Wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery in January 2024 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
Arlington National Cemetery will lose some of its festive aesthetics on Saturday as volunteers remove holiday wreaths from the cemetery’s hundreds of thousands of graves.
Thousands of volunteers are expected to participate the annual “Wreaths Out” event, disposing of approximately 257,000 wreaths in Arlington as well as 14,000 wreaths at the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery in D.C.
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…)
Co-founders of The Pinball Basement Fred Freimark (left) and Jason Good (staff photo by James Jarvis)
A new pinball arcade on Columbia Pike is putting a spin on the traditional pay-per-play arcade experience.
Nestled inside ACME Pie Company at 2803 Columbia Pike, The Pinball Basement is a membership-based arcade that caters to both pinball wizards and newcomers to the game.
Arlington County police are charging a local teen with robbery after an incident at a local high school.
It happened around noon last Thursday, at Washington-Liberty High School, but was not reported to police until the next day. A boy allegedly stole the male victim’s jewelry after a struggle over his hoodie.
Get ready for a night celebrating every era as The Fearless Eras, DC’s only all-Taylor Swift cover band, takes over The Renegade in Arlington for more than 3 hours of Taylor’s biggest hits and fan-favorite deep cuts.
Construction crew working in the snow in Rosslyn (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)
Trash Collection Delayed — “Curbside trash, recycling, and yard waste collection is canceled today, Jan. 16, due to inclement weather. Curbside collection (including metal, e-waste and cart requests) for the remainder of the week will be as follows: Monday routes: Serviced Wednesday, Jan. 17.” [Arlington County]
Flyover This Afternoon — From AlertDC: “The US Military will be conducting a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday January 17, 2024, at 1:12PM.”
The standalone building that used to house a bank and a barber shop in the Lyon Village Shopping Center in Spout Run (via Google Maps)
A Cold Stone Creamery location is moving into a vacant standalone building at the Lyon Village Shopping Center, permit records show.
It will take over the half of 3141 Langston Blvd — near Spout Run Parkway — that used to be home to a bank. The other half of the building was once home to a barber shop. This building is a few paces from the main strip, which is home to the Italian Store, Big Wheel Bikes and BGR Burgers Grilled Right, as well as a CVS, a Giant and a Starbucks.
This week-long culinary event, spanning from January 15 to 21, is organized by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. RAMW is a regional trade association dedicated to representing the restaurant and food service industry across the D.C. area, according to its website.