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Va. to Enact New Midnight Curfew, Stricter Limits on Gatherings

Published December 10, 2020 at 3:05PM | Updated December 10, 2020 at 8:53PM

(Updated at 8:50 p.m.) Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a new round of coronavirus-related restrictions this afternoon.

The changes, which are to take effect early Monday morning, include tightening the limit on social gatherings from 25 to 10 people, and a “modified stay at home order” between midnight and 5 a.m. daily.

News

Prelude to Demolition for Circa 1907 Dominion Hills Mansion?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 10, 2020 at 9:30AM | Updated December 10, 2020 at 10:21AM

The Febrey-Lothrop estate on Wilson Blvd was razed before achieving historic-district status (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

A permit filed with Arlington County suggests that a potentially historic house in Dominion Hills may not be long for the world.

The Febrey-Lothrop House at 6407 Wilson Blvd, also known as the Rouse estate, has been the subject of sale speculation this year. The 9 acre property on which it sits is considered to be a “generational” land acquisition opportunity for the county and a prime site for a potential residential development, should it sell to a developer.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 10, 2020 at 6:00AM

Modification to Red Top Development — “As currently proposed, the building would have 269 residential units instead of the previously-approved 247. The unit mix will span from studios to two bedrooms, and the ground-floor units will have private entrances, including a lone three-bedroom unit. The development will also include 134 vehicular spaces and 108 bicycle spaces on a below-grade level.” [UrbanTurf]

Spotted: First Snowflakes of the Season — The first snowflakes of the season in Arlington fell yesterday. Though the few flakes that briefly fell did not amount to any degree of accumulation, it was enough to prompt a few social media posts. [Twitter, Twitter]

News

Garvey Still Confident in Dorsey, Despite Fraud Allegation in Bankruptcy Case

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2020 at 11:40AM

Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey says she has confidence in her Board colleague Christian Dorsey, despite his continued legal and financial troubles.

As first reported by the Washington Post, Dorsey’s long-running personal bankruptcy case was dismissed by a federal judge last week after Dorsey overstated his debt obligations in “an act of overt misrepresentation,” according to the bankruptcy trustee.

News

Yet Another New Coronavirus Caseload Record for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2020 at 10:35AM

Arlington’s cumulative coronavirus case count has passed the 7,000 mark, only two weeks after it crossed 6,000.

By contrast, it took more than 70 days over the summer to go from 2,000 to 3,000 cases.

News

I-66, Numerous Roads Around Rosslyn to Close for Hotel Implosion

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2020 at 9:30AM

Holiday Inn set for demolition in Rosslyn (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

I-66, Lee Highway and numerous local roads around Rosslyn will be temporarily blocked Sunday morning for the planned implosion of the former Holiday Inn hotel.

The 18-story hotel tower at 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive is set to come down around 8 a.m. Sunday “as safety, crowd control and weather conditions permit.” The implosion will make way for a new mixed-use development featuring a 25-story residential tower and a 38-story hotel tower.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2020 at 7:30AM

A man crosses Columbia Pike during the evening rush hour (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

County Lauded for LGBTQ Inclusiveness — “Arlington scored 100 points out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s 9th annual Municipal Equality Index for its high standards of inclusiveness and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. While Arlington has been a top-ranked community in the past, this year it was recognized for adding gender identity/expression protections to its Human Rights ordinance and providing all-gender bathrooms in County-owned offices and facilities.” [Arlington County]

Traffic Cam Feeds Back On — After a few weeks of Arlington’s web-based traffic camera feeds being off due to technical issues, the feeds are back on. The traffic cameras can also now be viewed on the My Arlington mobile app. [Twitter]

News

UPDATED: Police Find Missing Senior Near Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2020 at 1:40PM

Update at 1:50 p.m. — The missing man has been found along Army Navy Drive, near 28th Street S., according to police radio traffic. He was located as a result of ACPD’s Project Lifesaver technology.

Earlier: Arlington County police are looking for a missing senior in Crystal City, Pentagon City and other surrounding neighborhoods.

Around Town

Pentagon Row Rebrands as ‘Westpost,’ Adds New Beer-Centric Pizza Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2020 at 1:00PM | Updated December 8, 2020 at 1:18PM

Pentagon Row is no more. Now, it’s “Westpost at National Landing.”

The Pentagon City shopping center has rebranded as Amazon’s new HQ2 rises a few blocks away. The goal, according to a press release, is to create a “fresh vision” for the retail strip, which first opened in 1999.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2020 at 6:00AM

Local Unemployment Rate Improves — “Arlington’s jobless rate continued to improve in October… the county’s unemployment rate of 4.1 percent in October represented a decline from 4.5 percent in September, according to data reported Dec. 3 by the Virginia Employment Commission. Despite the improvement, the county’s jobless picture has significant more room for recovery. A year ago, the jobless rate stood at a rock-bottom 1.7 percent.” [InsideNova]

Custis Trail Roundabout ‘Fully Open’ — “The Custis Trail has reopened under I-66 near Arlington’s Bon Air Park as overhead work on I-66 progresses for VDOT’s Transform 66 Inside the Beltway Eastbound Widening Project. With the underpass re-opened, the new trail roundabout is fully open and the detour is no longer needed… Lighting is planned to be installed in early 2021.” [VDOT]

News

Man in ‘Jabbawockeez’-Style Mask Robs Couple at Gunpoint

By ARLnow.com

Published December 7, 2020 at 1:30PM

File photo

A couple was robbed in Arlington’s Ashton Heights neighborhood over the weekend by a gun-toting man in a distinctive white mask.

The robbery happened around 1 a.m., according to a police report and an account of the robbery by the victim, which was obtained by ARLnow after being posted on Nextdoor.

News

Implosion to Fell Rosslyn Hotel Tower This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Published December 7, 2020 at 11:45AM | Updated December 9, 2020 at 10:54AM

Holiday Inn set for demolition in Rosslyn (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated on 12/9/20) The former Rosslyn Holiday Inn is set to be demolished via a planned implosion this weekend.

The 18-story hotel tower at 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive is set to come down at 8 a.m. Sunday “as safety, crowd control and weather conditions permit,” an advisory obtained by ARLnow says.