After years of planning, the Reeves Farmhouse is poised to transfer out of county hands to become a home for adults with developmental disabilities.
The future of the historic property is scheduled for consideration at an Arlington County Board meeting on Monday. If approved, agreements would convey the property to Habitat for Humanity DC-NOVA and allocate up to $2.5 million to support renovation efforts.
County staff are seeking up to $85 million in state funding for improvements to busy Arlington roads.
A request to seek grants for three projects on Arlington Blvd, Glebe Road and an I-395 interchange is scheduled to go before the Arlington County Board on Monday.
As Arlington leaders consider ending public access to a Rosslyn observation deck in exchange for $14 million, a civic association is seeking an additional benefit.
A proposal to eliminate public access to the “View of D.C.” is scheduled to go before the Arlington County Board on Monday. Funding from the proposed deal with CoStar Group, which announced earlier this year that it is relocating to 1201 Wilson Blvd, would fund a major overhaul of Rosslyn’s Gateway Park several years earlier than previously expected, county staff have said.
Plans to Replace DCA Terminal –“The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is in the very early stages of planning a new facility to replace the Terminal 1 gates used by Southwest and other airlines at Reagan National Airport. The authority, which manages both DCA and Dulles International Airports, is scheduled to discuss a planning document for the new facility at its meeting Wednesday, per an agenda released Monday.” [Washington Business Journal]
Gunfire Investigated in Arlington Mill — “At approximately 12:30 a.m. on July 13, police were dispatched to the report of suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were inside their residence when they heard a loud noise and upon further investigation, located property damage and a bullet fragment. No injuries were reported. The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.” [ACPD]
Union Vote at Rosslyn Compass — “A unionization vote [for several Compass Coffee locations] is scheduled for July 16. In the runup, its workers have complained that a hiring spree is aimed at weakening their support.” [Axios, Twitter]
Kink Causes Metro Delay — From Metro yesterday: “Trains are single tracking between Crystal City & National Airport because of a heat kink outside Crystal City. Expect delays in both directions.” [Twitter]
When temperatures rise, metal rails can expand. This can create a bend/kink in the track. Please allow additional time this evening as crews work to resolve this issue. We'll provide updates as soon as they're available. Real-time service info: https://t.co/c2xBrn1Jhj #wmata https://t.co/twGw3PDog0 pic.twitter.com/KE0Ilii8oI
— Metro Forward (@wmata) July 15, 2024
Country Club Revenue Rises — “Country club revenue has been soaring nationally since the pandemic, and many Greater Washington nonprofit country clubs are seeing similar gains… Army Navy Country Club, which has facilities in Arlington and Fairfax, grew revenue 27% from $33.66 million in 2020 to $42.97 million in 2022.” [Washington Business Journal]
More Use SoberRide on July 4 — “The SoberRide initiative of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) saw a major bump up in usage for the Independence Day holiday. A total of 738 people used the service during a 12-hour period from July 4 at 4 p.m. to July 5 at 4 a.m. That’s up from 447 a year before.” [Gazette Leader]
Wizards Help Local Camp — “Drew Summer Camp, a 4-H after-school enrichment program, is up and running with programming for youth ages 4 to 12 in Arlington’s Green Valley community. The first week of the program kicked off with a donation from the Washington Wizards through community partner Leveling the Playing Field.” [Gazette Leader]
VP Pick Lives Down Avenue from Arlington — “Author, Ohio Senator, Del Ray resident and yarn bomb victim J.D. Vance has been tapped as the Vice President pick for Republican Candidate Donald Trump. Vance moved into an over $1.5 million home in Del Ray back in 2023.” [ALXnow]
It’s Tuesday — Expect isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with sunny and hot conditions marked by a high near 101 and heat index values reaching up to 108. A southwest wind will be blowing at 3 to 8 mph, and there is a 20% chance of precipitation. For Tuesday night, isolated showers and thunderstorms may occur before 2am, with partly cloudy skies and a low around 78. A south wind at 6 to 8 mph can be anticipated, maintaining a 20% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar
Nearly 3,000 residences and businesses were without power in the Ballston and Virginia Square area Monday evening.
That was according to Dominion’s outage map at 6:45 p.m.
A county expert asserted that Arlington’s sewage systems are well equipped for expected growth as the Missing Middle civil trial neared its conclusion today (Monday).
Jon Lawler, chief support engineer at Arlington County Water Sewer Streets, pushed back against previous testimony from a plaintiff’s witness, who argued that an influx of additional housing units could cause backups in individual sewer systems.
An Arlington resident has announced a campaign for U.S. Congress as an independent.
David Kennedy last week announced that he will be challenging Rep. Don Beyer (D) in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District this November. Also vying for that seat are Republican candidate Jerry Torres and independent candidates Bentley Hensel and Stephen Leon.
Local Reaction to Assassination Attempt — “Arlington Republicans and Democrats seemed to be largely on the same page in reactions to the shooting in Pennsylvania July 13 that left former President Donald Trump injured and one of his supporters dead.” [Gazette Leader]
State, Federal Elected Official Statements — From Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin: “American exceptionalism is not granted; it is earned. This test of our Republic is a moment for us to do just that, earn the mantle of being exceptional. With one voice, we must condemn this evil violence.” [Governor of Virginia, Twitter, Twitter]
Flyover Planned This Afternoon — From AlertDC: “The US Military will conduct a flyover at the Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, July 15, 2024 @ 1:15 PM.”
Police Seek Jeep Driver — ” The Arlington County Police Department continues to investigate the series of vehicle-related offenses that occurred in the Rosslyn neighborhood on July 5… Detectives would like to speak with the occupants of the Jeep Cherokee as part of the ongoing investigation.” [ACPD, Twitter]
Robbery Attempt at Yorktown HS — “At approximately 8:00 a.m. on July 11, police were dispatched to the report of an assault that had just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect allegedly attempted to steal the victim’s personal property by force during which security personnel intervened. No injuries were reported. A petition was obtained for Robbery for the juvenile suspect.” [ACPD]
W&OD Trail Robbery — “City of Falls Church Police are looking for information about a robbery that occurred along the W&OD Trail between North Oak Street and North Spring Street around 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. this morning.” [City of Falls Church]
RIP K-9 Roxy — “With great sadness, ACPD announces the passing of retired K9 Roxy. She loyally served the Arlington community alongside her handler, retired MPO Lichtenberg, from 2011 to 2016 as a patrol and narcotics detection K9. We kindly ask that you keep her and her handler in your thoughts.” [Twitter]
Arlington Ranks High for Dog Parks — “Dog owners can unleash their energy in Arlington as it has been deemed one of the best places nationwide for dog parks by LawnStarter. The lawn care blog released its latest ranking Monday, positioning Arlington at No. 6 for 2024’s Best Dog Park Cities.” [Patch]
Historic Board Vote on Fmr. School — “Those hoping to save a century-old Arlington school building from the wrecking ball will have to win a game of beat-the-clock. Or, more likely, beat-the-bulldozer. A divided Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) voted June 20 to direct the county’s history-preservation staff to begin compiling information on the former Nelly Custis Elementary School in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood near Crystal City.” [Gazette Leader]
Boat Crash in the Potomac — From Dave Statter: “A Potomac Water Taxi and a 24 foot pleasure craft collided around 3:00 p.m. just north of the 14th Street Bridge. One minor injury is reported. The first shot in the video below is of the Commander Jacques water taxi heading south toward the bridge just moments before the collision. The second shot shows the other boat moving north apparently just after they hit.” [Twitter]
County Bond Sale — “Its top bond ratings continue to help lessen the sting, but the Arlington government (and, ultimately, taxpayers) still will be paying a higher interest rate than any time in the past 16 years for $93.2 million in newly issued debt. Bank of America on June 18 was the winning bidder in a competitive sale of new county debt, coming in with a low bid of 3.49 percent.” [Gazette Leader]
State Action on Phones in School — “Arlington school officials are moving forward on consideration of a plan to more uniformly restrict student access to cellphones during the school day, but may find themselves outflanked by incoming requirements imposed by Richmond. Gov. Youngkin on July 10 delivered an executive order directing the Virginia Department of Education to draft guidance that will be given to the commonwealth’s school divisions related to what state officials are terming a ‘cell-phone-free’ education.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Monday — Expect widely scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop after 2pm, accompanied by sunny, hot conditions with a high temperature near 100°F and heat index values reaching up to 109°F. West winds will be between 3 and 6 mph, with a 30% chance of precipitation. For Monday night, showers and thunderstorms are mainly expected before 8pm. The night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 75°F. [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.
Arlington County’s health department is warning of a possible measles exposure at a local grocery store.
A person visiting from another state went to the Harris Teeter on N. Glebe Road in Ballston between noon and 4 p.m. on Monday, July 1, authorities say.
Construction on the long-awaited east entrance to the Crystal City Metro station is getting underway.
Numerous local officials attended a groundbreaking ceremony today (Friday) for the $146.1 million project at the northwest corner of Crystal Drive and 18th Street S.
Some 3,000 homes and businesses were reported to be without power this afternoon in northern Arlington and a small portion of McLean.
The outage follows reports of the sounds of possible transformer explosions in the area of Nelly Custis Drive and N. Lincoln Street in Cherrydale.
Arlington is No. 1 Digital County — “Arlington County is proud to be recognized as the No. 1 Digital County for 2024 by the Center for Digital Government (CDG) and the National Association of Counties (NACo). This is the third consecutive year that Arlington has been named to the top spot in the nation for the 150,000-249,999-population category, a rare achievement for the awards program.” [Arlington County]
Va. is Best State for Biz — “With the nation’s best education system and policies that give companies room — both literally and figuratively — to grow, Virginia is America’s Top State for Business in 2024. This is the Old Dominion’s sixth time at the top of CNBC’s rankings, and its third win in five years — a record unmatched by any other state since the study began in 2007.” [CNBC, Twitter]
We're extremely proud that @CNBC recognized Virginia as America's Top State for Business!
Read the Governor's full release here: https://t.co/WhUjX67SUW pic.twitter.com/QLwTs1sOX3
— Arlington Chamber VA (@ArlVAChamber) July 11, 2024
Shirlington Bridge Closure — “The Shirlington Circle south rotary bridge over I-395 will be closed from 10 p.m. Saturday, July 13 until 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 16 for work related to the bridge rehabilitation project, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. The bridge connects the southbound I-395 collector-distributor lanes and southbound Shirlington Road to North Quaker Lane at the I-395 Exit 6 interchange.” [VDOT]
Another 7-Eleven Robbery — “4100 block of S Four Mile Run Drive… Two male suspects entered the business and jumped over the counter. Suspect One removed two cash register drawers containing an undisclosed amount of cash, during which he pushed an employee. Suspect Two stole merchandise from behind the counter. The suspects then fled the scene in a red sedan driven by Suspect Three.” [ACPD]
Immigrant Food Opening Soon — “Immigrant Food is weeks away from opening a new restaurant in Ballston, its first outpost outside of the District and the likely launching pad for other restaurants elsewhere in Greater Washington and beyond. The new spot, at 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, will be the chain’s largest… The space, which cost about $1.3 million to build out, will feature a central, 600-square-foot bar, located half-in and half-outside the building.” [Washington Business Journal]
Potbelly Open at the Pentagon — “Potbelly Corporation, the iconic neighborhood sandwich shop concept, has opened its first location at the Pentagon, deepening its presence on military installations and Department of Defense facilities.” [GlobeNewswire]
Little Homes Near the Pike — “Only 4 of these left on 7th st S. I’ve always liked these little homes with the windows that go around corners. A kind of budget Frank Lloyd Wright look. I’ve heard these were built from free plans in Better Homes & Gardens.” [Twitter]
Only 4 of these left on 7th st S. I’ve always liked these little homes with the windows that go around corners. A kind of budget Frank Lloyd Wright look. I’ve heard these were built from free plans in Better Homes & Gardens. #southarlington pic.twitter.com/HOgbVGOplO
— SRtwofourfour (@SRtwofourfour) July 11, 2024
Recognition for Casual Adventure — “NRF’s America’s Retail Champions program celebrates small retailers who are exceptional advocates for retail and the communities they serve. Forty-five U.S. small retailers were selected as champions for the program,” including longtime Arlington shop Casual Adventure. [National Retail Federation]
It’s Friday — Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms, increasing after 7am with a high near 81 and an east wind of 3 to 5 mph. Precipitation likelihood is 90%, with new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch. Friday night brings a 70% chance of showers, with possible thunderstorms before 2am, followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms. The temperature dips to around 73 with a light southeast wind, and additional rainfall between a quarter and half an inch is expected. [NWS]
