Dan Egitto | ARLnow

Report: D.C. area leads the nation for AI-related jobs and Arlington plays a supporting role

Published February 29, 2024 at 1:30PM

AI-related jobs in the D.C. area vs. Bay Area (courtesy of JLL)

The D.C. area has surpassed the Bay Area in AI-related job postings, according to a recent report.

These new jobs are a clear sign of how the emerging technology is already impacting Arlington and its neighbors, per a Tuesday report by the real estate company JLL.

Around Town

Photos: County announces winners of DESIGNArlington contest

By Dan Egitto

Published February 29, 2024 at 11:30AM

Lubber Run Community Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

This week, Arlington County recognized a handful of public facilities projects and privately developed apartment and office buildings for their sleek designs.

Top projects in honored in the biannual DESIGNArlington competition received “The Excellence Award.” Others were recognized with “Merit Awards” and “Honorable Mentions” for promoting county goals “in affordable housing, biophilic design, public art, historic preservation, or education.”

News

County Board floats 2.5 cent tax hike, exceeding staff’s proposal amid APS budget concerns

By Dan Egitto

Published February 28, 2024 at 11:30AM

Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey in 2024 (via Arlington County/YouTube)

The Arlington County Board is considering a potential property tax hike that could be even higher than what County Manager Mark Schwartz proposed.

Board members yesterday (Tuesday) voted 5-0 to advertise hearings on a maximum property tax rate of $1.038 per $100 of assessed value, a 2.5 cent increase from 2023. That is 1 cent higher than the increase of 1.5 cents that Schwartz proposed in his $1.62 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025.

News

Construction of new Walter Reed pickleball courts slated to begin later this year

By Dan Egitto

Published February 27, 2024 at 1:30PM

The planned layout of new pickleball courts at Walter Reed Community Center, as of February 2024 (photo via Arlington County)

Construction on the planned pickleball courts for the Walter Reed Community Center is expected to begin by the end of this year.

The Arlington County Dept. of Parks and Recreation announced the next steps for the hotly contested project and unveiled 90% complete designs last week. The project is set to go out for bid this spring and a contract is expected to go to the Arlington County Board for approval in the summer.

News

County considers dropping 1960s-era parking minimums for gyms and shopping centers to help fill vacant storefronts

By Dan Egitto

Published February 26, 2024 at 3:30PM

Gold's Gym in Ballston (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Looser parking requirements could encourage more gyms and shops to fill Arlington’s commercial real estate vacancies, the county believes.

The Arlington County Board on Saturday unanimously voted to have staff research possible changes to the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance and advertise requests to amend it. In addition to slashing parking minimums for gyms, the county is considering whether to allow parking lots to designate more spaces for compact cars.

News

County mulls allowing gun buyback programs that give out cash or gift cards for unwanted guns

By Dan Egitto

Published February 26, 2024 at 10:30AM | Updated February 26, 2024 at 10:57AM

Arlington police officers (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Arlington County Board is considering whether to authorize county-run firearm buyback events.

Buybacks would provide residents with cash, gift cards, vouchers or other payment in exchange for guns, according to a proposed ordinance. The voluntary events would be open to residents of Arlington and Falls Church.

Around Town

For Five Coffee Roasters’ new Rosslyn café is now open

By Dan Egitto

Published February 26, 2024 at 9:30AM

For Five Coffee Roasters' first day in Rosslyn (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

For Five Coffee Roasters’ Rosslyn location was already bustling with activity just hours after opening its doors for the first time on Friday.

“I’m so excited!” customer Laura Durie exclaimed to a companion as she looked at the coffee shop’s menu. “Look, they have an omelet!”

News

Arlington’s existing sewage infrastructure can support at least 20 years of growth, county says

By Dan Egitto

Published February 23, 2024 at 10:45AM

An Arlington Water, Sewer and Streets crew (via Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services)

The Arlington County Board could approve a new sewer plan for the first time in 22 years tomorrow (Saturday).

The proposed Sanitary Sewer Collection System Plan is designed to prepare the county for continued growth through 2045. Despite the surge in development planned for the county over the next two decades, the plan does not call for expanding Arlington’s current sewer infrastructure.

News

County vies to recover solar panel program participation after slump in 2023

By Dan Egitto

Published February 22, 2024 at 3:30PM

Workers installing solar panels (via Arlington DES)

A proposed county contract aims to incentivize Arlington residents to resume buying as many solar panels as they once did.

The Arlington County Board on Saturday is set to consider whether to approve an agreement with Solar United Neighbors (SUN), which runs the Capital Area Solar Switch program, a co-op that provides financial incentives to people who buy solar panels from local vendors.

Schools

New committee to study how technology impacts academic performance among APS students

By Dan Egitto

Published February 21, 2024 at 3:30PM

Chris Woolfe, chair of the Educational Technology Advisory Committee (via APS)

A newly formed committee says it aims to learn more about how Arlington Public Schools students use their school-provided devices both in and out of the classroom.

The Educational Technology Advisory Committee, which formed last year, consists of parents, technology specialists and APS personnel. One of their top priorities is determining the educational impacts of the iPads and MacBooks that APS provides all students.

News

Sewer repair project under Spout Run Pkwy and I-66 on track to finish this spring

By Dan Egitto

Published February 20, 2024 at 3:30PM | Updated February 20, 2024 at 4:46PM

A map of the Spout Run Deep Sanitary Sewer Relining project (via Arlington County)

A sewer repair project running underneath homes, parkland and highway lanes between the Spout Run Pkwy and Rosslyn is set to wrap up this spring.

Contractor AM-Liner East is scheduled to finish relining 3,400 linear feet of aging wastewater pipe, some of which is 115 feet below ground, by March 1.

News

Feedback requested on a Crystal City apartment building proposal pitched as development on a ‘human scale’

By Dan Egitto

Published February 15, 2024 at 1:45PM

Renderings of JBG Smith's proposed "Block W" redevelopment in Crystal City (courtesy JBG Smith)

Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day to submit feedback on a proposed 370-unit apartment building in Crystal City.

The design is less than half the height recommended in the Crystal City Sector Plan, but developer JBG Smith argues that it would function on a more “human scale.”