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

Melwood files site plan for affordable housing project in Aurora Highlands

By Dan Egitto
The proposed Melwood affordable housing development at 750 23rd Street S. (courtesy of Wesley Housing)

Melwood has formally submitted a site plan application for a 105-unit affordable housing project near Crystal City.

New renderings depict a five-story building with an 18,000-square-foot footprint at 750 23rd Street S., Melwood’s facility in Aurora Highlands, which it acquired after its 2017 merger with Linden Resources.

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News

Nearly $1M EPA grant to fund efficiency upgrades in disadvantaged parts of Arlington

By Dan Egitto
Workers installing solar panels (via Arlington DES)

Arlington plans to develop a new tool to encourage energy-efficiency upgrades among disadvantaged communities.

The Arlington County Board last week approved a $980,350 grant award from the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Grant Program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With the money, the county plans to build a tool to model green improvements in building types common to low-income disadvantaged communities (LIDACs).

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News

Shaky AIM finances left former employee with $15K in personal debt, nonprofit says

By Dan Egitto
Arlington Independent Media staff at work in former times (via Arlington Independent Media)

Arlington Independent Media’s floundering finances have left a former employee with significant personal debt.

Linda Lawson, AIM’s former head of production, obtained a credit card to help cover operating funds at the struggling nonprofit in the second half of 2023, AIM Treasurer Amanda MacKaye said in an email to members last week. At the encouragement of AIM’s former executive leadership, according to the email, Lawson racked up a debt of about $15,000.

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Schools

APS students may get a second five-day weekend in November

By Dan Egitto
The proposed school calendar for November 2024 (via Arlington Public Schools)

Arlington students could be getting an additional five-day weekend this November.

Proposed changes to the 2024-25 calendar would give Arlington Public Schools students off between Nov. 1 and Nov. 5, shortly before another five-day weekend for Thanksgiving the last week of November.

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Schools

Elementary school relocation, APS debt debated as School Board approves $570M CIP

By Dan Egitto
The Arlington School Board discusses the 2025-2034 CIP (via Arlington Public Schools)

Impassioned discussion surrounded a split Arlington School Board vote on Thursday to approve a $570 million Capital Improvement Plan for the next decade.

At issue in the 3-2 vote on the 2025-2034 CIP were disagreements over Arlington Public Schools debt service as well as a plan to relocate the Montessori Public School of Arlington (MPSA) to the current Career Center building.

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News

‘Stumbling stones’ approved to mark sites where people were enslaved in Arlington

By Dan Egitto
Markers outside the Ball-Sellers House in memory of people enslaved there (photo via Arlington County)

Some Arlington sidewalks will soon contain “stumbling stones” identifying locations where people were once enslaved.

Forthcoming markers in and around county rights of way, unanimously approved by the Arlington County Board on Saturday, are part of “Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington” — an Arlington Historical Society project seeking to uncover and chronicle the history of Arlington’s enslaved population.

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News

Mister Days and Láylí approved to host live entertainment, despite some resident concerns

By Dan Egitto
Layli in June 2024 (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Live entertainment is coming to two new additions to Clarendon’s bar and restaurant scene, despite some resident concerns about code enforcement in the neighborhood.

The Arlington County Board voted 4-0 on Tuesday to accept use permit applications at Láylí Mediterranean and Mister Days, with several Board members expressing enthusiasm about Láylí’s arrival and Mister Days’ return.

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News

Historic designation sought for former schoolhouse at site of proposed Melwood development

By Dan Egitto
The Nelly Custis School (via Arlington County)

A civic association is pushing to prevent a century-old former schoolhouse from being demolished to make way for an affordable housing project near Crystal City.

The historical significance of the Nelly Custis School, which stands on the Melwood property in Aurora Highlands, is slated for discussion at a Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) meeting tonight.

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News

County Board opts for better view, less transportation funding from new Rosslyn hotel

By Dan Egitto
The Key development in Rosslyn on Feb. 6, 2024 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Public access at a forthcoming Rosslyn hotel is moving up in the world.

Instead of taking place on the eighth floor of the new Hilton hotel at 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive, county-facilitated events will now happen on the building’s 36th floor, following a unanimous Arlington County Board vote on Saturday.

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News

Primary voting for County Board, U.S. Senate sees slow start

By Dan Egitto
Voters leave the David Brown Planetarium polling site in June (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Democratic primary for one open Arlington County Board seat got off to a slow start today.

As of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, only about 3.7% of Arlington registered voters had cast ballots in the Democratic race today. About 5.2% of the county voted early or by mail, according to the county’s election dashboard.

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News

Amazon commits another $1.4B for housing, including in Arlington

By Dan Egitto
Senthil Sankaran, managing principal of Amazon's Housing Equity Fund, speaks at an affordable housing summit (courtesy of Amazon)

Amazon has committed an additional $1.4 billion to expand housing options in areas near its offices, including Arlington.

The funding, announced ahead of an affordable housing summit today (Monday) at HQ2 in Pentagon City, brings total investment in the company’s Housing Equity Fund up to $3.6 billion.

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News

Arlington Democratic primary is tomorrow as ranked choice voting returns

By Dan Egitto
Voting on Election Day 2022 in Arlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Arlington Democratic primary is tomorrow (Tuesday).

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. as five candidates — James DeVita, Julie Farnam, Natalie Roy, Tenley Peterson and JD Spain — compete for the one open seat on the Arlington County Board. Historically, the victor of the Democratic primary tends to be a reliable predictor of the November general election outcome.

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