Looking for a home? There are plenty of houses and condos open for viewing this weekend.
Check out the Arlington Realty website for a full list of homes for sale and open houses in Arlington. Here are a few highlights:
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(Updated at 11:45 a.m.) As the development plans stack up for Crystal City and Pentagon City, the need for a new school could be growing.
As plans progress for Amazon’s second headquarters, developer JBG Smith has submitted its own plans to the county proposing to build thousands of additional apartments (and potentially condos) in the area, to help house the tens of thousands expected to one day work at HQ2.
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Is your home starting to feel a little too cozy?
Summer is often the time when many Arlington homeowners start to notice their homes feeling cramped, whether you have school-aged kids still at home, your college student has moved back in for the summer, or you’re preparing to welcome aging parents for an extended stay.
While it’s too late to complete a major renovation this summer, it’s the perfect time to start planning so you can live more comfortably next year. Your Arlington lot may be small, and Arlington zoning ordinances are notoriously tricky to navigate, but your property likely has untapped potential. You can maximize your lot through a side or rear addition, popping the top, adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or outdoor living space, and/or finishing an underutilized basement.
With thoughtful planning, you can create the space your family needs while staying in the community you love, even on a small lot.
The Golden Rule to Remodeling: Start With a Master Plan
Before jumping into any addition or major renovation, it’s important to understand what your property can support and how your family’s needs may evolve over time.
One of the first steps is reviewing your plat (survey) to understand your buildable area, as one of the unique home-construction challenges in Arlington is that a majority of homes were built before current setback requirements were enacted, which impacts the scope of many construction projects. Setback requirements refer to the distance by which a home must be “set back” from the front, side, and rear property lines.
A word of caution: If your builder isn’t deeply familiar with Arlington’s setback rules and the available legal workarounds, your project can be derailed before it even starts.
As part of the strategic planning process, make sure you evaluate your long-term goals and create a master plan that accounts for all the spaces you intend to renovate. For example, renovating a basement without considering future plumbing, electrical, or HVAC needs can lead to unnecessary rework later.
And if you are undertaking a significant addition project, we generally recommend including a basement foundation, as it is not feasible to add one after initial construction is complete. Even if you choose to finish the basement later, it remains a more cost-effective way to add square footage than other areas of the house.
A thoughtful, whole-home approach helps create a smoother renovation process and a home that continues to meet your needs over time. Additionally, consider if you plan to live in your home late in your life – something we call aging in place. If so, knowing that is your long-term goal will influence your renovation project.
1. Expand Your Footprint With a Rear or Side Addition
For many Arlington homeowners, a rear or side addition is the most straightforward way to gain usable square footage, as long as their plat allows for it. By adding square footage to your home, you can make space for a larger kitchen and family room, add a mudroom as your dedicated “drop zone” for all your kids’ sports equipment, and even add a main-level guest suite. Rear and side additions can be single or multi-story, even if you don’t pop the top on the existing structure.
One key consideration for a home addition in Arlington County, however, is understanding how the Department of Environmental Services calculates whether you are over or under 2,500 square feet of disturbed area. If your project clears, digs up, or grades more than 2,500 square feet of land, per their definition, you’ll be required to pay for extra county permits, civil engineering plans, and potentially expensive drainage systems to handle rainwater runoff.
2. Build Up With a Pop-Top Addition
When your lot coverage is limited by setback requirements, the only way to go is up!
We recently transformed an outdated 1,300-square-foot rental property in Highview Park into a spacious, modern home for a young family. Adhering to zoning guidelines required preserving the existing foundation, so we took the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home down to its foundation, expanded it slightly on the left side, and built up! The result is an essentially brand-new four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath custom home that boasts 2,916 square feet across three floors.
The women’s clothing boutique Malena has reopened in Courthouse (2111 Wilson Blvd) after a 40-year run on the second level of the Rosslyn Metro Mall.
Malena shuttered its Rosslyn location in mid-August. Store employee Laura Nickle cited the move as a result of the $35 million redevelopment project at the Rosslyn Metro Center building.
The annual Army Ten-Miler race returns this weekend for the 35th year in a row, prompting several road closures.
Runners will hit the pavement to compete in this 10-mile race on Sunday, October 13, following a route that starts and ends at the Pentagon and takes runners into D.C. via the Key Bridge, and back to Virginia via the 14th Street Bridge.
Commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of the United States of America at Civic Jam! Celebrate the City of Falls Church’s diverse community, civic engagement, and classic summer fun. Jam out to live, local music, sip on local brews, enjoy tasty treats and eats, and a full evening of festivities for all ages on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Play, connect, and earn points throughout the evening in the Civic Cup Competition with activities ranging from sack races and relays to collaborative community art and trivia in the beer garden. No pre-registration required, assemble a team of four, pick up a Civic Cup scorecard, and compete for the Civic Cup Trophy!
Sietsema’s Dining Guide Includes Arlington Spots — Out of 77 restaurants on Washington Post food critic’s prestigious annual Fall Dining Guide, four are Arlington-based or have Arlington outposts: Thai Square on Columbia Pike, Sfoglina in Rosslyn, Jaleo in Crystal City, and Buena Vida in Clarendon. [Washington Post]
Dance Flash Mob in Ballston — “Flash Mob in #Ballston! Volunteers and @BMDCdance treated @marymountu’s Ballston Center students to an impromptu performance at the Fall Wellness Fair! #LifeisFull” [Twitter]
Just Listed highlights Arlington properties that just came on the market within the past week. This feature is written and sponsored by Team Cathell, “Your Orange Line Specialists.”
For a second straight week, buyer activity in Arlington’s fall real estate market has performed more like the summer doldrums.
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(Updated at 6:35 p.m.) When Cowboy Cafe’s beloved regular Jerome Williams passed away earlier this year, he didn’t have any immediate family to mourn him — but he had his friends at “the Cowboy,” and the bar’s memorial service was packed out the door.
“Working at the Cowboy, the customers aren’t just customers,” said current general manager Amanda Wellborn. “They’re family, and I mean it. I’ve never experienced anything else like it.”
As technology changes, we must reframe our mindset on public transportation, specifically our bus systems.
Metro and ART Bus ridership have continued to decrease annually while the use of rideshare and mobility services such as Uber, Lyft, and Bird scooters have skyrocketed.
By the summer of 2020, a two-block radius in Rosslyn will be home to three food halls: Common Ground, Happy Endings Eatery, and an unnamed concept at the soon-to-be redeveloped Rosslyn City Center.
Common Ground and Happy Endings will both be a part of the Central Place complex at 1800 N. Lynn Street. Common Ground will be on the second floor of the residential building, while Happy Endings will be on a lower level near Nando’s and Bethesda Bagels. Happy Endings is hoping to open in late November, Eater reported this week.