Arlington County Police are looking for a teenager accused of trying to rob a scooter rider in Virginia Square.
Police were dispatched to N. Lincoln Street, in the area of Arlington Science Focus School and Hayes Park, Monday afternoon for a reported robbery by force.
“Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 1:45 p.m., the victim was riding her scooter in the area when the suspect approached her and attempted to grab her backpack unsuccessfully,” ACPD said in a crime report. “The victim turned around and was struck by the suspect, but was able to run away and seek assistance. The victim sustained minor injuries.”
“The suspect is described as a skinny white male, approximately 15 years old, 5’3″, with curly brown hair, wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans,” police said. “The investigation is ongoing.”
Also on Monday, a scuffle in Virginia Hospital Center left an officer with minor injuries and a 22-year-old man behind bars. More from a crime report:
ASSAULT & BATTERY ON POLICE, 2020-05110041, 1600 block of N. George Mason Drive. At approximately 10:37 a.m. on May 11, officers on scene at the hospital were attempting to restrain a subject who began acting disorderly. A brief struggle ensued, during which the suspect struck an officer with a closed fist. The officer sustained minor injuries. Daunte Butler, 22, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Assault and Battery on Law Enforcement. He was held on no bond.
A rendering of the planned redevelopment of Virginia Square’s American Legion post (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the planned redevelopment of Virginia Square’s American Legion post (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the planned redevelopment of Virginia Square’s American Legion post (via Arlington County)
A rendering of the planned redevelopment of Virginia Square’s American Legion post (via Arlington County)
American Legion Post 139
American Legion Post 139
American Legion Post 139
American Legion Post 139
Construction is starting this week on the mixed-use replacement to American Legion Post 139 in Virginia Square.
The project, which was approved in 2019, will build 160-units of affordable housing on the current American Legion site at 3445 Washington Blvd, as well as a new, modern space for Post 139. Half of the apartments will be earmarked for vets.
“Veterans will be given priority placement in half of the building’s 160 apartment homes – making it Virginia’s largest affordable housing project for veterans,” a spokeswoman noted.
The $80 million redevelopment has received $33.8 million in tax credits from the state, a $11.5 million loan from Arlington’s affordable housing fund, and several large donations — including $1.5 million from real estate titan Ron Terwilliger, for whose parents the building will now be named, and $1 million from Amazon.
A groundbreaking ceremony has been postponed due to the pandemic, but the financing has been finalized and construction is slated to start this week. Work is expected to wrap up in 2022.
In preparation for demolition, the flag outside the American Legion post — flown there since the 1950s was recently retired. A video documented the ceremony.
A press release about the groundbreaking is below.
Brookdale Senior Living in Arlington (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Personnel inside Brookdale Senior Living in Arlington wear PPE walking through the main lobby (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
A love note to a family member is taped to a resident’s window at Brookdale Senior Living in Arlington (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
COVID-19 cases in Arlington on 4/24/20 (compiled by ARLnow via Virginia Dept. of Health Data)
There may be initial talks about planning for a limited reopening of the regional economy, but coronavirus cases are still rising in Arlington at a steady clip.
According to the latest Virginia Dept. of Health data, there are now 722 known cases of COVID-19 in Arlington, 120 hospitalizations, 24 deaths and 2,784 test results received. That’s up from 686 cases yesterday (Thursday) and 485 cases a week ago.
Statewide, the Commonwealth has 11,594 reported cases, 1,837 hospitalizations, 410 deaths and 69,015 people tested.
The number of reported outbreaks in Arlington has remained steady at 10, with half of those at long-term care facilities. Nursing homes, retirement communities and similar settings have been a major source of infections and fatalities nationwide, though states and localities have been reluctant to reveal which facilities have outbreaks.
ARLnow previously reported cases in at least 2-3 local assisted living facilities and has continued to receive tips about outbreaks, but has not been able to receive confirmation from local authorities.
An Arlington Dept. of Human Services declined another request rom ARLnow this week for more granular data, but did provide some additional information about the county health department’s response.
“A core team of Aging and Disability Services and Public Health administrative and clinical staff work collaboratively to provide routine COVID outreach to each of the Arlington long term care communities,” said DHS spokesman Kurt Larrick. “These communities include 4 nursing homes and 6 Assisted Living and 5 Independent Living Senior Residences.”
“A Public Health Nurse checks in each day (or more as needed) with the high risk COVID communities to provide guidance, education, and resource linkages,” Larrick continued. “We have developed electronic tools to closely track, monitor symptoms, and follow up accordingly across all the communities. The two DHS divisions work closely together to push out vital COVID information and resources weekly. There is also a daily PPE tracking tool to monitor the PPE needs across the communities. We have been successful in proactively supporting each community through this collaborative effort.”
Among the local assisted living facilities with confirmed outbreaks is Brookdale Arlington, in the Virginia Square neighborhood. A tipster described to ARLnow a significant outbreak in the high-rise facility that has resulted in multiple deaths.
A spokeswoman for the publicly-traded company previously confirmed multiple COVID-19 cases in the facility, but did not provide confirmation of the latest figures as of publication time.
“Brookdale’s top priority is the health and safety of our residents and associates,” the spokeswoman said previously. “We are diligently monitoring our residents and associates for signs and symptoms, and we continue to work directly with local health officials to help ensure our residents and associates have the appropriate and necessary medical support. We will continue to follow the guidance of the Arlington County Public Health Division throughout this situation.”
On Thursday, signs posted on the front door of the facility said no visitors were allowed, people in the lobby could be seen wearing personal protective equipment, and note from family members to a resident was taped to a window.
Rendering of an approved development on N. Kirkwood Road in Virginia Square (via Arlington County)
Rendering of an approved development on N. Kirkwood Road in Virginia Square (via Arlington County)
Rendering of an approved development on N. Kirkwood Road in Virginia Square (via Arlington County)
Rendering of an approved development on N. Kirkwood Road in Virginia Square (via Arlington County)
Some changes might be made to a planned redevelopment project in the Virginia Square area.
The Arlington County Board is set to consider a request to add 15 apartment units to the 7-story building approved by the Board last June. The project, which has yet to start major construction, will replace a State Farm insurance office and other small commercial buildings near the corner of Washington Blvd and N. Kirkwood Road.
The developer says it can squeeze in the additional apartments by reconfiguring the courtyard and parking garage, and making some minor changes to the building facade and rooftop area.
“While the height, building footprint and massing remain unchanged, approximately 8,649 square feet of gross floor area (GFA) will be added as a result of a minor reduction of the internal courtyard and more efficient use of space previously allocated to parking and mechanical uses,” a county staff report says.
In exchange for adding the new apartments, the developer has agreed to designate four additional units as committed affordable housing. The plan has critics, however, notably residents of the townhouses across the street.
“Issues raised by members of the community, including the Bromptons at Clarendon Homeowners Association (HOA), include concerns around additional density, increased parking demand on local streets, reduction of on-site greenspace and the design of the corner façade,” said the staff report.
County staffers are recommending approval of the site plan amendment. The Board is expected to take up the request at its upcoming Saturday meeting.
More from the staff report, below.
The applicant is requesting a site plan amendment to make interior and exterior modifications to accommodate an additional 15 dwelling units, a revised parking garage layout, minor changes to the building façade and changes to the rooftop area. While the height, building footprint and massing remain unchanged, approximately 8,649 square feet of GFA will be added as a result of a minor reduction of the internal courtyard (from approximately 8,000 square feet to approximately 7,380 square feet) and more efficient use of space previously allocated to parking and mechanical uses (Figure 4). To further accommodate the additional 15 units, the average unit size based on total GFA will decrease from 1,021 square feet to 994 square feet. The number of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units will all increase, with the number of studios remaining the same.
The applicant is proposing a revised parking garage layout with changes to both below-grade parking levels and ramps. The parking garage entrance will remain in the same location but will be reoriented with a maximum slope of 20%. While the total number of parking spaces (including tandem spaces) for the site is reduced from 198 spaces to 194 spaces, all 20 tandem spaces will be converted to non-tandem spaces. The number of parking spaces increases from 63 to 99 spaces on garage Level 02 and decreases from 135 to 95 on garage Level 01. Overall, the parking ratio increases from 0.64 spaces to 0.67 spaces per unit, not including visitor spaces. The visitor parking ratio remains at 0.05 spaces per unit. The site will also accommodate 114 bicycle spaces at the same bicycle parking ratio as previously approved.
To accommodate the new units on the ground floor along the north and west alleys, there will be changes to the façade including replacing the louvers and mechanical vents that previously served the parking garage ramp with new windows (Figures 5, 6, 7, 8). The applicant is also proposing minor modifications to the layout of the rooftop amenity space and decreasing the size from approximately 920 square feet to approximately 850 square feet.
Social distancing is keeping lots of people at home, but that hasn’t necessarily resulted in a drop in notable police incidents in Arlington.
In just the past 72 hours, there have been multiple police chases, incidents involving guns and thefts.
Around 12:30 p.m. today, police swarmed the Lyon Village Shopping Center after a report of a fight in progress. It turned out to be a robbery in which the victim was assaulted and ultimately transported to the hospital.
“At approximately 12:39 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a fight in the 3100 block of Lee Highway,” Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect approached the victim and stole his cell phone. When the victim confronted the suspect, the suspect assaulted him. The suspect was taken into custody by arriving officers. Charges are pending.”
On Sunday evening, a Virginia State Police pursuit of a vehicle that originated in the Alexandria area ended in Arlington’s Long Branch Creek neighborhood. The Fairfax County Police helicopter hovered overhead while police searched for suspects that bailed out near the intersection of Army Navy Drive and 28th Street S.
“At 4:56 p.m. Sunday, Virginia State Police attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle traveling north on Route 1 near Ft. Hunt Road in Alexandria. The vehicle refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated,” VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller told ARLnow today. “The pursuit ended in Arlington County at 28th Street and Army Navy Drive and three male subjects ran from the stolen vehicle on foot. All three were apprehended a short time later with the assistance of Arlington County Police. Two of the three were male juveniles and one adult male was transported to Arlington County Adult Detention Center.”
FYI: ACPD is assisting @VSPPIO with a subject search in the area of the 28th/Army Navy Dr. A helicopter is also being utilized. VSP is the primary investigating agency and ACPD has no further details to provide on the original incident.
Early Sunday morning, Arlington County Police were involved in another foot chase just a couple of blocks away in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood. A trio of suspected of breaking into and stealing cars allegedly rammed a police cruiser and tried to flee the scene.
More from an ACPD crime report:
GRAND LARCENY (significant), 2020-04120036, 1500 block of 28th Street S. At approximately 5:05 a.m. on April 12, police were dispatched to the report of multiple suspects tampering with vehicles in the area. Arriving officers located numerous suspects inside a vehicle, which was later determined to have been previously stolen. The driver allegedly put the vehicle in reverse, causing it to strike a police vehicle and all suspects attempted to flee on foot. Officers in the area located and detained three juvenile male suspects. During the course of the investigation, officers located two additional stolen vehicles, another vehicle which had been damaged, and multiple vehicles which had been tampered with and items of value stolen. Petitions for Suspect One were obtained for Grand Larceny – Motor Vehicle Theft, Hit and Run – Attended Property, Obstruction of Justice and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony. Petitions for Suspect Two were obtained for Grand Larceny – Motor Vehicle Theft (x2), Unauthorized Possession of 2+ Credit Card Numbers and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony. Petitions for Suspect Three were obtained for Grand Larceny – Motor Vehicle Theft (x2) and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony. The investigation is ongoing.
On Friday and Saturday, police responded to two incidents — one in Long Branch Creek, the other in Virginia Square — involving suspects that brandished firearms.
From ACPD:
BRANDISHING, 2020-04110090, 1700 block of 26th Street S. At approximately 2:48 p.m. on April 11, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victims were inside their apartment when they heard the unknown suspect allegedly kicking at their door and observed him displaying a firearm. Arriving officers developed a possible suspect description and canvased the building. The suspect then exited his apartment and was taken into custody without incident. [The suspect], 40, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Brandishing, Possession of a Firearm While In Possession of Drugs, Possession of Marijuana, and Possession of Schedule I/II Controlled Substance. He was held on no bond
BRANDISHING, 2020-04100066, 3500 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 12:38 p.m. on April 10, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim, an employee, and the suspect were engaged in a dispute inside a business. The victim asked the suspect to leave, which he initially complied with, but then re-entered the business attempting to take a photograph of the victim. The suspect then entered his vehicle, and, as the victim attempted to photograph his license plate, he displayed a firearm and threatened the victim. The suspect is described as a black male. The vehicle is described as a black Dodge pick-up truck. The investigation is ongoing.
A man previously convicted of indecent exposure and other crimes in Arlington is now facing more charges.
Police say 36-year-old Donte Smith of D.C. sat down next to a woman at an outdoor table in the Virginia Square area Monday afternoon and “allegedly began touching himself inappropriately.” The victim backed away from the suspect, who “then exposed his genitals and continued touching himself inappropriately,” Arlington County Police said in a crime report.
Police were called and officers took Smith into custody without incident.
Smith has faced at least 30 different charges in Arlington over the past five years, including indecent exposure and simulated masturbation, according to Arlington General District Court records.
More from the ACPD crime report:
INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2020-04060086, Wilson Boulevard at N. Oakland Street. At approximately 2:30 p.m. on April 6, police were dispatched to the report of an indecent exposure in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was seated at an outdoor table when the male suspect approached, sat down near her and allegedly began touching himself inappropriately. The victim moved away from the suspect, who then exposed his genitals and continued touching himself inappropriately. Arriving officers located the suspect and took him into custody without incident. Donte Smith, 36, of Washington, D.C. was arrested and charged with Indecent Exposure: 3+ Offense in 10 Years and Public Masturbation.
Have some unopened boxes of surgical gowns or masks lying around? If so, Arlington is hoping you’ll donate them.
The county is setting up a one-day only drive-through donation drive this coming Friday. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Arlington Central Library parking lot along 10th Street near N. Quincy Street.
The county is seeking unused boxes of nitrile or vinyl examination gloves , N95 or KN95 masks , surgical masks, protective surgical gowns , homemade masks, cleaning products and supplies , and non-perishable food items.
Arlington County is seeking donations of unused, unopened containers of essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, and certain food to assist essential employees, nonprofits and community organizations with coronavirus (COVID-19) response operations.
A drive-thru donation station will be available on Friday, April 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Central Library parking lot on 10th Street North. This activity conforms to the requirements of Governor Northam’s Stay-At-Home order, but if you are ill, please do not come or donate supplies.
Requested items include:
Nitrile or vinyl examination gloves
N95 or KN95 masks
Surgical masks
Protective surgical gowns
Homemade masks
Cleaning products and supplies
Non-perishable food items, especially heart-healthy items low in sodium or sugar
No other donations will be accepted at this event.
Upon arrival, donors must stay in their cars until they reach the unloading area. There, donors will place their donation onto a cart and return to their vehicles to ensure proper social distancing. A separate line will be available for donors who arrive on foot or by bike.
All donors are expected to observe the proper physical distance of six feet in accordance with Governor Northam’s Stay-At-Home Order.
If you are unable to drop off donations, many other essential requests from Arlington nonprofits are posted on the Volunteer Arlington webpage. Most nonprofits’ primary need is funding.
People who donate are helping ensure essential supplies get to Arlington health care workers, first responders, and County and community workers whose essential jobs put them at risk of coronavirus exposure. Together, we will protect the health and safety of all Arlingtonians.
An empty Clarendon Metro (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
An empty Clarendon Metro (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A trio of Metro stations in Arlington will close starting on Thursday, as Metro experiences low ridership and dwindling cleaning supplies during the coronavirus outbreak.
Closing are the Clarendon, Virginia Square and East Falls Church stations, along the Orange and Silver lines. They’re among 17 stations Metro is closing.
More from WMATA:
Metro’s Pandemic Task Force today announced the strategic closing of 17 additional stations, effective Thursday, March 26, 2020, in an effort to conserve critical resources and protect the health and safety of Metro employees and the public. This follows drastic measures already taken to reduce travel on Metro to essential trips only, leading to a Metrorail ridership decline of 90 percent.
These steps will help reduce the risk of exposure to employees and save critical cleaning supplies for the remaining stations. While Metro increased its on-hand warehouse inventory of essential supplies, such as hospital-grade disinfectant, wipes, hand sanitizer, and other items used by Metro’s frontline employees, suppliers are experiencing delivery delays. Metro is taking action to make its current 2-3 week warehouse supply stretch until massive orders placed in late January are received.
Each Metrorail station has multiple escalators, faregates and other high touch surfaces that are being cleaned daily, including some stations with multiple entrances. By reducing the number of entrances, Metro will be able to better protect its workforce and customers and prolong the inventory of these critical supplies needed to keep the system open.
Metro said the Virginia Square station is being closed due to its close proximity to the Ballston station, while the Clarendon and East Falls Church stations are closing due to low ridership — 299 and 239 trips on Monday, respectively.
The Arlington Cemetery Metro station was previously closed due to low ridership.
The school, based at GMU’s campus in Virginia Square, is now the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
The efforts of the former president and his wife to promote peace around the world is the impetus for the name change, which is also part of a $10 million fundraising campaign. The school is now “dedicating itself to peace and social justice.”
The name change serves as a tribute to the Carters’ steadfast commitment to peacemaking through nonviolence and the transformative role of dialogue and diplomacy in conflict resolution. It also serves to recognize that the school has grown and changed in reputation and scope since its birth in 1981. The move comes as an acknowledgment that the Carters’ devotion to peace and human rights reflects the values of both the school and Mason as a whole.
“By becoming the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, we’ll be starting the next phase of our journey as an institution committed to furthering both the research and practice of conflict resolution and peacebuilding,” said Alpaslan Ozerdem, dean of the school. “In this effort, we will be taking the Carters’ unwavering dedication to peace as our beacon and our guide. It’s a great honor to be leading a school named after one of the greatest peacemakers of our times.”
Mason’s Board of Visitors approved the change on Feb. 27. The school plans a series of events in September that will include other Mason colleges and schools to celebrate the new phase for the school and the Carters’ legacy on human rights, democracy, gender equality and global health.
George Mason is in the midst of a quarter-billion-dollar effort to expand its Arlington campus. On Feb. 25, GMU held a forum for developers interested in submitting conceptual proposals for the project.
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Narcotics investigation and arrest in Virginia Square
Heavily-armed Arlington County Police officers made what appears to be a major arrest near the Virginia Square Metro early Friday evening.
A SWAT team, police K-9s and plain-clothes officers could be seen near the Metro station and the Virginia Square Towers condo complex, on the 900 block of N. Lincoln Street, around 3:30 p.m. Friday. Two people, a man and a woman, were detained by police outside the Metro station.
Police dressed in tactical gear and armed with assault-style rifles were seen coming in and out of the condo building, as uniformed officers blocked traffic on N. Lincoln Street. A white Cadillac was searched outside the Metro station, as more tactical and plain-clothes officers stood by.
A police spokeswoman described the activity as “a narcotics investigation.”
“[A] suspect has been taken into custody,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow. “This remain an active investigation and there’s no ongoing threat to the public. Expect continued police presence in the area.”
(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) A bevy of new development is coming to Clarendon and Virginia Square, prompting Arlington County to update its plan for the former.
The county’s busy planning division, which is working its way through a crush of post-Amazon HQ2 development applications, is also gearing up to review and perhaps refine the 2006 Clarendon Sector Plan.
In a presentation to the County Board this afternoon on its Fiscal Year 2021 work plan, planning staff is expected to detail a number of initiatives, including a study of the 14-year-old sector plan.
“In anticipation of multiple site plan applications and emerging public facility needs in Clarendon, a staff team will review the recommendations in the 2006 Clarendon Sector Plan (CSP), including those for County facilities, a new park along 10th Street, and nearby private development sites,” the presentation says.
“Given the connection between the Plan and zoning regulations, and the importance of the public facility needs to be achieved in Clarendon, refinement of Sector Plan policies and amendments to the Zoning Ordinance may be necessary,” the presentation continues. “A plan for public engagement on this planning study is being developed.”
Among other things, the 2006 sector plan calls for a new, 50,000 square foot park on the site of the current Clarendon fire station and the Verizon switching station, which is expected to be redeveloped soon. It also calls for the fire station to be relocated.
The presentation notes three major, residential development projects that have already been approved — the American Legion and Kirkwood sites in Virginia Square, and the Red Top redevelopment in Clarendon, all of which are pending construction.
The Silver Diner and Wells Fargo/Verizon developments are expected to be considered by the County Board by the end of the year, the county says.
In addition to looking at the Clarendon neighborhood plan, the planning division is involved in current land use planning for Shirlington and the Lee Highway corridor. County planners also expect to process 15 major site plan applications during calendar year 2020.
