investigation is ongoing.

A triangular plot of land in Green Valley was briefly on the market this month

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Arlington resident Hung Do has big hopes for a curiously shaped lot he owns in Green Valley.

This month, he was on the brink of closing on a deal to sell the triangular land plot at the corner of S. Monroe Street and the S. Four Mile Run Drive access road, next to a sizable townhouse development.

The buyer, however, had second thoughts, citing high costs to obtain a variance to build on the 1,381-square-foot lot.

Property records indicate Do bought the land for $1,900 in 1988 from the state of Virginia. The Commonwealth had obtained it a year prior by escheat, a common law process by which land reverts to the state on the death of an heirless owner. Its assessed value is now $113,200, per 2023 assessment records.

The owner withdrew the listing this week and says in his retirement, he plans to spend more time figuring out next steps himself.

He expressed optimism the Board of Zoning Appeals may be amenable to allowing a variance to build on the lot, which is too small for by-right construction of a home, per the zoning code.

“I do like the idea of using it to build low-income housing to sell outright or as rental,” he says. “It seems like, maybe, now is the chance to do something with the land.”

Do acknowledges the configuration of the lot makes designing a home more difficult, and he would need ”a creative architect” to devise a solution.

In the listing, he called the property “an architect’s dream.”

“You can be creative and let your imagination come up with a plan for a beautiful home,” the listing said.

Do says his ultimate goal is to “help someone less fortunate stay in the area and [find] good employment.”

Photo (1) via Arlington County

Green Valley nonprofit MySecureKid provides opportunities in IT and cybersecurity

By Caroline Gage
Co-founders Quiana Gainey (left) and JaLisa Johnson (right) (courtesy of Quiana Gainey)

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Three Ballston Plaza. 

A Green Valley-based nonprofit is encouraging kids to dream about working in tech the same way they dream of being a doctor or lawyer one day.

To help launch them into those career paths, MySecureKid — which also educates families about internet safety — connects children and teens with programming, apprenticeships and mentors.

Since founding the organization in 2018, Quiana Gainey and JaLisa Johnson have focused on supporting children from underrepresented backgrounds. While cybersecurity and technology are projected to grow more than 13%, they say a “knowledge gap” is holding back Black and Hispanic people, as well as people with disabilities, from riding that job growth wave.

“We were the first IT apprenticeship in D.C., and we were servicing a population that was what they consider disenfranchised. We just said that they’re undiscovered,” Gainey said.

Gainey and Johnson have both founded for-profit companies in cybersecurity and healthcare tech, respectively. Using that experience, plus their backgrounds in government contracting and military service, the duo say they created curricula for students to bridge that knowledge gap.

“We want them to see that there’s a shortage in cybersecurity [and that] our infrastructure, our country needs this,” Gainey said. “So let’s start with building that into the curriculum, building partnerships with community, with nonprofits like ourselves, so that we can help the next generation realize their dreams and also help them not go into all traditional [careers].”

Co-founders Quiana Gainey (left) and JaLisa Johnson (right) (courtesy of Quiana Gainey)

MySecureKid offers apprenticeship programs for teens as well as summer cyber camps and after-school programs for younger children. They pair high school students with mentors and provide scholarships to those pursuing education in IT, emerging technologies, healthcare, cybersecurity and entrepreneurship.

It also has worked with Arlington Public Schools for three years and has plans to partner with their apprenticeship program in the fall.

With these programs, Johnson says she hopes that students gain hands-on skills over time — similar to a trade school.

“We make things fun but challenging,” Johnson said.

She and Gainey also make sure parents have opportunities to learn about tech issues, such as internet safety.

“I always tell parents, when you give your childhood phone, it’s like leaving them in the middle of the intersection, and telling them to find themselves their way home,” Gainey said. “Now, you wouldn’t do that, right. So when you give them that cell phone, it’s time to have that conversation.”

Their space in Green Valley, which they call the “360XP Zone,” is self-sufficient, powered with renewable energy and connected to its own water supply. It features learning, retail and event spaces and is equipped with a full-service kitchen and bar. Small businesses can even rent these spaces and benefit MySecureKid in the process.

Calling on her healthcare background, Johnson designed the space to include clinics that she says meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards.

“We always say, ‘I don’t wait for someone else to do something. You can be the change you want to see,” Gainey said.

Inside one of the learning pods at MySecureKid’s facility in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington Independent Media is in a financial hole. The county says it should look elsewhere for more funding.

By Jo DeVoe
The future home of Arlington Independent Media in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 5 p.m. on 7/3/23) Arlington Independent Media is Arlington’s public access TV channel, its community radio station, and a media training provider.

Under its current leadership, AIM — which was founded in 1982 — is trying to broaden its reach and uplift diverse residents. Reaching this goal, however, is hampered by messy finances: audit reports from 2018-19 show it has been losing money, while its 990s are behind schedule and staff are not getting paid on time.

Bringing Arlington Independent Media, or AIM, into the 21st century, increasing its name recognition and charting a new financial course is slow going.

Arlington County has chipped at AIM’s operating expenses recently to lessen its reliance on tax dollars — though cuts in 2018 were partially restored after public outcry, on the condition the organization would up fundraising. Meanwhile, the organization has to watch a once-reliable cable franchise agreement, which provides funding based on local cable TV subscription numbers, become increasingly unpredictable.

Arlington pays for AIM’s operational budget while revenue from the cable agreement, dubbed Public, Educational and Government (PEG) funds, go toward its capital expenses. As cable subscriptions dwindle, though, Arlington County has to decide where to prioritize funding.

Recipients for PEG funding include AIM, the broadcasts of county government meetings and work sessions, the county’s dark fiber network, and certain Arlington Public Schools initiatives.

“Our approach has been to review and consider all eligible expenses submitted to the County by AIM and other eligible entities,” spokeswoman Bryna Helfer said.

It is unclear how many people listen to and watch AIM. It has 322 paying members, down from 577 in 2019, while broadcasting metrics are too expensive and radio analytics efforts for WERA 96.7 FM are nascent, according to its CEO Whytni Kernodle. She says a better metric is its several community-based partners and its work to center diverse voices, including a scholarship for budding journalists whose parents do not speak English at home or are low-income.

“We are an outside organization that is attempting to use the power of the people to really uplift the community in general by focusing on the most marginalized,” she said.

With the operational and capital funding sources each drying up, AIM should do more fundraising, the county insists. Kernodle counters that the county controls the PEG funding and could give it to AIM but is funneling it to other initiatives and creating a backlog of PEG-eligible expenses.

“The problem is not lack of available funds or that the request is not an acceptable one under the guidelines, but that the county has other priorities for future usage of those funds,” she wrote in a March memo to the county. “This is clearly inequitable and alarmingly questionable as to appropriate usage of funds managed, not owned, by the County.”

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey told ARLnow that AIM received $660,000 in PEG funding last year. That’s actually an increase from years past, Kernodle said, chalking it up to her persistent requests — but she thinks more is warranted.

“We’re attempting to do the best we can,” she said. “What we’re trying to do is create a situation where something formed in 1982 can thrive now, and for those running it 40 years from now.”

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Community events around Arlington aim to improve safety and tackle gun violence

By Jo DeVoe
A police officer plays a game of pickup basketball with local kids in 2018 (flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

This evening, several neighborhoods and organizations are hosting events in an effort to make their communities safer.

The events from 5-8 p.m. tonight will feature food, lawn games and activities for kids. Arlington police officers, firefighters and other county personnel will participate in the “National Night Out” events, which are also happening across the U.S.

“National Night Out is a community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer and improve quality of life,” a county webpage says.

“During the event, residents in neighborhoods throughout Arlington County and across the nation are asked to turn on their porch lights, lock their doors and spend the evening outside with their neighbors, police officers, firefighters and other County personnel,” the page continues.

A smattering of civic associations, community groups, affordable housing nonprofit AHC Inc., and live music venue The Renegade in Clarendon are putting on events this year, according to the website.

Organizers invited ACPD and other organizations to attend and engage with participants, says police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

She provided the following rundown of what some events will be providing.

  • Arlington Village: Lawn games and refreshments
  • Cathcart Springs Homeowners Association: Barbecue
  • Cherrydale Public Library: Food and games
  • Gates of Ballston: Bingo, kids activities and music
  • Green Valley Civic Association: Food, kids activities, games and educational tables
  • Lyon Village Citizens’ Association: Refreshments

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Green Valley Civic Association hosted another event tailored to fighting gun violence.

Around 350 people attended, including three D.C. area mothers who lost sons between the ages of 8-35, says Portia Clark, the civic association president. Some 200 participants signed pledges to keep guns out of fights.

The impetus were recent reports of shots fired, a stabbing and some fights. These and similar public safety concerns over the last year have also prompted the civic association’s Public Service Work Group to meet regularly about ways to address violence in the community.

“This event was a way to help build relationships across the community and to get the community to pledge that they would not use weapons like guns to solve any disputes,” Clark said.

Coordinated by Tekhanna Hall-Harris and Javon “Blue” Harris, the event featured live bands and entertainers from Arlington and Alexandria, speakers, a prayer and a school supplies giveaway by Kingdom Fellowship Church in Alexandria.

It was a “great, family-friendly experience” and “no violence occurred,” Clark noted.

The ‘Guns Down Stop the Violence’ event in Green Valley on Sunday (courtesy Portia Clark)

New District to serve its last beers at next month’s Arlington County Fair

By Matt Blitz
New District Brewing in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

New District Brewing will be serving the last of its beer at next month’s Arlington County Fair.

When the Green Valley-based brewery officially closed its taproom in May, owner Mike Katrivanos told ARLnow then that the plan was to serve the last of its beer at June’s Columbia Pike Blues Festival and then at the fair. That remains the plan, we’re told.

“We stored away some New District Beer for the Arlington County Fair and will be serving our Last County Fair Beer Garden August 16-20,” Katrivanos wrote in an email to supporters.

This will be the fourth time New District Brewery will run the beer garden at the county fair. They will be serving three different types of beers and a hard seltzer, plus a rosé wine in collaboration with Bluemont Vineyard in Loudoun County.

The brewery is also selling commemorative pint glasses. Only 160 were made and, as of this writing, more than half have already been pre-sold.  Katrivanos said in a follow-up conversation that he expects everything to sell out by the end of the fair.

“This will be it… The last [New District] beer for public consumption,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean New District beer will be gone forever. Beyond a few bottles for personal consumption, Katrivanos also saved and donated three wax-sealed kegs to the Arlington Historical Society.

When New District opened in 2016, it became the first production brewery in Arlington in nearly a century. The beer donation is intended to preserve its legacy in the county, Katrivanos said.

One of the kegs will be used for fundraising, the other for preservation, and the last one will be given to the next production brewery that opens in Arlington as a welcoming gift, Katrivanos told ARLnow.

“I mean, that could be me,” he laughed.

There remains a chance that New District will come back. Katrivanos said he’s constantly surveying the county for commercial properties for sale where he could reopen the brewery. Considering the county’s changes to zoning regulations along Columbia Pike in late 2021 explicitly allowing breweries, that’s the current focus.

Katrivanos, however, does not expect a purchase to happen in the near future.

“There are very, very few of those opportunities left. If it were lucky enough to come across the opportunity, I would jump at it again,” he said.

Several local mixed-use developments have approached New District Brewing about opening in their space, but Katrivanos reiterates there’s no interest in leasing again, considering previous negative experiences. Still, the door is not completely closing, even as he prepares to sell the last of New District’s beer in a few weeks.

“A huge thank you to the community for supporting us all of these years,” he said. “I still hope there’s an opportunity that brings the brewery back.”

The former home of New District Brewery is turning into an indoor dog park called Stouts & Snouts. It was initially scheduled to open in August, but construction remains ongoing, and it’s unclear if it will hit that deadline.

Restaurant owner is ‘very frustrated’ with the process to transform historic Green Valley Pharmacy

By Matt Blitz
Green Valley Pharmacy last year (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) As historic Green Valley Pharmacy moves closer to being transformed into a restaurant, the owner of the new business remains “very frustrated” with the years-long redevelopment process.

Last month, the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) held its regular meeting, during which the board reviewed updated plans for the former pharmacy. The building at 2415 Shirlington Road is being transformed into a burger and pita restaurant called “Halal Spot,” as ARLnow first reported in 2021.

The board’s discussion in June centered on a proposed pergola and bioretention planters. While the planter plans were approved at the meeting, the pergola was deferred due to having not the most updated plans. At the meeting, a restaurant spokesperson said they intended to resubmit plans with a sloped awning and the pergola no longer covering the window.The window is original to the historic building and “reflective of the storefront nature of the property,” as was noted at the meeting.

The Board asked the project representative to re-submit updated plans.

Since the pharmacy building is protected in the Arlington County local historic district, any proposed exterior alterations must be approved by the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board’s design review process.

County historic preservation planner Serena Bolliger has confirmed to ARLnow that the pergola is the last element that needs to be approved for the Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) permit but the civil engineering plan remains under review.

Restaurant owner Nasir Ahmad told ARLnow that this is his understanding as well, and aims to re-submit civil engineering plans this month. If that does happen and everything gets approved, the hope is that exterio construction can begin by mid-September. The build-out should take about six months, Ahmad said, meaning Halal Spot could open by early spring 2024.

But Ahmad remains frustrated with how long it’s taken to this point, even if it appears that approvals are finally wrapping up.

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UPDATED: Police respond to reported fight and shot fired in Green Valley

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Update at 6:20 p.m. — Arlington County police just announced that a 21-year-old suspect has been arrested and charged in the incident. A shot was fired, police confirmed, in close proximity to a preschool and Drew Elementary School.

From an ACPD press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing the arrest of a suspect following an investigation into a fight with a shot fired. Chase Smith, 21, of Arlington, VA is charged with Attempted Aggravated Malicious Wounding and Discharge of a Firearm within 1,000 feet of a School. He is being held on a $3,500 secured bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

At approximately 10:29 a.m. on June 7, 2023, police were dispatched to the 2200 block of S. Kenmore Street for the report of a fight involving a firearm. Prior to police arrival, the suspect ran from the scene. Responding officers located him in the 3400 block of 22nd Street S. and took him into custody without incident.

The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and suspect were involved in a verbal dispute when the suspect allegedly displayed a firearm. A physical altercation ensued over the firearm, during which a shot was fired. No property damage or injuries were reported as a result of the firearm discharge. A firearm was recovered on scene.

The victim and suspect were transported to an area hospital for non-life threatening injuries sustained during the physical altercation.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected] or anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

Earlier: Police have swarmed the Green Valley neighborhood after a report of at least one gunshot being fired.

The incident unfolded around 10:30 a.m. on the 2200 block of S. Kenmore Street.

Initial reports suggest that two men were fighting at a bus stop and at least one had a gun, which was fired. Both men have injuries but so far there’s no indication that anyone was shot.

After a brief search of the neighborhood, police now have two people detained, according to scanner traffic.

The same intersection of S. Kenmore Street and 22nd Street S. was the scene of shots exchanged between two vehicles in January. In October, a report of an armed man firing gunshots in the neighborhood led to a non-fatal shooting of the suspect by police.

Seven years after speaking out, a few residents of an affordable housing building say problems persist

By Jo DeVoe
The Shelton in Green Valley (staff photo)

Residents of The Shelton, an affordable housing development in the Green Valley neighborhood, are raising concerns about property management and poor treatment of residents.

They previously raised these same issues in 2016, along with other quality-of-life that they say plagued the building, owned by local affordable housing developer AHC Inc.

“We are having problems in my apartment complex,” Frank Duncan, who has lived there since it opened, told members of the Tenant-Landlord Commission earlier this month.

He described an exorbitant water bill, errant late fees, a whole week without hot water and disrespectful management staff. He articulated a feeling among residents that their housing situation is not guaranteed because rent has been paid month-to-month since the pandemic started.

The testimony before the commission comes as AHC Inc. says it is making it easier for residents to report complaints. Some current and former commission members say these complaints reinforce their powerlessness to do more than advise residents. ARLnow has previously reported on how limited mediation options in Arlington, compared to Fairfax County, dissuade residents from bringing up issues.

Duncan said residents feel mistreated when they try to raise issues with management, which causes them to let issues go unresolved.

“When you go to the rent office, the manager is so disrespectful,” Duncan said. “She does not have the time to listen to what we have to say. So, they don’t go in there. They come to get me to go in there and talk.”

Disrespectful management was one of the complaints levied against management at the Serrano Apartments on Columbia Pike two years ago. AHC received public and county scrutiny after ARLnow reported on complaints about poor living conditions at the complex.

Since then, AHC made changes to its operations, including getting new leadership and committing to third-party management at The Serrano, though advocates and some residents say issues persist, WAMU/DCist reported in April.

The nonprofit developer says it is working to address concerns at The Shelton.

“AHC’s mission is to put residents first. Thus, we value resident feedback, take resident concerns seriously, and do not tolerate poor customer service from anyone interacting with residents,” AHC President and CEO Paul Bernard said in a statement. “When we learn about issues, including disrespectful behavior, we act swiftly and follow up with our property management companies.”

AHC spokeswoman Jennifer Smith said the nonprofit developed and distributed a Resident Concern Guide for all residents at all Arlington communities to ensure residents know how to report — and, if needed — escalate issues.

She says the management company, Harbor Group is working extra hours and through staffing shortages to certify residents meet income eligibility requirements to live there. After this is done, Smith says, eligible residents can get back on year-long leases.

Harbor Group is also trying to make bills and late fees for rent easier to understand, she said. The company also scheduled a meeting with residents to discuss concerns and issues. This was planned before the Tenant-Landlord Commission meeting, Smith notes, and was attended by AHC staff and Bernard.

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Green Valley residents voice concerns about open-air substance use, shootings near town square

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

Amid community pressure, Arlington County is taking a closer look at ways to improve safety in Green Valley.

Some residents are pushing for more action from the county on two fronts: dealing with nuisances and more actively policing criminal activity. In response to the mounting concerns, an internal county workgroup is beginning to meet this week to find ways to do just that.

The nuisances are related to drinking and smoking as well as public urination and loud music associated with some of the people who hang out around the John Robinson, Jr. Town Square, neighbors tell ARLnow. The criminal issues relate to gun violence, which some neighbors tie to the unaddressed open-air substance use.

Throughout the day, people can be seen hanging out in the area. Yesterday (Tuesday), for instance, ARLnow observed a handful of people sitting in folding chairs outside of The Shelton, an affordable housing building, while two other groups were congregated in the town square, talking and listening to music.

Neighbors, including Yordanos Woldai, say they don’t have an issue with people hanging out. They just want people not to drink alcohol or smoke marijuana outdoors, urinate in public or play music during quiet hours.

“Having lived in Arlington for such a long time, I am not aware of any other residential neighborhood where this conduct is allowed to happen in plain sight and not be addressed by the police,” Woldai tells ARLnow. “Children have to walk on the streets at times because there is no way to pass and there are broken beer bottles on sidewalks and grass.”

A few of the people hanging out told ARLnow that nearly everyone on the square yesterday likely came from outside Green Valley to this area to be together. Many grew up in the neighborhood but have since moved away.

One man, who appeared to be drinking beer from a plastic cup, put his hand out close to the ground and raised it up slowly to show how much of early childhood, marked in growth spurts, he spent in the neighborhood.

“They feel they are very much part of the community,” Woldai said. “I love the idea that people come to Green Valley to connect with old friends… It’s the illegal activities that are bothersome.”

Woldai addressed the Arlington County Board on Saturday about her concerns and said she had the support of 37 neighbors. This includes Lily Bozhanova, a Bulgarian immigrant who has lived in the area for five years with her family.

“My children are 5 and 7-year-olds. We often go to the spray park there and I sometimes have to explain to my children why they see people smoke or drink plein air. It’s not good but they see it every day and it’s a deterrent for going in the area,” she told ARLnow.

Bozhanova says she tries to avoid the area in the evening and lately Googled whether bullets can pass through brick.

“I shouldn’t be looking up to see whether my house can sustain gunshots. Brick is relatively safe, by the way,” she said.

Although she is grateful for the life she has built, she says, “it’s not exactly the American Dream we were trying to achieve moving here.”

Frank Duncan, a longtime resident of The Shelton (3215 24th Street S.) said he was shot last summer. A relative was also shot not long after.

“That’s the story about the life we live here,” he said.

Still, he said he cannot move away because it will be hard to find space in another low-income apartment building. He says he does what he can to promote safety in part by volunteering as a crossing guard for Drew Elementary School students.

Woldai ties the shootings to the nuisance issues.

“When people know there isn’t really a police presence in a neighborhood where you can drink and smoke marijuana, it attracts more serious crimes,” she said. “That has been a serious concern for residents living near the town square.”

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Arlington Independent Media’s new Green Valley studio is looking to go live by early fall

By Matt Blitz
1/4

Arlington Independent Media hopes to open its first satellite studio by early fall.

The non-profit video and audio production studio has begun the build-out at 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive in Green Valley, Arlington Independent Media (AIM) CEO Whytni Kernodle told ARLnow. They are looking to modernize three underused audio-production studios inside Arlington Arts’ Cultural Affairs Division office, with a focus on providing podcasting space.

Construction is expected to take about four months and cost over $200,000. The aim is to be finished and ready to open sometime in September, Kernodle said.

AIM was established about four decades ago and provides programming for two local cable access television stations and operates the radio station WERA 96.7 FM.

In November, the county approved a lease agreement allowing AIM to take over about 1,100 square feet of space at the Arlington Arts location in Green Valley. It follows the county’s vision for an “arts & industry district” along Four Mile Run.

This new studio in Green Valley represents AIM’s commitment to branching out not just in terms of location but also who is using the studios to tell their story.

“After 40 years, we’ve always existed in one space, always in North Arlington,” Kernodle said. “And our membership has primarily been people over the age of 60, mostly retired, mostly white, mostly male, mostly cis-gendered, mostly English speakers, mostly non-military, and mostly non-disabled. We are trying to change that because that’s not reflective of our community.”

And the hope is that this will not be AIM’s only satellite studio, with Kernodle noting that the organization would love to set up studios in Virginia Square, Rosslyn, and Columbia Pike as well.

The aim is to put production facilities in locations that are accessible to communities that maybe didn’t have the ability to make their voices heard in the past.

“Our goal is to prioritize those voices that have been traditionally underserved or miss-served not just nationally but here in Arlington and here at Arlington Independent Media,” Kernodle said.

She also hopes to use the partnership with the county to turn Arlington’s art scene into the envy of the region.

“[Arlington] is not known for arts and industry. The goal of AIM and my goal is to really make Arlington into the Brooklyn of the D.C. area,” Kernodle said. “We have all the diversity and the resources that Brooklyn values and the proximity to the city as Brooklyn does. And we’re just not honing that because it’s not been centralized.”

Along with production studios, AIM also has access to the county’s “Theater on the Run” to screen films.

This past weekend, AIM hosted a showing of the documentary “The R-Word” as an introduction to the new space for the community. The movie depicts the experiences of persons with intellectual disabilities and how representation matters in telling the story of that community.

Kernodle hopes to have more screenings at the theater of this nature, prioritizing “films of marginalized people.”

With the plan to open AIM Green Valley in a few months, Kernodle believes that this is just the beginning of expanding Arlington’s artistic reputation.

“Our goal is to act as an anchor organization for art transformation and social justice,” she said.

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