Arlington high schools have a much more busy week ahead in sports action, with the winter schedule getting started.
There also is one big postseason region-tournament football game on tap for the Washington-Liberty Generals when they play in the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 30.
Record Food Assistance Need — “The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) served supplemental groceries to 4,533 families – over 11,000 individuals – during their annual ‘Turkey Week’ distributions from November 18-23. While these statistics are record-breaking for the non-profit organization, AFAC was prepared.” [Press Release]
Wild Thanksgiving Eve in Clarendon — From Dave Statter: “To cap a Thanksgiving Eve and early morning of Clarendon mayhem, there was this . Someone crossing the middle of Washington Blvd. at Wilson Blvd. and getting hit by a car. The early report is injuries were not considered serious.” [Twitter]
Feds Going Back to Office? — “After the pandemic, the top localities for remote work in Virginia were almost all in Northern Virginia. Falls Church saw its remote workforce surge from 6.81% to 28.67%, one of the highest rates in the country. Arlington County went from 6.71% to 26.99%. Loudoun County went from 7.88% to 23.51%. Fairfax County went from 6.65% to 21.69%.” [Cardinal News]
New Funding for STEM Startup — “Lingo, an Arlington startup founded in 2020 … has sold over 10,000 do-it-yourself coding kits to schools and nonprofits in nearly every state and D.C. to introduce teenagers to the possibilities of careers in STEM … [Aisha] Bowe, who serves as CEO, wants to expand the number of schools and nonprofits the company can reach. She hopes to grow her six-person team to help achieve this effort, which will be aided by the $2.3 million funding deal she raised from outside investors in late October.” [WBJ]
Robbery on Columbia Pike — “At approximately 9:17 p.m. on November 26, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Upon arrival, it was determined the three male suspects entered the business, collected merchandise and attempted to exit the store without payment during which the two male victims, who were patrons of the store, confronted them. The suspects subsequently assaulted the victims before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]
Local GOP on Threats Against Appointees — From the Arlington County Republican Committee: “This is what we’re up against — violent, radical leftists who will stop at nothing to hold onto power and threaten and intimidate Republicans. Get bent.” [Twitter]
Second Vacuum Leaf Pass Starting — Arlington kicks off the latter half of its annual vacuum leaf collection service this Saturday. The second leaf collection pass is scheduled to wrap up Dec. 18. [Arlington County]
ART Union Ratifies Contract — “Arlington Transit workers overwhelmingly ratified their first contract with Transdev as members of ATU Local 689 this week. After months of negotiations, the ratified contract marks another major step forward for ART workers who will now be working under a strong union contract which guarantees competitive pay and improved working conditions.” [Press Release]
Nearby: Whole Foods Moving — “The clock is ticking on Whole Foods Market’s time in Idylwood. The grocery store has rolled out signs at its Idylwood Plaza location (7511 Leesburg Pike) announcing that it will relocate “soon” to Falls Church City, where it will anchor the new Broad and Washington development at 103 E. Broad Street.” [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching around 47 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 5 to 11 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 28 degrees, and a west wind persisting at 8 to 10 mph. [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…)
Good Wednesday 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 — Nov 27, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Partly cloudy skies are expected with a high of around 75°F, accompanied by occasional light showers likely in the afternoon. A light breeze will flow throughout the day, giving way to a calmer, cooler evening as temperatures drop to a low of about 55°F. Predictions for the upcoming week suggest a mix of sunshine and clouds with a chance for scattered showers and moderate temperatures. See more from Weather.gov.
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
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.
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.
As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to the local businesses and organizations that have supported ARLnow’s mission of delivering essential community news throughout 2024.
Our advertisers make it possible for us to bring you timely, accurate local journalism while keeping our content free and accessible to all local residents.
Join DC Road Runners and Potomac Valley Track Club for our annual Family Night at the Track and Meet of Miles. The event is open to runners of all ages and paces as well as nonmembers.
This event hosts 400 meter and 800 meter races for kids ages 1-8, as well as multiple 1-mile heats for participants of all ages. There is also a 3K race that is open to participants of all ages.
A majority of the 2,400 owners of single-family homes in Falls Church soon could be allowed to build standalone accessory-dwelling units (ADUs) with far less government oversight.
City Council members on Monday (Nov. 25) formally started the ball rolling on a five-month consideration of allowing ADUs “by right” in neighborhoods zoned R-1A (low-density residential) and R-1B (medium-density residential).
A new halal Indian restaurant opened recently on Langston Blvd, adding some South Asian flavors to the corridor’s diverse lineup of local restaurants.
At 5645 Langston Blvd, Curry & Clay Oven offers mainstays like biryani, palak paneer and curry, as well as fusion dishes such as paneer cheesesteaks, butter chicken pizzas and masala fries, manager Khalid Oylid told ARLnow.
Sandwich shop Port of Subs is expected to land in Arlington next year as the company rolls out plans for a D.C.-area expansion.
The nautical-themed, Nevada-based submarine sandwich chain expects to establish 70 locations in the region over the next decade, with the first scheduled to open in Arlington by May 2025, Port of Subs announced this month.
A jury has acquitted a 31-year-old Arlington man who had been charged with the murder of his 3-month-old daughter.
Jerard Stanley Hargrove was found not guilty of second-degree murder in Arlington County Circuit Court on Monday, more than a year and a half after he was indicted for the charge that would have carried a maximum of 40 years in prison.
Tonight is the night before Thanksgiving, traditionally one of the busiest nights for local bars and restaurants as people return home and reunite with old friends.
Nicknamed “Blackout Wednesday” or “Drinksgiving” by some, the evening has become something of an unofficial holiday, particularly among young professionals.
Local establishments often offer special events and deals to draw in the pre-Thanksgiving crowds, and many Arlington bars and restaurants are expecting large turnouts tonight.
Regardless of whether you’re in town or out — will you be heading out to celebrate with friends tonight, staying in to prep for tomorrow’s feast, or something else entirely?
