Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

News

Matt de Ferranti becomes new Arlington County Board chair for 2026

By Scott McCaffrey
County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti (screenshot via Arlington County)

Matt de Ferranti is the new chair of Arlington County Board for 2026, while Maureen Coffey is the new vice-chair.

De Ferranti, who was first elected in 2018 and who previously held the chairmanship in 2021, used his remarks last night (Monday) to tout a local government that can be responsive to community needs and fight for local values while being prudent with taxpayer funds.

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News

Plans for 15 townhomes in Falls Church head to Planning Commission

By Scott McCaffrey
Construction of the first phase of the Lee Park townhouse project (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A plan to consolidate and then subdivide three parcels in Falls Church to build 15 townhomes is heading to the Planning Commission.

The commission will be briefed on Madison Homes’ plans for the parcels at 701, 703 and 705 Park Avenue, just north of W. Broad Street, on Wednesday.

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News

Arlington rents see first annual decline since 2020, but remain among nation’s priciest

By Scott McCaffrey
The Hazel and Azure apartment towers at 3030 & 3130 S. Potomac Avenue (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Median apartment rents in Arlington ended 2025 about 1% lower than they started the year, the first annual decrease in five years.

But according to one analysis, rents in the county remain among the priciest in the nation, about 19% higher than the D.C. area as a whole and 86% more expensive than the national median.

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News

Disputed tree removal in Lyon Park earns meeting between neighborhood and county leaders

By Scott McCaffrey
Removal of tree in Lyon Park (photo courtesy Natalie Roy)

Controversy over the removal of an iconic tree in Lyon Park is prompting an in-person conversation between neighborhood civic leaders and county leadership.

An aide for County Board Chair Takis Karantonis acknowledged some community members’ frustration in a Dec. 29 follow-up with Natalie Roy, who leads the Lyon Park Citizens Association. Karantonis “would like to offer a meeting to discuss this matter,” Sandra Calixto-Mendoza said in the letter to Roy.

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News

Higher real estate prices, more sales expected in Arlington’s 2026 housing market

By Scott McCaffrey
Real estate for sale sign (photo illustration by ARLnow)

The Arlington real estate market is expected to see a modest rise in sales and prices in 2026, despite economic challenges that may hamper growth.

In the single-family sector, Arlington’s projected 3.8% rate of price growth is on the higher end for jurisdictions in a new 2026 market forecast, released Dec. 29 by the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) and Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University.

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News

French mayoral candidate wants deeper Sister City ties with Arlington

By Scott McCaffrey
Reims mayoral candidate Éric Quénard (courtesy Quénard campaign)

A mayoral candidate in the city of Reims, France is promoting a stronger Sister City relationship with Arlington in his campaign.

Éric Quénard is the Socialist Party candidate who will lead a center-left coalition in the 2026 mayor’s race in Reims, one of Arlington’s five sister cities. His campaign reached out to ARLnow to uplift his desire for tighter ties between the two locales.

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News

Transit funding fights could raise the profile of Del. McClure in 2026

By Scott McCaffrey
Del. Adele McClure, D-2 (screenshot via Northern Virginia Transportation Authority)

The unexpected departure of a major pro-transit voice in the Virginia General Assembly has created a void that an Arlington legislator appears primed to fill.

Del. Adele McClure (D-2), who sits on the House Committee on Transportation, has provided a key voice in various recent discussions on transit. In the 2026 General Assembly session, she could step into the shoes left behind by former Del. Mark Sickles (D-17), who is leaving his elected post to become Virginia’s next Secretary of Finance.

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News

Arlington Electoral Board seat to shift from red to blue after governor’s election

By Scott McCaffrey
Voting in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A Democrat is taking over for a Republican on the Arlington Electoral Board in the new year.

David Leichtman, a veteran political activist, will succeed electoral board vice chair Richard Samp, a Republican whose term expires Dec. 31.

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News

County Board’s bygone New Year’s tradition remembered for media attention, crowds and extra work

By Scott McCaffrey
Jan. 2, 1965, Northern Virginia Sun with coverage of New Year’s Day meeting (via Library of Virginia)

For nearly 65 years, Arlington County Board members rang in the new year with a Jan. 1 organization meeting.

Often drawing large crowds and extensive media coverage, the event was a chance for county leaders to lay out their priorities for the coming year after first voting in a chair to serve for the 365 — sometimes 366 — days ahead.

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Schools

Number of students allowed at Lyon Park private school left in administrative limbo

By Scott McCaffrey
Tyndale Christian School in Lyon Park (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

An unusual set of administrative circumstances has led to confusion over how many students are allowed at a private school in Lyon Park.

The Arlington County Board earlier this month extended an existing use permit allowing Tyndale Christian School to operate with a maximum of 40 students. It did so even though the school at 716 N. Barton Street currently has an enrollment of 80 students.

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News

Arlington’s robot sidewalk inspectors get mixed reviews

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington robots assessing sidewalk conditions (via Arlington DES/Flickr)

Arlington’s summertime experiment using high tech to evaluate the state of sidewalks delivered mixed results.

The county used Kiwibots — laser-equipped robots — to roll up and down the sidewalks of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor for two weeks in July, assessing conditions.

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Schools

Arlington Public Schools considering new waste, fraud, and abuse hotline

By Scott McCaffrey
School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton (via APS)

The School Board’s policy subcommittee will open 2026 with consideration of new policies to combat waste, fraud and abuse while protecting those on staff who report it.

At its Wednesday, Jan. 7 meeting, subcommittee members will consider two separate but interconnected draft policy documents:

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