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.
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
USCIS administers immigration benefits. In the time-honored tradition of government agencies since the days of Ur and Uruk, USCIS uses forms to collect, store, and interpret information. Immigrants complete these forms in order to obtain benefits. Most U.S. citizens have no idea what reams of paperwork these forms require. An ordinary green card application is comprised of ninety-seven pages of bare forms, which typically are supported by several hundred pages of supporting documents.
In better times, forms are a necessary evil. In the times we actually live in, forms are just another weapon with which to thwack your political opponents.
In the second iteration of the Trump Administration, USCIS has discovered a new, extremely petty way to make immigrants’ lives more difficult – by releasing new form versions which make utterly minute changes, and then decrees that yesterday’s official version is obsolete as of today.
The Office of Management and Budget, by the way, requires that all government forms have an ‘edition date’ and an ‘expiration date.’ USCIS evades this neatly by making the expiration date purely notional – the form can be valid after the expiration date, and it can be decreed obsolete at any time before or after the expiration date. (The edition date is notional, too – in the first months of the Trump Administration, USCIS persistently released forms backdated to January 20, 2025, seemingly just for the inaugural vibes.) The forms altered in the last two weeks are highlighted below.
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]
Looking for a fall activity that gets you moving and builds real confidence? EvolveAll Martial Arts and Training Studio is offer free classes for youth and adults during it’s upcoming Intro Week, September 14-19.
EvolveAll, Arlington’s martial arts and fitness community off Columbia Pike, is once again opening its doors for a full week of free trial classes — and youth classes are one of the highlights. Kids ages 5-15 will get to try hands-on martial arts instruction designed to build discipline, focus, and self-defense skills in a supportive, age-appropriate environment.
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 — Oct 16, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
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. See more from Weather.gov.
“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”
– Michael J. Fox
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.
Join us at Westover Taco for the official Fund Her Game Charity Launch, bringing together athletes, fans, business leaders, and community supporters who want to strengthen girls’ and women’s sports across the DMV.
Fund Her Game was created to invest in the teams, leagues, programs, and organizations that help women and girls play, compete, develop, and lead, from recreational sports through professional competition.
Nicholas Rados, a multi-sport athlete and 2024 graduate of Washington-Liberty High School, is being remembered by coaches and teammates for his upbeat personality and commitment to constant improvement.
Rados, 19, died in a fatal crash the morning of Saturday, Oct. 12 along the 2200 block of N. Harrison Street in Arlington’s Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood. A car being driven northbound by an 18-year-old Arlington resident, in which Rados was a passenger, struck several parked vehicles and overturned, according to Arlington County police.
In a few days, Craig Esherick will be inducted into his second Hall of Fame in two years.
The evening of Oct. 19 at Argyle Country Club in Silver Spring, the Arlington resident and former Georgetown University men’s head basketball coach (and player) will be one of nine inductees into the Springbrook High School Sports Hall of Fame.
While communities across the country are preparing to replace all lead pipes within the next decade, new regulations have little effect on Arlington.
The Environmental Protection Agency last week issued a final rule on lead pipes that is estimated to affect up to nine million homes — a multibillion-dollar project meant to substantially improve health outcomes, especially in children.
A host of new regulations related to towing off of private property are likely to be considered by Arlington County Board members later in the year.
But first, Board members have to approve advertising a future public hearing for the proposals put forward by County Manager Mark Schwartz and staff. That procedural step is expected to come this Saturday, Oct. 19, with the hearing to follow in November or December.
Through kindness and painting, a local teenage artist is giving some of Arlington’s shelter pets a helping hand.
Keira Cheng, 17, is a volunteer artist for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue at 5159 Langston Blvd. The Woodson High School student has been creating portraits of the rescue’s resident cats and dogs since summer 2023, all the while advocating for their adoption via social media.
Pentagon MMA has brought a special honor home to Arlington from the birthplace of Muay Thai.
The Arlington Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu Academy is now officially a certified and registered Muay Thai Gym Partner through the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, making Pentagon MMA the only Muay Thai academy on the East Coast to have earned this distinction.
