The Reeves Farmhouse at 400 N. Manchester Street (via HomeAid National Capital Region/Flickr)
The construction phase of a project bringing a new group home for adults with intellectual disabilities to the Reeves Farmhouse is expected to begin soon.
A year after the local Habitat for Humanity chapter and HomeAid National Capital Region broke ground on the historic structure at 400 N. Manchester Street in October last year, HomeAid and the construction company Toll Brothers announced that they’re ready to start work on the next stage.
Feds, Prosecutor Spar Over Investigation — “The investigation centers on Ms. Wien, 65, a retired academic who, along with others, has protested outside the home in northern Arlington where [White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen] Miller lived with his family at the time. The police say she has circulated leaflets in the neighborhood denouncing Mr. Miller and his hard-line policies, including on immigration. One of those leaflets featured Mr. Miller’s photograph and address.” [NYT]
Bomb Squad Investigation — “The all clear was just given after Arlington’s bomb squad was called to investigate something deemed suspicious at the U.S. State Dept. facility on N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn, per scanner. ACFD and ACPD on scene.” [ARLnow/X]
New Turf at Yorktown HS — “Starting the week of November 17, the Greenbrier Park field will be closed for construction to replace the synthetic turf, update the infill, and repaint/restripe the field. The Greenbrier Park track is expected to remain open for the public during this time. Staff estimate the turf replacement will be complete in February 2026.” [Arlington County]
Car Wheel Theft Story — “I’ve had the car less than 2 weeks, and this happened the first night I parked in my apartment building’s garage [in Shirlington, within a 4 hour window.” [Reddit]
New Road Safety Campaign — “Daylight Saving Time ended early on Sunday, Nov. 2, leading to an hour of darker conditions during the evening commute time. Pedestrian crashes are 20% more likely in the darker months, so it’s important to be extra vigilant while traveling. Keep safety in mind when traveling around Arlington, whether driving, biking, scootering or walking to usual destinations or a packed calendar of seasonal activities.” [Arlington County]
Early Voting Up Statewide — “Virginia voters this year are casting their ballots early at a higher rate than in the 2021 election, as both Democrats and Republicans have sought to drive early turnout in their bids to win the governorship and a majority in the House of Delegates.” [Washington Post]
Another Low Snow Prediction — “Don’t expect loads of the white stuff this winter, say long-range forecasting experts from four private companies. They lean toward a mild-ish winter with less snow than normal.” [CWG]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature of around 62, accompanied by west winds blowing at 8-11 mph and gusts up to 21 mph. Tonight there will be mostly clear skies with lows close to 41. [NWS]
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…)
Expect sunshine and a high temperature of around 62, accompanied by west winds blowing at 8-11 mph and gusts up to 21 mph. As night falls on Tuesday, there will be mostly clear skies with lows close to 41, with west winds gradually calming at around 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein
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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.
Fmr. President Joe Biden at Carbonara in Virginia Square (via @carbonara_va/IG)
Former President Joe Biden had dinner Sunday night at Carbonara in Virginia Square, according to the restaurant’s Instagram account.
Stories posted by Carbonara (3865 Wilson Blvd) show Biden dining with a man who appears to be former defense secretary Lloyd Austin, though the dining companion is not identified by name in the videos.
Join the Rosslyn BID and Arlington Arts at the 34th Rosslyn Jazz Fest 2026 featuring live jazz, food trucks, local vendors, and family-friendly activities in the heart of Rosslyn! This year’s lineup is bringing a diverse mix of performers and bands redefining the jazz music genre including Plena Libre, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Parlor Greens, and Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band.
Early voting at the Madison Community Center on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (staff photo)
As Election Day approaches tomorrow (Tuesday), Arlington County Board candidates have been shoring up plans to meet voters at the polls before watching the results come in.
While the Arlington County Democratic Committee has been tying up a few loose ends over the past week, it expects to have all 54 precincts covered throughout the day on Tuesday.
County BID leaders Mary-Claire Burick, Danette Nguyen and Tracy Sayegh Gabriel at October 2025 forum (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
The business improvement districts (BIDs) along Arlington’s major commercial corridors are evolving in response to a changing mix of office and residential development in those areas.
“We are the boots on the ground” in a shifting environment, said Mary-Claire Burick, president of the Rosslyn BID, during an Oct. 30 panel discussion on economic-development issues sponsored by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
Abigail Spanberger speaks to a Falls Church crowd while Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner look on (staff photo by Jared Serre)
Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger hosted one of her final rallies of the election season in Falls Church yesterday (Sunday).
Helping the Democrat make her closing argument to Northern Virginia voters at the State Theatre ahead of Tuesday’s election were two men who previously held the governor’s seat: Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, the state’s incumbent U.S. senators.