Schools

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Oakridge Elementary students are no longer allowed to take their school-issued iPads home due to reports of “inappropriate use.”

The policy will be in place “for the foreseeable future,” Principal Lynn Wright told families in a School Talk email, after “teachers, students and families have shared that iPads are being used inappropriately outside of school hours.”


Around Town

Local nonprofit PathForward has helped an Arlington man who has experienced homelessness for more than 15 years finally find a place to call his own.

Earlier this month, the organization tweeted that it was able to find a new home for Barry Oliver, who was often seen in the Ballston, Virginia Square and Clarendon neighborhoods. He moved into a subsidized apartment in Arlington the prior week.


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…)


Around Town

Happy Friday and welcome to another round of open houses as we enter the last weekend in March.

In the last 4 weeks there have been 177 new listings and 239 sales, according to Homesnap. Currently, there are 413 homes for sale with 292 of those being condos. The median sales price is $620,000 and the median list price is $552,900.


Announcement

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News

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares visited Arlington yesterday (Thursday) to launch a political fund aimed at unseating progressive prosecutors.

The reform-minded approach of “left-wing liberal prosecutors” has “directly resulted in higher crime in our communities and they must be stopped,” Miyares said in a statement that specifically called out Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.


News

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) A person is dead after leaping from an upper floor of an apartment building on Columbia Pike, amid a federal law enforcement presence at the complex.

Arlington police and medics were dispatched to the Infinity Apartments at 955 S. Columbus Street shortly after 10 a.m. for a person who jumped from the building and was in cardiac arrest. Responders were told to expect plain clothed U.S. Marshals Service personnel on scene.


Around Town

Bond Vet, a New York City-based chain of primary and urgent care clinics for cats and dogs, is setting up shop in Clarendon.

Construction in the space at 2871 Clarendon Blvd, in the former Lilly Pulitzer storefront, is underway. Bond Vet aims to open its doors to local dogs and cats and their humans this summer.


News

County Prepping New Tree Study — “Arlington leaders may take their next crack at guesstimating the number of trees in the county – a topic not without political as well as environmental ramifications – early in 2023, if all goes according to plan… estimating the cost at $100,000 to $150,000.” [Sun Gazette]

New Name for GMU Arlington Campus — “George Mason University announced today that its Arlington Campus will be renamed Mason Square as the new centerpiece of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor for multi-disciplinary talent and business development, as well as a civic and cultural destination. Also being announced is Fuse at Mason Square, the name of the new technology-forward building that is the heart of Mason’s commitment to growing Northern Virginia’s next-generation workforce. A groundbreaking ceremony for Fuse at Mason Square will take place April 6.” [Press Release]


Schools

Over the last four days, fights involving kids and weapons broke out near Gunston and Thomas Jefferson middle schools, while Wakefield High School had multiple trash cans set on fire.

Those are the most recent incidents in what some parents — mostly to middle schoolers — say is a rash of fights, threats of violence and other concerning behaviors happening in the public school system.


Feature

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You’ve probably seen, spoken to, been directed by, or maybe even gotten a ticket from Arlington County police officer Adam Stone.