(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) Though it’s likely to be more wet than wild in Arlington, Wednesday morning’s commute may still be made more difficult by snow.
Up to an inch of snow is expected to fall overnight, though temperatures are expected to stay above freezing. Roads are expected to remain mostly clear locally, but the first snowfall of the season may nonetheless cause some concerns for motorists during the morning rush.
Last month I spent eight hours at Arlington Independent Media (AIM) taking an audio production class. I marveled at the backgrounds, perspectives and skill sets that my classmates could bring to the airwaves.
Among us were a female veteran who is a motivational speaker, a filmmaker who has an interest in the women’s suffrage movement, an engineer and writer who focuses on environmental stewardship and historical fiction, and a woman who wants to produce a show about the downside of romantic relationships.
Welcome to Kami’s Korner where we’ll 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 had the pleasure of attending the local Urban Land Institute’s Building Healthy Places Summit this week at Georgetown University. Our region benefits greatly because the ULI Global Headquarters is here in DC. More info about this fantastic organization here: https://washington.uli.org . As a longtime member of ULI, I am continuously curious about the places that “thrive beyond the 9-5” and what is required to create active and economically vibrant neighborhoods in Arlington.
This includes a strong employment base, growing residential population, restaurants, entertainment, walkability, reliable transportation, mixed use development, safety, parks, and services that support daily life. In Arlington, we have a few of these exciting environments such as Clarendon and Shirlington, maybe Ballston, Columbia Pike, and Crystal City.
There is a new high-end condominium district emerging in Rosslyn centered on Gateway Park which will transform Rosslyn into more of an 18-hour city. As much as we like Rosslyn, it’s not there yet, but with three new communities coming, it’s the area that will see the heaviest influx of new condos in the next cycle. Residents are looking for an experience in their neighborhood.
Rosslyn is at an inflection point and with early renewed economic confidence, a micro-district surrounding Gateway Park is emerging. The condominium market has suffered a one-two punch and has yet to return to normal. The real estate development world was hit with COVID and brought the market to a standstill. I fondly call the current time period the “COVID hangover.” Let me explain.
It takes years to bring a new condominium to market including at least 1-2 years of entitlement and financing, 1 year of design, and 2 years of construction. If you count back 5-6 years, no one local was doing any of that with any real enthusiasm. Commercial markets then got hit with interest rates that roughly doubled, and then federal downsizing upset the situation.
Arlington is well poised for the return of luxury condos. It’s the second most educated city (behind Cambridge, Mass.) in America with 77% possessing college degrees. All the capital wealth makes 22207 the 36th most expensive zip code in the US with a median home price of $2.6M. Virginia is in the top 10 of US states for millionaires (roughly 275,000 or 8% of the residents). What do these people expect in the urban environment?
The next 3 luxury condo projects will all be overlooking Gateway Park, the new social epicenter of Rosslyn. To understand the effect this has today, just go visit Columbus Circle or Meridian Hill in DC. The parks are beautiful and safe again. Residents are visiting, smiling, taking pictures, enjoying the weather, lingering for longer, spending money, socializing, and proud to be there.
I, for one, can’t wait to witness the transformation. It will be a few years in the making and I’m here for it. Gateway Park is the connector for the next luxury condo district coming to Rosslyn in Arlington and it should produce an area that will “thrive beyond the 9-5.”
Do send along your questions, inquiries, and design preferences for the next generation of condominiums to our market. My personal email is: [email protected]
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) The latest addition to Rosslyn’s food scene is now open.
Happy Endings Eatery, an Asian food hall with a Vietnamese focus, opened last week in Rosslyn’s Central Place complex (1800 N. Lynn Street). The two-level, 5,000-square-foot space features two counters serving a variety of different cuisine and drinks, including as bubble tea, banh mi sandwiches, pho, and more.
This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Enjoy!
Question: We are looking forward to buying our first home in 2020. Do you have any recommendations on how we should start the home buying process?
Join Kaiser Permanente for Healthy at the Harbor, a free community health and wellness event taking place Saturday, June 6, from 11 am to 4 pm at National Harbor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Bring your family and friends for free full day of fun, fitness, and preventive care along the waterfront.
Throughout the day, Kaiser Permanente nurses and physicians will offer no-cost health screenings, alongside a health and wellness expo focused on preventive care education. A lively Kids’ Zone will keep children active and entertained with spin-art bikes, face painting, balloon art, games, and more.
A new donation from Nestlé will help some low-income households in Arlington afford child care.
The food and beverage company, which recently announced an expansion of its U.S. headquarters in Rosslyn, is donating $200,000 to the Arlington Community Foundation’s child care scholarship program.
A fire in the engine compartment of a Loudoun County commuter bus snarled traffic in Rosslyn this morning.
The fire was reported shortly before 7:30 a.m. on Lee Highway and N. Nash Street. The fire was small — at least compared to yesterday’s truck fire in Pentagon City — and quickly extinguished.
Arlington County Police are investigating a stabbing Sunday night in the Westover area.
Police say a man was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with a group of three men. The victim brought himself to the hospital, where the stabbing was then reported to police.
NAACP Slams APS Diversity Czar Process — “The Arlington school system’s effort to appoint a diversity czar has run into a buzzsaw of criticism from the county’s major civil-rights organization. The two co-chairs of the Arlington NAACP’s education committee took to the Dec. 5 School Board meeting to complain that the selection process was leaving out many of those the position is designed to support.” [InsideNova]
Snow Likely Overnight — “Temperatures are poised to leap to near 60 degrees Tuesday, and it won’t feel at all like it could snow. But, in a flash, that will change. An Arctic front charging to the East Coast will switch our weather from fall-like to winterlike in a matter of hours, setting the stage for possible wet snow overnight Tuesday into early Wednesday morning.” [Capital Weather Gang, Twitter]
So perhaps you’re not familiar with 90s-era German digital hardcore band Atari Teenage Riot. But you are undoubtedly familiar with the infamous Cheesecake Factory incident in Clarendon that happened around this time last year.
To mark the one year anniversary of that nationally-reported piece of uniquely Arlington local news (and as the first in a series of ARLnow merch we’re offering in time for the holidays this year) we have a new t-shirt for your online shopping pleasure.
