poll

Morning Poll: Missing Middle Twitter war (can you take it anymore?)

By ARLnow.com
A row of townhouses in Portland, Oregon (courtesy of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability)

Arlington didn’t start the ‘Missing Middle’ fire — localities across the country and around the world have been trying to figure out how to deal with rapidly rising housing costs.

While Arlington’s approval of new zoning regulations allowing small-scale multifamily housing in previously single-family-detached only neighborhoods was not the first time a major jurisdiction made such a move, the underlying debate is still raging in certain pockets of cyberspace.

ARLnow’s comment section aside, one place where the fire is still burning is on Twitter. (The social network was recently renamed “X” in a bid to incorporate additional features, arguably making it the National Landing of tech companies.)

On Twitter, a persistent anonymous account named Arlington Transparency has been posting side-by-side images of older homes set to be redeveloped as Missing Middle housing, next to speculation about how much those new units may cost given the price of existing, similar homes in the area.

In each case, the detached home set for demolition is less expensive than a newer townhouse or other multifamily home.

On the other side of the debate are local housing advocates like Jane Green, who point out that, yes, the resulting Missing Middle homes will likely be more expensive than the tear-down that’s being replaced, but they’re much less expensive than the “McMansions” that would otherwise be going up.

Plus, the more affordable homes being replaced would need “significant work” to be viable for buyers seeking to live there.

Unsurprisingly for Twitter, there’s a counter argument to the counter argument: that $900k+ townhouses benefit “elites” and not buyers in need of greater affordability.

Given the arguments above, who’s got the winning team, in your view? (With apologies to those who feel that this debate has been burning since the world’s been turning.)

Morning Poll: Do you consider ‘Karen’ an offensive term?

By ARLnow.com
A file photo of a business woman who is stressed and frustrated (Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash)

“Karen” has been making the rounds again in Arlington.

The slang term, popularized after a 2020 incident in New York City that got national attention, refers to “a middle-class white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal,” according to Wikipedia.

It was brought last week in the context of the Democratic primary.

Geographic distribution of votes for Commonwealth’s Attorney on Election Day (via Virginia Public Access Project)

From an ARLnow article Friday morning:

[Political consultant Ben] Tribbett was more blunt about what he saw as the electoral dynamic, citing the geographic distribution of votes in the Commonwealth’s Attorney race in particular.

“It’s the Karens versus the non-Karens,” he said. “Clearly, there’s a divide in the community that jumps out at you.”

“When that divide crosses over into multiple races and they follow the same pattern of results, even when fought on different issues… it tells you this is a lot more about different visions for the community than it is about any individual issue,” Tribbett added.

That did not sit well with some segment of our readership.

“Karen” in that context is generally considered a pejorative term, but at least one reader saw it as a slur, and wanted its use — including by those in the comment section — banned.

From an email we received:

Please STOP allowing ArlNow commenters to call women who are concerned with deteriorating quality-of-life in Arlington, and speak out about it, “Karens”.

The meme “Karen” has evolved over several years into borderline hate speech directed against middle aged White women who are unhappy with deteriorating quality of life here (e.g., crime in their neighborhoods) and call ACPD when, for example, they see suspicious behavior.

Charles, Arlington

Do you agree with the emailer that the term “Karen” is offensive? Or something more benign?

Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash

Morning Poll: Are you more or less optimistic about Arlington than one year ago?

By ARLnow.com
Staircase as seen at Amazon HQ2 grand opening (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Democratic primary has come and gone and, while the County Board results have yet to be tabulated, Tuesday was largely a victory for incumbent and incumbent-endorsed candidates.

The implication is that a majority of voters — at least Democratic primary voters — are largely satisfied with the way things are going in Arlington.

Of course, that’s not to be confused with universal support for the status quo. Nearly 45% of voters filled in the bubble for the Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate who highlighted rising crime as an issue in Arlington. Additionally, the initial County Board results show a split between candidates who support and oppose the recent Missing Middle housing changes.

Arlington still has its share of problems — soaring housing costs, high commercial vacancy rates, rising crime and police staffing challenges, a lack of mental health treatment, and opioid overdoses.

But there are also hopeful signs: Amazon is reportedly planning to build Phase 2 of its HQ2 after only a short delay, new mental health treatment options that just opened or are in the works, and there are promising opioid addiction treatment and overdose prevention efforts. Plus, while stats showed a rise in crime in 2022, anecdotally that seems to be moderating a bit over the past couple of months. The several month carjacking spree that started the year, for instance, has not continued into the late spring and early summer.

This morning we’re asking readers: all things considered, are you more or less optimistic about the current state and future direction of Arlington than you were at this time last year?

Morning Poll: Were you confused by ranked choice voting?

By ARLnow.com
‘I Voted’ stickers on June 20, 2023 (staff photo)

Our latest morning poll is, admittedly, a bit niche.

Only 16% or so of Arlington registered voters cast a ballot in yesterday’s Democratic primary. Beyond the closely watched Commonwealth’s Attorney race, the primary was notable for being the first locally to utilize ranked choice voting, for the six-way County Board race.

Depending on which news article you were reading yesterday, voters were either flummoxed by the concept of RCV or thought it no big deal to fill in bubbles for their first, second and third choices of candidate.

“Virginia’s first ranked-choice election is vexing some Arlington voters,” said a Washington Post headline. The article went on to report that “Advocates for ranked-choice voting have cheered this pilot initiative, saying it will lead to results that better reflect the will of the electorate. But there seems to be one hiccup so far: Not many people understand how it works.”

WTOP talked to a voter who had trouble casting a valid ballot, but was able to fix it.

“Some found the ranked-choice voting system to be simple, while others encountered issues initially,” the radio station reported. “‘I did find it confusing, and in fact, on my first try, my ballot was rejected,’ Carol Davidson told WTOP, adding that she was eventually able to cast her vote.”

On the other hand, Virginia Mercury, a statewide outlet that’s part of a left-of-center nonprofit, said RCV voting in Arlington was “mostly smooth.”

“Many Arlington Democratic voters spoke positively about the ranked-choice voting system being pioneered this Primary Day for two county board of supervisors seats, although some said more education would have been helpful,” the outlet reported. “‘It was pretty easy,’ said Andrea Hansen, a resident who cast a ballot at the Westover precinct. ‘I think it gives the impression of more of an equal playing field and it encourages people to read up more on the candidates.'”

Either way, Arlington County is now asking for feedback on RCV, seeking voters who want to “share their opinions on and experiences with RCV in Arlington.”

We also want to know how ranked choice went, if you cast a ballot in the Democratic primary. Did it all make sense or did something about it confuse you?

All the while, Arlington awaits the results of the County Board voting: final tabulation to determine the Democratic nominees for the two open seats can take place no earlier than Friday, when the last of the legal mail-in ballots arrive.

Morning Poll: Which of these noise complaints has the most merit?

By ARLnow.com
1/3

One inevitability of running a local news outlet is that you’ll get plenty of people contacting you with complaints about stuff, some more newsworthy than others.

In general, we’re disinclined to use our limited reporting resources as a cudgel against pet peeves that lack greater significance or safety concerns to the community at large. More often, the better stories tend to be those that come from tips sent because something seems interesting, not because it bothers the tipster personally.

Recently, though, there has been a noticeable uptick in a certain type of tip: those complaining about noise.

Noise is a constant concern in a place like Arlington, which has no shortage of noisy things from airliners to helicopters, bars to buses.

Noise complaints abound in our 26 square miles, but those that have a more limited local impact and fall into a category that might be described as “annoying but to be expected where you live” often do not rise to the level of local coverage.

Arguably, the following three noise complaints could get that categorization. But after receiving each in notably short succession, we’re going to let readers decide which, if any, has the most merit and might deserve additional scrutiny.

First up: (1) the use of leaf blowers in Ballston when there are, in fact, few if any leaves on the ground.

You folks should do a story on excess use of gas powered leaf blowers in [Ballston]. I live off Welburn Square, and when I work at home I hear pairs of workers with leaf blowers frequently, like every few days. This happens literally year round, every month,–80% of the time there are no leaves!

Are these county workers? It seems like a waste of taxpayer money plus unneeded air pollution and sound pollution.

I’ve attached a photo from this morning. No leaves!! Yet two guys with gas powered blowers wailing.

Regards

Welburn Square apartment resident.

Next: (2) nightly runway closures at DCA steering late flights closer to residential towers in nearby Crystal City.

As a longtime resident of Crystal City, my high-rise building, and others on the northern end of Crystal Drive, are directly along the flight path of aircraft currently departing the 15/33 runway that’s being used during the evenings while the main runway is worked on. Since the project started,  aircraft depart that runway perhaps 1000′ from my building regularly during the late evening until nearly 3AM … and then resume a few more times before 6AM when the main runway is cleared for regular daytime traffic. (It’s intolerable for us in Waterford House and Crystal Gateway, but likely is worse for the residents of Crystal City Lofts and Water Park Towers.)

In addition to working professionals, several buildings in this part of Crystal City count many senior citizens as homeowners and/or renters. Taken together, we are all directly – and adversely – impacted being in such immediate proximity to the overwhelming noise of aircraft taking off on 15/33 that pass so close to our buildings during the overnight hours. I think you’d agree that long-term sleep deprivation and the related health consequences – at any age – certainly is not the answer. :(

According to a 2022 airport diagram[1], DCA runway 15/33 is 5200×150′ while 4/22 is 5000×150. Runway 4/22 is another ‘cross’ runway but departs over the Potomac River and does not put departing aircraft so close to residential buildings during their initial climb-out from DCA. Given the nearly identical length of these runways, it would be nice to know why DCA is not able to use that runway instead and therefore prevent disrupting the residents of northern Crystal City.

Finally: (3) the daily playing of the National Anthem at a Navy facility in the Penrose neighborhood, which allegedly “started last fall” and “can be heard from several blocks away, through windows, and is played every day.”

I am writing in about the Naval Support Facility at 701 S Courthouse Rd, Arlington, VA. Several months ago, the facility began playing the National Anthem every morning at 8am.There are speakers pointed directly into the neighborhood. While it may have simply been an oversight, I wanted to bring Arlington County’s noise ordinances to your attention.

According to Arlington County, the Naval Support Facility is located in Zone S-3A. Arlington’s noise control regulations require that noise for Zone S-3A is below 95 decibels for “impulsive noise” during daytime hours (7am – 9pm weekdays, 10am – 9pm weekends) and below 90 decibels during nighttime hours. Please note they also define impulsive noise as lasting less than 1 second [Noise Ordinance, page 2]. All other noise needs to remain below 60 decibels during daytime hours and 55 decibels during nighttime hours. The Naval Support Facility plays the National Anthem at an audio level far beyond the permissible levels.

Additionally, I would like to bring your attention to the prohibited acts in the Arlington County noise ordinance. [Noise Ordinance, page 6]. I live approximately 600 feet from the Naval Support Facility, and the noise is extremely loud, even with the windows closed. This is a direct, clear violation of Arlington County’s noise ordinances.

“My neighbor has tried bringing this to Arlington County, but they won’t preemptively come out to the facility to witness the noise, so they won’t enforce their own rules,” the anthem tipster told ARLnow.

Which of the above complaints do you think has the most merit?

Map via Google Maps

Morning Poll: Are you traveling and taking time off for Memorial Day this year?

By ARLnow.com
Looking south, the sun sets as traffic moves along I-395 (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

When we asked last year, just 25% of poll respondents said they were heading out of town for Memorial Day.

That compares to 35% who said they were traveling for Memorial Day in 2013.

With the holiday weekend coming up, and with Covid even less of a factor this year, we wanted to see if the 2023 travel figures would be substantially different than 2022.

At the same time, we were interested to know just how long your Memorial Day trips would be — short jaunts that require no additional weekday time off other than the long weekend, or longer voyages.

 

Morning Poll: Who has the best bagels in Arlington?

By ARLnow.com
Everything bagels (Photo by Ryan DaRin on Unsplash)

Yes, it was part of a big chain, and yes, it might not top many “best of” lists, but the closing of Bruegger’s Bagels in Ballston last month took another Arlington establishment that made bagels fresh and in-house off the board.

One within walking distance of the ARLnow offices, at that.

The closure also got us thinking: which local spot has the best bagels?

Clearly bagel loyalties run deep, and with hot competition now just over the Arlington border — the Call Your Mother trailer at the Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean had a large line on Mother’s Day this past weekend — it’s time to do a heat check on Arlington’s local spots.

Which of the following places has your undying bagel love? Feel free to let us know in the comments if we’ve missed an option.

Photo by Ryan DaRin on Unsplash

Morning Poll: Allowing more and longer flights at National Airport

By ARLnow.com
An airplane takes off from Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A new bill in Congress would result in significant changes at National Airport.

The bill would add more than two dozen additional flights and would allow more long distance flights at the airport, which is limited by a federal perimeter rule.

More from the Washington Post:

Lawmakers from Georgia and Utah introduced a bill Wednesday to increase the number of long-distance flights at Reagan National Airport, a measure that is drawing opposition from local residents, airport officials and members of the D.C.-area congressional delegation.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Burgess Owens (R-Utah), would allow 28 more flights daily and permit airlines to offer more long-distance service out of National Airport, where federal rules allow only a handful of flights to operate beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter.

“By limiting the number of flights in and out of National Airport, we are squeezing consumers — they are the ones paying the price,” Johnson said in a statement. “Travelers who want to visit the capital region face the most expensive domestic ticket prices compared to other major markets because of limited competition.”

The measure drew opposition from regional lawmakers and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages National and Washington Dulles International Airport. The agency has long fought changes to air service at National, arguing the airport is too small to accommodate additional air service.

MWAA said relaxing the perimeter rule would lead to more noise and congestion, as well as reduced service at smaller airports. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) said the bill would harm the region’s airports.

Last week we established that ARLnow readers much prefer DCA to Dulles or other airports.

So what would you think about a bill that would allow more flight options, albeit over the objections of local lawmakers?

Morning Poll: DCA vs. IAD

By ARLnow.com
An airplane taxis after landing at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

National Airport is, arguably, a key perk of living in Arlington.

Being a <15 minute Uber ride (or a short Metro ride) away from a convenient, well-run airport with flights to a wide range of domestic destinations is something few inner suburbs can claim.

Meanwhile, it keeps getting better. Gone is the dreaded Gate 35X, replaced with a brand new concourse in 2021. Plus new restaurants and new stores keep opening.

Of course, DCA is not the only airport option around here.

Dulles International Airport is now accessible via Metro and is itself gaining new restaurant and retail options. Like National, Dulles is also getting a new concourse to replace some not-so-great regional jet boarding facilities. Last year, IAD even garnered a higher passenger satisfaction rating than DCA.

With Metro accessibility no longer a factor, one major complaint remains the distance. It’s a bit of a hike to get out to Dulles, though if you live certain northern sections of Arlington like East Falls Church, it’s more of a toss up in terms of travel time to the two airports.

There is an additional factor when choosing between the two airports, though. While you can get a nonstop flight to some West Coast destinations from DCA, they are limited by federal law. Recently, a group started a new push to ditch the “perimeter rule” and allow more long-distance flights.

From our sister site FFXnow earlier this week:

A proposal for more long-distance flights at Reagan National Airport (DCA) is catching the ire of some of Virginia’s Congressional representatives, who say it could undermine efforts to grow Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Proponents led by Capital Access Alliance argue that current restrictions at Reagan National — an airport owned by the federal government — are outdated and hurt the economy. They want to increase the number of flights that travel beyond 1,250 miles from the airport, allowing as many as 25 daily round trips.

So short of going to BWI — and who wants to do that, really — to avoid connecting flights sometimes Dulles is the choice, even for avowed DCA fans.

Given all of the above, we were wondering where Arlington residents stand in terms of their DCA loyalty. This morning’s poll asks: when booking a flight, to what degree — if any — do you prioritize trying to fly out of National instead of Dulles?

Morning Poll: What are your favorite Star Wars movies?

By Vernon Miles
A Star Wars stormtrooper at Arlington Central Library in 2011 (file photo)

It’s May the 4th, which means this reporter is swooping back to ARLnow like the clones arriving at Geonosis.

Today’s poll addresses one of the all-time great questions: what are your top three favorite Star Wars movies? Since the top two spots are almost guaranteed to be A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, a “Top 3” poll allows for some third-spot surprises.

Conventional wisdom would hold that Return of the Jedi is, fittingly, the third-best Star Wars movie, but the epic Revenge of the Sith has a claim to the throne as well. Among the newer movies, arguments could also be made for Rogue One, Force Awakens or Last Jedi dethroning the ewok-stuffed Episode VI.

Not to sway the voting or anything.

Meanwhile, for those looking to flex their Star Wars knowledge, Alamo Drafthouse in Crystal City (1660 Crystal Drive) is hosting a Star Wars-themed trivia event today at 7 p.m.

Morning Poll: What do you think of this cool start to May?

By ARLnow.com
Visitors at the US Air Force Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

We’re now into the back third of meteorological spring and it’s feeling more like… the beginning?

It has been a notably cool (and wet) end to April and start of May, right around when one might have been expecting some warmer weather to move in.

As this post is being written, the thermometer is sitting at 48 degrees, which sounds more like May in Manitoba than Arlington. (In fact, it’s currently a touch warmer in Winnipeg.)

A relatively modesty warm up is on the way, however. Near-average temperatures are expected to return next week, according to the Capital Weather Gang’s outlook.

With low temperatures frequently dipping into the 40s and highs mostly in the 50s and 60s this week, it will feel more like March than May. But highs should leap into the 70s or warmer next week…

For the second half of May, longer term models project near to slightly below normal temperatures.

What best describes your reaction to the current cool stretch?

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