The owners of one half of a Bluemont duplex that was destroyed in a December house explosion are attempting to rebuild.
The previous occupants of the currently empty lot on N. Burlington Street went before the Arlington Board of Zoning Appeals yesterday (Wednesday) with a proposal to construct a single-family detached house there.
The prospect of a Donald Trump presidential-election victory could bring Falls Church leaders back to the drawing board when it comes to developing their 2025 legislative priorities.
But they will have a small window of opportunity: Election Day is Nov. 5 and the City Council is expected to review its draft 2025 legislative package on Nov. 11.
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…)
JBG Smith has announced a new partnership to lead operations at Water Park in Crystal City.
Ahead of the park’s one-year anniversary this past weekend, the developer announced a new agreement with Episcope Hospitality.
Matthew Brand Parker passed away October 14, 2024, at his home in Arlington, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Lea Alice Lancaster Parker; sons Knox George Parker and Logan Lancaster Parker; and his mother, Georgia Lee Parker. He was preceded in death by his father, George Allen Parker.
Matt was born on May 2, 1977, at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Derwood, Maryland. He attended Col. Zadok Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland, and received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Tennessee in 2001.
*Mamistad Groups meet IN PERSON-only the introductory Zoom call is virtual. :)
Pregnancy and new mom groups are a lifesaver when it comes to normalizing those feelings we just can’t be prepared for.
Five airlines have received tentative approval to run new long-haul flights out of Reagan National Airport.
The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday (Wednesday) announced plans to approve flights to the following locations, granting each airline one extra round-trip flight per day.
A Jersey Mike’s and a new CVS Pharmacy are in the works on Columbia Pike.
Both businesses are expected to open on the ground floor of Westmont Apartments at the corner of the Pike and S. Glebe Road, alongside other planned establishments including a Five Guys and a cosmetic studio.
Plans for redeveloping a key Langston Blvd parcel have sidestepped a potentially lengthy historic preservation battle.
That removes one impediment to razing the existing office building on the 1.3-acre site in the North Highlands community near Rosslyn, replacing it with upscale condominiums.
Late last month a judge overturned Arlington’s “Missing Middle” zoning changes, also known as the Expanded Housing Option.
This month, a new Mike Mount cartoon takes a look at how the fallout from such a decision might affect another unique locale.
Brewery Coming to Clarendon — “[Charlottesville-based brewery] Three Notch’d has leased about 10,000 square feet of ground-floor space now occupied by Barnes & Noble, which is contracting into, and reconfiguring, its second-floor space at 2800 Clarendon Blvd… Three Notch’d had been seeking locations in the D.C. area for some time, and was drawn to Clarendon as a high-profile, dense space that was also accessible and not stuffy.” [WBJ]
Shot Fired on Columbia Pike — “ACPD is investigating a shot fired incident at Columbia Pike at S. Glebe Road. Preliminary, suspect and victim were involved in a fight when the suspect discharged a firearm before fleeing the scene. No injuries reported at this time.” [Twitter]
Changes to Americana Development — “JBG Smith Properties is proposing to reduce the number of units and parking at its Americana Hotel redevelopment project across from Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 in Pentagon City. A pair of minor site plan amendment applications submitted Monday to Arlington County’s planning department would reduce the number of planned apartments by about 10%, from 692 units to 572 units, and parking by about 36%, from 394 spaces to 253 spaces.” [WBJ]
Attempted Burglary in Buckingham — “The victim was inside her residence when she heard a noise and observed the male suspect allegedly attempting to open a window to the residence. The victim yelled and the suspect fled the scene on foot. During the course of the investigation, officers identified the suspect and took him into custody in the 4300 block of Arlington Boulevard.” [ACPD]
Amazon, Dominion Going Nuclear — “Amazon.com Inc. signed an agreement with utility giant Dominion Energy Virginia on Wednesday to pursue small modular reactor nuclear development in the commonwealth to help meet the surging demand for energy… The Seattle tech giant formally announced the agreement during an event at its second headquarters in Arlington. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and others attended the event.” [WBJ]
Newsmax Spotlights Arlington — From the Arlington GOP, following reports of both Trump and Harris signs being removed or damaged: “@NEWSMAX’s @alana_austin joined us in Arlington this morning to report about the uptick in theft and vandalism of Trump-Vance yard signs.” [Twitter, YouTube]
Advisory Board Volunteer Opp — From Arlington’s Dept. of Human Services: “Help guide social services in Arlington County by joining our Social Services Advisory Board!” [Twitter]
New Va. AI Task Force — “Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Task Force, as called for under Executive Order 30. The Task Force includes ten of the most prominent AI experts in the Commonwealth, drawn from Virginia educational institutions, non-profits, and private corporations.” [Press Release]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 58 degrees with north winds from 7 to 11 mph and gusts up to 18 mph. For Thursday night, clear conditions will continue, along with a low of approximately 42 degrees, accompanied by northwest winds at about 7 mph. [NWS]
