New conversion projects on three aging, mostly empty office buildings in Arlington have caused the county’s office vacancy rate to drop by more than a full percentage point.
County leaders hope that these adaptive reuse projects, combined with newly approved standards for signage on commercial buildings, contribute to making Arlington a more enticing place for developers and corporate tenants alike.
An Arlington County commission is throwing its weight behind a proposal to have the state government take over operation of Virginia’s national parks during federal shutdowns.
The Park and Recreation Commission agreed last week to include that recommendation as part of its 2026 package of state legislative priorities. The advisory body’s list will be forwarded to County Board members for final consideration.
In Stafford, Embrey Mill is known for its active, connected, and outdoors-focused way of life. Since its debut, the community has grown into one of the area’s most recognizable master-planned neighborhoods, defined by its parks, trails, gathering spaces, and strong sense of community. That lifestyle continues to evolve.
At Cascades at Embrey Mill, Brookfield Residential offers a fresh perspective on active adult living within the established community—one that feels more modern, more social, and more in step with how people want to live today. Condominiums start at $399,990 and offer main-level living—with your kitchen, living, dining, and primary suite all on one floor—plus private elevators, all in the Cascades neighborhood.
Equally important, the homes are designed for low-maintenance living, with lawn care, snow removal, and exterior upkeep all included, so homeowners can spend less time managing a home and more time enjoying their day.
More Ways to Stay Active. More Ways to Connect.
Life here isn’t about slowing down. It’s about having more ways to spend your time.
Homeowners can start the morning with a pickleball match or a walk along nearby trails, meet friends for coffee, or spend the afternoon enjoying the clubhouse and community spaces. With a full calendar of clubs, gatherings, and social events, there’s always something happening.
And because Cascades is part of the larger Embrey Mill community, that experience extends even further, with access to parks, pools, dining, and neighborhood destinations just moments from home.
Homes Designed for the Way You Live Now
At the center of it all are modern 55+ active adult condominiums with private elevators, thoughtfully designed for the way people want to live today.
Brookfield Residential’s thoughtfully designed homes offer main-level living with contemporary finishes and open layouts that support both comfort and flexibility. Private elevators, outdoor living spaces, and attached garages make everyday living easier—whether hosting friends or enjoying a quiet day at home. (more…)
Members of the Falls Church250 Committee are getting down to the nuts and bolts of preparing for the nation’s 2026 birthday bash.
At a meeting last week, committee members wordsmithed their way to reach a final version of the body’s mission statement.
Proposal for Fmr. Verizon Building — “Quadrangle Development Corp. has proposed converting a mostly vacant office building in Courthouse to apartments. The D.C.-based developer filed an adaptive reuse application July 15 with Arlington County, outlining a proposal to transform the 12-story office at 1320 N. Courthouse Road into 295 multifamily units.” [WBJ]
Big Blow for Shirlington-Based WETA — “Of Greater Washington’s stations, WETA, D.C’s primary Public Broadcasting Service member station and producer of “PBS News Hour,” has the most on the chopping block, according to annual financial reports required by the CPB. In 2024, WETA-TV received more than $34 million in funding from the CPB and nearly $11 million from PBS. That represents to 27.5% of its budget.” [WBJ]
Vehicle Break-Ins on S. Glebe Road — “During the overnight hours, approximately 8 vehicles inside a parking garage were broken into, including some by force. The vehicles were rummaged through and personal property, including sporting equipment and a firearm, were stolen from two of the vehicles.” [ACPD]
Fight at Columbia Pike Bar — “A fight a short time ago at the Pike Cornerstone restaurant in Arlington. It was still going on when @ArlingtonVaPD officers arrived at Columbia Pike and Walter Reed. They arrested a man the restaurant’s staff appeared to be trying to get out of the building.” [Dave Statter/X]
Van Driver Saves Man — “Shout out to the driver of a work van early Friday morning who stepped in to prevent a man, apparently in crisis, from being killed. The man was on foot, walking down the lane markings in the middle of I-395S north of the Pentagon. The van driver knew this was likely to end very poorly. They put their own safety at risk, positioning the van so that other drivers going at speed didn’t hit the pedestrian.” [Dave Statter/X]
Police Escort for ‘Thank You’ Walk — “ACPD assisted @PFPAOfficial in escorting Jordan Ramirez from @ArlingtonVaFD Station 5 to the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon as he spreads his message of gratitude to first responders and military personnel during his Thank You for Your Service tour.” [ACPD/X, Jordan Ramirez/IG]
HQ2 Jazz Band Performs — “A group of Amazon engineers, legal, and sustainability professionals entertained their fellow workers with the sweet sounds of smooth jazz at the tech company’s HQ2 campus in Arlington on Friday. The eight-piece jazz combo called HQBlue has been rehearsing in the evenings and during lunch in preparation for Friday’s performance in the lounge space adjacent to the second floor cafe in the Met 2 building.” [Patch]
It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny day with highs around 85°F and a northward wind at about 6 mph. In the evening, there will be clear skies, and temperatures will drop to around 66°F with a gentle northeastward breeze between 3 and 5 mph. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Great music, scripture, and prayer mingle together in this ancient evening service as we celebrate Pride and the all-embracing love of God. Join us for this 45 minute service in the beautiful Saint George’s sanctuary. The prelude begins at 3:45 pm and the service is followed by a festive reception. Everyone is welcome at Saint George’s.
Arlington and the immediate D.C. area is now under a Flood Watch.
The watch was issued shortly before 5 p.m., amid developing storms in the area, and will remain in effect until 10 p.m.
Good Friday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jul 18, 2025.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
There’s a slight chance of showers before 1pm, with showers and thunderstorms possible from 1-5pm and likely after 5pm, along with a high of 86 and light afternoon winds. Saturday night, expect showers and thunderstorms mainly before 8pm and a low around 73. Both days have a 60% chance of precipitation, with potential rainfall between a tenth and a quarter-inch, potentially higher during thunderstorms. See more from Weather.gov.
“There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part! You can’t even passively take part! And you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels…upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop!”
– Mario Savio
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
A teenager was stabbed inside the Pentagon City mall Friday evening.
The stabbing happened around 5:45 p.m. amid a reported fight among a large group of people, including males and females, in the food court. Initial reports suggest that the boy was stabbed in the back during the melee.
The weekend is here and so is a new episode of the ARLnow podcast.
In the latest episode, Vernon, Dan and Katie discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:
With summertime parking at a premium at Reagan National Airport, more travelers are arriving with reservations in hand.
The number of drivers with advance parking reservations rose 36% year-over-year during both the Memorial Day and Juneteenth travel periods, Chryssa Westerlund, chief revenue officer for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), said at a Wednesday board of directors meeting.
