News | ARLnow.com

JBG Smith’s Major Crystal Square Project Nears Approval, Though Some Concerns Linger

Published October 18, 2018 at 12:45PM | Updated December 17, 2018 at 12:19PM

A rendering of a future Crystal City movie theater (Photo via Arlington County)

Plans to transform a section of Crystal City into a new retail hub for the neighborhood could soon move ahead, though neighbors and cyclists are still pressing for changes to the redevelopment effort.

Many of JBG Smith’s plans for the “Crystal Square” project, centered on a block of Crystal Drive between 15th Street S. and 18th Street S., are up for approval by the County Board this weekend. The long-awaited project would completely revamp the existing office buildings on the block, adding a new movie theater, grocery store and other retailers to replace the existing Crystal City Shops at 1750.

Lime Becomes Second Company to Bring Dockless Scooters to Arlington

By Alex Koma

Published October 18, 2018 at 10:45AM

Lime dockless scooters in Ballston

Lime has become the second company to start offering dockless electric scooters in Arlington, expanding into the county soon after officials signed off on a pilot program to allow more of the vehicles around the area.

The company successfully applied for that program and is so far only offering scooters, not bikes, in Arlington, according to county transportation spokesman Eric Balliet. Bird was the first company to drop its dockless scooters in the county this summer, though Lime has been courting support from the county’s business community for months now.

County Weighs Allowing More Renovations, Additions to Older Duplexes and Townhomes

By Alex Koma

Published October 18, 2018 at 9:45AM | Updated October 17, 2022 at 11:27AM

Arlington could soon make it easier for owners of older duplexes and townhomes to renovate the buildings or tack on additions.

Plenty of Arlington homeowners looking to make a change to a home built before the 1940s have encountered a vexing conundrum in the county’s zoning ordinance; the building could well be deemed “nonconforming” with Arlington’s zoning rules, as it wasn’t built to match the standards the county’s been using since 1942. That means any sort of renovation or addition to the home would require extensive county review, and could ultimately be prohibited, restrictions that have persistently frustrated property owners over the years.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 18, 2018 at 9:00AM

More Housing Coming to Pentagon City — Developer LCOR is working on plans for a new apartment building in Pentagon City, to be built on a site that currently houses a blocky, low-slung building containing Verizon telecommunications infrastructure. Arlington has seen “a rising demand for luxury rentals,” including at a recently-completed LCOR building in Crystal City. [Washington Business Journal, Washington Business Journal]

Woman Charged With Bringing Gun to DCA — “The TSA said an Arlington, Virginia, woman was stopped at a checkpoint at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday with a loaded 9 mm handgun in her carry-on bag. There were 14 bullets in the handgun, including one in the chamber. She was cited by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police.” [WTOP]

Crime Report: Man Drunkenly Breaks into Clarendon Home, Assaults Occupants and Neighbors

By Alex Koma

Published October 17, 2018 at 4:45PM | Updated February 28, 2020 at 10:45AM

File photo

Police received a call around 3 a.m. after a woman living along the 1200 block of N. Fillmore Street in Clarendon was woken up by a visibly intoxicated man “speaking incoherently” at her front door. He was subsequently identified as 25-year-old Daniel Fay.

The woman told police that she “closed the door and [Fay] left momentarily, but returned, and forced his way past the victim into her residence.”

Surge in Absentee Ballots Could Foreshadow Huge Midterm Turnout, Endanger Vihstadt’s Re-Election Bid

By Alex Koma

Published October 17, 2018 at 3:45PM | Updated October 17, 2018 at 4:34PM

(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) Arlington voters seem ready to flood the polls in record numbers on Nov. 6, with early turnout numbers presaging a “blue wave” that could — potentially — wipe independent County Board member John Vihstadt out of office.

New figures compiled by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project show that the county has seen a 114 percent increase in the number of absentee ballots cast through Wednesday (Oct. 17), compared to the same time last year. The county’s surge to 4,236 ballots cast, compared to 1,976 a year ago, mirrors similarly boosts around the state.

Arlington Moves to Embrace 5G Tech, Though Critics Worry County is Dragging Its Feet

By Alex Koma

Published October 17, 2018 at 1:45PM

Verizon workers install 5G equipment on an Arlington office building (via YouTube)

Arlington is gearing up to embrace the arrival of the next generation of cell network technology, though some observers worry county officials aren’t acting fast enough to expand access to 5G in the area.

Telecom companies are slowly, but surely moving to deploy equipment for 5G, the fifth generation of network tech, in communities around the country, in order to realize the new network’s promise to drastically increase mobile internet speeds and enable all manner of new innovations, from driverless cars to virtual reality video games.

Arlington Gets Warmed Up for Marine Corps Marathon Traffic

By Vernon Miles

Published October 17, 2018 at 10:45AM

Finish line of the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon (file photo)

The Marine Corps Marathon returns to Arlington next Sunday (Oct. 28), likely bringing over 30,000 runners to Arlington and a resulting tangle of road closures and transportation changes.

The opening ceremonies for the marathon will be held at 6 a.m., followed by the wheelchair and handcycle race starting at 7:40 a.m. Races will continue throughout the day until 3:10 p.m. Award celebrations are scheduled to continue until 9:30 p.m.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 17, 2018 at 8:55AM

Mi and Yu Opening Update — According to its website, Mi and Yu Noodle Bar, which was originally expected to open in September in the revamped Ballston Quarter mall, is now slated for a February 2019 opening. The opening of the mall — and the numerous new restaurants that will call it home — was at last check delayed until late October. [Mi and Yu Noodle Bar]

Improvements for McKinley Road — “Arlington County Board members on Oct. 20 are expected to award a contract worth up to $426,700 for modify curbs and intersections and establish a median along McKinley Road from Wilson Boulevard north to 11th Street North. The project is designed to improved safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in the corridor, including students attending McKinley Elementary School.” [InsideNova]

Police: Bluemont Traffic Stop Leads to Brief Scuffle Between Officer, Driver

By Alex Koma

Published October 16, 2018 at 4:45PM

Arlington police car outside police headquarters (file photo)

County police say officers pulled over 20-year-old Charles Contreras along the 900 block of N. Burlington Street in Bluemont around 2 p.m. Friday (Oct. 12).

They say they noticed him driving with a cracked windshield, then he committed a “traffic offense” of some kind.

De Ferranti Narrowly Out-Raises Vihstadt in September, As County Board Race Heads to the Wire

By Alex Koma

Published October 16, 2018 at 3:45PM

Democratic County Board hopeful Matt de Ferranti raised slightly more campaign cash last month than independent John Vihstadt, the second straight fundraising period that the challenger has pulled in more contributions than the incumbent.

Even still, Vihstadt has persistently maintained a larger campaign war chest to draw on over the course of the race for the lone Board seat on the ballot this fall, with a roughly $73,300 advantage in cash on hand over de Ferranti through Sept. 30, according to campaign finance reports released Monday (Oct. 15).

JBG Smith Launches New Experiment to Cool Down Crystal City Parking Lots

By Alex Koma

Published October 16, 2018 at 1:45PM

Crystal City’s biggest property owner is now testing out a new pavement sealant in a bid to bring down temperatures and reduce the “heat island” effect increasingly plaguing urban areas.