Posts about ArlingtonRSS
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Arlington and Alexandria want to rename Jefferson Davis Highway
For many residents across the region, streets named for Confederate figures harken to a time of hatred and violence. As we saw this past weekend, that time is not distant at all. That’s why Alexandria and Arlington are thinking about renaming Jefferson Davis Highway, named for the president of the Confederate States of America. Keep reading…
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The Army nixes a land swap deal with Arlington County that would expand Arlington Cemetery
Last month, Arlington County announced that the Army had decided to opt out of a planned land exchange that could have given the county a plot of land near the Pentagon, after years of negotiations. Here’s what that means for the future of the site and of development along Columbia Pike. Keep reading…
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Dulles Airport was originally supposed to be in Burke, but neighbors successfully stopped it
Three generations of DC area residents have grown up associating Dulles Airport with its Chantilly location. However, Dulles could have been located in Burke, were it not for a grassroots effort that convinced President Eisenhower to choose another site. Keep reading…
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Happy birthday, VRE!
Summer 1992 was a big year in Virginia transportation. The VRE's Manassas Line opened for service on June 22 (sorry we missed that birthday!), and the Fredericksburg line starting running on July 20th. Keep reading…
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Public art isn’t just a way to fill space. It can turn whole communities around.
Last month, Ben’s Chili Bowl unveiled a new mural. The display brought a crowd of people outside to reflect on the bright colors, cultural touchstones, and iconic images that represent DC, U Street, and the history of the local black community. It also got me thinking about how public art fits into public space. Keep reading…
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Join us for happy hour in Crystal City on Tuesday!
This Tuesday, come hang out with GGWash contributors and readers over drinks, snacks, and conversation at Highline RxR, located at 2010 Crystal Drive in Arlington. This bar's second-floor patio has a great view of the adjacent train tracks, where you can see VRE, Amtrak, and freight trains. Keep reading…
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Almost everyone agrees WMATA needs funding
Momentum is growing for dedicated revenue, and possibly associated reforms, for the struggling Metro system. A group of 21 business associations issued a statement last week calling for action to save Metro. So did 18 nonprofit organizations. And so have five local faith-based organizing groups and Metro's largest union. Will legislators follow? Keep reading…
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Join us for happy hour in Crystal City next month!
Let’s ring in summer with the next Greater Greater happy hour. Join us at Highline RxR in Crystal City on Tuesday, July 11 from 6 to 8 pm Keep reading…
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DCST will work on bus priority and routes, curbside management, and autonomous vehicles
Greater Greater Washington has teamed up with the organization DCST to advocate for better transportation in DC (and Rosslyn). I can now announce what we're going to be working on: Making buses great, streamlining the curbside usage in business districts, and planning for new technologies of the future, such as autonomous vehicles. I'm excited about it! Keep reading…
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Arlington needs a new high school. Where should it go?
Arlington County is looking for a location to build a new public high school, and the search is now down to three sites. But if an effort to grant historic status to a complex of buildings near Washington-Lee High School succeeds, the plans might come off the rails. Keep reading…
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The Mount Vernon Trail is now a little safer by Roosevelt Island
There's a new crossing where the Mount Vernon Trail passes through the parking lot for Roosevelt Island, which sits between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom. The trail crosses the lot at a smoother angle, and there's a large speed bump that both slows drivers and keeps the trail level. Keep reading…
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Arlington banned rowhouses in 1938. We’re suffering the consequences now.
The Washington region's dramatic undersupply of missing middle housing is a serious problem. One reason it's so severe: Arlington once banned rowhouses trying to preserve its suburban character. Keep reading…
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The circle of migration: How people move around our region
While DC residents arrive from and depart to places all over the world, most of its domestic migration is very local: Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Alexandria are the top five places within the US that DC residents move to and from. Keep reading…
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For Arlington County Board: Erik Gutshall
Four candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for the Arlington County Board to succeed Jay Fisette, who is retiring this year. We encourage Arlington Democrats to nominate Erik Gutshall at the "firehouse primary" in early May. Keep reading…
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Arlington may scrap new bike lanes on Washington Boulevard
Arlington had plans to repave Washington Boulevard and add almost a mile of bike lanes from the East Falls Church Metro to the Westover neighborhood. Now, to save some parking spaces and appease a vocal minority, the county has determined that putting people on bikes at risk is a fair compromise. Keep reading…
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Arlington will likely require less parking near Metro stations
Currently, new residential developments near Metro stations in Arlington have to come with a certain amount of parking. The amount required, however, could soon drop, a move that reflects a growing understanding of how excess parking promotes urban sprawl and traffic congestion and drives up housing prices. Keep reading…
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Not all trails are created equal. Here’s how to tell the gold standard from the imitators
Trails are a huge part of ensuring that walking and riding a bike are among a person's transportation options. But when it comes to building them across our region's many jurisdictions, whether or not they’re safe and inviting can really vary. A set of criteria like those in this post could change that. Keep reading…
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Bogota has a world-renowned BRT system. What would it take to replicate it?
Bogota’s TransMilenio Bus Rapid Transit system, which opened in 2000, is one of the largest and most heavily used in the world. In fact, the United States government even looked at how to mimic it. Creating a high-quality BRT system here is possible— it’d just require quite a bit of political will. Keep reading…
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Why Alexandria has far fewer food trucks than DC, Arlington, and Fairfax
If you step out for lunch in a dense part of DC or Arlington, there’s a good chance one of your options will be a food truck. In Alexandria, not so much. That’s because there are tight restrictions on where trucks can do business and permits cost a lot more than in most other places around the region. Keep reading…
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It’s part streetcar, part bus, and it ran in Arlington and Fairfax in the 1930s
The Rosslyn-Ballston corridor is a famous example of early transit-oriented development because of the Orange Line, but the area was home to an innovative transit experiment long before Metro. From 1936 through 1939, a streetcar-bus hybrid provided service from the City of Fairfax to Rosslyn and into DC. Keep reading…
