It’s not official yet, but the Arlington County Board has tentative plans to keep the real estate tax rate where it is this fiscal year.
Board members had previously voted to advertise a possible tax increase from $1.033 to $1.043 per $100 assessed valuation. However, the consensus at the end of a budget wrap-up session yesterday (Thursday) was to leave the rate where it is.
Thousands are again without power in Pentagon City and Crystal City.
Nearly 7,400 homes and businesses were in the dark as of 1:30 p.m., according to Dominion’s website. The outage extends from Crystal City and Pentagon City to the Aurora Highlands and Foxcroft Heights neighborhoods, according to scanner traffic and the power company’s map.
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…)
Both contenders in Arlington’s Democrat School Board primary argue that leaders should rethink a plan to close a program for preschoolers with disabilities.
At a Wednesday candidate forum, June Prakash and Monique “Moe” Bryant contended that Arlington Public Schools leadership should have engaged more with affected families before introducing the proposal to close the Integration Station and disperse its students to other classrooms.
A new gym with a strength training and boxing program is opening in Courthouse later this month.
Rumble Boxing is slated to soft open on Monday, April 14 at 2055 15th Street N. It’s the second fitness studio to arrive on the ground floor of The Commodore apartments, opening near YogaSix.
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.
Update at 2:45 p.m. — Kahlua has been adopted! See other adoptable pets at AWLA here.
Meet Kahlua, a large mixed-breed dog up for adoption at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and they say he’s as “smooth, sophisticated and sweet” as his namesake.
With sunny days ahead, there’s plenty of playgrounds in Arlington to enjoy with family — complete with swing sets, rock climbing, slides and more.
Here are the nominees for “Best Playground in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss a favorite playground of yours? Write it in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Landscaper in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on Best primary care doctor in Arlington. The results are now official:
A high-visibility traffic enforcement initiative is kicking off next week in Arlington.
The region-wide Street Smart campaign, which runs from Monday, April 7 through Sunday, May 4, focuses on reducing traffic-related crashes and educating drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists about the law.
A plan to redevelop a Lyon Village church as affordable housing for LGBTQ+ seniors has been canceled.
Clarendon Presbyterian Church and True Ground Housing Partners announced yesterday evening (Thursday) that a proposed 102-unit development at 1305 N. Jackson Street is “not financially viable.”
Veto of Arlington Bill Upheld — The House of Delegates on Wednesday upheld Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of the Arlington governance-change legislation patroned by Del. Patrick Hope (D-1). The measure aimed to permit referendums on the number of County Board members and how they are chosen. –Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Has Strongest Home Demand — Arlington had the best performance in Bright MLS’s monthly “T3 Home Demand Index” for March across the Washington region. Alexandria was second, DC third in the forward-looking ranking, which generates data down to the ZIP-code level looking at projected buyer activity. –Scott McCaffrey
More DCA Changes — “The Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it may slow flight arrivals at Reagan Washington National Airport after a January 29 collision between a helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67 people. The FAA also said it is increasing operational supervisor staffing from six to eight and was reviewing air traffic control staffing figures.” [Reuters]
Daughter Donates Kidney to Dad — “In 2024, Mark Maggio of Arlington, Virginia, received news he figured might come soon but hoped it wouldn’t — testing showed he needed a second kidney transplant… Maggio, 65, saw his name added to a list of people in need of donations again, but it turned out a match would be found closer to home. His daughter, Carrie, stepped up and offered to be a donor.” [WTOP]
New County Grant Opportunity — “Arlington County is offering up to $500,000 in one-time funding to expand and enhance digital inclusion activities. This is the first cycle of digital equity grants that will be a cornerstone of the Digital Equity Initiative to promote community-driven solutions that address barriers to accessing and using technology. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on May 15.” [Arlington County]
Beyer Wants to Nix Stadium Tax Breaks — “Today, Congressmen Glenn Grothman (R-WI) and Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced the No Tax Subsidies for Stadiums Act, a bill that will end taxpayer subsidies for the construction of professional sports stadiums.” [Press Release]
Big Win for Local Startup — “Lennar Corp., one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, will purchase up to 1,500 geothermal heating and cooling systems from Arlington startup Dandelion Energy over the next two years for use in new residential housing units being built in and around Denver.” [WBJ]
Fiery Crash Downs Lines, Blocks Road — “Old Dominion Drive was blocked for hours after an SUV crashed into a power pole and caught fire in McLean this afternoon (Thursday). Police and firefighters responded to the Chesterbrook Shopping Center around 5 p.m. for the crash, which happened near the Starbucks store and brought down power lines, according to scanner traffic.” [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Expect showers and thunderstorms with a high around 68 degrees and a north wind of 6 to 9 mph, with a 50% chance of precipitation. Friday night will also see possible showers and storms, with a low of around 55 degrees, an east wind near 5 mph, and a 50% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
