Dan Egitto | ARLnow

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

Published June 21, 2024 at 11:30AM | Updated June 21, 2024 at 3:18PM

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.

News

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

By Dan Egitto

Published June 20, 2024 at 3:45PM

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.

News

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

By Dan Egitto

Published June 20, 2024 at 1:30PM

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.

News

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

By Dan Egitto

Published June 20, 2024 at 9:30AM

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.

News

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

By Dan Egitto

Published June 18, 2024 at 1:45PM

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.

News

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

By Dan Egitto

Published June 17, 2024 at 3:30PM

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.

News

Arlington Democratic primary is tomorrow as ranked choice voting returns

By Dan Egitto

Published June 17, 2024 at 11:45AM | Updated June 18, 2024 at 9:01AM

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.

News

Plan to swap proposed Crystal City library for $5.8M could become final this weekend

By Dan Egitto

Published June 13, 2024 at 3:30PM

1901 S. Bell Street, where a library branch was meant to be located (via Google Maps)

A plan to have a developer pay Arlington County $5.8 million instead of building a planned library in Crystal City could get final approval this weekend.

Citing “site, operating, and capital budget constraints,” a county report calls for accepting a proposal “to support library operations elsewhere” by receiving payments from JBG Smith in installments over the next six years.

News

More composting, higher fees for more bins recommended in plan to divert 90% of Arlington’s waste

By Dan Egitto

Published June 12, 2024 at 3:55PM

Arlington recycling bins (Flickr pool photo by Aaron Webb)

A new recycling facility and more food scraps collection could be coming to Arlington as the county revamps its waste-reduction strategy.

A proposed Solid Waste Management Plan seeking to divert 90% of Arlington waste away from landfills and incineration by 2038 is slated to go before the Arlington County Board on Saturday. Replacing the current plan adopted in 2004, the new document would guide initiatives in Arlington for the next two decades.

News

Planned DCA pedestrian bridge teed up for $18M regional investment

By Dan Egitto

Published June 12, 2024 at 9:30AM

A rendering from October 2022 of the proposed CC2DCA bridge near a future Virginia Railway Express station at Crystal City (Arlington County)

Arlington is poised to accept $18 million in funding for a pedestrian bridge connecting Crystal City to Reagan National Airport.

A funding allocation from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is slated for consideration at an Arlington County Board meeting this Saturday. Construction on the project, dubbed the CC2DCA multimodal connection, is expected to begin in Fiscal Year 2028.

Schools

Stricter cellphone policy needed in Arlington schools, parent group argues

By Dan Egitto

Published June 11, 2024 at 3:30PM

People on smartphones (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

An Arlington parents group is pushing for more stringent rules around cellphones in the classroom.

Arlington Parents for Education argued in a letter to Superintendent Francisco Durán that a countywide policy of having students stow phones in lockers during the day would improve learning and mental health during the 2024-2025 school year.

Schools

Washington Wizards and Mystics celebrate new hoops at Barcroft Elementary

By Dan Egitto

Published June 11, 2024 at 1:30PM

The Washington Wizards mascot celebrates new basketball hoops at Barcroft Elementary School (courtesy of Kenny Giarla)

An Arlington elementary school celebrated a major upgrade to its basketball court this week thanks to a local dad and some pro sports teams.

Mascots from the Washington Wizards and Mystics joined a crowd of third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students on Monday to mark the installation of four new basketball hoops at Barcroft Elementary School. The hoops, courtesy of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, replaced deteriorating equipment that dated back to the 1960s.