Future neighbors of a planned behavioral-health and rehabilitation compound on S. Carlin Springs Road are pressing for more details about management and oversight.
Representatives of VHC Health and Lifepoint Behavioral Health met with local residents during a July 16 meeting convened by the Glencarlyn Civic Association to discuss the proposed 146-bed facility.
A recent project review by Arlington County planning staff flagged numerous practical concerns about plans to build a triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery.
Noting incomplete and sometimes inconsistent information in an environmental assessment by the National Park Service, county staff questioned likely impacts on roads, pedestrians, historic views and air traffic if the Trump administration builds a 250-foot arch in the middle of the Memorial Circle roundabout.
County Board members are asking for residents’ patience as authorities continue an investigation into a fatal police shooting on Columbia Pike in May.
Board Chair Matt de Ferranti responded to a petition drive launched for information and dialogue around the death of 33-year-old Shawn Valn, who was shot and killed by Arlington officers after barricading himself in a 7-Eleven store at 3602 Columbia Pike.
County staff say work is ongoing to make the government’s “report-a-problem” online portal more user-friendly and responsive.
“I hear your frustration,” said Nicole Jackson, a business systems analyst for the county government, during the July 8 joint meeting of the county’s Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC).
Deep Throat Garage to Be Razed — The Arlington County Board on Saturday unanimously approved two major redevelopments totaling more than 1,400 apartments. Monday Properties will build two 27-story towers with 831 units at 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd in Rosslyn, replacing the parking garage where Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward met Watergate informant Deep Throat. Separately, JM Zell Partners will convert the former TSA headquarters in Pentagon City into 607 apartments. [WBJ]
Inn of Rosslyn Sold — D.C.-based Monument Realty has closed on its $3.6 million purchase of the shuttered Inn of Rosslyn (1601 Fairfax Drive), clearing the way for an eight-story, 142-unit apartment building the County Board approved in January over staff’s objections. The 38-room hotel, built in 1957, will be demolished. Construction expected is expected by spring 2027. [WBJ]
Ballston Westin Sells — The 338-room Westin Arlington Gateway hotel (801 N. Glebe Road) has sold for $92.7 million, according to county deed records. An affiliate of Kentucky-based Columbia Sussex Corp. bought the Ballston property from Rockpoint Group and Highgate Holdings. It marks the company’s first hotel in Virginia and the property’s first sale in a decade. [WBJ]
Crystal City Hit-and-Run — Dave Statter shared video of a hit-and-run crash on northbound I-395 near Crystal City, in which “an aggressive driver took out a car getting on the highway from Route 1 and then kept going.” The striking vehicle was last seen heading toward the airport via the southbound GW Parkway ramp. There was no indication of serious injury. [Dave Statter/X]
Top Digital County — Arlington has again ranked among the nation’s top digital counties, taking the No. 2 spot in its population category in the 2026 Digital Counties Survey from the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. It’s the 15th time Arlington has placed in the top three, with seven first-place finishes. [Arlington County]
Flyover This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, July 20, at 11:40AM.”
Federal Jobs Hit 30-Year Low — Federal employment across the Washington region has fallen to its lowest level in three decades, dropping from nearly 376,000 at the start of President Trump’s second term to 312,500 in May, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Axios reports the slump is a primary reason the District is in a mild recession. [Axios]
Spanberger’s First Six Months — Reflecting on her first half-year as Virginia’s first female governor, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) said the biggest lesson has been that “you can never actually overcommunicate.” A new VCU Wilder School poll found 44% of registered voters approve of her performance, while 47% disapprove. [Virginia Scope]
Historic Smoke Outbreak — Friday brought one of the worst smoke-driven air quality events in modern D.C.-area history, rivaling the historic outbreaks of 2023. Reagan National Airport logged 42 consecutive hours of smoke through 4 p.m. Saturday — the longest streak on record, surpassing a 31-hour mark set in November 1952. The wildfire smoke drifted in from western Ontario and northern Minnesota. [Capital Weather]
It’s Monday — Mostly sunny with a high near 85 and a light east wind. A chance of showers and thunderstorms moves in overnight after 2 a.m., with a low around 71. [NWS]
New Legal Notice — A hotel restaurant seeks on/off-premises wine, beer, mixed-beverage ABC license. [Public Notices]
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.
After a challenging 2025 and an up and down start to 2026, airport officials are hopeful for sustained passenger strength at Reagan National Airport through autumn.
“We anticipate the [summer] months to be strong,” said Paul Bobson, vice president for airline business development at the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).
A serious crash has resulted in multiple hospitalizations and a partial closure of the GW Parkway.
The crash happened around 10:30 p.m. Friday on the southbound GW Parkway just south of Memorial Circle. Initial reports suggest a vehicle crashed, rolled down an embankment and caught fire with people still inside.
County Board members are wrestling with the timing and potential scope of future changes to Central Library and adjacent Quincy Park.
At a July 14 capital-spending work session, Board members tried to find common ground on how to approach what could become one of the county’s most contentious planning efforts of the 2030s.
The opening of a new exhibition on Virginia’s immigrant experience included a concert by a duo that has lived it.
Judith and Ingrid Morroy performed Sunday afternoon (July 12) at the Arlington Historical Museum, marking the local opening of the “We the People: The World in Our Commonwealth” traveling exhibit of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
Two Falls Church intersections — one a major crossroads, the other somewhat less expected — accounted for a large portion of the city’s collisions in 2025.
Of 134 crashes recorded in the city last year, 42 took place at the intersection of Washington Street and E. Broad Street, according to the Falls Church Police Department’s annual report. That’s almost 1 in 3.
The Arlington Park and Recreation Commission is seeking more funding to combat invasive species, arguing it will provide long-term cost savings.
“Invasives do not stop growing in lean budget years,” commission chair William Way said at a July 9 County Board work session on the proposed capital improvement plan (CIP).
Arlington’s congressman is feeling more confident about the passage of legislation to drop Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s name from the historic house at Arlington National Cemetery.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) told ARLnow that co-sponsors of his legislation to rename Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial as the “Arlington House National Historic Site” could rise from about 160 to 200 by the end of this congressional term. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) has reintroduced companion legislation in the Senate.
