Two new data analyses agree: Arlington’s relatively high apartment-rental costs are still moving upward.
A Zumper survey released earlier this week has Arlington as the priciest location for apartments in the D.C. region, with a median one-bedroom monthly rental price of $2,410 and median two-bedroom price of $3,220.
Board Meetings Could Start Later — Arlington County Board Saturday meetings in 2025 would start an hour later, 9:30 a.m. vs. the current 8:30 a.m., under a proposal coming to Board members Saturday. Any decision won’t be final until the body’s organizational meeting on Jan. 6. [Arlington County]
GMU Law Lawsuit — “Two law students at George Mason University… have filed a free speech and due process lawsuit against the school president and other leaders, saying their constitutional rights were violated after raising concerns about putting tampons in men’s restrooms.” [WTOP, Virginia Mercury]
Ribbon Cutting for Hopkins Clinic — From state Sen. Barbara Favola: “Proud to welcome @HopkinsMedicine to Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood. This center offers primary & speciality care to patients, including walk-ins. It’s located on bus & metro lines in one of our most densely populated areas, taking a step in improving equitable access to care.” [Twitter]
Follow ARLnow on Bluesky — ARLnow will soon start posting local news headlines regularly on Bluesky, the fast-growing social network that just crossed the 15 million user mark. ALXnow and FFXnow are also on the service. [Bluesky]
Local GOP Greets Trump — From Arlington GOP Chair Matthew Hurtt: “Excited to welcome @realDonaldTrump back to the White House today. @goparlington and our friends were out in force as his motorcade made its way onto the White House compound for his historic meeting with @JoeBiden.” [Twitter]
Torri Huske Back on Campus — “An exemplary student, Huske took a gap year last year to prepare for the Olympic Games and returned to Stanford in September. Though she isn’t quite sure of her long-term career goals yet, she will be a design major working in engineering and sustainability.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Hacking Event for Parking Data — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Hey Arlington nerds: Do this Nov. 16 parking-data hacking event. Please note: this is an in-person multi-person experience so prepare accordingly.” [Twitter]
Some Optimism for More Snow — ” It would be going out on a limb to forecast a cold and snowy winter. But we’re not convinced this winter will be a total bust. In fact, we’re projecting more snow than last winter (8 inches) and perhaps the most since 2018-2019 (16.9 inches). And we don’t expect it to be as mild as most recent winters. We’re predicting that temperatures will end up close to the norm.” [Capital Weather Gang]
It’s Thursday — Expect rain in the afternoon, with cloudy skies and a high of 52°F. Winds will be east at 5-8 mph, and there’s a 70% chance of precipitation, potentially up to a quarter of an inch. Tonight, rain will continue until 4am, accompanied by patchy fog and a low of 45°F, with east wind around 7 mph. The chance of precipitation increases to 90%, with potential amounts between a quarter and half an inch. [NWS]
Top Arlington County Board priorities including housing affordability and public safety will likely hold steady following JD Spain, Sr.’s victory last week.
However, Spain is seeking to distinguish himself from the Board’s current approach to government oversight, engagement and transparency.
The concept of granting religious organizations more flexibility to create affordable housing on their properties is a good one, Falls Church officials say.
But city leaders remain wary of pending legislation in Richmond that could handcuff local-government zoning powers in order to obtain that outcome.
A pair of traffic enforcement events will be happening in Arlington in coming days as part of a fall safety campaign.
The Arlington County Police Department has scheduled two “high-visibility traffic education and enforcement activations” in connection to the region-wide “Street Smart” campaign, including one tomorrow:
A bullet was fired into a woman’s home just south of Columbia Pike, though it’s not clear who fired it.
The incident happened around 8 p.m. Monday on the 4500 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. The woman heard a loud noise and called police after discovering a broken window and a damaged wall. Officers then found a bullet inside the home.
ACPD Announces DUI Arrests — “On Saturday evening, officers conducted a DUI Saturation Patrol, a detail designed to make our roadways safer by identifying, stopping and apprehending drivers who are under the influence. During the detail, officers conducted 28 traffic stops which resulted in 4 DUI arrests, 1 Open Container arrest, 3 Reckless Driving summonses and issued 17 traffic summonses.” [Twitter]
Fmr. Airline Exec Dies in Arlington — “Ben Baldanza, who turned a small money-losing airline called Spirit into a profit-making powerhouse through a combination of ultralow prices, bare-bones service, outrageous marketing and a no-apologies approach to customer complaints, died on Tuesday at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 62.” [New York Times, Skift]
Bishop Talks Abortion Initiatives — “Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, who chairs the USCCB’s committee on pro-life activities, told Catholic broadcast company EWTN last week that his committee will discuss the election results, particularly state ballot initiatives where the anti-abortion movement has a losing record.” [Associated Press]
Amazon Office Return Causes Stir — “Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reportedly told employees last week that the company’s stricter return-to-office policy was not put in place as a way to ‘backdoor fire’ employees. At an all-hands meeting on Nov. 5 Jassy told employees that the company’s new five-day-a-week policy for corporate employees was aimed at improving company culture… The headcount at its HQ2 in Pentagon City totaled 8,000 as of the start of the year.” [WBJ]
New Nature Center Hours — Arlington’s two nature centers, Long Branch and Gulf Branch, are now operating on their expanded operating hours. The new hours, which took effect yesterday, include weekday hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday hours from 1-5 p.m. [ARLnow]
Fairfax Co. Cracking Down on Races — “Police Chief Kevin Davis and other officials warned at a press conference last week that those caught drag racing on Fairfax County streets will be found and prosecuted to the extent of the law. ‘This is not youthful indiscretion,’ Davis said. ‘This is a brazen street race that does, can, and will cost people their lives.'” [FFXnow]
Meager Local Snow Outlook — “There’s good news and bad news for snow fans in our Storm Team4 winter outlook. First, the bad news: It’s not looking like we’ll see all that many snowflakes this year. Now, here’s the good news (again, assuming you’re a fan of snow): We’re not ruling out the possibility of a white Christmas.” [NBC 4]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 52 with a north wind at 7 mph, shifting to an eastward direction in the afternoon. As night falls, the sky will become mostly cloudy and temperatures will drop to around 37 degrees. [NWS]
Four teens are facing charges after an armed carjacking on Columbia Pike and a police chase that ended on I-395.
The carjacking happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the area of Penrose Square. Two suspects, one brandishing a gun, demanded a victim’s car keys and phone, according to Arlington County police.
The legal limbo of Arlington’s Missing Middle policy could impact other planned housing initiatives.
Members of the county government’s Housing Commission on Nov. 7 were briefed by county staff on new proposals to address housing affordability and to diversify the county’s housing stock.
An Arlington man has plans to buy a house after winning $500,000 in the Virginia Lottery.
“I’m so happy — I nearly cried,” Jose Marquina told lottery officials. “It’s my day today!”
Add Falls Church to the list of Northern Virginia localities where elected officials are worried about implications of Donald Trump’s victory.
“Things may very well change fairly dramatically,” City Council member David Snyder said last Wednesday (Nov. 6), the day after a national election that swept the former president back into office and saw Republicans potentially controlling both houses of Congress.
Final action on policies related to deer-culling, towing and residential-to-commercial conversions will be on the agenda when Arlington County Board members meet this Saturday (Nov. 16).
At the meeting, Board members are slated to take final action on zoning changes required to permit the use of sharpshooters to kill deer on public lands in the county.
