Paris Baguette in Falls Church (staff photo by Jared Serre)
A French-inspired bakery is hosting its grand opening in Falls Church this weekend.
Paris Baguette has announced plans to begin serving customers at 169 Hillwood Avenue starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday, offering free giveaways to go with its wide menu of baked goods and other breakfast and lunch items.
Clarendon Ballroom entrance on a Saturday night (file photo)
In expectation of large crowds in the run-up to Thanksgiving, a pair of road closures will be in effect in Clarendon tonight (Wednesday).
The Arlington County Police Department is closing off Wilson Blvd and Clarendon Blvd between N. Highland Street and Washington Blvd “to accommodate the expected increase in nightlife activity.”
This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at[email protected].
Question: How much of an impact do you think the ROAD to Housing Act will have on housing affordability in Arlington?
Answer: The Road to Housing Act became law ten days ago, with the stated goal of improving housing affordability in the United States.
I don’t see many policies in the Act that will improve affordability in the Arlington/Northern VA/DC Metro markets, outside of incentives for more affordable multi-family housing, but there are policies that should improve affordability in other markets that are more saturated with institutional investors that own swaths of single-family homes (e.g. Atlanta and Phoenix) and for manufactured/mobile homes.
The Local Conversation Needs to Change
If we are going to improve affordability in our market, most of the change has to be done locally/regionally, not nationally, but it requires a paradigm shift in how we discuss and solve for housing affordability.
Affordability Disconnect: Near Term Expectations Not Realistic
A disconnect between housing affordability expectations and reality prevents the right community and political conversations from happening. We expect/demand housing affordability immediately, ignoring the difficulty, and consequences, of achieving it that quickly.
Stable and healthy housing affordability is a long-term process requiring gradual change over a 10-15+ year period.
Demand-Side Solutions Won’t Work
Demand-side solutions, such as lower interest rates or easier financing, artificially inflate home values, as seen during the COVID-era housing boom and early 2000s. They are not a good long-term solution to affordability because they push values even higher (along with your property taxes) and affordability gets worse when rates/lending normalize and no longer provide artificially low monthly payments.
Supply-Side Solutions Are Not Immediate
Most policy discussions focus on supply-side solutions: building more/faster and denser housing (e.g. Arlington’s Missing Middle/Expanded Housing Option), incentivizing more existing home sales, or disincentivizing concentrated ownership by companies and individuals. Econ 101 tells us that more supply = lower prices = affordable housing (winner winner!).
This is the only path to stable, long-term housing affordability…BUT, at current interest rates, prices must drop 30-35% in the United States to become affordable, at current income levels. A 30-35% drop in home values would devastate the economy, so a supply-side solution won’t (shouldn’t) provide immediate affordability. (more…)
Current placement of Campbell markers in Shirlington (via Arlington County)
Updated markers are coming to Shirlington next year in honor of a husband and wife who made waves in Arlington civic life for more than half a century.
The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HARLB) has approved a request from Federal Realty Investment Trust to replace the existing markers honoring Edmund and Elizabeth Campbell.
Families will also have the opportunity to tour the Dojo, meet our team, learn about our coding programs and camps, and take advantage of special Open House enrollment offers.
Admission is free, but registration is encouraged.
Shirlington's tree lighting celebration from a past year (courtesy photo)
Christmastime in Arlington brings numerous tree lightings, holiday markets and other festive activities for residents of all ages.
Upcoming highlights include a snowball fight in Aurora Highlands, a dog sweater contest and various opportunities for Christmas shopping. Here’s a look at what is ahead.
Wet holiday decorations at The Crossing Clarendon (courtesy George Brazier)
Thanksgiving Safety Tips — “Are you ready for #Thanksgiving? We are checking items off our holiday to do list: Turkey is thawing. Ingredients for pumpkin pie purchased. Turkey fryer safety tips reviewed. Smoke alarms tested.” [ACFD/X]
Letter: Better Labels, Less Waste — “As we gather for Thanksgiving this week and enjoy leftovers in the days that follow, it’s important to notice how much of our food ends up wasted. Did you know that America throws away up to 40% of its food each year? Much of this waste results from confusion over food labeling.” [Letter to the Editor]
Letter: County Should be Cautious — “At a time of national economic uncertainty, Arlington should project stability and predictability. Yet between the Board’s unexpected endorsement of rent control and now a rushed effort to explore restructuring the Board itself, the message to employers and investors is one of institutional unpredictability. That is the last thing Arlington needs.” [Letter to the Editor]
Doctoral Student Danced With Stars — “We’re celebrating a Marymount connection to the ballroom! Inna Brayer ’25 a former DWTS pro dancer & now an Ed.D. student is researching how arts education strengthens academic success, resilience & social-emotional growth in teens.” [Marymount University/X, Marymount University]
Congressional Probe into FCPS — “Fairfax County Public Schools is one of just three districts nationwide facing a federal investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Education and Workforce, which alleges Jewish students are being harassed and subjected to open antisemitism.” [FFXnow]
Alexandria Housing Authority Woes — “In the wake of the restructuring of Alexandria’s public housing authority and its board of commissioners, the organization has temporarily halted eviction proceedings against its tenants.” [ALXnow]
D.C. Mayor Won’t Run Again — “D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser won’t run for reelection, ending months of speculation over whether she would seek a fourth term.” [NBC 4]
Cold Holiday Weekend — “It’s going to be chilly in D.C. on Thanksgiving… NWS is warning of a “polar vortex,” an area of cold air around the Arctic, hitting the country this week, bringing chilly temps and snow across the country right when AAA projects record holiday traffic.” [Axios]
It’s Wednesday — Expect rain before 7am, followed by patchy fog until 9am, then cloudy skies will gradually clear with a high near 70. A southwest wind will blow at 9-11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy and breezy, with a low of 38 and winds gusting up to 39 mph. Thanksgiving Day will be partly sunny with a high of 44, and winds gusting up to 28 mph. [NWS]
Expect rain before 7am, followed by patchy fog until 9am, then cloudy skies will gradually clear with a high near 70. A southwest wind will blow at 9-11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy and breezy, with a low of 38 and winds gusting up to 39 mph. Thanksgiving Day will be partly sunny with a high of 44, and winds gusting up to 28 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” – Chris Grosser
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
The former Key Bridge Marriott at 1401 Langston Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
The former Key Bridge Marriott building is no more, leaving behind a void on a piece of prime real estate in Rosslyn.
Virtually nothing remains of the notorious closed hotel at 1401 Langston Blvd, which began demolition in February after being declared a “public nuisance” in May 2024.
Bozman Government Center in Courthouse (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
The Thanksgiving holiday will bring closures to some Arlington County offices and services on Thursday and Friday.
All public libraries in Arlington will be closed on both days, as will almost all community centers and administrative offices at the parks department. The Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center will be open from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, however.