The Grace and Reva apartment buildings in Crystal City (courtesy Jason Gooljar)
One of Arlington’s advisory panels is considering a push to require local landlords to make their rent increases public annually.
The legislative subcommittee of the county government’s Housing Commission has included the proposal on a list of potential 2027 legislative priorities.
Plants in the vertical garden at The Wendy apartments in Courthouse (courtesy George Brazier)
Complete Streets Hearing — The Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission will hold a funding hearing Monday, June 15 at 7 p.m. on four proposed upgrades: Shirlington Road between S. Glebe Road and 22nd Street S., N. Van Buren and N. Tuckahoe streets between 18th and 19th, and 13th Street N. between N. Quincy and N. Lincoln. The hybrid meeting will take place at the Bozman Government Center (2100 Clarendon Blvd). [Arlington DES, Arlington County]
‘Behind the Slicer’ — William Thompson, who co-owns Celebrity Delly in Falls Church with his wife, Julie Rossler-Thompson, has revived a restaurant blog with candid posts on the industry, from cheesesteaks to rising costs. A full Reuben now runs $25, up from $13 before the pandemic, and he calls Fairfax County’s 4% meals tax “detrimental to our industry.” [Arlington Magazine]
Hot Pot Kudos — A Washington Post food columnist writes about the unexpected, fleeting bliss he found in dish No. 140, a “caramelized fish in a hot pot,” at Huong Viet, a cash-only Vietnamese restaurant that has anchored Falls Church’s Eden Center for nearly 40 years. [Washington Post]
Trooper Rescues Kitten — A 4-week-old kitten “had the luck of nine lives” after a Virginia State Police trooper retrieved it from I-395 near the King Street exit late Friday (June 5). A driver spotted the kitten just before midnight. It was taken to an animal hospital and is receiving care, police said. [ALXnow]
It’s Tuesday — Expect partly sunny skies today with a high near 84 and a light south wind. Skies turn mostly cloudy overnight with a low around 68 and a slight chance of rain showers before dawn. [NWS]
Want more local news from around the region? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow.
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.
Thinking about selling your home and moving into a luxury condominium? For many empty nesters, the idea sounds wonderful in theory: less maintenance, better location, more time, lock-and-leave convenience. But then reality sets in. Where will all my stuff go? Will I have enough room? Can I still host Thanksgiving? What happens to my gorgeous furniture? And, most importantly, am I really ready to give up my house?
Most are worried about simplifying without feeling like they’ve diminished their life. Let’s explore some of the details you might look for to make that transition more exciting and less stressful. I’ll bet you have been comfortable in your house for three decades and now desire a lifestyle shift but don’t want to make a housing mistake.
There is an art to downsizing without downgrading.
Having sold thousands of new condominiums to Baby Boomers, I’ve learned that one of the biggest competitors for a new condominium isn’t another community. It’s the buyer’s existing home. There are certain elements which will help make this transition an enjoyable one where you don’t have to trade the things you love. In fact, finding a condominium that allows you to bring a lot of what you already value (while eliminating the parts of homeownership you no longer want) is the key to the perfect fit.
Will I have enough space? Remember the basement, attic and garage you’ve accumulated over three decades? They’re not coming with you.
The right condominium can make you realize you didn’t actually need all that stuff. The wrong one will have you wondering where you are going to hide the Christmas decorations.
Most empty nester couples cannot fit in less than 1,400 square feet unless they have another home elsewhere (like a family house in Rehoboth or weekend cabin in West Virginia.) 1,400 sq ft gets you a larger than average 2 bedroom with walk-in closets, 2 bathrooms (so no one is in your primary bathroom), and perhaps an additional powder room, linen closet, pantry, or spacious utility room. Anything smaller means you are on top of one another and likely won’t have the storage capacity you need.
The ideal size for this demographic in Northern Virginia is a 1,700-2,200 square foot 2 bed plus den or 3 bedroom, with 2.5-3 baths. The den is critical and its placement should be an extension of the living room, not down the hall and cut off from the rest of the layout. During a party it expands the entertaining space while leaving the bedroom areas private…but on Tuesday it becomes a cozy spillover room to watch TV, read, and relax while your partner is cooking or watching videos of the grandkids on the laptop at the kitchen island. Don’t worry, you can still shout to one another. Some traditions shouldn’t be lost.
Expect partly sunny skies with a high around 84°F and a light south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. By Tuesday night, the weather will turn mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 68°F and a consistent south wind of about 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
Rents keep climbing, buying a home is out of reach for most, and homes are harder to find. Join the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City (LWVAAC) and Arlington Public Library for a conversation with two of the region’s leading housing voices about what’s driving costs in Arlington and Alexandria, and what it would take to change course.
BASH Boxing in Ballston (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
An Arlington-based boxing studio is closing all three of its Northern Virginia studios this month, per an email to customers.
BASH Boxing will be closing its locations in Ballston, Rosslyn and Fairfax County’s Mosaic District on Sunday, June 21, according to a mass email sent to customers just before noon today (Monday).
Equality Arlington’s Coming Out Day Celebration is Sunday, October 11th (National Coming Out Day) from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Lyon Village Community House (1920 N Highland St, Arlington, VA)! Join us for: Arlingtonians sharing coming out stories, Live music, Food, and Sharing your story in our “coming out closet”.
Suggested donation is $15 a person. Please RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/EAComingOutRSVP. If you need a free ticket, email [email protected].
A leaf blower at the US Air Force Memorial in a past year (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
County Board members are approaching an initial vote on potentially prohibiting gas-powered leaf-blowers, but it’s still unclear when such a ban would go into effect.
The Board is slated to vote this Saturday on setting a a public hearing for next month that could start the clock ticking. County staff is sticking with its past recommendation for a three-year phase-in period, unswayed by recommendations by a number of advisory panels for a shorter phase-in period.
A group of five men, at least two of whom were brandishing guns, robbed a jewelry store along Langston Blvd late last week.
The robbery happened around 2 p.m. Friday at Sonia Jewelers (5155 Langston Blvd) — a nearly 40-year-old local business specializing in South Asian gold jewelry, with locations in Arlington and Springfield.
O'Connell's Brefczynski brothers placed high in races at the conference meet (photo by Dave Facinoli)
Arlington high-school track-and-field teams included one event winner, one runner-up and other top-10 finishers at the season-ending Class 6 girls and boys state meets.
The winner was Yorktown Patriots’ senior discus thrower Kaiya Ovando at the Virginia High School League event, held June 5-6 in Newport News. Her throw was a personal best and school record mark of 134 feet, 7 inches to win the girls event.
A Metrobus makes its way down Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Inconsistent policies on bus fares and enforcement are creating confusion among riders and challenges for transit in Northern Virginia, Metro’s top official says.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority CEO Randy Clarke critiqued the D.C. area’s patchwork of rules for where riders must pay to ride the bus, along with the limits placed on the Metro system’s ability to enforce its payment requirement.
County Board challengers James DeVita and Julie Farnam (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
Democrats challenging incumbent Matt de Ferranti are criticizing the County Board for what they see as putting government spending ahead of tax relief.
Echoing a theme long trumpeted by Republican and independent political challengers to the county’s all-Democratic Board, candidates James DeVita and Julie Farnam each used the June 3 Arlington County Democratic Committee candidate forum to accuse the Board of excessive spending.
We’re almost there! In addition to our regular Saturday shows,
ArtRave’s 19th Annual Christmas Extravaganza is taking place on the first three Saturdays in December. With thousands of shoppers expected, we typically expand our space to accommodate more artisans. We’re already about 50% filled!