News

Arlington homebuyers are treading cautiously as mortgage rates hit 7%

By Scott McCaffrey
Real estate for sale sign (photo illustration by ARLnow)

Surging mortgage rates are leading to a more cautious approach to real estate in Arlington, but overall, they don’t currently seem to be scaring off many prospective buyers.

Months of rising interest rates, which surpassed 7% for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages last week, have led homebuyers to tread more carefully, even as local home sales have been holding relatively steady, a cross section of real estate professionals told ARLnow.

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Sponsored

Save the date: Arlington Housing Grants Program waitlist opens Oct. 5

By Arlington County Department of Human Services
Image from Save the date: Arlington Housing Grants Program waitlist opens Oct. 5

Households interested in housing assistance may have an opportunity to join the Housing Grants Program waitlist when registration opens this October.

The Housing Grants Program helps eligible households maintain housing stability through rental assistance in Arlington County’s housing market. Earlier this year, Arlington County announced changes designed to support the long-term sustainability of the program, including the transition to a waitlist process for new admissions.

The Waitlist Opens Soon
Beginning Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, at 8 a.m. ET, eligible households can pre-apply for Arlington County’s Housing Grants Program waitlist. The registration period will remain open until Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. During that time, all completed applications will have an equal opportunity to be selected for the final waitlist.

Apply Online
Interested households can submit their application online through the Housing Grants application portal. There is no fee to apply. Arlington County will never charge applicants to submit an application or improve chance of selection.

Interested households are encouraged to visit the County’s Housing Grants Waitlist webpage for step-by-step instructions, eligibility information, frequently asked questions and additional application resources.

One of the most important things applicants should know is that the process is not first-come, first-served. Whether a household applies on the first day of registration or the last, every completed application submitted during the registration period will have the same chance of selection.

After the registration period closes on Oct. 19, Arlington County will use a randomized lottery process to select 500 households for placement on the Housing Grants Program waitlist. Lottery results and notifications to applying households are expected no later than Dec. 30, 2026.

Help Is Available
Arlington County is committed to ensuring all eligible households have an opportunity to participate in the pre-application process.

Language assistance, disability accommodations, and other accessibility supports are available. Individuals who need accommodations or assistance applying should contact the Housing Grants Program as early as possible at [email protected] or 703-228-1350, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Throughout the registration period, interested households can access technical assistance and application support at the locations below. Our technical assistance sessions offer one-on-one support to help with the pre-application process. Technical assistance sessions are free and open to all. No appointments required. Visit any of our locations during our hours of operation to get help. Information about technical assistance locations, schedules and available services is available on the Housing Grants Waitlist webpage.

Technical Assistance Sites and Hours:

Department of Human Services Resource Center (Sequoia Plaza 1, 2100 Washington Blvd.)

  • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Wednesday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

  • Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Sunday: Closed

Central Library (1015 North Quincy St.)

  • Monday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Friday through Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Shirlington Library (4200 Campbell Ave.)

  • Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Tuesday: Noon to 8 p.m.

  • Friday through Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Courthouse Library (2100 Clarendon Blvd.)

  • Monday and Thursday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Tuesday: Noon to 8 p.m.

  • Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

  • Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Sunday: Closed

For households interested in housing assistance: mark your calendars, gather your information and pre-apply between Oct. 5 and Oct. 19. Arlington County’s Housing Grants Program waitlist is designed to provide a fair, transparent and equitable process for connecting eligible individuals with housing support when resources become available.

Learn More
Additional information about the Housing Grants Program is available via:

  • Phone: 703-228-1350 (available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Apply Online
News

Sheriff’s office still studying impacts of body-worn cameras at Arlington jail

By Scott McCaffrey
Male police officer in a tan uniform with a black tie speaking, badge visible on chest.
Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Juan Gelabert (screenshot via Arlington NAACP)

Leaders in the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office continue to evaluate the impacts of body-worn cameras used by deputies in the county’s detention facility.

“We are getting feedback for the unintended consequences,” Chief Deputy Sheriff Juan Gelabert said at a Sept. 28 discussion with members of the Arlington NAACP.

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Announcement

Why is Housing so Expensive?

By League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City
Event flyer for the League of Women Voters: 'A Home for Everyone: Why is Housing so Expensive?' with event details (Oct 5, 2026, 6–7:30 p.m., Arlington Central Library) and a pink rounded rectangle containing the address; includes a house illustration and speaker list for Shelley Murphy McCabe and Jill Norcross; more info link and contact at the bottom.

A Home for Everyone: Why Is Housing So Expensive?

Rents keep climbing, buying a home is out of reach for most, and homes are harder to find. Join the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City (LWVAAC) and Arlington Public Library for a conversation with two of the region’s leading housing voices about what’s driving costs in Arlington and Alexandria, and what it would take to change course.

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Around Town

Sprouts grocery store opens on Langston Blvd with ‘organics in every aisle’

By Dan Egitto
Facade of Sprouts Farmers Market with pumpkins lined along the storefront and blue sky above.
Sprouts at 3115 Langston Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A new grocery store with a wide selection of organic products, bulk dry goods and oven-ready entrees has opened on Langston Blvd.

Sprouts Farmers Market hosted its grand opening earlier this month in the Lyon Village Shopping Center. Interior signage promises “organics on every aisle,” and the supermarket delivers on that.

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Event

11th Annual Walk to Bust Cancer

Poster for Walk to Bust Cancer fundraiser featuring smiling diverse women walking; event date Oct 18, 2026 at Fort Hunt Park, Alexandria VA; register at WalkToBustCancer.org.

Event location

Fort Hunt Park

8999 Fort Hunt Rd

Alexandria, Virginia 22308

Add to Calendar

Join Breast Cancer Collective for the 2026 Walk to Bust Cancer on Sunday, October 18, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria.
Walk alongside survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and neighbors for an uplifting community event supporting access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV.
Walk to Bust Cancer brings our community together to turn hope into action and help expand access to timely breast health care. Register to walk, gather your team, and join us at Fort Hunt Park.

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Around Town

The Roasted Vine bringing fresh blends, coffee-inspired cocktails to Shirlington

By Dan Egitto
Luxurious lounge bar with tan leather seating, a linear fireplace, and a long black bar lined with stools.
Renderings of The Roasted Vine's planned cafe in Shirlington (courtesy of Mackenzie Ryan)

A new cafe with freshly roasted coffee beans, house-made syrups and coffee-infused cocktails is seeking to open within the next few months in Shirlington.

The Roasted Vine, which recently got construction permits approved at 4150 Campbell Avenue, offered the first taste of its cold brews and specialty blends at Celtic Fest earlier this month. Co-owner Mackenzie Ryan told ARLnow that initial responses were overwhelmingly positive.

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News

ACPD: Bottles thrown from balcony shatter windshield of occupied car in Clarendon area

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Glass bottles thrown from a balcony in the Clarendon area shattered the rear windshield of a parked car with someone inside Saturday night.

Arlington County police were called to the 3100 block of 10th Street N. around 10:30 p.m. After arriving on scene, officers determined a man had thrown the bottles from high up on a residential balcony, but no one was hurt.

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Sports

O’Connell roundup: Football team, girls volleyball and others starting strong

By Dave Facinoli
Football player in black and white runs with ball, defender in white behind, referee in background on green field.
O'Connell's Pierce Hall, left, runs for a touchdown during a Sept. 26 game (photo by Dave Facinoli)

With a strong 3-1 start, including two shutouts, the Bishop O’Connell Knights are seeing their best start in a dozen years.

The Arlington private high-school football team won its third-straight game by blanking the visiting and previously undefeated Northern Virginia Home School Centurions, 48-0, Sept. 26 in non-conference action.

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News

Morning Notes for September 30, 2026

By ARLnow.com
Aerial view of Courthouse and the Orange Line corridor (staff photo)

New Details in Fatal I-395 Crash — Police say the unlicensed driver in the crash that killed three teens led a trooper on a roughly two-minute, five-mile pursuit in a car stolen Sept. 26. The driver and a passenger, both 16 and from Silver Spring, Md., died at hospitals, and a 17-year-old died at the scene. A 16-year-old Alexandria girl is in serious but stable condition. [ALXnow]

Federal Cuts Hit Home — In Arlington and Alexandria, 62% of respondents to a Gallup and Greater Washington Community Foundation survey said federal job cuts or furloughs negatively impacted their household — above the regional average of 55% but below D.C.’s 66%. [FFXnow]

Stumbling Stone Dedication — “Arlington Public Library… will host the Stumbling Stone dedication ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m., to honor the lives of former enslaved African Americans Bess (born ca. 1735) and Nann (born ca. 1747), at the intersection of N. Quincy Street and 10th Street North.” [Arlington County]

Decades at the DCA Help Desk — Antoinette Jeffries, 79, has volunteered at an information desk at Reagan National Airport since 1987, once fielding a marriage proposal from a Central African finance minister. “It’s just the excitement of it, and meeting new people all the time,” she said. [Washington Post]

Dad Bands Rock for AWLA — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) brought together more than 400 animal lovers, raising a total of $11,702 for Arlington animals in need, during the 4th Annual Reason to Rock Music Festival…” The festival, held Sept. 19 in Falls Church, was founded in 2023 by four local dad band members. [Press Release]

Diesel Costs Squeeze School Buses — “Months of changes to gas prices are causing some Northern Virginia school districts to spend thousands more on diesel fuel for buses than they had planned.” Fairfax County Public Schools, with nearly 1,600 diesel buses, is paying almost $2 more per gallon on average than last year. [WTOP]

Warner Backs Film Tax Credit — Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and a bipartisan group of senators are sponsoring a bill to create a 20% federal, labor-based tax credit for U.S. film and TV productions spending at least $1 million, with bonus credits that could raise it to 30%. [Press Release]

Fall Festival Picks — “Fall is peak festival season in the DMV.” Picks include the Cox Farms Fall Festival (select dates through Nov. 8), the 50th annual Fairfax City Fall Festival (Oct. 10) and the Wharf Oktoberfest’s Wiener 500 Dachshund Dash (Oct. 3). [Axios]

When Leaves Will Peak — “Peak foliage color is expected in D.C. around Nov. 7. If you’re heading to the Shenandoah — a popular leaf peeping spot — peak is expected Nov. 2.” [Axios]

Mild Fall Predicted — “D.C.’s fall outlook favors mild weather, slightly delayed and uneven foliage, coastal storm threats, and little reason to expect an early freeze or snow.” [Capital Weather]

It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 81 and a light southwest wind. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. [NWS]

There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.

Announcement

Sundays@6:00pm | St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church NEW Evening Worship service

By St. Andrew's Episcopal, Arlington
Poster for Sundays at 6:00 PM at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Lane, Arlington—‘Immerse yourself in the story.’

Sundays@6:00pm is an Evening Worship service that provides space for reflection accompanied by beautiful sings and enchanting piano music. Immerse yourself in the experience with incense, candle lighting, and silent contemplation. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is located at 4000 Lorcom Lane. Wherever you are in your faith, wherever you are in your life, there is a place for you here. Learn more about St. Andrew’s by following its Facebook page, Instagram, and link to its website.

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