Author: Dan Egitto

Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.

News

Declining interest in office buildings drives push for fresh approaches in Arlington

By Dan Egitto and Scott McCaffrey
The Gartner building at Central Place in Rosslyn (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)

As interest in building and renting many varieties of office space declines in Arlington, more focus is falling on creative solutions.

Only a single new office building is currently under construction in all of Northern Virginia — although demand for offices with at least 50,000 square feet of space remains relatively strong, according to a new office market report from CBRE Research.

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News

Appeals court flip-flops on Missing Middle, striking down ordinance once again

By Dan Egitto
People gathered outside the Arlington County courthouse after a Missing Middle ruling in September 2024 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

The Virginia Court of Appeals has withdrawn a recent decision reinstating Arlington’s “Missing Middle” ordinance, once again striking it from the books as judges reconsider arguments.

In a ruling that adds yet another layer of complexity to the legal fight over the controversial zoning change, the appeals court agreed on Tuesday to reassess a judgment that the court handed down just last month.

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News

New 355-unit apartment building begins leasing in Crystal City

By Dan Egitto
Valen apartment building at 2050 S. Bell Street (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

A new 355-unit apartment building has begun leasing in Crystal City, completing a pair of neighboring developments at the site of a former office building.

Valen, a 25-story tower at 2050 S. Bell Street, offers one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with floor-to-ceiling windows and a rooftop pool. Its neighbor at 2051 S. Bell Street, The Zoe, began leasing last fall.

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News

WERA’s lo-fi beats are back on air, but AIM shows few other signs of life

By Dan Egitto
WERA control room in 2015 (Courtesy of Paul LeValley/AIM)

Arlington Independent Media’s flagship FM station is back on the airwaves — but beyond that, the troubled nonprofit has effectively gone radio silent.

Arlington listeners tuning into 96.7 FM can once again catch lo-fi beats on AIM’s public radio station, WERA. Every now and then, they’ll hear a message inviting them to listen online at WERA.fm.

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News

Construction on Long Bridge rail project begins later this month over the Potomac

By Dan Egitto
A rendering of the Long Bridge North project (courtesy of Skanska)

Construction on a new four-track bridge, meant to expand rail traffic between Arlington and D.C., is expected to get underway later this month.

The $1 billion undertaking by the development firm Skanska and infrastructure company FlatironDragados is on track to begin in the coming weeks, Skanska announced in a press release yesterday (Monday).

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News

New 249-unit affordable housing building proposed near Langston Blvd

By Dan Egitto
The previous plan for a new affordable housing building at 2031 N. Woodrow Street (via Arlington County)

True Ground Housing Partners has filed plans to redevelop an affordable housing complex in Waverly Hills with even more affordable housing.

The nonprofit developer, formerly the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, filed site plans last week for a 10-story building with 249 committed-affordable units at the current Leckey Gardens site at 2031 N. Woodrow Street.

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News

W-L instructional assistant arrested, accused of inappropriate contact with student

By Dan Egitto
Police on scene at Washington-Liberty High School in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

An Arlington Public Schools employee has been arrested for alleged inappropriate contact with a female student.

Rene Alfredo Escobar Jr., a 31-year-old instructional assistant assigned to Washington-Liberty High School, faces charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and committing a second stalking offense within five years.

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News

New bike lane dividers installed on Clarendon Blvd and Wilson Blvd

By Dan Egitto
New bike lane dividers installed on Wilson Blvd near N. Manchester Street (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

New dividers meant to slow drivers down and reduce collisions with cyclists have been installed at four locations on Wilson Blvd and Clarendon Blvd.

The prefabricated wheel stops, which went up over the last few days, address “potentially high-risk conflict points” where drivers might collide with bicyclists traveling downhill in the bike lane.

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Around Town

‘Miss Arlington’ is crowned Miss Virginia 2025, will compete for Miss America title

By Dan Egitto
Madison Whitbeck, the newly crowned Miss Virginia (photo by Kimberly Needles, courtesy of Miss Virginia Opportunity Inc.)

This year’s “Miss Arlington” took home the title of Miss Virginia 2025 at a ceremony on Saturday.

Madison Whitbeck received the crown and scholarships totaling $22,500. The 20-year-old sophomore at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. plans to use her title to champion arts education and travel around Virginia as a performer and motivational speaker.

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News

New Missing Middle ruling creates big obstacles for lawsuit, but it’s far from over

By Dan Egitto
A Missing Middle-style duplex on N. Troy Street in May 2025 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Last week’s ruling that put Missing Middle zoning changes back on the books in Arlington presents a major setback for plaintiffs, experts say.

The determination in the Virginia Court of Appeals, which found last year’s circuit court ruling invalid for procedural reasons, could substantially set back the timeline for the case and require even more resources to support a privately funded lawsuit.

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News

To leverage AI shake-ups, Arlington emphasizes talent and location

By Dan Egitto
Office buildings in Crystal City (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington County staff hope to leverage strengths in the county’s location and workforce as advances in AI bring shake-ups to the nature of work.

Despite recent forecasts that AI will lead to corporate layoffs at Amazon in coming years, Ryan Touhill, director of Arlington Economic Development, told ARLnow that he believes the county has the potential to come out on top amid rapid technological changes.

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News

ICE arrests driver who killed California tourist near Arlington

By Dan Egitto
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

Immigration officers say they have arrested an undocumented man previously convicted of killing a pedestrian with his car just south of Arlington.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced yesterday (Wednesday) that it had detained Alvaro Alejandro Pacheco Ramos, described by ICE as “an illegally present Salvadoran alien.”

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