Games will be play at Barcroft and Jeanie Dean parks in Arlington
As September arrives, that means it’s time for the annual First Responders Cup girls fastpitch softball tournament in Arlington.
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Arlington police, firefighters and the county’s bomb squad conducted a major investigation in the Westover neighborhood today.
Law enforcement personnel, some in heavy protective gear, could be seen hauling items out of the Fisher House Apartments at 5705 Washington Blvd. Shortly before 3:45 p.m., an arrest was announced in connection to the case.
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…)
Say hello to the perfect snuggle buddy and the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!
Fiona is a brown and white adult dog up for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. This girl is currently at the shelter while she awaits her forever home.
A longstanding auto repair shop and attached gas station along Langston Blvd have shuttered.
Westover Service Center and the Liberty gas station at 5618 Langston Blvd have closed “for good,” according to a sign affixed to the convenience store door.
Live standup comedy in Arlington on Friday July 31 starring Jim Bryan, Kim Villamera, and Greg Billet.
Friday, July 31, 2026
The Liberty Tavern is closed as it undergoes maintenance on the floors and ceilings, among other repairs.
The Clarendon mainstay, open for 17 years, will reopen in about two weeks — around mid-September — after floors, ceiling tiles and bathroom surfaces are updated, co-owner Stephen Fedorchak told ARLnow.
Aside from the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the Friday before Labor Day is one of the quietest days of the year in the D.C. area.
Many are on vacation, but even those still here and working might be, well, checked out for the weekend. On top of that, there’s no school today for Arlington Public Schools and, traditionally, it’s a very slow day for readership on ARLnow.
Labor Day Holiday Closures — County government offices, courts, community centers, schools and other facilities will be closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday. Parking meters will not be enforced. But trash and recycling will be collected as usual. [Arlington County]
Survey Supports Deer Sharpshooting — “Maybe there has been a major change of opinion. Or maybe it was just a different group of people responding. But a new survey of residents by the Arlington County government, focused on the best ways to control the deer population in the county, has come out strongly in favor of the government’s preferred option.” [Gazette Leader]
More Trump Cemetery Fallout — From Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.): “Our local community knows the Arlington National Cemetery is a place of respect, and attacking people here who are just doing their jobs to protect the dignity of one our most hallowed sites is beyond the pale.” [Twitter, Axios]
Police Investigating Armed Robbery — “At approximately 10:45 p.m. on August 28, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival it was determined that the two female victims were each at their parked vehicles when the male suspect approached Victim One, brandished a firearm and stole her cash. The suspect then approached Victim Two, brandished a firearm and demanded cash. Victim Two yelled and the suspect fled the scene on foot. No injuries were reported.” [ACPD]
Change in Ordinance Wording — “One outgrowth of the Arlington County Board’s Aug. 27 rewrite of its human-rights ordinance was to exorcise the word ‘handicapped’ and replace it with ‘disabled’ throughout the text. The latter word is seen as more appropriate today than the former, County Board member Matt de Ferranti said.” [Gazette Leader]
Airport Catering Layoffs — “LSG Sky Chefs Americas, a caterer and retail provider operating in the aviation industry, plans to lay off 100 workers based out of its office near Reagan National Airport in Arlington. According to a WARN notice filed with the Virginia Employment Commission, Sky Chefs Inc. will terminate the jobs by the end of September.” [Washington Business Journal]
New Owner for Local Restaurant — “Panagiotis Fotopoulos, the new owner of the region’s storied Anthony’s Restaurant on Annandale Road just outside the City of Falls Church, has been running the establishment since June 1 while the long-time previous owners, Tony and Fay Yannionakis, after 52 years running the restaurant, have been taking their first-ever extended visit to their Greek place of birth.” [Falls Church News-Press]
It’s Friday — Showers and possible thunderstorms are expected after 2pm, with otherwise cloudy skies and a high temperature near 78 degrees, accompanied by an east wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph. There is a 30% chance of precipitation. As for Friday night, there is another 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mostly before 8pm, with mostly cloudy skies and a low of around 70 degrees. [NWS]
Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
🕗 News recap
The following articles were published earlier today — Aug 29, 2024.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for August 29, 2024 | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:30 am: Arlington fentanyl dealer sentenced to 10 years in prison | 🗣️ Comments
- 10:30 am: Driver cited after striking teen near Washington-Liberty HS | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:30 am: Arlington man, 22, killed in Sterling double homicide ‘never held a grudge’ | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:30 pm: Sub shop Jersey Mike’s has opened in Clarendon | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:30 pm: New ‘Canine Cardio’ program in Green Valley keeps pups active with all-day services | 🗣️ Comments
- 4:05 pm: JUST IN: Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Arlington | 🗣️ Comments
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
- 5:30 pm: Zumba Power Hour
- 6:30 pm: Canvas Vibrations: Concert and Live Painting Performance
⛈️ Friday’s forecast
Showers and possible thunderstorms are expected after 2pm, with a cloudy sky and a high temperature near 78 degrees, accompanied by an east wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph. There is a 30% chance of precipitation. As for Friday night, there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, followed by a slight chance of showers. The sky will be mostly cloudy with a low temperature around 70 degrees and an east wind at 3 to 7 mph, also having a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”
– Oprah Winfrey
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
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.
Arlington is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
The watch was issued just before 4 p.m. It expires at 11 p.m. and also covers D.C., Alexandria and Fairfax County. Storms tonight may pack hail, damaging winds and frequent lightning, according to the National Weather Service.