News

County Board, community leaders recommend tweaks to strengthen draft Plan Langston Blvd plan

By Jo DeVoe
The Arlington County Board work session on Sept. 12, 2023 (via Arlington County)

After 11 years of work, started by a group of residents and picked up by Arlington County, a planning document guiding the development of Langston Blvd could soon get teed up for final approvals.

Plan Langston Blvd outlines how to encourage private development on the corridor to make it walkable, bikeable and flood-resilient. Less dense neighborhoods transition to “activity hubs” developed with privately owned public spaces and apartment buildings as tall as 15 stories, with units affordable to a broad range of income levels.

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Public review of four major redevelopment projects could start up this fall

By Jo DeVoe
Renderings of the apartments replacing the National Science Teachers Association building and adjacent restaurants (via Arlington County)

Arlington County expects to accept a handful of major development applications this month, teeing them up for public engagement down the road.

The four pending projects span Pentagon City and Crystal City to the south and Rosslyn and Courthouse to the north.

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Construction on apartments next to Ballston Harris Teeter set to wrap up this year

By Jo DeVoe
A construction crane moves over the forthcoming URBA apartments in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

New apartments along N. Glebe Road in Ballston are nearing completion.

Developer Southeastern Real Estate Group, LLC tells ARLnow construction on the residential redevelopment, near the Harris Teeter store, should be done in the next couple months.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
The setting sun as seen from Minor’s Hill, the highest elevation in Arlington County (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington Rent Stays at No. 2 Regionally — “We at Zumper have just published our latest D.C. Metro Report… This month, Arlington ranked as the 2nd most expensive city to rent. The price of one bedroom units fell 2.1% to $2,340, while two bedroom units dropped 0.6% to $3,110.” [Zumper]

APS Vending Policy Change — “Arlington School Board members on Sept. 21 are expected to formally rescind the school system’s policy governing vending machines in schools. The reason? Schools haven’t had vending machines in them since 2014, when they were phased out. Technically, county schools haven’t had operating vending machines since 2014. A number of machines remain in schools but are not in use.” [Gazette Leader]

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Covid cases on the rise in Arlington, but so far lower than last year

By ARLnow.com
Covid cases in Arlington over the past three months, as of 9/12/23 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)

Don’t look now but Covid cases are on the rise in Arlington.

As of today, the Virginia Dept. of Health is reporting a seven-day average of just over 21 daily cases in the county. That’s the highest point since this past February.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Sunset above Langston Blvd and the bike/pedestrian bridge (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Local Harris Teeters Sold — “Could Piggly Wiggly make a grand return to Greater Washington? It’s possible, now that the Kroger Co., Harris Teeter’s parent company, and Albertsons Cos. Inc. have agreed to sell a combined 413 stores, including 10 Harris Teeter stores in Virginia, Maryland and D.C., to C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC. The Keene, New Hampshire-based grocery store supplier also own hundreds of Piggly Wiggly stores across the country.” [Washington Business Journal]

Crash Near 14th Street Bridge — From Dave Statter: “Today’s crash on I-395N Exit 10C for the GW Parkway northbound. At least the 5th crash involving drivers trying to get to that exit in the last 23 days.” [Twitter]

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Arlington County commemorates the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks

By James Jarvis
Arlington County first responders conduct wreath-laying ceremony in front of the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of 9/11 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

(Updated at 1:25 p.m. on 9/12/23) Twenty-two years ago today, at 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon, claiming the lives of 184 people.

To honor those who died, Arlington County elected officials and public safety personnel gathered in front of the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center in Courthouse to pay tribute and observe a moment of silence.

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County’s mobile behavioral health crisis team tackles rising homelessness amid D.C. shelter closures

By James Jarvis
Mobile Outreach Support Team coordinator Michael Keen shows Rep. Don Beyer the county's behavioral health crisis response van launched last month (staff photo by James Jarvis)

In its first month of operation, Arlington County’s mobile behavioral health response team has been busy responding to calls.

Most of these calls — which range from welfare checks to mental health emergencies and drug overdoses — involve people who are homeless, officials say. It’s a trend they attribute to the recent closures of shelters in D.C.

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County to cut ribbon on West Glebe Road bridge upgrades after full reopening last month

By James Jarvis
The new West Glebe Road bridge between Arlington and Alexandria (via Arlington County)

Tomorrow, Arlington County officials will officially mark the reopening of the West Glebe Road Bridge after a year-long rehabilitation project.

Tuesday’s event comes after the bridge opened to pedestrians and cyclists last month, though it reopened to vehicular traffic this March.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Wet walk along the W&OD Trail (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

W-L and YHS Still Undefeated — “With blowout road victories the night of Sept. 8, the Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots improved to 3-0, setting up a big showdown between the Arlington and Liberty District high-school football rivals this coming week… Washington-Liberty routed the Lewis Lancers, 49-7, and Yorktown downed the Wakefield Warriors, 34-9, in another 1-0 district mark.” [Gazette Leader]

Another Metro Service Boost — “With ridership trending higher during the morning and evening commuting hours, Metro will boost peak service on the Red, Blue, Silver, Green, and Yellow lines to meet demand and ridership growth as more customers return to the office and other activities. Trains on those lines will run more frequently from approximately 7 a.m. – 9 a.m., and from approximately 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. Exact times of peak service will vary by station.” [WMATA]

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NEW: Worker rescued after construction site accident on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
Rescue of injured worker along Columbia Pike (via Arlington County traffic camera)

A worker fell into a hard-to-access area at a construction site along Columbia Pike this afternoon, prompting a rescue operation.

Firefighters were dispatched to the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Oak Street just before 4 p.m. for a report of someone who fell into a concrete box and needed to be hoisted via a rescue basket.

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