Dan Egitto | ARLnow

County considers buying $1.1M property to expand Douglas Park

Published July 17, 2024 at 1:30PM

Douglas Park (via Google Maps)

Arlington County is eyeing a $1.1 million real estate purchase to expand Douglas Park.

Buying and deconstructing a home for sale at 4030 16th Street S. — listed in the Public Spaces Master Plan as a priority expansion site for Douglas Park — would add a S. Randolph Street entrance to the five-acre recreation area south of Columbia Pike. The property has a total footprint of 13,346 square feet, or about 0.31 acres, according to a county report.

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Proposed transfer of Reeves Farmhouse heads to County Board for consideration

By Dan Egitto

Published July 16, 2024 at 3:30PM

The Reeves Farmhouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

After years of planning, the Reeves Farmhouse is poised to transfer out of county hands to become a home for adults with developmental disabilities.

The future of the historic property is scheduled for consideration at an Arlington County Board meeting on Monday. If approved, agreements would convey the property to Habitat for Humanity DC-NOVA and allocate up to $2.5 million to support renovation efforts.

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County to seek $85M from state for upgrades to busy Arlington roads

By Dan Egitto

Published July 16, 2024 at 1:45PM

Crash on ramp from Arlington Blvd (Route 50) to Washington Blvd in August 2016 (staff photo)

County staff are seeking up to $85 million in state funding for improvements to busy Arlington roads.

A request to seek grants for three projects on Arlington Blvd, Glebe Road and an I-395 interchange is scheduled to go before the Arlington County Board on Monday.

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Proposal to close access to ‘View of D.C.’ deck needs more public benefits, civic association says

By Dan Egitto

Published July 16, 2024 at 10:30AM

The 'View of D.C.' observation area (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

As Arlington leaders consider ending public access to a Rosslyn observation deck in exchange for $14 million, a civic association is seeking an additional benefit.

A proposal to eliminate public access to the “View of D.C.” is scheduled to go before the Arlington County Board on Monday. Funding from the proposed deal with CoStar Group, which announced earlier this year that it is relocating to 1201 Wilson Blvd, would fund a major overhaul of Rosslyn’s Gateway Park several years earlier than previously expected, county staff have said.

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Arlington sewer systems can handle Missing Middle growth, county expert testifies

By Dan Egitto

Published July 15, 2024 at 2:30PM

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

A county expert asserted that Arlington’s sewage systems are well equipped for expected growth as the Missing Middle civil trial neared its conclusion today (Monday).

Jon Lawler, chief support engineer at Arlington County Water Sewer Streets, pushed back against previous testimony from a plaintiff’s witness, who argued that an influx of additional housing units could cause backups in individual sewer systems.

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Arlington independent candidate announces bid for Beyer’s congressional seat

By Dan Egitto

Published July 15, 2024 at 10:30AM

Independent candidate David Kennedy (via David Kennedy for Congress)

An Arlington resident has announced a campaign for U.S. Congress as an independent.

David Kennedy last week announced that he will be challenging Rep. Don Beyer (D) in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District this November. Also vying for that seat are Republican candidate Jerry Torres and independent candidates Bentley Hensel and Stephen Leon.

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Construction of second entrance to Crystal City Metro station gets underway

By Dan Egitto

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.