Certified recovery residences with up to eight people might soon be allowed in single-family Arlington neighborhoods.
With limited exceptions, the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance currently allows no more than four people to live in a single-family home unless they are “related by blood, marriage or adoption.” But a county staff report recommends changing county code to provide explicit support for recovery residences, which offer drug- and alcohol-free housing to people with substance abuse disorders.
Power outage reported in Pentagon City and Crystal City on 7/22/24 (via Dominion)
More than 2,500 homes and businesses were without power Monday afternoon in parts of Pentagon City and Crystal City.
Reports of the outage started coming in around 3:20 p.m. Firefighters have since been dispatched to numerous buildings in the area for reports of stuck elevators.
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…)
Spike is an adult male dog up for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. This handsome guy is currently at the shelter patiently awaiting his forever family!
Local entrepreneur MaryBeth Powers is being featured on an episode of Women in Power, a series that highlights inspiring women whose passion, perseverance, and purpose have made a meaningful impact in their communities.
The episode shares the remarkable story behind Teddy’s Turmeric Tamer®, an all-natural daily wellness topper for dogs that was born from love and determination. After MaryBeth’s beloved dog, Teddy, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and given just 2–4 weeks to live, she refused to give up hope. Through extensive research and a commitment to natural wellness, she created a unique blend of premium ingredients to support Teddy’s health. Teddy went on to enjoy three more years filled with love, comfort and quality of life.
The planned Joyce Motors project at 1020 N. Irving Street (via Arlington County)
A developer is seeking to build fewer parking spots at a Clarendon apartment building, despite objections from two civic associations.
A requested site plan amendment for the Joyce Motors project would remove a portion of a planned parking garage, reducing the number of residential parking spots from 155 to 119. Developer Orr Partners also seeks to build 10 fewer residential units — 231 as opposed to 241 — but increase the project’s gross floor area by 1,629 square feet.
The Arlington County Board at its June 15, 2024 meeting (via Arlington County)
The future of a judicial and public services agreement between Arlington and Falls Church is on tonight’s Arlington County Board agenda.
The Board will weigh the renewal of the agreement, which outlines how the jurisdictions use and share the costs of the county’s Emergency Communications Center, certain judicial offices and other items.
Detour lanes and closures in effect until Sunday, July 28 (courtesy of the Virginia Department of Transportation)
For the second time this month, the Shirlington Circle south rotary bridge over I-395 has closed for construction.
The bridge — which connects southbound lanes from I-395 and Shirlington Road to North Quaker Lane at Exit 6 — is set to remain closed until just before midnight this coming Sunday, July 28.
Willie James Clements Jr., 61, was sentenced to 35 years for aggravated malicious wounding, as well as the maximum 10 years for hit-and-run, in Arlington County Circuit Court last week.
A man feeding the birds in Rosslyn (photo courtesy George Brazier)
Statements on Biden News — From Rep. Don Beyer: “President Joe Biden is a great American. Today he made a hard decision few others could have made, showed his character, and put his country first. I am proud of my support for Joe Biden, and proud of his patriotism.” [Twitter, Twitter]
Scam Warning from Police — “SCAM ALERT: ACPD is warning the community about a common and reoccurring nationwide scam circulating in Arlington. Several community members have reported receiving calls from an individual claiming to be an Arlington police officer wanting to discuss an urgent legal matter.” [Twitter]
Daughter Breaks Mom’s Record — “Like her mother before her, Abigail Hartman is following, and doing better in some cases, in those footsteps. So far, the summertime swimmer for the Overlee Flying Fish and Washington Golf & Country Club Lightning has broken team and pool records in the girls 8-under age divisions for the Arlington squads, some marks that her mother previously held at one of the pools and at the same age group.” [Gazette Leader]
Crash Caught on Camera — From Dave Statter: “A two vehicle crash on Old Dominion at Williamsburg in North Arlington at 8:40 this morning.” [Twitter]
Crystal City Cafe on TV — “Good Morning Washington woke up with some Brij coffee on Thursday! Owner and founder Skyler Kelley joined Roxanne and Brian to show off her small business. She pointed out their unique medium blend and their custom pastries full of flavor.” [WJLA]
Road Improvement Project on Agenda — “Arlington County Board members on July 22 are slated to approve a $2.07 million project to improve a roadway in the Ashton Heights neighborhood. The project, recommended by the Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission, would add three blocks of missing sidewalk and curb-and-gutter on North Oakland Street from Pershing Drive to 6th Road North.” [Gazette Leader]
Kudos for N. Va. Wineries — “While most Virginia wineries are in the state’s southern part, near Charlottesville, there is a growing number of producers in the state’s northern half. Some may be less focused on quality than others, but I found engaged and talented winemakers making good wines.” [Wall Street Journal]
It’s Monday — Expect showers and thunderstorms mainly before 5pm, with otherwise mostly cloudy skies and a high near 83°F. Southeast winds will be between 3-8 mph, with a 70% chance of precipitation and potential rainfall amounts between 0.75-1 inch. For Monday night, showers and thunderstorms are also expected, with a low temperature around 72°F. The chance of precipitation is 60%, and rainfall amounts between 0.5-0.75 inches are possible. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
