Arlington homeowners may find themselves facing a double-whammy at tax time again in 2025.
County officials say they are anticipating year-over-year tax-revenue growth of 1.7% to 2.5% for the fiscal year that begins next July, but growth in government expenses would be in the 3%-to-4% range.
Restaurant Coming to Food Court — “Pollo Campero is coming to the food court at [the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall]. They have seven other locations in Virginia, eight in Maryland, and one in DC. ” [Twitter]
Business Burglary Near Courthouse — “1900 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 12:31 p.m. on November 25, police were dispatched to the late report of a breaking and entering. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 1:19 a.m. the male suspect forced entry into the closed business, stole an undisclosed amount of cash from a cash register and subsequently fled the scene.” [ACPD]
Still Looking for Missing Man — “UPDATE 11/26: ACPD continues to seek information on the whereabouts of Mr. Hendrickson. He was last seen on 10/21 driving a 2010 Blue Land Rover LR2 SUV with VA tags GM3849 and wearing a black/white plaid shirt, gray pants, and a baseball cap. Info? Call Police.” [Twitter]
Gov. to Trump Staff: Live Here — From Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin: “To all the new members of [president-elect Donald Trump’s] administration relocating to the area to make America great again, I am personally inviting you to make Virginia your home.” [Twitter, Axios]
Beyer Blasts Trump Tariffs — From Rep. Don Beyer: “No one wins a trade war. If imposed, these tariffs will lead to retaliation by both Canada and Mexico, two of our biggest trade partners, which would throw our deeply integrated economies into chaos and potentially lead us into a recession.” [Press Release]
Airport Parking Tips — “Early Tuesday morning, about 80% of long-term economy parking spots were already filled at Dulles and Reagan, while the long term lots at BWI Marshall were half-full. Travelers can reserve parking online at Reagan National and Dulles, but it has to be done more than 12 hours before arriving at the airport.” [WTOP]
F.C. Seeks Ability to Ban Smoking in Parks — The Falls Church City Council’s 2025 legislative-priorities package, adopted Monday night, again includes a call allowing localities to ban smoking outdoors on public property, especially in parks. Absent permission from Richmond, all local governments can do is request people not smoke in parks, which Falls Church does. –Scott McCaffrey
Turkey Day Rain — “Although there will be some Thanksgiving rain in the area, it should focus early enough not to mess with the day entirely. The heaviest looks to fall in the predawn into the morning. About half an inch seems like a good target locally. And, of course, we still need it.” [Capital Weather Gang]
It’s Wednesday — Expect increasing clouds and a high of 54 with calm winds shifting south at 6 mph in the afternoon. Rain will begin late Wednesday night, accompanied by patchy fog and a low of 45; precipitation chances are at 90%, with up to a quarter-inch expected. On Thanksgiving Day, rain will continue until early afternoon, followed by dissipating fog by 10am. The high will be around 54, with light winds changing to westerly gusts reaching 21 mph. [NWS]
At least three people were injured, including two children, after a car plowed into pedestrians in a crosswalk following a crash.
The crash happened around 3:10 p.m. at the intersection of S. Carlin Springs Road and 3rd Street S., near Kenmore Middle School and Carlin Springs Elementary.
A new traffic signal near Barrett Elementary School is on track to be installed early next year.
A work crew was at the intersection of N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive yesterday afternoon (Monday) as the county replaces the crossing’s rapid flashing beacon with a four-way traffic light.
Common ground remains elusive in the proposal to redevelop the Melwood site near Crystal City.
At a Nov. 18 meeting, representatives for Melwood and Wesley Housing said they had come up with changes to reduce impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. The revisions also pay homage to the current building, which began life in 1923 as Nelly Custis Elementary School.
Man Breaks Into Clarendon Business — “At approximately 2:30 a.m. on November 24, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect allegedly gained entry into a closed business… No items were reported stolen. [The suspect], 27, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with Unlawful Entry and Public Intoxication.” [ACPD]
Investment for Local Startup — “EarthOptics, an Arlington soil monitoring startup fresh off its merger with a lab-analysis firm, has landed a $24 million investment to scale its tech and expand nationally… It brings EarthOptics’ total outside investment to $79.1 million since its founding in 2018, according to Crunchbase.” [WBJ]
Thanksgiving Closures in Arlington — “Arlington County Government offices and services are operating on modified schedules for the Thanksgiving holiday, Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Recycling/Trash/Organics Curbside Routes – No collection on Thanksgiving Day. Thursday routes run on Friday, Nov. 29; Friday routes run on Saturday, Nov. 30.” [Arlington County]
Closures and Events in F.C. — “In observance of Thanksgiving… City services and programs will operate on a modified schedule; A variety of events kick off the holiday season.” [City of Falls Church]
Another Official Leaving City — “Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields announced this week that long-time City Planning Director Jim Snyder will be retiring this coming January… The ‘brain drain’ among three leaders at City Hall who played instrumental roles in the last decade’s extraordinary developments in the City has left some at City Hall concerned, the News-Press has learned.” [FCNP]
It’s Tuesday — Expect rain mainly before 7am, followed by mostly cloudy skies until mid-morning. The skies will then gradually clear, and the temperature will reach a high near 61°F. West winds will blow at 9 to 14 mph, gusting up to 25 mph. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, and any new rainfall will likely be less than a tenth of an inch. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 36°F, accompanied by a northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]
Arlington was one of the most charitable locales in the country this year, by one measure.
According to data from Charity Navigator, Arlington residents donated $222,835 through the nonprofit’s Giving Basket. With $1.07 donated per capita, by Charity Navigator’s calculation, Arlington ranked first among “medium cities” that donated through the nonprofit.
Arlington County crews are on scene of a water main break in the North Highlands neighborhood, west of Rosslyn.
The break was reported early this morning along the 2100 block of N. Courthouse Road. A portion of the roadway buckled as a result of the water pressure.
Plans to add a traffic signal to a crash-prone intersection north of Columbia Pike are taking another step forward.
Proposed improvements to S. Glebe Road and 9th Street S. will be the topic of a county open house on Thursday, Dec. 5.
Busy Night for ACPD in Clarendon — From Dave Statter: “A bunch of fights with arrests. This was 1:45 a.m. EMS was called & at least one taken away by police from a scuffle on the sidewalk in the area of Clarendon Ballroom & Spider Kelly’s… At 3:00 police found a ‘man down’ at Clarendon & Garfield. And at 3:15 police went into the residential neighborhood to track down people involved in a fight at Big Tony’s Pizza. Just your typical night in Clarendon.” [Twitter]
Updated County Data Published — From Adam Theo: “Arlington VA has its Profile 2024 out now w/ some really cool facts and updates going on in our county… Some good numbers for transportation and transit use, but number of people boarding @wmata.com
from Arlington stations is still way down from pre-pandemic & number of single occupancy drivers is still too high for our transit-oriented community.” [Bluesky]
Metro to Enforce Bus Fares — “A major fare enforcement campaign is about to ramp up on Metrobus. WMATA has been getting tough on fare evasion on the rails for some time now, but the transit agency says it’s now turning its attention to its buses. More than 70% of bus riders aren’t paying the fares right now, Metro officials say.” [NBC 4]
Tejada Departs Airports Authority Board — Former County Board member Walter Tejada was among two Virginia representatives of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority whose terms expired Nov. 23. Tejada had been appointed to fill a vacancy on the authority by then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2016 was reappointed to a full six-year term then-Gov. Ralph Northam in 2018. He had served on the County Board from 2003-15. –Scott McCaffrey
Holiday Events Around Town — “The 2024 holiday season has arrived with a flurry of activities, from a Chinese lantern festival and snapshots with Santa to winter pop-up bars and local makers’ markets.) Here’s what’s on tap Nov. 25-Dec. 1.” [Arlington Magazine]
Nearby: NOVA Campus Development? — “Alexandria wants to see new development on a big portion of the Northern Virginia Community College campus in the city. The campus occupies 54 acres between Beauregard Street and the city’s northern border with Fairfax County. But roughly the southeastern half of its property, 22 acres called the lower campus, ‘remains relatively isolated and disconnected from adjoining neighborhoods.'” [WBJ]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 59, with calm winds turning south at around 6 mph later in the afternoon. As for Monday night, there’s a 50% chance of showers after 1am, accompanied by mostly cloudy conditions and a low of around 49. South winds will persist at 5 to 8 mph. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Mark Cummings is a titan in Arlington’s legal establishment. But his impact extends far beyond the courtroom.
For the combination of a stellar career coupled with significant community involvement, Cummings on Tuesday (Nov. 19) was presented with the 2024 William Winston Award.
Arlington County Board members had hoped to get revisions to the county’s towing ordinance in the rear-view mirror this week.
But it was not to be, as the Board voted 5-0 on Tuesday to defer action until mid-December.
