County Board member Takis Karantonis says if the county has the “political will,” a sufficient amount of affordable and “missing middle” housing can get built.
Karantonis appeared on Friday’s “Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi” on public radio station WAMU. In addition to housing, the discussion touched on a new redistricting lawsuit, the Washington Commanders’ increasingly unlikely move to Virginia, and the bear that was roaming Arlington last week.
The stock market drop aside, some other falling figures in Arlington today are actually good news.
The average rate of new Covid cases and hospitalizations are on a downward trajectory, as is the county’s test positivity rate.
A man tried to lure a girl into his vehicle at a gas station along Langston Blvd this past Thursday, police say.
The incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on the 5600 block of Langston Blvd, about two blocks west of the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center.
Yorktown High Jumper Sets Record — “Led by two individual champions, the Yorktown Patriots finished third in the recent Virginia High School League’s Class 6 girls outdoor state track and field championships… The Patriots’ individual-event winners were Viktorie Klepetkova in the high jump for the second year in a row, but this time with a school and meet-record leap of 5-feet, 11-inches, and Anna Corcoran in the 800-meters.” [Sun Gazette]
Arlington on CBS Evening News — “The ‘walking school bus’ is helping both kids and senior citizens start the day off right. Once a week, seniors walk with students to school in Arlington, Virginia. Jan Crawford shares more.” [CBS News]
(Updated on 6/13/22) A robbery at a convenience store may have led to a panic about an active shooter at a nearby Arlington middle school.
It started at the 7-Eleven at 201 S. Glebe Road. Police were dispatched there shortly before 12:30 p.m. for a report of a man with a weapon robbing the store. They were initially told that someone was injured inside.
Expanding Board Would Require State Action — “The Civic Federation’s TiGER (Task Force in Governance and Election Reform] body has recommended a number of changes to Arlington’s governance structure, including changing the election cycle. But the most basic tenet – increasing from five to seven the number of County Board members – could determine whether the Republican governor and House of Delegates want to play nice.” [Sun Gazette]
Serious Crash on I-395 — From Dave Statter: “Serious crash with one ejected on I-395S at Arlington Ridge Road. Fire, EMS & police appeared to be looking to make sure no else was thrown from the vehicle.” [Twitter]
One of the main fireworks viewing spots in Arlington will be closed on the Fourth of July this year.
The Air Force Memorial will be closed on July 4, then will reopen on July 5, due to “safety and security” concerns caused by the ongoing Arlington National Cemetery expansion project.
A bear spotted roaming Arlington’s Maywood neighborhood on Monday has been seen elsewhere in the county since then.
The young black bear’s presence prompted a warning from local officials, who urged residents to keep their distance should they see it. Public curiosity about the ursine vagabond is keeping those officials tight-lipped over where the bear has been spotted since, however.
(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) The draft plan to allow more small-scale multifamily housing in Arlington has picked up another influential enforcement.
The county’s Missing Middle Housing Study draft framework recommends allowing everything from townhouses to an eight-unit apartment or condo buildings on land currently zoned exclusively for single-family detached homes. The lot size would determine the maximum number of units and the structure would be no bigger than what’s currently allowed by-right as a single-family home.
Obit for Legendary Land Lawyer — “Martin D. ‘Art’ Walsh, co-founder of one of the most prolific land-use law firms in Northern Virginia, died Monday at the age of 78, his firm announced. A cause of death was not released… A year before Walsh Colucci’s founding, Art Walsh was the subject of a Washington Post profile as one of Arlington’s best known land-use attorneys.” [Washington Business Journal]
Local Leader May Get Historical Marker — “A venerable and venerated leader in Arlington’s one-time Little Saigon community is likely not to have a local park in his honor. But that doesn’t mean the county government won’t do something to memorialize the legacy of Nguyen Ngoc Bich, who died six years ago after 40 years of service to residents in the area… Nguyen could be remembered by an historical marker, said Diane Probus of the county government’s Department of Parks and Recreation.” [Sun Gazette]
The spate of vehicle-related thefts and break-ins is continuing.
Arlington County police say a group of four kids under the age of 18 broke into about seven cars in the residential Gulf Branch neighborhood early Tuesday morning.
Pike Plan Peeves Preservationists — “Under current, still tentative proposals, the façade of the building would be dismantled, stored away and then re-installed after the new development on the site rises. Keeping the facade ‘is kind of better than nothing, I suppose,’ said HALRB board member Joan Lawrence, who went on to blast the county government’s commitment, or lack thereof, to finding a way to retain ‘one of the few historic structures left on Columbia Pike.'” [Sun Gazette]
Local Credit Union Merger — “Two local credit unions, one based in Arlington and the other in Alexandria, are planning to merge into one entity that will have combined assets of about $700 million, 12 branches, 38,000 members and 140 employees. Arlington Community Federal Credit Union and InFirst Federal Credit Union, with headquarters in Alexandria, are seeking regulatory approval for their proposed merger, the credit unions announced Tuesday.” [Patch]
