Redevelopment projects in Falls Church continue to roll along without any major setbacks or warning signs.
“Development interest in the city remains steady,” Paul Stoddard, Falls Church’s director of planning, told ARLnow. He said city officials were dealing with “the usual volume of calls exploring ideas for possible future applications.”
An unusually determined suspect is accused of stealing about $3,000 worth of wine from a Falls Church store, after several hours of preparation.
The overnight intruder is believed to have smashed a window at Dominion Wine and Beer in Falls Church last week before cutting a hole in a wine cabinet and climbing through it to access the store, owner Arash Tafakor told ARLnow.
The increasing cost of vehicles was a key driver in Arlington’s tax-delinquency rate showing a rare year-over-year uptick in new data.
“Many people do not contemplate the annual tax consequences” of vehicle ownership, county Treasurer Carla de la Pava said in a Tuesday briefing to the Arlington County Board.
After years of working to expand access to food aid, Arlington County’s food assistance infrastructure is being stretched to its limits as rising living costs drive up demand.
Food insecurity is nothing new to Arlington, and neither are private and public initiatives to combat it. In recent years, the county has hired a food insecurity coordinator and ramped up efforts to connect residents with existing resources.
No Timeline for HQ2 Phase 2 — “Last year, Amazon.com Inc. said it would break ground on PenPlace, the Helix-anchored second phase of HQ2 in Crystal City, in 2024. That’s clearly not going to happen, and the tea leaves don’t suggest any movement on the near horizon… with the year almost out, the official word now is that the tech and e-commerce giant is in no rush.” [WBJ]
County Extends RCV Feedback — “The Arlington County Board has extended its Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) community feedback period to November 30th. ‘It has been a long and tiring election season,’ said Board Chair Libby Garvey. ‘We’d like to provide just a bit more breathing room to make sure that voters who want to weigh in, but may have been focused elsewhere, have the chance to do so.'” [Arlington County]
‘Perfect Day in Arlington, Virginia’ — “Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, has lived in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood for 30 years — ‘which is kind of crazy!’ she says. Though her work often sends her to Capitol Hill, her days off are usually spent away from politics. Here’s how she likes to fill the hours.” [Southbound]
‘Must-Try’ Thanksgiving Sandwich — “Earl’s Sandwiches’ turkey cranberry sandwich arrived warm and had the thickest, chunkiest turkey. There was no stuffing, but the sliced bread had nuts in it, offering flavor and texture. This also was the only sandwich that came with lettuce.” [WTOP]
Court Overturns RGGI Withdraw — “Virginia can’t withdraw from a multistate initiative designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions unless the Legislature agrees to it, a judge has ruled, dealing a blow to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to exit the compact. The ruling, issued Monday by retired Judge C. Randall Lowe in Floyd County, said Virginia’s Air Pollution Control Board exceeded its authority when it voted last year to exit the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.” [Associated Press]
It’s Thursday — Expect clouds to increase with a high temperature of around 51 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 23 mph. As Thursday night rolls in, the skies will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of 36 degrees, and the west wind persists around 10 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph. [NWS]
Arlington County’s firefighter union has taken a vote of no confidence against Fire Chief David Povlitz.
The vote passed by wide margins today (Wednesday), with about 81% of voting members calling for the chief to resign, IAFF Local 2800 announced. About 71% of the union participated.
A study of potential rent-stabilization efforts to address rising apartment costs could be in Arlington County’s future.
Katie Wenger, vice chair of the Arlington Housing Commission, last Saturday (Nov. 16) asked County Board members to direct staff to look at the pros and cons of such a policy — one that is related to, but distinct from, full-blown rent control.
The Arlington County Board has unanimously voted to appeal a judge’s ruling on Missing Middle zoning changes.
The county’s lawyers had previously said they planned to contest the circuit court decision, which prevents the county from issuing any more permits under the much-debated Expanded Housing Option. However, the Arlington County Board had not held a public vote on an appeal until yesterday (Tuesday).
Arlington County Board members on Saturday (Nov. 16) approved changes aimed at a speedier bureaucratic and administrative process for those converting office buildings for residential use.
“The name of the game is maintaining agility,” Board member Maureen Coffey said in advance of the 5-0 vote.
Arlington Startup Acquisition — “AeroVironment Inc. said Tuesday it has reached an agreement to buy fellow Arlington company BlueHalo LLC in an all-stock deal with an enterprise value of roughly $4.1 billion. The deal will allow AeroVironment, which is a top supplier of small drones to the U.S. military, to expand its offerings with BlueHalo’s expertise in space technologies, electronic warfare, AI and other areas.” [WBJ, BusinessWire]
Ballston 7-Eleven Robbed — “At approximately 2:39 p.m. on November 18, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery… the male suspect entered the business and concealed merchandise during which an employee confronted him. The suspect then attempted to exit without payment when the employee confronted him a second time. The suspect then made threatening statements towards the employee before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]
Stabbing at Bailey’s Xroads McD’s — “A man was rushed to Inova Fairfax Hospital with critical injuries Tuesday afternoon after being stabbed at the McDonald’s in Bailey’s Crossroads. Fairfax County police were dispatched to the fast food restaurant at 5603 Leesburg Pike around 2:19 p.m.” [FFXnow]
Residential Real Estate Deal — “Corcoran Group® LLC today announced its newest affiliate by welcoming Corcoran McEnearney… Formerly known as a collective of McEnearney Associates and Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties, Corcoran McEnearney will offer comprehensive real estate services across the region’s urban, suburban, and rural areas.” [Corcoran]
F.C. Gift and Craft Show Returns — “Support local businesses, artisans, and merchants by shopping at the Holiday Gift and Craft Show with Children’s Holiday Shoppe at the Community Center (223 Little Falls St.) on Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8. Admission to both craft show days and the Children’s Shoppe is free.” [City of Falls Church]
It’s Wednesday — Expect showers after 4pm with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 65°F. Winds will pick up from the southeast in the afternoon. Wednesday night brings a 90% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4am with a low around 43°F. Southeast winds will shift to northwest in the evening, possibly gusting up to 31 mph. Rainfall amounts may range between a quarter and half of an inch. [NWS]
Washington-Liberty Generals’ senior Emmett Engelhardt recorded the best finish by an Arlington cross-country runner at the Nov. 16 Class 6 state meet in Leesburg.
Engelhardt was a top seed and placed eighth in the Virginia High School League boys meet in 16:18 on the 5,000-meter Oatlands Plantation course. He was running in the state meet for the first time.
A recently released analysis may provide the fuel to rekindle ongoing debate about the state of Arlington’s treescape.
“We don’t know if we trust your data. We trust our eyes,” said Elizabeth Grossman of the Arlington Tree Action Group (ATAG), who used the County Board’s Nov. 16 public-comment period to encourage county leaders not to take a victory lap over the new figures.
