The Arlington County Board has approved three major development projects in Rosslyn, Ballston and Shirlington with nearly 1,250 units of housing.
Before heading into summer break on Tuesday, Board members unanimously approved zoning changes to permit the Penzance’s One Rosslyn and Ballston One redevelopment projects along with new apartments and townhouse units on the Shirlington House site.
VSP Arrests Cruiser Crash Suspect — “Arrest in trooper hit & run: A man trying to retrieve his Porsche 911 after it ran into a Virginia State trooper early yesterday on I-395 has been charged with felony hit and run.” [Dave Statter/X]
Arlington Man Arrested in Fairfax — “A 25-year-old man has been arrested after police allege that he forced his way into two Fairfax County hotel rooms earlier this week. Arlington resident Eric Isler was taken into custody yesterday (Tuesday), hours after the second of two incidents, the Fairfax County Police Department says.” [FFXnow]
Police: Man Threatens Boy — “The juvenile male victim was in the stairwell of a residential building when the adult male suspect approached and began yelling at the victim. The victim attempted to leave the scene when the suspect grabbed his hand, displayed a knife and made jabbing movements. The victim’s family entered the stairwell upon hearing the commotion, confronted the suspect and he fled the scene on foot.” [ACPD]
Crash in Crystal City — “Trying to make the left turn from the right thru lane is rarely a good idea, but many people like to do it. This vehicle came off the ramp from the airport road where there is no legal access to make the left turn onto S. 23rd St. from Richmond Highway.” [Dave Statter/X]
Toastique Opening Update — Branded signage has appeared at 244 19th Court S., where the D.C.-born gourmet toast franchise hopes to open next month, a representative tells ARLnow. The expanding eatery is currently working to open 19 new locations nationwide, including one in Reston. The new restaurant will be Arlington’s second Toastique, joining a Clarendon location that opened last year. –Katie Taranto
Waterfront Wine Party This Weekend — Seasonal outdoor restaurant Catboat Pizza Bar plans to host its first-ever natural wine party from noon-4 p.m. this Saturday at Washington Sailing Marina. Tickets come with bottomless pizza and pours from local wine distributors at $75 per person. –Katie Taranto
Hotel Renovation Complete — “AC Hotel Arlington National Landing is officially open, unveiling a multi-million dollar transformation. The reimagined property joins Marriott International’s AC Hotels brand portfolio with distinction, as it’s the largest AC Hotel in North America with 355 European-inspired guest rooms.” [Press Release]
Grant for Local Rescue Group — “Lucky Dog Animal Rescue is pleased to have received $15,000 in funding through a PEDIGREE Foundation Program Development Grant. This generous grant will support a new initiative called Project Paws in Homes, which will provide those who adopt Lucky Dog’s long-stay – or challenging – dogs with the resources they need to make their adoption successful.” [Press Release]
Westover Profiled by Post — “In a rare configuration for Arlington, Westover has original 1940s-era single-family houses alongside duplexes, condominiums and apartments, all clustered around the commercial district along Washington Boulevard.” [Washington Post]
Senators Question FAA Cuts — “The tragic crash of American Airlines flight 5342 highlighted serious gaps in our aviation safety system and demonstrated the need for a robust and experienced analytical workforce at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Unfortunately, over the past six months, your agency has significantly reduced its workforce. We are deeply concerned.” [Press Release]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 90 degrees, accompanied by a south wind of 3 to 8 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 74 degrees. [NWS]
Tough times are ahead for WETA, the Shirlington-based producer of the “PBS News Hour” and other public programming, following millions of dollars in federal funding cuts.
Congress’s decision to withdraw $1.1 billion from public broadcasting nationwide will cost WETA $9 million in previously allocated funds during both of the next two fiscal years — a roughly 7% cut to the station’s budget.
A 60-year-old Arlington woman died following a five-vehicle crash on I-495 earlier this week.
Suzanne “Suzie” K. Colbert was the only person killed in Monday’s crash, which occurred near Braddock Road in Fairfax County, the Virginia State Police said.
Arlington’s public art director has retired after over three decades in the role, leaving behind a range of ongoing projects in the county’s public arts pipeline.
In her role at Arlington Public Art, Angela Adams oversaw the delivery of artistic projects ranging from sculptures and outdoor light fixtures to artistic flourishes found in parks, on bus shelters and bridges under the Public Arts Master Plan.
A newly adopted vision statement affirms Arlington County’s commitment to supporting modes of transportation other than cars, but falls short of some advocates’ ambitions.
County Board members, who adopted the statement and associated goals at a Saturday meeting, defended the new language as aspirational while also being realistic about the current state of transit in Arlington.
Arlington has ranked as the fittest “city” in the country for the eighth year straight, edging out D.C. at No. 2.
According to the new 2025 Fitness Index, Arlington has the highest percentage of residents “in excellent or very good health” (67.2%), the highest percentage sleeping 7+ hours per day (76.4%) and the lowest percentage of smokers (3.3%).
There’s a new wrinkle in the quest for a foundation to support Arlington County’s parks.
As Arlington’s Park and Recreation Commission considers the possibility of creating a nonprofit foundation for Arlington parks, Paul Gilbert, executive director of NOVA Parks, urged members to consider his organization’s experiences.
A new program at the Arlington County jail is attempting to bridge divides between people in custody and the general public.
An event hosted through the Frederick Douglass Project for Justice last week was the first of its kind in Virginia, attempting to give community members a glimpse of “the common humanity of incarcerated people” at the Arlington County Detention Facility.
Another Residential Conversion — “JBG Smith Properties has pitched two new office-to-residential conversions in National Landing, replacing an earlier plan to build new office. The Bethesda developer filed an adaptive reuse site plan application Monday with Arlington County, outlining a proposal to transform the 11- to 12-story office towers at 1800 and 1901 S. Bell St. into multifamily over retail buildings comprising a total of 315 units.” [WBJ]
Big Raise for Defense Firm — “Rune Technologies, an Arlington-based developer of AI predictive software used for military logistics, said on Monday it has raised $24 million in a round of funding, led by Human Capital.” [Potomac Tech Wire, WBJ]
More Tech Tenants for GMU — “Three more tenants have moved into George Mason University’s state-of-the-art Fuse building at Mason Square in the Rosslyn-Ballston Innovation Corridor of Arlington, Virginia. JSI, Corvex, and Oasis Hill strengthen Fuse as a center for collaboration between industry leaders, government, university researchers, and students.” [GMU]
First Pitch for Fudd — “UConn Huskies women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd is having herself an excellent couple of days. Last week, she announced her new podcast Fudd Around And Find Out, co-produced with Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media. And on Monday, the Arlington, Virginia, native threw out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals’ game vs. the Cincinnati Reds.” [Sports Illustrated]
Assault on Officer in P.C. — “An officer inside the Pentagon City Metro Station stopped the male suspect for fare evasion. The suspect began to act disorderly, ignore the officer’s commands and struck the officer. With the assistance of additional officers in the area, the suspect was taken into custody. No injuries were reported.” [ACPD]
VRE’s Vision for 2050 — The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission approved the VRE System Plan 2050, aiming for $1.4 billion in capital improvements, including potential expansions, though challenges remain. The plan is flexible and will adapt to economic and demographic shifts, with funding discussions set to follow. [FFXnow]
Bikeshare Costs Rising — Price increases to some Capital Bikeshare services, including a 26% hike on annual memberships, go into effect next Friday, Aug. 1. Thirty-day passes are increasing from $20 to $25 and low-income members’ free e-bike rides will now cost 10 cents per minute, among other changes. The hikes are intended to “ensure Capital Bikeshare remains an affordable transportation option” as the service experiences record-high ridership. –-Katie Taranto
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 87 degrees, accompanied by a calm wind that will shift to the southeast at 5 to 7 mph in the morning. On Wednesday night, the skies will be mostly clear as the temperature drops to around 69 degrees, with a south wind of 5 to 8 mph. [NWS]
The site plan to redevelop Rosslyn’s former Key Bridge Marriott has expired, raising even more questions for the future of the Langston Blvd property.
Plans for a renovated hotel and two 16-story residential buildings at 1401 Langston Blvd expired on July 1, county spokesperson Rachel LaPiana told ARLnow.
New data showing a continued increase in Virginia’s unemployment claims is providing ammunition to Arlington’s Democratic leaders at both the state and national level.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) pounced on figures that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Friday, which showed that Virginia was the only state to record a statistically significant increase in its jobless rate from May to June.
