(Updated at 2 p.m.) The newest trend in office leasing may be painful for Arlington County’s office vacancy rate in the short term — but it could be beneficial in the long run.
As companies try to coax employees enjoying remote work back to the office at least part of the time, some are trading spacious leases for smaller agreements with more amenities. Landlords are responding with more investments in renovations.
GW Parkway Work Delayed — From the National Park Service: “Due to inclement weather forecasts this weekend, the National Park Service has postponed the implementation of a new, temporary traffic pattern on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. A dry roadway is needed to install the lane striping and temporary lane dividers on the northbound side of the parkway. We expect the shift to begin between April 21 and 24, but we will follow up with a release before the shift.”
Garden Dedication at Senior Community — “Culpepper Garden, Arlington’s sole retirement community for low-income seniors, welcomed Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08) and Arlington County officials for a dedication ceremony… Representatives from the county sheriff, police, fire, and emergency management departments joined Rep. Beyer to inaugurate the First Responders Garden in the garden to mark the contributions of first responders to the Arlington community.” [Press Release]
Bennett “Ben” Warburton Sutton passed away on Sunday, March 26, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia, after a two-year fight with lung cancer. Ben was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on August 16, 1973, to Richard and Ginny (Morris) Sutton and grew up in northern Virginia. He graduated from Madison High School in Vienna, VA in 1991 and earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Mary Washington in 1995 and his master’s degree in economics from George Washington University in 2000. He was a Senior Research Officer for the International Monetary Fund, where he had worked and cultivated a global network of friends and colleagues since 1999. With many of his colleagues, he shared a passion for world affairs, following and engaging in cheerful debate about current events. A natural team-builder, Ben served as his department’s Peer for a Respectful Workplace representative, tasked with promoting a caring work environment and helping colleagues in distress. Throughout his career, Ben’s colleagues and friends found him to be a mentor and catalyst for their careers, a consummate connector of people, and an enthusiastic asset on the soccer field and badminton court.
Ben made his home in Arlington with his wife, Bethany Zecher Sutton, whom he met when they were undergraduate students at Mary Washington. He introduced her to family summer vacations in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and she took him to the mountains and lakes of New England. Together they introduced their children, Luna and Cara, to domestic and world travel. Ben’s passion for travel took him from a post-college internship in Budapest to personal and business travel in Europe, Canada, the Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Mexico, Panama, South America, and across the US. As a traveler, Ben loved to explore neighborhoods on foot to get a true sense of a place and its people.
Police are investigating after a car was shot up near Barcroft Park last night.
It happened just before 11:30 p.m. Thursday on the 4200 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. According to an Arlington County Police Department crime report, a verbal dispute escalated to an assault, followed by the suspects shooting at the victims as they drove away.
While road repaving season has kicked off in Arlington, crews are working on local roads for another reason.
They are installing traffic sensors in and marking some 4,500 parking spots in the Rosslyn-Ballston and Pentagon City-Crystal City corridors.
Beyer Calls for Clarence Thomas to Resign — From Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.): “If true, the reported existence of a hidden financial relationship between a conservative donor and a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is inexcusable and unacceptable. Justice Thomas should resign.” [Twitter]
Ferguson Running for Another Reelection — “He waited until the coast was clear – no intra-party challenges having materialized by the filing deadline – and on April 12, Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson announced his bid for a third eight-year term serving Arlington and Falls Church.” [GazetteLeader]
A student at Gunston Middle School was found in possession of two bullets today.
The Thursday morning discovery prompted a call to police amid concern for student safety. However, an investigation ultimately found “no imminent threat to the safety of the school community.”
(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Someone broke into a woman’s apartment in Courthouse, went into her bedroom and touched her inappropriately, according to Arlington County police.
The incident happened in the early morning hours of Wednesday, police said. A resident tells ARLnow that it happened at the Courthouse Plaza Apartments, at 2250 Clarendon Blvd.
All three candidates looking to replace Sheriff Beth Arthur, who retired at the end of last year, say they want to end solitary confinement.
This unifying policy position surfaced during a forum hosted by the nonprofit Offender Aid and Restoration last Thursday.
(Updated at 9:50 a.m.) Upgraded tennis facilities and greater flood prevention are two focal points in proposed upgrades to the upper area of Bluemont Park.
Last month, Arlington County released new designs revealing its plans for the public park, informed by public engagement over the last three years.
14th Street Bridge Overhaul — Updated at 7:55 a.m. — “Vice President Harris is scheduled to appear at D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge on Thursday to announce a $72 million grant to overhaul one of its aging spans over the Potomac River, part of nearly $300 million in new federal bridge spending directed to urban and rural communities. The 73-year-old northbound bridge carrying Interstate 395 from Arlington handles more than 88,000 vehicles a day, despite its poor condition, according to federal and local officials.” [Washington Post]
More on Bank Robbery Response — “Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn and Arlington County Sheriff Jose Quiroz spoke to 7News for the first time since the incident — praising the work of their staff. ‘Our staff willingly ran toward this and did everything to bring this to a successful resolution,’ Penn said. Chief Penn said the first units arrived in under a minute.” [WJLA]
Over the next 25 years, the D.C. area will need to invest more in housing and services tailored toward a rapidly graying population.
That is one of the takeaways from a presentation of job, population and household growth forecasts presented to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments today (Wednesday).
