Building permits affixed to the window of an entertainment venue in Clarendon (file photo)
(Updated 4:45 p.m. on 3/14/23) Builders and entrepreneurs tell ARLnow they are waiting up to twice as long as they used to for Arlington County to issue permits, costing them thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of dollars.
Permits that used to be issued the same day now take 1-3 weeks while those that took 2-3 months take double that time, they say. Meanwhile, the Arlington Permit Office’s limited hours of operation compound the delays and the high permitting fees exacerbate the costs incurred from waiting.
People on smartphones (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Should Arlington Public Schools keep students from using their phones in schools?
The School Health Advisory Board — a committee of parents, some of whom are nurses and doctors, and a few administrators — has recommended APS adopt a policy for the next school year requiring smartphones to be off and put away during school hours.
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: Does the cost of renting a home in Arlington increase at a similar rate as the cost of buying a home in Arlington?
Answer: The cost of renting and buying a detached home increases at a similar rate, but the cost of renting a condo has outpaced the cost of buying a condo.
Condo Rents Rising Faster than Condo Prices
Since 2020, the cost of renting a detached home in Arlington increased at a similar rate as the cost of buying a detached home; 26% and 28%, respectively.
However, the cost of renting a condo increased significantly faster than the cost of buying a condo; 21% and 6%, respectively.
Sale Price to Rental Rate Multiple Shifts with Interest Rates
The table below shows the average price and $/SF of buying a detached home or condo relative to the average annual rent for a detached home or condo, in Arlington. Higher multiples show that buying is becoming more expensive relative to renting.
Takeaway: Condo buyers are more rate sensitive than detached home buyers and are more likely to rent (higher rental demand = strong condo rent appreciation) than buy (weakened purchase demand = low condo value appreciation) when interest rates increase. Notice how quickly the sale price to rental rate multiple drops from 2020/2021 to 2022/2023 (rates skyrocketed spring/summer 2022). (more…)
A rendering of the future RiverHouse "North" parcel, from S. Joyce Street looking northwest (via JBG Smith)
(Updated at 5 p.m.) Proposed infill development for the RiverHouse site in Pentagon City is coming into focus with more renderings from the developer.
Reprising long-envisioned intentions to redevelop the expansive property, JBG Smith filed plans last year proposing apartments, senior housing, condos and townhomes on the surface parking lots on the RiverHouse site. Existing apartment towers will stay and more units within them will be set aside for affordable housing.
Local rising kindergartener, Phin, has advanced to the Top 5 in his group in the national Jr. Ranger Contest, a competition that celebrates children who are passionate about nature, wildlife, and exploration. After making it through earlier rounds with strong community support, Phin is now in 4th place and working toward the top spot needed to move on to the quarterfinals.
The contest encourages kids to engage with the outdoors and highlights their curiosity and love for learning about the natural world. For Phin and his family, this experience has been both exciting and meaningful, made even more special by the encouragement from friends, neighbors, and the broader community.
Join us in remembrance and celebrate our community at the City of Falls Church’s 44th Annual Memorial Day Parade and Festival on Monday, May 25, 2026. Honor our nation’s fallen heroes and our country’s rich history while marking the 250th anniversary of the United States of America!
Pickleball under the lights at Lubber Run (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Ahh pickleball, the hottest thing going with senior citizens, Tom Brady’s retirement sport of choice, and an unlikely candidate for the second-most controversial story of the decade in Arlington.
As ARLnow was first to report last year, many neighbors of Arlington’s recently-established pickleball courts have come to vehemently oppose it, owing to the loud “pop” the ball makes when it hits a paddle. The percussive sound can be heard within nearby houses, at all hours of the day and — in the case of lighted courts — into the night.
New construction on the site of the former Rouse house on Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
APS Might Let Students Carry Narcan — “Would it be wise, or even legal, for Arlington Public Schools students be able to carry medication with them that helps blunt the impact of opioid overdoses in schools? Getting a final answer appears to be a work in progress. ‘We are continuing to explore the question,’ Superintendent Francisco Durán said at the March 2 School Board meeting.” [Gazette Leader, Fox 5]
Award for Lubber Run Community Center — “The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is recognizing 16 projects with its 2023 Architecture Awards. The 2023 Architecture Award program celebrates the best contemporary architecture… [including] Lubber Run Community Center, Arlington, Virginia | VMDO Architects.” [American Institute of Architects]
Firefighters battling house fire in Bluemont (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 3 p.m.) Firefighters battled heavy fire at a house in the Bluemont neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.
The first dispatch went out around 2 p.m., for a fire spotted by a neighbor on the 800 block of N. Kensington Street, north of Wilson Blvd. A second alarm was quickly sounded.
