News

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) Local lawmakers have again introduced legislation to officially remove Robert E. Lee’s name from Arlington House.

For fifty years, “Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial” has been the official name for the National Park Service-managed mansion that sits on top of a hill at Arlington National Cemetery.


Around Town

The first medical cannabis dispensary in Arlington is set to open in Clarendon by the end of the year, coming as state restrictions loosen for medical cannabis.

Beyond/Hello, one of four companies allowed to sell cannabis in Virginia, is opening a dispensary along Clarendon’s main drag of Wilson Blvd. The plan is to open by the end of the year, pending approval from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy, Chief Commercial Director Trent Woloveck told ARLnow.


Sponsored

Welcome to the new column, Kami’s Korner, where we will take a deep dive into Arlington’s condominium market by focusing on what’s coming next.  From emerging developments to shifting trends, this space will spotlight the opportunities and insights shaping the future of condo living in Arlington.

I’d like to share some market insight. Let’s begin with a brief overview of the three upcoming Arlington condominium projects in the planning stages for Arlington…

  • One Rosslyn: Approximately 70 units, Average Size 1800 sq ft, 1 Bed + Den – 3 Bed
  • 1501 Langston Blvd: Approximately 90 units, Average size 1700 sq ft, 1-3 Bed
  • Potomac Overlook (Formerly Key Bridge Marriott): 100 units+, Average Size 2000 sq ft, 1 Bed + Den – 3 Bed+

All three projects will have the benefit of the extended building height afforded in Rosslyn over DC and the rest of Arlington, and therefore will be built in concrete and boast Potomac River/DC views.

Concurrently, the target market for many of these includes urbanized singles and couples as well as downsizing empty nesters. The baby boomer generation has raised their children in Northern Virginia and they want to be rid of the suburban house. They would have done it years ago but there wasn’t a for-sale option that suited due to the interruption of COVID-19. Arlington has everything they want, and they don’t have to uproot their personal or social lives to make a lifestyle change. They have significant equity in their homes, have built financial wealth, and are essentially unaffected by interest rates. They can pay cash for what they want.

Condominiums designed for this luxury group are some of the only condominium projects that work in today’s market due to several converging factors. The first is that construction costs are up 30%+, and concrete is one of the most expensive components. They skyrocketed after COVID-19, and although they are no longer rising as steadily, they are stubbornly elevated. Most existing condo stock in Arlington could not be built today for what they are currently selling for in the marketplace. (more…)


Opinion

Arlington was just named the fittest “city” in America for a record-setting fifth year in row.

The ranking included incredible stats, like 93.8% of Arlington residents reporting that they exercised at some point over the past 30 days.


Announcement

It’s a cold winter night in Almost, Maine — a small town so remote it never quite got around to being officially incorporated. The Northern Lights shimmer overhead, and something in the air makes ordinary moments feel a little electric. Over the course of one enchanted evening, love stories unfold across town: couples fall into each other, fall apart, fall back together. A man carries the weight of his broken heart in a paper bag. A woman returns the love she borrowed from a relationship that didn’t work out. Two strangers find themselves drawn together in ways neither can explain.

John Cariani’s Almost, Maine is funny and aching in equal measure — the kind of play that makes you laugh out loud one moment and go quiet the next. It’s about how love surprises us, how it shows up when we’re not looking, and how hard it is to say the thing we most need to say. It has become one of the most-produced plays in American high school theater for good reason: it speaks to everyone who has ever loved someone and struggled to find the words.


News

Flyover This MorningUpdated at 9:15 a.m. — “The US Air Force reports 2 flyovers in the NCR consisting of 4 military aircrafts (in both flyovers) at Arlington National Cemetery today, July 14… at 9:55AM and 11:43AM.” [PoPville]

Arlington Again No. 1 ‘Digital County’ — “Arlington County continues to be a national leader in technology, once again being recognized as the No. 1 Digital County by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties. The 2022 award marks the fifth time that Arlington has received the top honor in the 150,000-249,999-population category.” [Arlington County]


Event

Internationally acclaimed pianist Carlos César Rodríguez joins NCE for a luminous performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, “Elvira Madigan,” celebrated for its elegance, lyricism, and timeless appeal. Artistic Director and violinist Leo Sushansky takes center stage in Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, a cornerstone of the violin repertoire, offering a deeply personal and passionate interpretation of its sweeping romantic lines.

The program is further enriched by Florence Price’s Adoration, a work of profound beauty and spiritual warmth, and Johan Svendsen’s Romance, cherished for its lyrical charm and expressive simplicity.


News

A man crashed his Subaru into a Courthouse office building this afternoon.

The crash happened around 4 p.m. at the National Science Teaching Association building at 1840 Wilson Blvd, in the alley between Wilson and Clarendon boulevards.


News

(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) The Arlington County Board is eyeing December for a vote on residential zoning changes suggested by the county’s Missing Middle Housing Study.

But changes to the study’s draft framework — for allowing multi-family homes with up to 8 units on properties currently zoned only for single family homes — seem likely.


Around Town

Ballston breakfast and lunch spot Laura Cooks is now closed after 18 years at its current location on N. Randolph Street.

Today (July 13) was the restaurant’s last lunch rush, owner Laura Hong tells ARLnow. Although both the website and the sign on the door note tomorrow (July 14) as the closing date, Hong clarifies that’s a mistake.


Events

A festival to showcase Latin American music, folk dance, art and food is coming to Rosslyn next month.

The ¡Viva Cultura! Festival is scheduled for Saturday, August 13, at Gateway Park (1300 Langston Blvd), which is a five-minute walk from the Rosslyn Metro station. The event is set to begin at 10 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Admission is free.


News

Arlington is seeing a spate of men exposing themselves.

The past two Arlington County Police Department crime reports have included five separate indecent exposure incidents, four of which involve men masturbating in public and three of which resulted in arrests.


Announcement

Ghost Limb is a timely and haunting examination of authoritarianism set during Argentina’s Dirty War that draws poetic inspiration from the Persephone and Demeter myth. When Consuelo’s son is “disappeared” by the military, she discovers a psychic link between her injured arm and her tortured child-and races to find him before it’s too late.

Performance Days and Times