Controversy is heating up around a proposed six-unit development near the East Falls Church Metro station.
The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) is scheduled to vote tomorrow (Wednesday) on whether to uphold a decision to approve an Expanded Housing Option permit for the property, located at 2315 N. Tuckahoe Street.
The filming of an Arlington County Police Department recruitment video will bring a temporary road closure on Friday.
A section of Army Navy Drive between S. Nash Street and 28th Street S. will be closed from 5-10 p.m. to accommodate filming, ACPD said. The forthcoming video is meant to “showcase the work of our officers and enhance our recruitment efforts.”
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: It seems like listings lingered on the market longer than usual this summer. Is that reflected in the market data?
Answer: The summer real estate market is usually slower than spring, but since late June, this summer has felt unusually slow compared with past summer markets. I analyzed Arlington homes listed for sale in July and August, going back to 2016, and found that we did indeed experience a historically slow summer market.
5-Bullet Cliff Notes
Slowest Summer Since 2016
Fewer homes listed in July and August went under contract within the first ten days on market (my preferred measure of market pace) than any summer since 2016.
The condo market experienced the brunt of that slowness, with the percentage of condos under contract within ten days falling 17.9 points below the trailing ten-year average. Arlington’s detached/townhouse/duplex market, one of the most robust sub-markets in the country, was not spared either; falling 6.7 points below the trailing ten-year average.
Lingering Inventory
The clearest sign of a summer slowdown is the amount of inventory that remained unresolved at the end of August. 53% of the listings entered in July and August were still active, compared with about 31% in 2025 and 27% from 2023-2025.
Even among July listings, which had at least a full month to attract a buyer, 36% remained active: more than twice the recent three-year rate. As of Aug 30, ~25% of all active summer listings had accumulated at least 30 days on market, and 9% accumulated at least 60 days.
Showings Down, Active Inventory Up
Showing data shows that we have fewer buyers in the market, not simply more indecisive/deliberate buyers. In the week ending August 23, showings in Arlington were down 7.9% from the prior week and 26.4% from the same week last year.
There are also a lot more homes for buyers to choose from, with active listings (homes listed for sale) up 2% from the week prior and 21.5% from the same week last year. Buyers will take longer to make decisions when they have more choices.
The Arlington trends are consistent with other Northern VA/DC Metro markets as well. In the DC Metro, weekly showings dropped to five-year lows in late June and remained there during most weeks of the summer. At the same time, the week ending August 23 delivered the most new listings to the market of any year since 2021, for the same week.
Total active listings in the DC Metro have been above the same week in the prior year since the second week of January 2025.
A longstanding hair salon in Clarendon has reopened after a major interior makeover.
After 14 years in business, Urban Halo Salon at 2900 Clarendon Blvd has swapped its former blue interior for white marble and gold and black tones. The changes aim to create a “timeless” aesthetic while adding fixtures to improve customer experience, co-owner Nash Noufal told ARLnow.
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.
Drivers on the George Washington Memorial Parkway may soon have clearer views of the Potomac, but they should also expect weekend lane closures during restoration work.
The National Park Service announced yesterday (Monday) that crews will “rehabilitate” 15 scenic vistas between the North Donaldson Overlook and Spout Run Parkway.
Whether autumn means sipping local ciders, decorating pumpkins with the kids, or enjoying live music, Fall Fest is packed with festive fun for all ages and the perfect way to spend a crisp October afternoon in Rosslyn!
Update on 9/27/24 — The lane closure for this weekend has been cancelled due to rain. From the National Park Service:
Due to inclement weather, the scheduled closure of the northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP) between Spout Run Parkway and Windy Run Bridge has been cancelled for this weekend. One northbound and southbound lane will remain open in each direction. Thank you for your patience as we continue rehabilitation.
A less restrictive process for home improvement projects at older townhomes and apartment buildings could be coming to Arlington.
By default, townhomes and multifamily properties in Arlington currently can’t receive any “interior structural alterations” unless they are in full compliance with the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO). If property owners want an exception to conduct partial renovations like remodeling a kitchen or finishing an attic, they often have to seek approval from the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.
Falls Church is eyeing possible changes to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
The city, which has not granted an ADU permit since 2000, has released a draft framework for potential amendments to its zoning ordinance. Scheduled for a City Council vote in February, proposed changes would make it possible to build detached ADUs within city limits and would set dimensional standards for floor area, height and setbacks.
APS Phone Pouch Pilot Update — “Though too early to draw any conclusions on the effort, School Board members did discuss it at a Sept. 5 meeting…The pouch pilot is slated to run all year. What happens after that, nobody can tell, but Kadera did opine that any discussion of whether to expand it countywide, or not, should occur when parents and students are engaged.” [GazetteLeader]
Flyover Scheduled Today — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Naval Air Force will conduct a military flyover in the National Capital Region over Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at 11:15AM.”
Arlington Org Helping GGW — “In January 2023, Greater Greater Washington tried to hold training sessions for newly elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners… We’ve partnered with the Arlington-based, libertarian-leaning Institute for Justice (IJ), who know the contours of free speech better than most, to make sure this sort of gagging of free speech doesn’t happen again.” [GGW, Twitter]
Inflation a Mixed Bag — “Some Americans do see prices as settling down. Tisha Deloney of Arlington, Virginia, said she was initially miffed when her company provided a smaller cost-of-living adjustment for this year of about 3%, down from the 8% she remembers when inflation was peaking. But when her rent rose two months ago, it ticked up by a much smaller amount than it had in previous years.” [Associated Press]
Local Renewable Energy Enthusiast — “When the power goes out in Arlington, Virginia, people often gather at Scott Sklar’s house… That’s because Sklar’s home and detached office never lose power. He generates clean energy using a mix of several technologies – solar panels, solar roof shingles, a wind turbine, and a hydrogen fuel cell. And he stores excess power in a bank of batteries.” [Yale Climate Connections]
Political ‘Speed Dating’ — “It’s the political equivalent of speed dating – called ‘candi-dating’ or ‘candidating’ (take your pick) – and the League of Women Voters of Arlington & Alexandria City is hosting a chance for Arlington residents to get to know candidates for local office without the long-term commitment of a full-blown candidate forum. The event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 6.” [GazetteLeader]
Healthy Eating on the Pike — “EvolveAll and Columbia Pike Partnership have teamed up to profile several local restaurants and ask our fitness team for recommendations on what to eat. We hope this will provide helpful guidance so that you can enjoy a night out with friends without compromising your healthy living goals.” First up: Sabores Tapas Bar. [EvolveAll]
Subscription Law Change — “In Virginia, the new law, which took effect in July, requires companies to notify consumers of their option to cancel within 30 days of the end of the trial period… About half a dozen other states have enacted similar laws this year.” [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Tuesday — Scattered showers and cloudy skies are expected with a high near 70 and an east wind of 6 to 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. Tuesday night will see scattered showers and potential thunderstorms after 2 am, a low around 65, with a 50% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
Good Monday 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 — Sep 23, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Scattered showers and cloudy skies are expected with a high near 70 and an east wind of 6 to 9 mph; the chance of precipitation is 40%. Tuesday night will see scattered showers and potential thunderstorms after 2 am, a low around 65, and a 7 mph east wind, with a 50% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.”
– Neil Gaiman
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.
