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

Airport-to-Crystal-City connector’s grade won’t fatigue bicyclists, pedestrians

By Scott McCaffrey
Newly approved CC2DCA route in yellow (Arlington County)

One won’t need to be a triathlete to take the future pedestrian/bicycle link between Crystal City and Reagan National Airport.

“It’s going to have a fairly consistent slope as you work your way,” said Kyle Kling, project manager for the county government’s “CC2DCA” trail initiative.

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News

Parks commission mulls response to GW Parkway tree-felling

By Scott McCaffrey
Construction and lane closures along the GW Parkway (via National Park Service)

An Arlington government advisory body seems generally supportive of advocacy efforts to preserve mature trees along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

But, cognizant of what happened to another advisory panel when it took too aggressive an advocacy stance, members of the Arlington Park and Recreation Commission on Dec. 10 opted to take more time before deciding how to proceed.

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News

Melwood redevelopment plan still facing neighborhood opposition

By Scott McCaffrey
A rendering of proposed development at the Melwood site as of December 2024 (via Arlington County)

Despite ongoing concerns from residents in the surrounding neighborhood, the Melwood redevelopment project near Crystal City appears on track to be green-lighted early in the new year.

“This project is going to be approved. It is going to be approved 5-0 by the County Board in February,” predicted Nicholas Giacobbe, one of several neighbors who voiced concerns about the proposal at a Dec. 19 meeting of the county government’s site-plan review committee evaluating the plan.

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Schools

APS leaders planning streamlined FY26 school-budget process

By Scott McCaffrey
School Board member Mary Kadera (via Arlington Public Schools)

County school leaders, both elected and staff, will be presenting a united front as the fiscal 2026 budget season fast approaches.

In a change from typical practice, the Arlington School Board and superintendent will present a joint budget in mid-March, Board members decided Dec. 12.

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News

Neighborhoods initiative, public-health head lauded by county leaders

By Scott McCaffrey
Penrose Square groundbreaking 2012 (Arlington County)

County Board members on Tuesday (Dec. 17) celebrated the 60th anniversary of Arlington’s neighborhood-conservation efforts, and lauded the work of the community’s public-health director.

60 Years of Neighborhood Conservation Celebrated: County leaders on Dec. 17 marked the 60th anniversary of the Arlington Neighborhoods Program.

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Schools

Falls Church School Board updates list of capital projects in pipeline

By Scott McCaffrey
Meridian High School Stadium facilities (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Falls Church school leaders are planning to add a modest number of items to the system’s updated 2026-31 capital-improvement program.

And nearly already have funding sources available, School Board members were told on Dec. 10.

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News

Kenmore sports field plan review involves traffic, parking concerns

By Scott McCaffrey
Kenmore Middle School field project (Arlington County)

Plans for a four-sports-field complex on the campus of Kenmore Middle School have started working their way through the county government’s advisory process.

One of the key challenges still to be worked through as the process moves forward: How to manage parking issues around the new facility.

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News

Tax hikes, program cuts authorized as county works to fill budget gap

By Scott McCaffrey
County Manager Mark Schwartz (file photo)

County Manager Mark Schwartz has been directed to consider both program cuts and tax increases as he works to fill a fiscal 2026 budget gap currently estimated at $30 million to $40 million.

County Board members on Tuesday night (Dec. 17) voted unanimously to approve budget guidance providing Schwartz the ability to propose tax increases he deems necessary. That could include another increase to the real-estate tax rate.

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News

Forecast: Arlington home sales to dip, prices will keep rising in 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Northern Virginia Association of Realtors 2025 preview (via NVAR)

The median sales price of Arlington single-family homes in 2025 could peak at around $1.4 million in early summer before retreating slightly, according to a new forecast.

The prediction, which also anticipates a year-over-year decline in county home sales next year, comes from the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR) and the George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis.

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News

New leadership, robust advocacy planned by Arlington NAACP in 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Michael Hemminger (via Facebook)

As the Arlington NAACP approaches its first leadership change in two years, the organization aims to build on its advocacy efforts.

On issues ranging from housing and education to voting rights and criminal-justice reform, “our branch has been leading the way,” outgoing president Michael Hemminger said at the body’s last meeting of the year, held Monday (Dec. 16).

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News

Garvey gets accolades, and some criticism, as lengthy tenure nears its end

By Scott McCaffrey
Matt de Ferranti, Libby Garvey, Takis Karantonis on Dec. 14, 2024 (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey

Distilling the essence of Libby Garvey’s 28 years in Arlington public life would have required far longer than the 75 minutes allotted at the Tuesday (Dec. 17) County Board meeting.

But a number of local civic and political leaders gave it their best shot.

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News

County Board rejects higher fee, ‘second signature’ for towing

By Scott McCaffrey
A 'towing enforced' sign (file photo)

County Board members on Saturday (Dec. 14) rebuffed a staff-proposed increase in trespass-towing fees across Arlington, opting to keep the base rate at $135 for passenger vehicles.

At the same time, Board members followed a staff recommendation in rejecting — for now — a “second-signature” requirement before any tows can occur.

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