News
Early Halloween decorations outside of a home in Rock Spring (staff photo)

Another Chase Ends at the Pentagon — From Dave Statter: “For the second time in less than two weeks police pursued suspected car thieves at the Pentagon… you can see the Accord hit the wall on the left side of I-395N, north of Glebe Rd. Speeds reached 130 mph plus at times. The chase then went onto Washington Blvd and eventually across Pentagon’s South Parking where the car came to a stop.” [Twitter]

Gateway Park for the Dogs? — “The jury is still out on whether a dedicated area for man’s best friends will be part of the amenities as the Arlington County government plans a major renovation at Gateway Park in Rosslyn… numerous respondents said the county government needed to provide more space for dogs and less for a proposed 4,000-person outdoor-events space on the site.” [Gazette Leader]

Local Autumn Festivals — “Paint pumpkins (or your face), sip cider and enjoy live music at these autumnal street fairs and celebrations.” [Arlington Magazine]

Remembering 9/11 in Arlington — “Worry and uncertainty mounted as news trickled into Randy McKnight’s school, H-B Woodlawn in Arlington, about planes crashing into New York skyscrapers and later at the Pentagon on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Some of the English teacher’s students had parents at the Pentagon. Another girl’s father was a pilot. ‘I just remember it so vividly. They couldn’t get in touch,’ McKnight said in an interview.” [Washington Post]

First Responders Remember — “Arlington County Fire Battalion ChiefJustin Tirelli… was new to the Arlington County Fire Department at the time, having only been on the job for about six months. ‘My first day driving the ladder truck was September 11, 2001,’ he told 7News. ‘That’s burned into my memory.'” [WJLA]

Vote on Library Agreement — “They have been partners for decades, but the relationship between the Arlington County library system and Friends of the Arlington County Library is set to be memorialized on paper. Arlington County Board members on Sept. 14 are slated to approve a memorandum of understanding between the two bodies.” [Gazette Leader]

History of W&OD Trail — “The first ride took place on September 7, 1974 in The Little City, where the first segment of the trail purchased and opened by NVRPA was located (the rest was purchased in sections between then and its eventual completion in 1988). Today’s W&OD is a 45-mile long, 100-foot wide park and paved trail (with a 32-mile adjacent gravel horse trail) stretching from Shirlington to Purcellville.” [Falls Church News-Press]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high of around 82 and a northeast wind at 5 to 8 mph. Friday night is anticipated to be partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to a low of 64. [NWS]


Around Town

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 — Sep 12, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌥️ Friday’s forecast

Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high of around 82 and a northeast wind at 5 to 8 mph. Friday night is anticipated to be partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to a low of approximately 64. The east wind at 5 to 8 mph will become calm as the evening progresses. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
– Confucius

🌅 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.


Sponsored

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

  • Summer 2026 was slowest summer market since 2016
  • Showing activity is down significantly
  • Listing supply (homes for sale) is up significantly
  • It is still a seller’s market, just more balanced
  • Too early to accurately observe impact on prices

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.

(more…)


Announcement

There’s something a little bit magical about picking up a foil for the first time — or drawing back a bow and watching your arrow fly true. It’s why fencing and archery have such a hold on kids and adults alike: real focus, real skill, and a thrill you don’t get from the usual sports lineup.

This fall, Nova Fencing & Archery Club in Bailey’s Crossroads is opening registration for both, with beginner classes for every age starting the week of September 12th. Fencing welcomes ages 7 to 12 and teens and adults 13 and up. Explore Archery, coached by USA Archery certified instructors, welcomes ages 8 to 12 and meets Tuesdays or Saturdays. And for our youngest fencers, ages 4 to 6, ABC’s of Fencing meets on Saturdays. All classes run eight sessions for $195, equipment provided, no experience needed — yes, even for grown-ups who’ve never held a sword or a bow before.


News

A proposal to build a 187-unit apartment building at the site of an office building and two long-standing restaurants is scheduled for consideration this weekend.

A proposed site plan amendment at 1840 Wilson Blvd, near Courthouse, calls for demolishing the buildings housing Rhodeside Grill, Il Radicchio and the headquarters of the National Science Teaching Association to make way for a seven-story structure with 11,948 square feet of ground-floor retail.


Event

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!


News

Despite recent improvements, a history of complaints related to noise and rowdy customers at Darna Lounge has attracted county scrutiny in a five-year permit review.

The lounge and restaurant at 946 N. Jackson Street has been the subject of 285 police calls and three citations for noise violations since 2019, a county staff report says.


Schools

Two new synthetic turf fields could be coming to Kenmore Middle School by spring 2027.

Pending final design approval and a proposed $2 million contribution from two local sports organizations, construction on the new fields is slated to begin in winter 2025.


Around Town

A halal chicken restaurant based on Langston Blvd has opened a sister eatery on Columbia Pike, with a grand opening expected later this month.

Charga on the Pike is the second venture of Charga Grill, an eatery whose original location at 5151 Langston Blvd surged in popularity after claiming the No. 1 spot on The Washington Post’s ranking of the best casual restaurants in the D.C. area in 2022.


News

Update at 8:55 p.m. — Dominion is still reporting 663 customers without power in the area, with an updated restoration time range between 11 p.m.-4 a.m. According to an email shared with ARLnow by a local resident, the outage involves burned underground power lines that need to be replaced and tested.

Earlier: Hundreds are without power this morning in the Ballston and Virginia Square area.


News
Metrorail track along I-66 near East Falls Church (courtesy Eric Dunham)

Biden, Harris Visit Pentagon — From President Joe Biden: “Arlington, Virginia. It was here that civilians and service members at the Pentagon rushed into the fiery breach to rescue their colleagues, showing the world what Americans are made of. When faced with evil – and an enemy that sought to tear us apart – we endured.” [Associated Press, Twitter]

Change for Military 9/11 Responders — “Based on new authority from Congress, today the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program has expanded enrollment to include additional responders who served on 9/11 and in the following weeks at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania… research shows it is possible that up to 8,500 people may have responded at the Pentagon site.” [Press Release]

NYC Eatery Coming to Clarendon — “A popular, New York City-based restaurant chain is coming to Greater Washington. Westville, so named for its original location in New York’s West Village, has signed a lease for nearly 4,000 square feet at Crossing Clarendon, Regency Centers’ Whole Foods-anchored retail center by Clarendon Boulevard and Edgewood Street in Arlington. It aims to open next year in space previously occupied by Ann Taylor and Jos. A Bank.” [Washington Business Journal]

Driveway Closure for Pike Work — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “The Harris Teeter and Centro Apts. garage will close on Columbia Pike 9/12-13 for lane paving on the Pike. Stores will remain accessible from S. George Mason Dr.” [Twitter]

Alexandria Dems Beat Arlington Dems — “Perhaps not since its twice-in-2014 defeat at the hands of independent County Board candidate John Vihstadt has the Arlington County Democratic Committee faced such an unhappy local competitive result. This time, however, it was on the athletic field, as the Arlington Democrats were bested by the Alexandria City Democratic Committee in a Sept. 7 kickball competition.” [Gazette Leader]

More on Mall 9/11 Exhibit — “With Wednesday marking 23 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a mall in Northern Virginia has an exhibit that includes never-before-seen images and video from the attack at the Pentagon. The new exhibit at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City runs through the end of September.” [WTOP]

New F.C. Tourism Website — “The City of Falls Church is excited to announce the launch of its new tourism website, visitfallschurch.com, designed to provide an enhanced and comprehensive resource for visitors and residents alike. The new website serves as a dynamic platform to showcase the rich history, vibrant culture, and unique attractions that make the City of Falls Church a must-visit destination.” [City of Falls Church]

Flyover Planned Today — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Naval Air Force will conduct a flyover in the National Capital Region over Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at 3:15PM.”

It’s Thursday — Patchy fog will clear by 9am, making way for a mostly sunny day and a high near 81, accompanied by an east wind of 3 to 8 mph. Thursday night will be partly cloudy as temperatures drop to around 63. [NWS]