“No honey, I’m pretty sure you can’t blame this on Dan Snyder.”
(Cartoon by Mike Mount)
You knew it was coming. This week’s Mike Mount cartoon is about that controversial Missing Middle vote last week.
Tired of reading about it? Well, might want to steel yourself this week, as ARLnow has a series of follow up articles planned. And it’s clearly what many locals are continuing to talk about (in real life and in cartoon form).
With Story Hour over, the cherry blossoms in front of Central Library caused a traffic jam of strollers and photoshoots (photo courtesy CG Liacouras)
ACPD: No Sexual Assault Along Pike — From Arlington County police: “Detectives conducted a thorough investigation which ultimately determined a sexual assault had not occurred at Columbia Pike and S. Four Mile Run Drive on the morning of March 6, 2023. The investigation into this incident has concluded and there is no ongoing threat to the community.” [ARLnow]
New Local GOP Chair — “The Arlington County Republican Committee has someone new in the driver’s seat, but is still running on empty when it comes to candidate recruitment. The GOP rank-and-file on March 27 selected Matthew Hurtt, the party’s communications director, to serve out the remaining year of the term of GOP chair Lori Urban, who is moving to Arizona.” [GazetteLeader, Twitter]
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: Why would anybody waste thousands of dollars each year on condo fees?
Answer: Most people associate paying condo fees with throwing money down the drain, but most people do not look at condo fees the right way.
In this June 20 article, the Wall Street Journal reported a study by Angi (formerly Angie’s List) that home maintenance and emergency repairs have increased by 85% and 175%, respectively, from 2019 to 2025.
By comparison, condo fees in Arlington increased by an average of just 32% from 2019 to 2025, making them a steep bargain for condo owners compared to other homeowners.
What Do Condo Fees Pay For?
For those who haven’t spent time studying condo budgets, some of the main expenses in a condo budget include:
Maintenance, Emergency Repairs, and Utilities: general upkeep and operations of the building
Reserves: a building’s savings account for major repairs or replacement of things like the roof, elevators, carpet, etc
Property Management/Staff: contracts for a property manager, front desk, janitorial services, and engineer
Master Insurance: this policy usually protects everything except your personal items and improvements within each unit
A single-family home in Cherrydale abutting parking identified for infill development (via Google Maps)
While last week‘s landmark zoning decision legalized 2-6 unit homes throughout Arlington’s lowest-density neighborhoods, about 136 properties will be ineligible for such projects.
The exemption applies to certain 5,000-6,000 square-foot lots — the county’s smallest standardized residential lot size, dubbed R-5 and R-6, respectively — located near transit and within planning districts in East Falls Church, Cherrydale and Columbia Pike.
We’re ending Movie Nights on the Pike with a scream.
Join us at Penrose Square for a special outdoor screening of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the iconic summer slasher that became a defining horror film of the late 1990s.
Ice skaters and sun bathers at Westpost in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The “Markers Market” is coming back to Pentagon City, planned for the first Sunday of every month starting this weekend.
The market featuring local artists, creators, food, and music is returning to Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) this coming Sunday, April 2. It begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m.
New District Brewing in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Green Valley’s New District Brewery is auctioning off its equipment, ARLnow has learned, but the door is not fully closed on the local brewery opening elsewhere.
Arlington’s only production brewery is putting items like tanks, pumps, a keg cleaning system, tap heads, and furniture up for auction.
Taco + Pina in Shirlington closed in December 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Taco Bamba is expanding its presence in Arlington.
The burgeoning fast-casual chain is planning to open at 4041 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington, a PR rep said this morning. That’s the former location of Taco + Piña, which closed late last year after opening early in the pandemic and never quite finding its footing.