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Published January 14, 2014 at 12:30PM

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Adam Gallegos of Arlington-based real estate firm Arbour Realty, voted one of Arlington Magazine’s Best Realtors of 2013. Please submit follow-up questions in the comments section or via email.

Question: In Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax a large portion of the residential single-family home market is comprised of older homes that have been renovated. If one is interested in buying one of these homes, is there any way to check whether the work was approved by the local government? If the renovation work is listed in the tax assessment (ex. added bathroom) can it be assumed to be permitted? What are the risks of buying a home without knowing this information? Can the local government come after you once you own the home to obtain the necessary permits or are there grandfather clauses that can protect you?

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Report: Arlington Man Killed By Fellow Rock Climber

By ARLnow.com

Published January 14, 2014 at 11:20AM | Updated January 14, 2014 at 10:41PM

D.C. Crime Stories reports that Bristow, Va. resident David DiPaolo, 31, was arrested in upstate New York and charged with manslaughter in the death of Geoffrey Farrar, of Arlington. The website, run by former Washington Examiner crime reporter Scott McCabe, reports that DiPaolo (pictured, left) admitted to striking Farrar in the head with a claw hammer during an argument and physical struggle at the base of a cliff.

Farrar, a resident of Arlington’s Bellevue Forest neighborhood, was remembered in an online funeral home guestbook as an avid rock climber, sometimes known as “Carderock Jeff.” His obituary initially listed the cause of death as a “rock climbing accident.”

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Police: Man Arrested for Brandishing Gun at Tow Truck Driver

By ARLnow.com

Published January 14, 2014 at 10:00AM | Updated January 14, 2014 at 10:57AM

File photo

The incident happened around 10:45 this past Friday night. According to police, the tow truck driver — who was working for a private company, not Arlington County — was in the process of towing a vehicle from the 2900 block of S. Glebe Road for a parking permit violation when the vehicle’s owner approached him.

“The subject pulled a pistol on him forcing the victim to release the car,” according to the police report. “The subject fled the scene and was located a short time later by police.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 14, 2014 at 9:00AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:48PM

Real Estate ‘Bull Market’ in December — Arlington’s residential real estate market soared in December, reaching a deal volume of $134.4 million, up almost 40 percent over a year prior. The average sales price rose 12.8 percent. [Sun Gazette]

Yorktown Nominated for a GRAMMY — Yorktown High Schools is one of 123 schools nationwide selected as a semifinalist for the 2014 GRAMMY Signature Schools Award. “Created in 1998, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year,” the school system said in a press release. [Arlington Public Schools]

Around Town

Eamonn’s on the Pike to Relaunch as ‘Society Fair’

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2014 at 4:05PM

The restaurant at 2413 Columbia Pike opened as Eamonn’s and TNT Bar in August 2012. While the sit-down fried fish restaurant is popular in Alexandria, it never quite attracted the crowds needed to sustain the business on the Pike, we’re told. Instead of closing, over the next month owner EatGoodFood Group will transition from Eamonn’s to a second location of its “Society Fair” bakery, cafe, market and eatery, which is also popular in Alexandria.

Already, couches have replaced some tables and chairs, to give the space a more “warm and comfortable” vibe. More furniture changes are in the works, and curtains will be installed, at least in part to dampen noise. The hope is to become more of a neighborhood hangout, a formula that has worked for nearby William Jeffrey’s Tavern, the biggest success so far on a block of restaurants that are mostly treading water business-wise, thanks to virtually non-existent lunch business.

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BGR: The Burger Joint Closes in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2014 at 3:30PM

After just under 3 years in business, BGR: The Burger Joint has closed its doors.

The “better burger” eatery opened to large crowds in April 2011, amid something of a burger craze in Arlington. More recently, the restaurant struggled to attract customers willing to pay what usually came out to $10-20 for a burger, fries and a drink.

Around Town

‘Blue Goose’ Panels to Be Donated to Museums

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2014 at 3:15PM

The building, at 1000 N. Glebe Road, is slated to be torn down to make way for two new buildings: one with 165,00 square feet of office and instructional space, and another with 267 residential units and 3,000 square feet of retail space.

The 1960s-era building was named one of the most “Endangered Historic Places” by Preservation Arlington last year. Many local residents, however, say it’s an eyesore.

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UPDATED: Wrong-Way Driver Strikes Pedestrian in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2014 at 1:15PM | Updated December 23, 2021 at 2:19PM

(Updated at 2:20 p.m. on 12/23/21) A pedestrian suffered serious injuries after being struck by a wrong-way driver in Clarendon Sunday night.

The incident happened around 9:00 p.m., in front of the Clarendon Ballroom on Wilson Blvd.

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BREAKING: Fire at Columbia Pike Days Inn

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2014 at 11:40AM | Updated January 13, 2014 at 12:39PM

(Updated at 12:15 p.m.) Firefighters from several jurisdictions responded to a fire at the Days Inn on Columbia Pike this morning.

The fire started in an unoccupied room on the second floor of the motel, according to the Arlington County Fire Department spokeswoman Lt. Sarah Marchegiani. The blaze was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 13, 2014 at 8:30AM | Updated January 13, 2014 at 8:50AM

Yorktown Defeats W-L in Basketball — Yorktown’s boys basketball squad defeated Washington-Lee on Friday by a score of 60-52. During the game Washington-Lee senior Jonah Sens scored his 1,000th career point. [Sun Gazette]

Court Orders Yelp Critics Identified — A Virginia Appeals Court last week ruled in favor of Hadeed Carpet Cleaning in a case against the online reviews site Yelp. Under the ruling, Yelp must reveal the identities of seven negative reviewers that Hadeed believes are not actual customers. Hadeed was represented by Raighne Delaney, an attorney with the Arlington law firm of Bean, Kinney & Korman. [Washington Times]

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