Simpler, more flexible rules for posting signs at commercial buildings could be coming to Arlington.
The Zoning Ordinance Committee of the Planning Commission considered various possible zoning amendments at a meeting last week.
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Fiery Crash on GW Parkway — “Looks bad but initial reports are that everyone made it out okay. No word of serious injuries. Park Police and ACFD handled.” [ARLnow/X]
Arrest After Auto Theft Attempt — “The male suspect entered the parking lot of the business and engaged an employee in conversation. The suspect then allegedly entered an unoccupied, running vehicle and attempted to flee the scene in the vehicle. Employees confronted the suspect who subsequently exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot…. officers located an individual matching the description of the suspect in the 2300 block of S. Eads Street and detained him.” [ACPD]
Composting Bins Highlighted — “Introducing Bigbelly Bins, the latest high-tech heroes in the green movement. These sleek, solar-powered compost bins are popping up around Arlington, and they’re not just here to look pretty. They’re smart, they’re efficient and they’re making it easier than ever for residents to go green without getting their hands dirty.” [WUSA 9]
Drew Day in Green Valley — “Join us on Saturday, May 31, from 9:45 AM to 1 PM for our end-of-year celebration, as we honor Dr. Charles R. Drew’s birthday (June 3)… Enjoy a fun-filled day with games, activities, and opportunities to get involved.” [Drew Elementary/IG]
‘Single Payer Health Fair’ — “Join DSA NoVA’s Medicare For All Working Group for a fun-filled afternoon of games and activities in Alcova Heights Park as part of the nationwide Day of Action for Single Payer! This event is free and open to the public.” [Action Network]
WHS Soccer Advances in Tourney — “Un a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory last night in the VHSL Liberty District’s Northern Regional Tournament, the Wakefield Warriors stunned the #2-seeded Chantilly Chargers.” [Bryson Dawson/X]
F.C. Apartment Project in Doubt — “In a surprise move, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) decided against selling an EDA parcel for the Maple and Annandale mixed-use project, as originally agreed to by the late EDA Chair Robert Young. The City Manager said that selling the land for this project would limit the redevelopment potential of the Burke & Herbert Bank lot adjacent to it.” [Falls Church Pulse]
Rep Wants WMATA Renamed — “WMATA takes $150M a year in federal funds and delivers nothing but delays, dysfunction, and decay. My bill blocks funding until WMATA is renamed WMAGA and the Metrorail becomes the TRUMP TRAIN.” [Axios, Rep. Greg Steube/X]
Drought Over — “Drought? What drought? Thanks to a soggy May, the entire D.C. Beltway area is now drought-free, per the US Drought Monitor. With even more rain on the way, this could end up a top 10 wettest May ever.” [CWG/Bluesky, CWG]
It’s Friday — After patchy fog gives way to sunshine in the morning, shower and thunderstorm chances increase throughout the afternoon, with a high near 79. Friday night will bring more showers and possible thunderstorms, with some producing heavy rainfall. Lows will be around 59, with north winds at 7-14 mph shifting to northwest after midnight and gusting up to 21 mph. Precipitation chances are at 90%, with 1 to 2 inches of rainfall possible. [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…)
ABC NOTICE: BB1028GAR, LLC, trading as Buffalo & Bergen, 3003 Washington Blvd, Arlington, Virginia 22201 is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a Wine and Beer On and Off, Mixed Beverage license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages. Gina Chersevani, Managing Member. NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200.
From One Dog’s Cancer Battle to Helping Hundreds: Alexandria Entrepreneur Featured on Women in Power
Local entrepreneur MaryBeth Powers is being featured on an episode of Women in Power, a series that highlights inspiring women whose passion, perseverance, and purpose have made a meaningful impact in their communities.
The episode shares the remarkable story behind Teddy’s Turmeric Tamer®, an all-natural daily wellness topper for dogs that was born from love and determination. After MaryBeth’s beloved dog, Teddy, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and given just 2–4 weeks to live, she refused to give up hope. Through extensive research and a commitment to natural wellness, she created a unique blend of premium ingredients to support Teddy’s health. Teddy went on to enjoy three more years filled with love, comfort and quality of life.
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Slow-moving downpours could cause flooding in Arlington and the D.C. area Friday night.
That’s according to the National Weather Service, which just issued a Flood Watch for much of the region, nearly 24 hours in advance. In addition to the potential flooding, there could also be severe storms tomorrow evening, forecasters say.
Bring the whole family to Arlington Mill for an evening of laughs, basketball, and underdog determination with Goat.
This animated family comedy follows a determined young goat chasing his dream of becoming a professional basketball star. Before the movie, kids can enjoy face painting and family-friendly activities, making this one of our most kid-focused events of the summer.
Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
🕗 News recap
The following articles were published earlier today — May 29, 2025.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for May 29, 2025 | 🗣️ Comments
- 8:30 am: New product to help people find lost items launches in Arlington | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:15 am: Raised intersection planned to boost safety for Donaldson Run pedestrians | 🗣️ Comments
- 10:00 am: Garden apartment fire near Columbia Pike deemed suspicious | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:45 am: Pop-Up District food hall and nightlife spot debuts at Eden Center | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:00 pm: Adoptable Pet of the Week: Onyx | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:45 pm: SWAT team training planned this weekend at abandoned Key Bridge Marriott | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:30 pm: Storms and heavy rain on tap starting Friday | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:45 pm: Free Columbia Pike Blues Festival returns next month | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: Vehicle thefts drop, overall crime holds steady in first months of this year | 🗣️ Comments
- 4:35 pm: Power outage reported in Falls Church and parts of Arlington | 🗣️ Comments
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
- 7:00 pm: The Wizard of Oz @ Encore Stage & Studio!
- 👉 8:00 pm: Live Standup Comedy Show Starring Matt Ruby (Comedy Central, MTV)
⛈️ Friday’s forecast
Expect a slight chance of showers before 2pm, followed by showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, and potentially a thunderstorm after 5pm. Patchy fog may appear before 9am with a high near 79. Winds will be northwest at 3-6 mph, and the chance of precipitation is 80%, with a quarter to half an inch of rainfall expected. Friday night will bring more showers and possible thunderstorms, with some producing heavy rainfall. Lows will be around 59, with north winds at 7-14 mph shifting to northwest after midnight and gusting up to 21 mph. Precipitation chances are at 90%, with 1 to 2 inches of rainfall possible. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
– Albert Schweitzer
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
About 1,000 homes and businesses are without power in parts of Falls Church and western Arlington County.
The outage was reported after 4 p.m. Thursday, affecting neighborhoods in the Seven Corners area — including along Route 7, Route 50 and Roosevelt Blvd.
Motor vehicle thefts were down significantly in Arlington over the first four months of this year, and a trend of fewer carjackings has continued.
Total offenses, meanwhile, have held fairly steady.
The annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival is returning in two weeks for an afternoon of festivities for all ages.
The D.C. area’s largest blues festival is coming back for its 28th year on Saturday, June 14, stretching from S. Walter Reed Drive to 9th Street S. on the Pike. As always, it’s free.
It’s been a wet May and it’s only getting soggier.
Storms and rain that will be heavy at times are expected to soak Arlington and other parts of the D.C. area Friday into Saturday.