Arlington County residents are some of the safest in the country, by at least one measure.
Just 3.8 out of every 100,000 Arlington County residents died either by homicide or in a land transport collision between 2018 and 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a lower death rate than any other county in the nation with a population of at least 100,000 people.
Give a warm welcome to Katniss, the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!
This beautiful girl is currently in foster through the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. Her adoption fees have also been paid!
Welcome to Kami’s Korner where we’ll take a deep dive into Arlington’s condominium market by focusing on what’s coming next. From emerging developments to shifting trends, this space will spotlight the opportunities and insights shaping the future of condo living in Arlington.
To understand where the market is today, let’s look at how the condo market has changed. What began as an affordable housing alternative for first-time homebuyers has become the pinnacle of true luxury urban living typical of a world-class city. Let’s explore the 20-year evolution of new condos in Arlington.
Early 2000s: Affordability Focused. Condominiums in the early 2000s were aimed primarily at first-time homebuyers. Affordability was key and this type of housing in Arlington wasn’t glamorous quite yet. The market was steady and interest rates, at just under 7% in 2001, were deemed attractive. Most buildings had 100- 200 units and the average size for a new condominium in Arlington was 950 sq ft.
Mid-2000s: Market Heats Up. In 2003 the market began to pick up speed, fueled by the abundance of financing and essentially loans that required no documentation or proof of affordability. During this time Ballston saw several apartment to condo conversions. Condo units were generally designed as apartments so unit sizes were smaller among all unit types. Finishes were acceptable but not great. This is when granite countertops became the epitome of quality.
New builds like Liberty Center in Ballston shifted the average size down while finish quality and livability of design improved. It was probably the best building of that generation. Like many others at that time there was a rush to buy and buildings were very successful in pre-sale. (more…)
Better signage and wider lanes may be on their way for the Custis Trail.
The four-mile paved trail between the Key Bridge and the W&OD Trail is “a very useful short cut for area cyclists” getting to downtown D.C., but has some missing signage and limited sight lines, says local bicycling guide BikeWashington.org.
Two new candidates for Arlington County Board have emerged — one is new to the ballot, while another is returning.
Last night (Wednesday), first-time candidate and current Planning Commissioner Tenley Peterson and second-time candidate J.D. Spain, Sr. announced their bids for the seat Chair Libby Garvey will vacate at the end of the year.
Avant Bard Theatre’s Resistance Readings Project continues with a staged reading of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Tom Stoppard’s darkly comic and sharply political examination of authoritarianism, censorship, and dissent, directed by Avant Bard Artistic Associate, Kathleen Akerley.
Set inside a Soviet psychiatric hospital, the play follows a political prisoner whose resistance to the state becomes inseparable from questions of sanity, truth, and personal freedom. Blending absurdist humor with urgent political commentary, the play remains strikingly relevant in moments of cultural and political uncertainty.
A 30-year-old man has been charged with arson, among other crimes, after allegedly trying to light a fire inside an ACPD cruiser.
The incident started Tuesday morning at the Pentagon Centre shopping center in Pentagon City. Arlington County police say the suspect shoplifted from two separate stores before officers arrived and took him into custody.
Arlington May Get Another Big HQ — “CoStar Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP) is expected to move its headquarters to Rosslyn, consolidating its presence in Virginia and dealing another blow to downtown D.C. The real estate data giant, which has steadily grown its Virginia operations — most notably in Richmond — even while maintaining its official headquarters in the District, is near a deal to acquire the Central Place office tower in Arlington from JBG Smith Properties Inc. (NYSE: JBGS), according to sources familiar with those negotiations.” [Washington Business Journal]
Feds Helping with Homelessness — “The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded more than $3 million in competitive funding to Arlington County’s Continuum of Care (CoC) for Homelessness.” [Arlington County]
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 — Feb 7, 2024.
Developer JBG Smith filed a new conceptual site plan late last month proposing to redevelop a Crystal City office building.
The building, located at 1800 S. Bell Street, was leased by Amazon until its lease expired in 2023.
Lee’s Sandwiches, which bills itself as the “World’s Largest Bánh Mì Chain,” has temporarily closed its doors in Ballston but may reopen under new ownership.
The Ballston location at 801 N. Quincy Street appears to have been closed for at least a month and is listed as “temporarily closed” on Google Maps and on a sign posted inside the door.
