News

Update at 3:40 p.m. — Lanes have reopened after the tanker was brought upright and towed away, according to VDOT.

Update at 3 p.m. — The southbound lanes of the highway are expected to remain closed until around 4 p.m., according to VDOT.


Events

Looking to enjoy “Barbie” while reliving those childhood slumber parties with your best friends? Alamo Drafthouse has you covered.

This Friday and Saturday, movie-goers can get dressed up in their pajamas and bring their pillows to the Crystal City location of the theater for late-night screenings of the blockbuster film. There will be Barbie-themed concessions, merchandise and photo ops.


Sponsored

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.

If you are in the market for a new Arlington condominium today, bring a flashlight. There is absolutely nothing to see and it’s a total ghost town. This isn’t a lack of buyer interest. I start by blaming the lingering, multi-year COVID hangover where no projects got designed, financed, or approved for several years since we didn’t know if the world would continue. Construction costs then further paralyzed commercial real estate and rising interest rates also crashed the party. No model units exist, no fancy preview sales offices or even a basic website landing page.

Want a place under 1,500 square feet? Pack your bags for Alexandria. Want a completely different suburban vibe? Enjoy the commute from McLean or Reston. The big local guessing game is simple. Who actually crosses the finish line first? Will it be 1501 Langston Boulevard? The upcoming tower at One Rosslyn? Or the old Key Bridge Marriott site known as Potomac Overlook?

Place your bets now. None will begin before roughly 2029 if all goes well.

If you are in the market and don’t want to wait until 2029 for these new communities to make a buying decision, you might consider the latest luxury condominium in Arlington in Rosslyn, Pierce. This stunning community sold out in 2024 and there hasn’t been another new condominium community since. Let’s look at some of what the community offers.

A Real Option: Pierce

With 104 residences spanning 27 floors, Pierce offers expansive floor plans with premier interior finishes. At the height of sophisticated condominium living in Rosslyn, it boasts showstopping Potomac River and DC skyline views through dramatic, floor-to-ceiling windows, generous private balconies, high-end finishes, and excellent floor plans. It has some of the best views in town and has aged well. Full disclosure on the building management: My friend is the board president and my company hired the resident manager so the building is run flawlessly. The finances are actually in order.

The Bragging Rights (By The Numbers)

Buying here requires serious financial muscle. Of the 104 residences, 38 were under $1.5M, 51 were from $1.5M–$2.5M, and 15 were over $2.5M. Pierce’s average size is 1,894 sq ft, making the average price $1,910,000. With an average price per square foot of $1,033/sq ft, it is one of the top five residential buildings in Northern Virginia.

Who Lives There

The typical buyer isn’t a single 20-something. 65% of the buyers were couples and the average age among the buyers was 53. 35% were from Northern Virginia and another 33% were from out of the area, which was driven by the volatile job market during COVID. 65% of those buyers in Virginia were already in Arlington and 20% were retired. Just 13% actually commute into DC so Northern Virginia’s economy is doing just fine. About 60% used a trusted agent to make their purchase and that is typical across all similar new communities.

(more…)


Around Town

The long-awaited Westmont Apartments on Columbia Pike is now open and ready for move-ins, with a pair of restaurants setting up on the ground floor.

Developer Republic Properties Corporation announced last week that the 258,000-square-foot mixed-use building at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road had opened its doors. The project was first approved about four years ago.


Around Town

Clarendon’s B Live is set to become a beach bar beginning early next month, while Coco B’s is set to finally open on the rooftop.

The live music venue and watering hole on Wilson Blvd is changing concepts, at least temporarily, and becoming a “divey beach bar popup,” co-owner Christal Bramson tells ARLnow. The shifting sands reflect what’s working at the former Whitlow’s space, Bramson says.


Event

Join DC Road Runners and Potomac Valley Track Club for our annual Family Night at the Track and Meet of Miles. The event is open to runners of all ages and paces as well as nonmembers.

This event hosts 400 meter and 800 meter races for kids ages 1-8, as well as multiple 1-mile heats for participants of all ages. There is also a 3K race that is open to participants of all ages.


Weather

(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) Get ready for three days of sweltering weather.

Ahead of high temperatures in the upper 90s — perhaps rising into the triple digits — paired with high humidity, the National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Thursday and a watch for Friday.


News

WaPo Investigates Police Tackle — “Three policing experts who reviewed the dashboard-camera video and documents in the case told The Post the encounter was an example of how not to respond to a mental health crisis. Although all five officers who tackled Franklin had crisis intervention training that called for them to de-escalate the situation, they decided within minutes to forcibly take him into custody, the experts noted.” [Washington Post]

WSJ Weighs in on RCV — “Poor results aren’t always enough to halt a bad political experiment, so credit a Virginia county board for heeding the evidence on ranked-choice voting. This newfangled electoral system is all the rage among progressive reformers, but less beloved by voters. After trying it once, Arlington County did a fast reversal. The county board this month decided to return to ordinary, plurality voting for its November general election.” [Wall Street Journal]


News

The Arlington County Police Department is tackling an uptick in reports of crime in Rosslyn.

The department said today that it conducted “a high-visibility criminal patrol detail” last Thursday “to address recent reports of retail theft and other quality of life issues in the Rosslyn neighborhood.”


News

Taller faregates are coming to a pair of Arlington Metro stations to combat fare evasion.

The ongoing fare enforcement effort led Metro to design taller doors for its gates. Those are now being rolled out, with installation at the Fort Totten station expected to be completed overnight tonight, and the Pentagon City up next.