Dan Egitto | ARLnow

Construction of second entrance to Crystal City Metro station gets underway

Published July 12, 2024 at 3:00PM

Officials break ground on a forthcoming new entrance to the Crystal City Metro station (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Construction on the long-awaited east entrance to the Crystal City Metro station is getting underway.

Numerous local officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony today (Friday) for the $146.1 million project at the northwest corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Street S.

News

Arguments over how Arlington approved Missing Middle take center stage in trial

By Dan Egitto

Published July 11, 2024 at 3:35PM | Updated July 12, 2024 at 5:16PM

Arlington County courthouse on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Arguments about the way Arlington approved Missing Middle have taken center stage this week in the civil trial over last year’s hotly contested zoning amendments.

Testimony on behalf of the plaintiffs concluded yesterday (Wednesday) as attorneys continue to argue that Missing Middle zoning changes should be invalidated because they say the county improperly advertised the changes and failed to adequately study them, among other allegations.

News

Racial equity arguments raised in NAACP filing on Missing Middle lawsuit

By Dan Egitto

Published July 9, 2024 at 3:45PM

Attendees at the Arlington County Board meeting Wednesday, March 22 on Missing Middle Housing (staff photo)

As the much-anticipated Missing Middle trial began this week, the Arlington NAACP is arguing that the case has wide-ranging implications for racial equity.

In a 55-page amicus brie f filed in advance of opening statements on Monday, the local NAACP chapter argued that single-family zoning has racist origins and that undoing Missing Middle would be a step backward for racial progress.

News

New renderings show apartment building proposed to replace Clarendon office building

By Dan Egitto

Published July 9, 2024 at 2:00PM | Updated July 9, 2024 at 3:04PM

Renderings of the planned redevelopment at 3033 Wilson Blvd (via Arlington County)

An eight-story apartment building could be replacing an aging Clarendon office building, where a new restaurant just opened.

A development application for 3033 Wilson Blvd, filed last week by Carr Properties, calls for 312 units of housing ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments. The building across from the Clarendon Metro station would have a parking garage with 344 spaces, plus almost 7,000 square feet of retail space.

News

Greater density, more public space proposed in Pentagon City redevelopment plan

By Dan Egitto

Published July 8, 2024 at 2:00PM | Updated July 8, 2024 at 9:49PM

Proposed building massing at Pentagon Centre (via Arlington County)

Greater housing density and more public open space are included in a new development proposal for a Pentagon City shopping area.

Proposed changes to the Pentagon Centre Development Site Plan (PDSP), slated for consideration at a Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, call for an additional 1,195 residential units and 333,300 more square feet of office space. A new “pocket park,” expanded recreation areas and an interim public space are also included in possible revisions to the redevelopment plan last modified in 2015.

News

New Gateway Park redesign options envision greener, more dynamic Rosslyn park

By Dan Egitto

Published July 1, 2024 at 9:30AM

A rendering from the "Potomac Stitch" option (via Arlington County)

County staff are seeking feedback on competing visions for a more verdant and multi-functional Gateway Park in Rosslyn.

Following an initial round of community feedback on the recreation area at 1300 Langston Blvd, which the county hopes to overhaul several years earlier than expected, a new presentation outlines three possible paths forward. All of them involve keeping popular features including Gateway Park’s lawns and dog park, while adding more greenery and new areas geared toward a variety of activities.

News

A Lyon Village home comes with a new restriction: no Missing Middle

By Dan Egitto

Published June 28, 2024 at 9:30AM

Stock photo of house keys (via Maria Ziegler/Unsplash)

A $1.2 million Lyon Village home has gone up for sale with a planned condition — it can’t be redeveloped as a multi-family residence.

“Prior to settlement, the seller will put in a covenant to restrict the property to a single family residence,” reads the Redfin posting for the four bedroom, two bathroom home built in 1954.

News

Pentagon City Sector Plan, overturned by state court, is returning for County Board vote

By Dan Egitto

Published June 27, 2024 at 3:30PM

The existing RiverHouse apartments at 1111 Army Navy Drive (staff photo)

The Pentagon City Sector Plan, which the Virginia Court of Appeals voided last month due to insufficient public notice, is heading back to the Arlington County Board for another vote.

However, county staff have indicated that they do not intend to make any substantive changes to the plan, suggesting that the construction of several controversial apartment towers at the RiverHouse property is still likely to proceed.

News

Clarendon UPS Store closes, citing redevelopment plans for office building

By Dan Egitto

Published June 27, 2024 at 1:15PM

The closed UPS store on 3033 Wilson Blvd (courtesy of Paul Showalter)

The UPS Store in Clarendon has closed its doors ahead of proposed changes to the building.

A series of tipsters have contacted ARLnow in recent days about the store’s closure at 3033 Wilson Blvd, next to the just-opened Láylí Mediterranean restaurant.

News

Missing Middle advocates see Democratic primary outcome as a win

By Dan Egitto

Published June 26, 2024 at 3:30PM

Poll workers check-in voters at the David Brown Planetarium polling site for June 2024 Democratic primaries (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Missing Middle advocates are celebrating a win after the Democratic nomination of JD Spain Sr. for Arlington County Board.

Spain was one of two Democratic contenders supporting the Expanded Housing Option in a race partly defined by debate over housing policy. He and the other candidate defending Missing Middle, Tenley Peterson, together captured 56% of first-choice votes in the primary last week.

News

County staff recommend sharpshooting to cull deer, despite some criticism

By Dan Egitto

Published June 26, 2024 at 10:30AM

Deer grazing in the forest (via Arlington County Dept. of Parks and Recreation/YouTube)

Arlington County staff are recommending hiring professional sharpshooters to reduce local deer populations.

The Dept. of Parks and Recreation’s draft recommendations on how to prevent white-tailed deer herds from causing further harm to Arlington ecosystems, released last week, follow a new consultant report on potential deer management methods.

News

Third-party candidate announces bid for Arlington County Board

By Dan Egitto

Published June 26, 2024 at 9:30AM

Forward Party candidate Madison Granger (via Madison Granger for County Board)

A new third-party candidate has announced a bid for Arlington County Board.

Madison Granger, a fitness professional and entrepreneur, is running with the endorsement of the Forward Party. She joins Democratic nominee JD Spain Sr., Republican candidate Juan Carlos Fierro and independent candidate Audrey Clement in the race for a single County Board seat in the Nov. 5 general election.