A County Board member has pledged that neither elected officials nor staff will try an end-around to raze the existing Melwood site for redevelopment until the historic-preservation process plays itself out.
“We have already implemented measures to ensure that no [demolition or use] permits are issued” before any decision by the County Board takes place, County Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., said at the July 16 meeting of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB).
Virginia State Police are looking for the driver of a Porsche bearing Montana tags, after a crash that injured a trooper.
The crash happened early this morning, shortly after midnight, on southbound I-395 near Pentagon City. Video (below) showing the Porsche crossing multiple lanes and colliding with the VSP cruiser was posted to social media by local public safety watcher Dave Statter.
An Arlington nonprofit is launching a new program that invites underserved local residents to enjoy a three-course meal planned by guest chefs.
Kitchen of Purpose (KOP) is repurposing its former cafe space at 918 S. Lincoln Street to host “Meals with Dignity,” a monthly three-course meal “prepared with love” by chefs from local restaurants and the bilingual culinary school’s students, CEO Brian MacNair told ARLnow.
Arlington officials see the decision to phase out assisted living facilities at Culpepper Garden as part of a larger, nationwide problem with no easy fixes.
At a Saturday meeting, county leaders faced pressure to address the planned changes at the senior housing community, which are scheduled to go into effect next summer and impact more than 70 residents. However, they said that their ability to influence such issues is limited.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is considering various ideas to keep cars from blocking Arlington’s designated bus lanes.
Nearly a decade after the county and Alexandria inaugurated the region’s first dedicated bus-only travel lanes, ticketing motorists who get in the way remains decidedly low-tech.
Arlington officials say they’re aware of deficiencies affecting pedestrians and bicyclists along stretches of N. Glebe Road between I-66 and Langston Blvd.
“The sidewalks belong to a different era — terrible and definitely not adequate,” County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said on Saturday.
Ballston Development Approved — “Penzance, a leading owner, operator and developer in the Mid-Atlantic region for over two decades, has received approval from Arlington County for its proposed redevelopment of Ballston One at 4601 N. Fairfax Drive. The approved plan will convert the existing office building into a vibrant new residential community.” [Press Release, WBJ]
More on Crystal City Conversion — “JBG SMITH… has received approval from Arlington County to transform more than 550,000 square feet of vacant office space across two out-of-service National Landing office buildings into a 195-unit apartment building and a 344-room, dual-branded hotel.” [Press Release]
Food Hall Replacing Brown’s — “The oldest business in Falls Church will be replaced by the hottest new thing in food halls. Wonder, the food hall concept featuring recreated recipes from celebrity chefs and nationally known restaurants, has filed paperwork to open at 100 W. Broad St., replacing Brown’s Hardware, which closed earlier this year.” [WBJ]
Business Sustainability Partnership — “The Arlington County Board voted to approve a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Arlington County and Ceres, formalizing a strategic partnership for the development and implementation of the Arlington Corporate Climate Leaders (ACCL) program to be launched later this year.” [Arlington County]
Crash at Tricky Intersection — “A driver running a red signal appeared to have caused a crash yesterday at the newly revamped intersection of Army Navy Drive & S. Hayes Street in Pentagon City… In the view from my driver’s seat, you can see how that right turn signal lines up with my car. I was in the same lane as the driver in the video.” [Dave Statter/X]
New Certification at MU — “Marymount University has launched its new Workday Pro Platform Administrator Certification, becoming one of only two higher education institutions in the nation to partner with global cloud-based software leader Workday to offer certification programs to the public.” [Press Release]
Economic Diversification Plans — The Northern Virginia Chamber has released a plan to diversify the region’s economy away from federal jobs, attracting investment and creating jobs in key industries like AI and biotech. The initiative aims to address economic challenges from recent federal workforce cuts and will advocate for strategies such as affordable housing and child care. [WBJ]
PSL Date Announced — “The unofficial start of fall has a date: Tuesday, August 26, when Starbucks will bring back the Pumpkin Spice Latte… the latte’s actual launch date is four days later than last year’s, and marks the latest release since 2022.” [Axios]
Smoke Today, Heat Later — “We could have just a bit of haze in the sky… courtesy of wildfire smoke from Canada. But it shouldn’t be enough smoke to greatly impact air quality… Enjoy this less hot and humid weather while it lasts. Sweltering heat is in the forecast for Friday and Saturday.” [CWG]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high of around 85 with a gentle northeast wind at 6 mph. Tonight the sky will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 68. [NWS]
The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking aim at the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office following a recent immigration arrest in Courthouse.
David Cabrera, an undocumented immigrant who pleaded guilty to the attempted rape of Arlington teenager in 2014, was detained by ICE agents outside the Arlington County magistrate’s office earlier this month.
A gun-toting cyclist and a trio of package thieves are being sought by Arlington County police after a pair of weekend incidents.
The first happened just before 3 a.m. this past Saturday, in the Lyon Village neighborhood near Clarendon.
New conversion projects on three aging, mostly empty office buildings in Arlington have caused the county’s office vacancy rate to drop by more than a full percentage point.
County leaders hope that these adaptive reuse projects, combined with newly approved standards for signage on commercial buildings, contribute to making Arlington a more enticing place for developers and corporate tenants alike.
An Arlington County commission is throwing its weight behind a proposal to have the state government take over operation of Virginia’s national parks during federal shutdowns.
The Park and Recreation Commission agreed last week to include that recommendation as part of its 2026 package of state legislative priorities. The advisory body’s list will be forwarded to County Board members for final consideration.
Members of the Falls Church250 Committee are getting down to the nuts and bolts of preparing for the nation’s 2026 birthday bash.
At a meeting last week, committee members wordsmithed their way to reach a final version of the body’s mission statement.
