Arlington’s ‘Missing Middle’ Rezoning Headed to Court

The lawsuit brought by 10 Arlington homeowners seeking to block this year’s rezoning aimed at allowing more multifamily housing in residential neighborhoods will head to trial, a Circuit Court judge ruled on Oct. 19.

The decision in Marcia Nordgren et al v. Arlington County Board was a setback for the county’s legal team led by County Attorney MinhChau N. Corr, who had sought quick dismissal of the suit’s main six counts.

Substitute retired Judge David Schell of Fairfax (the Arlington judges recused themselves) rejected county arguments that the plaintiffs lacked standing and proper timing for such a suit. He set a Nov. 16 hearing to determine the schedule for a trial on the merits of the contentious policy. Those include such issues as whether the planned zoning reforms were properly advertised and whether they were considered in compliance with state law on requirements for studies on the likely economic and environmental impact of the changes.

The judge did accept the county’s defense of its handling of Freedom of Information Act requirements for making public the documents issued for the county board and the county’s Planning Commission.  

Planning for construction of what the new code calls “Expanded Housing Options” is continuing. As of Oct. 13, the county had approved 14 permits for multi-family buildings, semi-detached houses, townhouses and duplexes. Seventeen more applications are under review. —Charlie Clark

Drug Take-Back Day In F.C. This Saturday

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) fall Drug Take Back Day is on Saturday, October 28 and the City of Falls Church Police Department will host a collection site near the Public Safety Entrance outside City Hall (300 Park Ave.) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 The public can safely and anonymously drop off potentially dangerous prescription drugs and/or unwanted or expired over the counter (OTC) medications during Drug Take Back Day. Accepted materials include pills, tablets, capsules, transdermal patches, prescription ointments, and other solid forms of prescription or non-prescriptions drugs (including pet medications). Vaping devices and cartridges are accepted, provided lithium batteries are removed. Liquids (including intravenous solutions), syringes and other sharps, pressurized canisters (inhalers/aerosol cans), and illegal drugs will not be accepted.

 The Drug Take Back initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

 At its last Take Back Day in April 2023, the DEA collected over 332 tons of unwanted drugs at nearly 5,000 Take Back Day sites nationwide. In Virginia alone, 16,756 pounds of unwanted medications were collected at 184 collection sites across the state.

Annette Ozaltin Dies in Beltway Head-on Collision 

A McLean woman died Saturday (Oct. 21) after crashing into another car while driving in the Capital Beltway (I-495) Express Lanes.

According to state police, Annette M. Ozaltin, 44, was heading south in the northbound I-495 toll lanes when her 2013 Toyota Prius struck a northbound 2018 Chevrolet Cruze head-on around 2:07 a.m.

“The impact of the crash caused the Toyota to spin around, run off the left side of the interstate and strike the cement Jersey wall,” the Virginia State Police said in a news release last night (Sunday).

The crash occurred in Annandale near the 51-mile marker, just south of the Gallows Road interchange.

Ozaltin was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where she died from her injuries that morning.

The Chevrolet driver has been identified as 34-year-old Stephanie Leiva from Dumfries. She was transported to a hospital “for treatment of serious injuries,” police said.

Mental Health Crisis Costing N.Va $8 Billion Annually – Study

The mental health crisis is costing the Northern Virginia region $8 billion a year in unrealized economic output, according to a new report from the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia.

The report from the foundation’s research arm, Insight Region, found that the economic loss caused by mental health has quadrupled since 2019, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic that began in early 2020.

In 2019, worker mental health issues cost the region about one percent in productivity – the equivalent of $2.1 billion – in potential gross regional product (GRP). About 11 percent of working adults were experiencing mild anxiety or depression in that timeframe.

However, during the pandemic, more than half of all workers reported levels of anxiety or depression. As of May 2023, that statistic held with 53 percent of the workforce struggling.

The elevated levels of mental health needs caused productivity losses to increase by 2.1 percentage points – or over $8 billion in potential GRP each year, according to the report.

Millions of Americans exited the workforce over the last three years, and one in four blamed their departure on mental health, the report says. That lost employment negatively impacts more than just the worker and their family. 

“It also affects team members who must compensate for the lost output; employers who bear the cost of recruiting, hiring, and onboarding new staff; and the local economy in unrealized gross regional product,” the report said. 

Most workers with anxiety and depression stay on the job, meaning some of the lost productivity can be attributed to absenteeism and presenteeism – or an employee who is technically on the job but not engaged. This lack of engagement can often result in procrastination and missed deadlines.

Overall, for every worker with a mental health need, their team can expect total productivity to decline by 5 percent to 13 percent, or two to five lost hours in a 40-hour work week, according to the report. –Tysons Reporter.

Home Sales Sliding in N. Va. Even as Prices Jump – NVAR

Home sales slid more in Northern Virginia than around the nation in September while prices jumped more regionally, reported the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (NVAR). High mortgage rates contributed to sales dropping 18.2 percent in September in Northern Virginia while nationally sales declined 15.4 percent..

“Around the region and nation last month people were sitting and waiting for mortgage rates to drop, translating to fewer options for buyers. This meant that home sales receded while prices went up nationwide. This was even more pronounced in our market which experienced a bigger drop in sales and bigger hike in prices,” explained NVAR CEO Ryan McLaughlin.

Northern Virginia continued to have less supply than nationally even though supply nationally contracted more than regionally. In Northern Virginia, the month’s supply of inventory for September 2023 was 1.22 months, down 1 percent from September 2022. September’s inventory figures were higher than August when inventory stood at 1.08 month’s supply of inventory.  Nationally, inventory shrunk 8.1 percent from a year ago inventory while rising 2.7 percent from August. Unsold inventory across the country sat at a 3.4 month’s supply, up from 3.2 months in September 2022 and 3.3 months in August 2023.

Fewer homebuying choices pushed prices up as the median sold price for a home in September reached $650,000 in Northern Virginia, up 5 percent from September 2022. Nationally, median sold prices rose to $394,300, an increase of 2.8 percent from September 2022.

On average, Northern Virginia homes stayed on market for 17 days in September 2023, down 32 percent from the previous September when the average days on market was 25 days. Around the nation, properties typically remained on the market for 21 days in September, up from 19 days in September 2022.