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.

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Tax relief for Falls Church homeowners remains undetermined in coming year

By Scott McCaffrey
Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi and Vice Mayor Debora Schantz-Hiscott (screenshot via City of Falls Church)

Falls Church homeowners may or may not see a dip in real estate taxes next year as property assessments continue to rise.

At a Dec. 3 planning session of City Council members, there was general consensus around the desire to lower the current tax rate to offset expected higher home-assessment values. But doing so was left as a goal, rather than made a requirement, as city staff begins developing the fiscal year 2027 budget.

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Candidates for Arlington Democrats chair pitch agendas to rank-and-file

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Democrats Chair candidates Paul Ruiz (left) and Tony Weaver (right) (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Candidates seeking to become Arlington’s next Democratic chair made their pitch to the party’s rank-and-file last week.

Tony Weaver and Paul Ruiz are vying to succeed Steve Baker, who has been at the Democratic helm for four years. Voting in early January will decide the race.

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Arlington GOP leader won’t run for state Republican chairmanship

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington County Republican Committee chair Matthew Hurtt (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

The chair of the Arlington County Republican Committee is not planning to seek the soon-to-be vacant chairmanship of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV).

But Matthew Hurtt has strong ideas about the qualities required of the next party leader — including the need to devote 100% of their effort to the position.

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Economic concerns cloud budget planning in Falls Church

By Scott McCaffrey
Paragon Theaters in Falls Church (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Falls Church city and school leaders head into planning for the fiscal year 2027 budget with many unknowns to contend with.

David So, the city government’s new budget director, sketched out a number of budget scenarios at a Monday (Dec. 1) work session between members of the City Council and School Board. Depending on the scenario, his projections leave a budget gap of between $2.7 million and $5.4 million that will have to be addressed before a final budget is adopted next May.

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News

Arlington bus ridership took a hit during government shutdown

By Scott McCaffrey
An Arlington Transit (ART) bus outside the Ballston Metro station (staff photo)

The seven-week government shutdown derailed growth at Arlington Transit (ART), but county leaders anticipate a return to higher numbers.

October is “typically the highest ridership month we have,” said Paul Mounier, a transit planner for the county government, at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Transit Advisory Committee. But figures show a ridership decline of 2.2% year-over-year that month, dropping to just over 243,000 riders.

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County’s apartment rents remain pricey despite seasonal cooling

By Scott McCaffrey
The Meridian at Ballston Commons apartment building (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Arlington’s apartment-rental costs continued a seasonal slide in November, but remained the highest outside California in a national survey.

According to figures reported Dec. 3 by Apartment List, the median rent in Arlington was $2,398 for a one-bedroom unit, $2,898 for two bedrooms and $2,547 overall. That’s down 0.9% month-over-month, compared to a 1% decrease nationally, and is down 0.3% year-over-year.

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D.C. area home prices projected to fall in 2026 as federal uncertainty weighs on market

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

The D.C. metro area stands alone in the Mid-Atlantic as the only region where home prices are expected to fall next year.

A forecast issued Wednesday (Dec. 3) by multiple-listing service Bright MLS predicts the median sales price of homes sold in the D.C. region in 2026 will drop 1% to $616,700, following a projected 3% increase in 2025.

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New stoplight technology seeks to improve bus reliability on Langston Blvd

By Scott McCaffrey
Passengers board an ART bus (file photo by Jay Westcott)

An automated system that adjusts the timing of traffic signals when buses are running late is helping to improve transit reliability along Langston Blvd.

Since late summer, county transportation officials have been using “transit signal priority” along the 5-mile corridor from East Falls Church to Rosslyn. The system extends green lights and shortens red lights when ART buses are behind schedule — resulting in a small but measurable impact.

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Decline in visitors at Arlington hotels raises concerns for local economy

By Scott McCaffrey
Street view of the new Hilton hotel in Rosslyn (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A drop in occupancy rates at Arlington hotels is raising concerns about how long a rebound might take and the ripple effects it will have across the county’s overall economy.

Vacancy rates are “the biggest challenge” among local economic indicators at the moment, said Kate Ange, acting director of Arlington Economic Development.

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Appointing new county attorney, Arlington County Board stays in-house

By Scott McCaffrey
County Attorney Ryan Samuel (via Arlington County)

County Board members didn’t need to look far to find their next county attorney.

Board members voted 4-0, with Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., absent, to appoint Ryan Samuel to the post yesterday (Tuesday). Samuel has served in the county attorney’s office since 2018 and, since the departure in September of his predecessor MinhChau Corr, was acting county attorney.

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Long-delayed Columbia Pike redevelopment project moves toward final approval

By Scott McCaffrey
New redevelopment plans for 2601 Columbia Pike (via Arlington County)

After years of delays, a major redevelopment project on Columbia Pike is returning for County Board consideration later this month — offering a path forward for an abandoned strip mall.

Toll Brothers Inc. is seeking final county authorization to replace the Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center on the 2600 block of Columbia Pike with a 6-story mixed-use property with 271 apartments and about 15,000 square feet of retail space.

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Clarendon code-enforcement efforts earn mixed reviews from neighbors

By Scott McCaffrey
Trash outside Clarendon eatery (courtesy local resident)

Neighborhood leaders have mixed reviews of the county’s stepped-up code-enforcement efforts in the Clarendon area.

On the positive side, the effort “has really made things a whole lot better for the neighborhood,” said Andy Rude, president of the Lyon Village Citizens Association.

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