Arlington’s police union is calling for better pay following increases in some violent crimes and two incidents where suspects allegedly fought police.
As of last week, the Arlington County Police Department has 61 vacancies or a 16.2% vacancy rate, Randall Mason, president of the Arlington Coalition of Police, told ARLnow.
Several roads will close temporarily for the 40th annual Army Ten-Miler race this Sunday, Oct. 13.
Some streets in and around Rosslyn, Crystal City and the Pentagon will be affected. Closures will begin at 5 a.m. and last until 12:30 p.m.
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…)
A popular D.C.-area nail salon opened its first Northern Virginia location in Crystal City over the weekend.
Nailsaloon, voted “Best Mani-Pedi” in Washingtonian’s 2023 Reader Picks, opened for business on Sunday at 1900 Crystal Drive on the business’ 10th anniversary.
The Arlington County government’s new auditor already has something of a full plate.
Wayne Scott was appointed to the post just over two months ago, spending his first month gathering information, meeting with top county staff and coordinating a nine-month work schedule (Oct. 1 to June 30).
*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.
From “Snowy-Wan Kenobi” to “#FlakeNews,” Arlington is seeking suggestions on whimsical names for this year’s fleet of snowplows.
Members of the public have until Monday, Oct. 21 to submit “the most clever and pun-filled (yet appropriate) names” for the plows that will clear the county’s streets in the event of at least two inches of snowfall.
What percentage of Metrobus riders hop on and travel to their destination without paying? It’s higher than you might think.
The current figure is “approaching 70%,” said Matt Letourneau, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) representative on the board of directors of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
Restoration of the historic Cherry Hill Farmhouse was Falls Church’s gift to future generations during the American Bicentennial of 1976.
And now, city officials hope to use the nation’s upcoming 250th birthday to secure vital infrastructure improvements for the 180-year-old structure.
Robbery in Pentagon City — “The female suspect allegedly entered the business, concealed merchandise and exited the store without payment. Loss prevention personnel confronted the suspect outside the business and attempted to apprehend her during which she was noncompliant. Following a brief struggle, loss prevention personnel detained the suspect.” [ACPD]
TSA Nabs Another Gun at DCA — “A Virginia man was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport intercepted him with a firearm and 43 bullets at a security checkpoint yesterday (October 7). The 9mm firearm was loaded with 17 bullets and was packed alongside 26 additional bullets.” [Press Release]
Beyer Coming to Breakfast — U.S. Rep. Don Beyer will be on hand to encourage get-out-the-vote activity at the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s “Second Saturday” breakfast Oct. 12 in Shirlington. [Arlington Democrats]
Concert Series in F.C. — “Little City Concerts – recipient of multiple local arts grants including one from the Falls Church City Arts and Humanities Council – has launched its second season in the Little City, pairing social justice themes with intimate, innovative, and exaltant local performances.” [Falls Church Independent]
Watch Out for Deer — “The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) are reminding motorists that autumn is accompanied by deer mating season. Drivers should slow down and use caution as deer are more active and the potential for crashes increases.” [Press Release]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 71 degrees, accompanied by a west wind at 5 to 10 mph. On Wednesday night, the sky will be clear, with the temperature dipping to a low of 47 degrees. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar
Good Tuesday 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 — Oct 8, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect sunny skies and a high near 71 degrees, accompanied by a west wind at 5 to 10 mph. On Wednesday night, the sky will be clear, with the temperature dipping to a low of around 47 degrees. A northwest wind of approximately 7 mph will persist during the night. See more from Weather.gov.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
– Wayne Gretzky
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.
