Substantial economic uncertainty has left Arlington officials facing tough questions as they consider beefing up the county’s reserve fund this year.
The current Fiscal Year 2026 budget draft includes a proposed $11.5 million increase to the county’s Economic Stability Reserve — increasing it from $21.5 million to $33 million.
Arlington Rents Still Rising — “Arlington, Virginia, experienced the largest year-over-year increase in asking rents last month, with a 12.1% rise. The average rent in Arlington now stands at $2,591. Bethesda, Maryland, is nearing $3,000 monthly, with a spike similar to Arlington’s.” [WJLA, Zumper]
NTSB: Close Calls, Radio Problems — “At a crucial moment, just 17 seconds before impact, the pilot and other crew members in the Black Hawk may not have received a key instruction from the air traffic controller guiding their flight. The controller told the helicopter pilot to pass behind the American Airlines plane. But, the NTSB said, according to information from the cockpit data recorder, ‘the portion of the transmission that stated ‘pass behind the’ may not have been received.'” [Washington Post, CNN]
Spring Allergy Season Underway — “Sneezing? Watery eyes? A general malaise? It could be the tree pollen. The D.C.-area tree pollen count climbed to 1504.8 grains per cubic meter of air in the latest update. Boosted by the well-above-average temperatures, that value is more than three times higher than yesterday’s count.” [CWG]
It’s Thursday — Patchy fog will clear by 10am, giving way to mostly cloudy conditions and a high around 59. A gentle northeast wind of 6 mph will be present during the day. The night will also remain mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to a low of 43. [NWS]
Local businesses are weighing their options to cope as record-high egg prices are expected to continue rising this year.
Several Arlington restaurants and bakeries have told ARLnow they are considering raising prices as they face increasingly high costs and, at times, shortages of the ubiquitous ingredient.
Just a few hours remain until the first round of public input closes on transportation needs along Langston Blvd.
The Virginia Department of Transportation and Arlington County have teamed up on a study of the major east-west corridor from N. Veitch Street to N. Lynn Street.
Demolition has begun at the Red Lion Hotel as plans to replace it with a 441-unit apartment building move forward.
Crews have been at work at 1501 Arlington Blvd, demolishing brick structures built in the 1950s as Reston-based Orr Partners plans to build an eight-story apartment building on the 2.2-acre site.
A large, publicly traded company has landed in Arlington, noting the convenient location and nearby amenities of its new spot in Ballston.
Argan, Inc. — which pulled in $257 million in revenue in the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2025 — has relocated its headquarters to Two Liberty Center at 4075 Wilson Blvd.
Additional no-turn-on-red traffic restrictions are coming to Falls Church, and even more may be on the way.
Police Chief Shahram Fard told City Council members that the Department of Public Works has approved several of his requests for additional no-turn-on-red restrictions along Broad Street.
NTSB Recommends Helo Re-Route — “The National Transportation Safety Board issued urgent safety recommendations to permanently prohibit helicopter operations on Route 4 between Hains Point and Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are in use at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.” [ALXnow, NBC News]
Home Sales Down, Prices Higher — Arlington home sales totaled 146 in February, according to new figures from Bright MLS, the region’s multiple-listing service. That’s down from 161 a year before. Average sales prices were up in two of three market categories, rising 5.5% to $1,478,212 for single-family homes and 3.2% to $620,551 for attached properties but down 6.9% to $519,375 for condominiums. –Scott McCaffrey
Cherry Blossom Update — “Cherry blossom buds have reached first stage – GREEN BUDS – We think they’re going to advance thru stages FAST this year because of mild weather.” [CWG/X, CWG, NPS/X]
Local Spring Markets — “Head to these (mostly) open-air pop-up shopping venues to forage for deals on all kinds treasures, from live plants and consumable goodies to gently used children’s clothes, books, recycled household goods and handcrafted art pieces by women and minority makers.” [Arlington Magazine]
Free Lyft Rides This Weekend — “Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day SoberRide program will be in operation each evening (4:00 pm to 4:00 am) from Saturday, March 15th through Monday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day) as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk period.” [Press Release]
Lunar Eclipse Tomorrow — “The D.C. region along with all of North and Central America, and much of South America, will experience a total lunar eclipse late Thursday into early Friday.” [CWG]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high temperature around 61 degrees. The north wind will blow at 6-8 mph, eventually shifting to the east in the afternoon. As the night progresses, clouds will increase, and the low temperature will be around 44 degrees. [NWS]
A dispute over obstructed views from multimillion-dollar condos in Rosslyn has left some officials up in arms and homeowners threatening a lawsuit.
County-government staff last month received multiple tongue-lashings from members of the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) over their handling of a 2023 zoning matter at The Waterview condo building in Rosslyn.
A suspect is in custody after a gun was stolen from a Clarendon firearm store, prompting a manhunt.
Police were dispatched to Nova Armory at 2607 Wilson Blvd around 12:20 p.m. for a report of a man who ran off with an unloaded Glock handgun.
A D.C. man is facing several charges after the alleged theft of an electric bike in Crystal City.
Police were dispatched to the neighborhood shortly after 4:30 p.m. this past Thursday after a caller reported seeing a man stealing a locked e-bike and then walking away with it while an alarm sounded.
Even more Arlington office space could become apartments after plans for another adaptive reuse project in Ballston were filed last month.
The owner of 4100 Fairfax Drive, the 13-story tower home to Bronson Bierhall, proposes to convert the structure into an apartment building with 269 housing units. Site plans call for 186 one-bedroom apartments, 66 two-bedroom apartments and 17 studios.
