The recent closure of Ayers Variety & Hardware was a stark reminder that nothing is forever, even businesses that have built generational relationships with customers.
The shuttering of the store that served Westover for nearly 80 years is also an indication of how challenging current times are for many of Arlington’s other small businesses, community leaders say.
Following resistance in the General Assembly this year, a new working group has been appointed to study possible changes to Arlington’s Affordable Housing Ordinance.
County Board members on Tuesday chartered the eight-member, limited-term working group, which will spend the next four months developing proposed revisions. The current Affordable Housing Ordinance outlines ways for developers to gain additional density for projects by building affordable units or contributing to the Affordable Housing Investment Fund.
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Falls Church leaders are about to hit the launch button on their most significant affordable-housing effort.
City Council members on Monday, July 27 are slated to appoint a seven-member screening committee to rank prospective partners for redeveloping portions of the Virginia Village site.
Rosslyn Tower Sold — JBG Smith sold the 377-unit Central Place Residences to Boston-based Berkshire Residential Investments for $206.25 million. A covenant leaves open a future condo conversion, which would make the 355-foot building the region’s tallest condo tower. [WBJ]
Cloud Firm Opens Crystal City HQ — Knox Systems opened its Washington-area headquarters in Crystal City, consolidating its security and risk operations teams closer to federal agencies. Fresh off a $25 million funding round, the company employs nearly 70 and projects 30% headcount growth by year’s end. [Press Release]
Clean Air Cred — Arlington ranks among the nation’s 10 cities with the cleanest air, with good air quality on 84% of days despite the recent bout of hazardous wildfire smoke. Clean air is one metric behind the county’s ninth straight fittest-city title. [Capital Weather]
Rejoin D.C.? — “There is another way for Arlington to become a city,” the D.C. Council posted, responding to ARLnow’s report that the county couldn’t pursue cityhood until at least 2032. [Council of DC/X]
Fairfax Schools Curb AI — Fairfax County Public Schools will bar elementary students from using generative AI, keep tablets and laptops out of preschool and kindergarten, and prohibit personal devices during class. The school board approved the restrictions, which include narrow exceptions, at its July 16 meeting. [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Look for mostly sunny skies with a high near 83 and a light northeast wind of 1–8 mph. Skies turn mostly cloudy overnight with a low around 66. [NWS]
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Live standup comedy in Arlington on Friday July 31 starring Jim Bryan, Kim Villamera, and Greg Billet.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Good Thursday 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 23, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect mostly sunny weather with a high of about 82 degrees, and a calm wind that will pick up to 5 to 8 mph from the east in the morning. Friday night will be mostly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 65 degrees. The east wind of about 6 mph will become calm in the evening. See more from Weather.gov.
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
– Confucius
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
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County officials are defending local processes for handling complaints of dangerous dogs, despite criticisms from Arlington residents who say they’ve struggled to feel heard.
Those responsible for handling such complaints say they work to make the community safer while following strict guidelines set down in state law.
County Board members have directed staff to move more quickly in considering future uses of the Central Library and Lee Community Center parcels.
In a change from the plan as proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz, Board members said on Tuesday that staff should hire a consultant in fiscal year 2029 to develop a plan for potential uses of the Central Library site in Virginia Square. That timeline will allow planning to advance on roughly the same timetable as consideration of future uses at the adjacent Quincy Park.
County Board members went into their two-month summer break after 15 minutes of verbal fireworks over Missing Middle housing policies currently tied up in litigation.
Three Board members — Maureen Coffey, Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., and Takis Karantonis — castigated colleague Susan Cunningham for a proposal made without much advance notice at the tail end of the Board’s July 21 meeting.
Crystal City residents will have to wait a little longer for the neighborhood’s latest Thai restaurant.
Tiki Thai was originally expected to open sometime this summer or fall at 244 19th Court S., on the ground floor of the Reva apartment building. The owner now says that timeline has been pushed back to summer 2027.
