Lyon Park

Police investigating armed robberies in Crystal City and Lyon Park

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

Arlington County police are investigating a pair of armed robberies over the weekend.

One happened Friday night in the Crystal City area, about a block from the Metro station, while the other happened early Sunday morning in Lyon Park.

From the latest ACPD crime report:

ROBBERY, 2023-10210255, 500 block of 18th Street S. At approximately 10:17 p.m. on October 21, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were walking in the area when they were approached by the two unknown male suspects during which the suspects brandished a firearm and demanded their belongings. The suspects stole one victim’s purse before fleeing the scene on foot. A lookout was broadcast and officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results.  During the course of the investigation, the victim’s belongings were recovered in the area. Suspect One is described as a skinny-build Black male, approximately 5’8” with short dreadlocks wearing all dark clothing. Suspect Two is described as a heavy-set Black male, approximately 5’8” wearing a ski mask and dark clothing. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.

ROBBERY, 2023-10220053, N. Barton Street at 9th Street N. At approximately 4:40 a.m. on October 22, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was walking in the area when four unknown male suspects exited the suspect vehicle, two suspects brandished firearms and demanded the victim’s belongings. The suspects stole the victim’s cellphone, wallet and keys before reentering the suspect vehicle and fleeing the area. No injuries were reported.

Also in the crime report, a 37-year-old Arlington woman has been arrested after allegedly slashing a man with a knife during a dispute.

The incident happened Saturday night in the Glencarlyn neighborhood. Police say the man suffered serious injuries.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-10210197, 300 block of S. Illinois Street. At approximately 7:07 p.m. on October 21, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with a weapon. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim and female suspect were involved in a verbal dispute during which the suspect allegedly brandished a knife and struck the victim, causing a laceration. Responding officers located the suspect and victim in the area of 5th Road S. and S. Kensington Street and immediately rendered medical aid to the victim. Medics transported the victim to an area hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries. [The suspect], 37, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding.

Additionally, police are investigating gunshots early Monday morning in the Green Valley neighborhood. One local resident had a bullet go through the window of their home.

MISSILE INTO AN OCCUPIED DWELLING, 2023-10230013, 2200 block of S. Garfield Street. At approximately 12:50 a.m. on October 23, police were dispatched to the report of a shots heard. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 12:30 a.m., the victim was inside his residence when he was awoken to noise and upon further investigation, observed a broken window with an apparent bullet hole. Responding officers canvassed the area, recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired in the area and located a vehicle with property damage. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.

Water main break closes several Arlington County facilities

By ARLnow.com
Water main break (2018 file photo courtesy Arlington DES)

A water main break near Route 50 caused water pressure issues for a large swath of Arlington today, prompting some county facility closures.

The water main break happened on N. Irving Street, just north of Route 50, on the border of the Ashton Heights and Lyon Parks neighborhoods.

While the water main being repaired just served the surrounding neighborhood, crews had to “isolate” a nearby transmission main.

“It is a 6” water main that is being repaired,” Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Kathryn O’Brien tells ARLnow. “We’ve isolated a 30” water main nearby to allow crews to repair the break.”

“That has caused low water pressure for a number of customers in the area,” she noted.

While most the water pressure was restored around 2 p.m., the lack of water prompted closures of several county facilities, as far away as Fairlington.

The Arlington Dept. of Human Services offices and Arlington Public Schools offices at Sequoia Plaza were both closed.

“Due to a water main break near the Syphax Education Center, staff have been asked to leave the building and telework,” APS said in an email to families today. “As a result, phone communication with staff at the Syphax Education Center may be delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Additionally, the Fairlington Community Center was closed due to lack of water.

“Messages have gone out to all summer camp participants to let them know that all programs are closed as of 1:30 p.m. today. All campers will need to be picked up immediately as the building will also be closed,” the county said in an email. “All Enjoy Arlington classes at Fairlington Community Center are also canceled for the rest of the day.”

Repairs on the six-inch main are expected to wrap up around 5 p.m.

Days Inn developer tees up planned apartments for County Board approval

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

A midcentury modern-inspired apartment project, heralded as the “gateway to Lyon Park,” is headed to the Arlington County Board for approval.

The 8-story, 251-unit building, with nearly 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail, would replace the Days Inn motel along Arlington Blvd, once a 1950s-era roadside motel named the “Arva,” a portmanteau for “Arlington, Virginia.”

When complete, the motel’s historic sign and lobby will be recreated. There will be protected bike lanes on both sides of N. Pershing Drive and N. Wainwright Road — a vestigial frontage road for the motel — will become a 12-foot multi-use trail with a bike “fix-it” station.

Applicant and owner Nayan Patel, doing business as Arlington Boulevard LLC, is making monetary and in-kind contributions to an on-site public space project that the Dept. of Parks and Recreation will design.

There will also be seven committed affordable units on site: 1-2 bedroom units with either a loft or den attached, as well as two three-bedroom units. The developer intends to plant 25 new, healthy trees to replace the 28 unhealthy ones that will be removed.

Although the project — dubbed the Arva Apartments — could clear the finish line this weekend, some Arlington Planning Commissioners had quibbles with the project or dug into criticisms levied by the public speakers related to tree planting and other community benefits.

The tree plantings, for instance, are “clearly an improvement, but the bar is so low to begin with,” Planning Commissioner Leonardo Sarli. “We still have to aspire to something.”

Lyon Park resident Anne Bodine, who has spoken in other meetings as a member of the slow-growth group Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future, says she was underwhelmed by the on-site affordable housing provision and tree planting plans.

She asked the Planning Commission to reconsider how it weighs community benefits.

“If we see these at-cost, we can better assess these trade-offs,” she said.

She said she felt the county effectively told residents it was too early to advocate for benefits during a special study of the site — completed in advance of redevelopment proposals and adopted in 2021 — but it was too late once the public review process began for this project.

Planning Commissioner Jim Lantelme had a different view.

“I do want to commend the staff and developers for how closely they did work with Lyon Park, which did participate at every phase in every meeting and they were very vocal,” he said. “They were very much involved. Their input was heard and responded to, so I think this project did evolve in response to that community process.”

Climate Change, Energy and Environment Commission Chair Joan McIntyre said this project relies too heavily on fossil fuels for its HVAC and water systems, though she was heartened to see these systems could be converted to electric in the future.

A project architect said that the method selected, counterintuitively, would emit less carbon than a fully electric system, based on an analysis of “where the electricity is coming from.”

New bike shop in Lyon Park to host grand opening event Saturday

By Anya Wareck
New Velocity bike shop
Interior of the storefront (photo courtesy of John McClanahan)

Velocity Bike Cooperative is hosting a grand opening for its new Arlington location this weekend.

The location at 2647 N. Pershing Drive has been serving customers for a few months, but will formally celebrate its opening on Saturday, June 10. The event will include a ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. and giveaways.

“During Saturday’s celebration, we will offer a 20% discount on bikes and accessories,” said John McClanahan, a volunteer for the cooperative. “Giveaway items will include socks, shirts, caps, and basic tune-ups with pickup at Arlington. And, we’ll offer coffee, water, juices, and small pastries.”

Founded by John Patterson and Christian Myers in 2009, Velocity aims to foster an inclusive biking community through “affordability, education, and embracing the fun of riding,” according to its website.

The new Lyon Park location is its second location; the first is at 2111 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood.

Velocity’s storefronts facilitate sales, bike donations, bike education, as well as do-it-yourself and full-service repairs. Regular shop hours in Arlington are Tuesday-Friday from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

AWLA: Someone is shooting rabbits with blow darts

By ARLnow.com
A rabbit (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

Someone in Arlington is apparently shooting rabbits with a blow dart.

Two rabbits, each with darts stuck in their bodies, were spotted by residents along the 700 and 800 blocks of N. Barton Street in Lyon Park earlier this month, according to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. Animal control officers have been trying to capture the rabbits to provide medical treatment.

The apparent dart shootings follow an incident in which a crow was shot with a blow dart in the Fairlington neighborhood last April.

AWLA issued the following press release this afternoon, seeking the public’s help. The release includes photos of rabbits that were shot.

At the beginning of April AWLA’s Animal Control Department began receiving calls regarding two rabbits found on the 700 and 800 blk’s of N Barton street with what appears to be blow darts stuck in their bodies. One of the rabbits has the dart stuck through the head area, the other in the side. Animal Control Officers responded to these calls immediately and have worked over the past week, setting humane traps in different properties in an attempt to catch one of these rabbits. Our intention is to bring the rabbit(s) back to AWLA for triage and transportation to an emergency Wildlife Center for medical care. We are also working with the Department of Wildlife Resources to coordinate our efforts.

This is the second time in the past 12 months in which AWLA has discovered the use of projectiles or blow darts on wildlife. We ask that anyone with knowledge of these incidents or sightings of these rabbits please contact Animal Control immediately at 703-931-9241. Please do not attempt to chase the rabbits.

“This behavior will not be tolerated here in Arlington. This is an act of animal cruelty. We put so much time and emphasis on teaching tolerance and harmonious coexistence with local wildlife in an effort to prevent acts such as this. When groups, associations, or organizations teach intolerance for living things or scapegoat animals for human created conflicts, our wildlife pays the price.” ~ Jennifer Toussaint, Chief of Animal Control

UPDATED: Police investigating apparent self-inflicted shooting during traffic stop

By ARLnow.com
1/8

(Updated at 3 p.m.) The passenger in a car that was pulled over for a traffic stop apparently shot himself, prompting a large police presence in the Clarendon area.

The shooting happened just after 9:20 p.m.

According to initial reports, police pulled over the car near 10th Street N. and N. Edgewood Street and, after it stopped, an officer told dispatchers that the passenger shot himself in the head. The driver then exited the vehicle, per scanner traffic.

The passenger was rushed to the hospital after police safely retrieved the gun. All lanes of 10th Street N. are currently closed due to the investigation into what happened

Arlington County police said later Wednesday night that the person who shot himself had earlier fled from Virginia State Police and was in a rideshare vehicle at the time of the shooting.

“Just after 8 p.m., Arlington County Police were notified of a Virginia State Police pursuit into Arlington County,” ACPD said in a statement. “An individual ran from the pursued vehicle on foot and a lookout was broadcast. An Arlington County Police officer observed the individual enter a rideshare vehicle and officers conducted a traffic stop at 10th Street N. and N. Edgewood Street.”

“The individual discharged a firearm inside the vehicle, resulting in a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the police statement continued. “He has been transported to an area hospital. Arlington County Police and Virginia State Police remain on scene investigating. Arlington County Police were not involved in the pursuit.”

As of Thursday afternoon, ACPD announced in a press release (below) that the man had died.

The Arlington County Police Department is conducting a death investigation following a shooting that took place on the evening of March 22, 2023.

Just after 8 p.m., Arlington County Police were notified of a Virginia State Police pursuit into Arlington County. A lookout was broadcast after a passenger ran from the suspect vehicle into the Clarendon neighborhood. An Arlington County Police officer patrolling the area observed the individual enter the backseat of a rideshare vehicle. Officers conducted a traffic stop at 10th Street N. and N. Edgewood Street during which the individual discharged a firearm inside the vehicle, resulting in a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officers immediately began performing emergency medical assistance before the individual, an adult male in his 20’s, was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.

Arlington County Police were not involved in the pursuit. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death.

This remains an active death investigation. Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected] or anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger of self-harm, call 911. You can also call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, Arlington Dept. of Human Services’ emergency services line at 703-228-5160, or CrisisLink at 703-527-4077.

Hat tip to Alan Henney

The Old Bike Shop is being replaced by a new bike shop

By ARLnow.com
The Old Bike Shop on N. Pershing Drive is closing (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Old Bike Shop closed earlier this year in Lyon Park, after a decade in business, but a new bike shop is moving in.

Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative, based at 2111 Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood, announced today that it plans to open at the 2647 N. Pershing Drive storefront — down the road from Clarendon — in the next couple of weeks.

“Thanks to Larry Behery and the Old Bike Shop for providing a home for quality used bike service and sales,” Vélocity co-founder Christian Myers said in a statement. “Vélocity will build on this legacy and make safe, reliable bicycles more affordable to everyone.”

“Vélocity plans to open the Arlington shop in early April,” a post on the nonprofit organization’s website says. “Until then, come see us at our location in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia, where you can find a refurbished used bike for the spring season!”

More from the organization’s post, below.

Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative is expanding efforts to build a strong biking community by opening a second location at 2647 North Pershing Drive, in the Lyon Park neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, the same location where the Old Bike Shop operated for more than 10 years.

Vélocity is a non-profit cycling shop, run by volunteers. Since 2009, Velocity has empowered kids, beginners, and cycle enthusiasts in acquiring, building, and maintaining bicycles. Vélocity fosters a diverse cycling community, offers cycling education, and provides free bicycles and related equipment to those in need (in 2022, Vélocity refurbished 459 bikes and got 64 bikes to kids and scholarship recipients).

Joe Davison, Board Chair and long-serving volunteer, is excited about the days ahead: “Opening our second location provides a unique opportunity to realize our mission to grow and empower an inclusive biking community through education and affordability. We are honored to carry on and serve the local biking community at this location while seeking continued synergy among the area’s cycling organizations, including Phoenix Bikes.”

Arlington-based Phoenix Bikes, located just off of Columbia Pike, has a similar education and bike refurbishment mission.

The Old Bike Shop in Lyon Park is closing soon

By Matt Blitz
1/3

The Old Bike Shop in Lyon Park is closing next month after a decade in business.

Owner Lawrence Behery told ARLnow that he’s shuttering the used bike repair and sales shop on N. Pershing Drive because of a decline in business and family health challenges.

While Behery said he doesn’t know the exact date of the closure yet, he expects it to happen at the end of February. Additionally, the shop is now only open three days a week from Friday through Sunday. The Old Bike Shop first opened in 2013.

It’s been a bumpy road for Behery and the Old Bike Shop over the last two years.

The pandemic was “crazy” for the bike business and sales were good at first, Behery said, but then his mom was diagnosed with cancer and business began to decline. Last year was particularly tough with sales dropping to the point where the shop “cost me money.” Then, his mom suffered a stroke and Behery became her caretaker.

“Learning to do that with the business not doing so well… it was really tough,” he said. “I really love serving the community, but it’s a delicate balance. I’m trying to fight the fight, but I have both hands tied behind my back and I’m just a little guy.”

Another reason for the closure is the soaring costs related to warehousing and storage. Behery said that storage unit prices have “skyrocketed” leaving him making tough decisions about what parts and inventory to have on hand.

Rent at 2647 N. Pershing Drive, however, has stayed consistent, something that has allowed the shop to survive as long as it has. Behery called his landlord “fair” and a “very decent human being.”

Over the last several days, ARLnow has received notes from readers and loyal customers, asking about how the community could help to keep the shop around. Behery said while that’s a very kind sentiment, he needs to take a step back to help his loved one.

“This is hard for me because I love it, but can’t digest it all… running a business and taking care of mom,” he said. “I just want one hand free. I can’t concentrate on everything.”

He does hope that someday he’ll be able to return to selling and repairing bikes for the Arlington community. As Behery put it, now is the time to take care of his family so that he can come back stronger in the future.

But he’ll always have the memories and is thankful for the community support.

“It feels like that little shop is sorta like a neighborhood bar… I’ve seen kids grow up, from their first bike to the one they take to college,” Behery said. “I have had gratitude to this community since day one.”

ACPD: Gunshot fired during violent Lyon Park robbery

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

Arlington police are investigating a violent robbery in the Lyon Park neighborhood last night.

The robbery happened around 11 p.m. on the 200 block of N. Wayne Street, in the area of the Washington and Lee Apartments, and resulted in gunfire and a serious injury.

“At approximately 11:07 p.m. on December 27, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim who had sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries and declined the treatment of medics. The investigation determined the victim was inside his residence when approximately three male suspects entered, physically assaulted him and stole his personal belongings, including a firearm, before fleeing the scene on foot.”

“During the course of the investigation, officers recovered evidence of a firearm being discharged and located property damage to the floor of the residential building,” the report continues. “There are no descriptions for the three suspects. The investigation is ongoing.”

The crime report does not specify who fired the gunshot nor the nature of the victim’s injuries.

JUST IN: Woman groped, pulled to ground in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A woman was groped, followed and pulled to the ground by an unknown suspect in the Lyon Park area, police say.

The incident happened last night (Wednesday) around 5:30 p.m.

The suspect initially grabbed the victim’s buttocks as she was walking along the Arlington Blvd trail at 10th Street N., not far from Courthouse, according to Arlington County police.

He then re-approached on the 2500 block of N. Pershing Drive and pulled her to the ground by the shoulders, but ran off when she screamed, police said.

From an ACPD crime report today:

SEXUAL BATTERY (Late), 2022-12070193, Arlington Boulevard trail at 10th Street N. exit ramp. At approximately 7:32 p.m. on December 7, police were dispatched to the late report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined approximately two hours prior, the victim was waiting at a crosswalk when the unknown male suspect approached her from behind and touched her buttocks before fleeing the area on foot. The victim continued traveling and was in the 2500 block of N. Pershing Drive when the suspect reapproached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, causing her to fall to the ground. The victim yelled and the suspect fled the area on foot. The victim sustained minor injuries and did not require medical attention. Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 20-30 years old, 5’8-5’10, medium build, wearing a black hoodie and black pants. The investigation is ongoing.

The suspect description is a bit different than that of a man who groped a woman in Courthouse last week, though the victim in that case wrote that she “didn’t get a good look at the guy.” Both suspects were reported to have been wearing a black hoodie and black pants, according to police.

“Both incidents remain under investigation and detectives will work to determine if they are linked,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

Residential investors are especially interested in these five areas of Arlington

By Jo DeVoe
Construction on an upsized home on N. Dinwiddie Street in Halls Hill (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

In Green Valley, resident Portia Clark says she and her neighbors are bombarded with calls and letters from realtors and potential investors about buying their homes.

“We were once a very stable community of homeowners who bought our homes to live here and pay them off,” she said. That increasingly seems to be changing.

There, as in Halls Hill — also known as High View Park — homes are being changing hands as the older generation passes away and their inheritors decide to sell. Some want to buy in more affordable areas, while others cannot afford to make necessary repairs or take over the mortgages, she said.

“At one time, we were the last affordable neighborhood in Arlington to buy a house in,” said Clark, president of the Green Valley Civic Association. “Investors are buying affordable homes, to tear them down and rebuild or have been building townhomes, condos or homes they are renting out.”

Green Valley and Halls Hill — both historically Black communities — are among a handful of Arlington neighborhoods with higher investment rates, according to a home ownership report published by the county in October. The report analyzed home-ownership market trends and barriers to buying.

The county report looked at the number of home loans for investors versus the total loans lent out for every census tract in Arlington. Pentagon City and Aurora Highlands, Radnor-Fort Myer Heights and Halls Hill had investment rates exceeding 12.5%. Investor purchases made up between 10% and 12.5% of financed purchases in Green Valley and Lyon Park, while other neighborhoods had lower rates of investor interest.

Loans issued to investors in 2021 by neighborhood in Arlington (via Arlington County)

Neighborhoods like Clark’s are have lower owner-occupancy rates and higher rates of property purchased for investment purposes, but overall 86% of Arlingtonians in single-family homes are owners, according to Erika Moore, a spokeswoman for the Dept. of Community Planning, Housing and Development.

Reasons for higher investment rates vary by neighborhood, per the report. The county attributes investment in Pentagon City and Aurora Highlands to Amazon’s HQ2, and investment in Radnor-Fort Myer Heights to interest in the River Place co-op, where an expiring ground lease makes properties more attractive to investors than to individual homebuyers.

When asked if staff had any guesses as to why Halls Hill, Green Valley and Lyon Park attracted more investors, Moore said the data staff collected was unclear.

Realtor Eli Tucker says these neighborhoods all have “pockets” of less expensive properties, typically multifamily homes, and many of the investors in Arlington are builders. That tracks with Arlington’s consistent rate of homes torn down, rebuilt and sold at a premium.

Tear-down and rebuild trends since 2012 (via Arlington County)

In Halls Hill, Green Valley and Lyon Park, the less expensive options include apartments and smaller duplex and townhouse properties, which often have no or low HOA fees. These neighborhoods also attract renters.

“[These] are very good rental locations and properties, but tend to be passed over more by principal buyers,” he said. “They can generate higher return-on-investment for investors than many other locations and property types that generate a lot more competition from principal buyers.”

Owner-occupancy rates by neighborhood (via Arlington County)

As for River Place, Tucker says it attracts investors whereas most cooperatives tend to restrict investors looking for rental income. The ground lease set to expire in 2052 creates two investor-friendly conditions.

First, the timeline means fewer mortgage options, which means buyers must pay with cash, which favors investors. Second, it means unit values are going down, instead of up.

(more…)

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