Missing Middle, Chicken In Custody: Top 25 Arlington Stories Of 2022

ARLINGTON, VA — Between efforts to address the housing affordability crisis, honoring African Americans and welcoming new corporate headquarters, there was a variety of news that interested Arlington Patch readers in 2022.

In one of the most densely populated counties in the U.S., members of a pro-housing movement known as YIMBY, or yes, in my back yard, were part of a coalition advocating for Arlington County officials to change zoning rules to allow even greater housing density.

In the debate over where to build more residential units in Arlington, elected officials are siding with some of the coalition's demands through their support of a “missing middle” housing proposal that would open up single-family zoning to smaller-scale multifamily housing.

Many residents, however, cast their votes in the 2022 Arlington County Board race for perennial candidate Audrey Clement, who campaigned against the "missing middle" policy plan, calling it a scheme to enrich housing developers.

Along with the debate over housing, activists succeeded in convincing Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur to end her department’s voluntary cooperation with federal immigration officials.

Unfortunately, residents across the county woke up many mornings to find that thieves had stolen their catalytic converters and airbags or vandalized their cars in other ways.

Arlington also found itself as the scene of mysterious happenings, such as when an Emmy award-winning producer for ABC News was not heard from publicly for a long period after an FBI raid on his Arlington home in April and when an unnamed man fell to his death from an apartment building in March as a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force was attempting to enter the residence.

And don't forget about the chicken who became famous after she was found roaming around the Pentagon.

Here's a roundup of the top 25 Arlington stories on Patch in 2022. Click on the links to learn more:

1. Arlington's 'Missing Middle' Housing Debate Looms Large In Election

Voters told Patch that County Board candidate Audrey Clement received many protest votes by people opposed to the “Missing Middle,” a housing proposal to open up single-family zoning to smaller-scale multifamily housing.

2. Boeing Moving Corporate Headquarters To Arlington From Chicago

Boeing is moving its corporate headquarters to Arlington from Chicago, with plans to develop a research and technology hub in Northern Virginia.

3. De Ferranti Re-Elected, Sutton Wins School Board Seat In Arlington

Incumbent Arlington County Board member Matt de Ferranti won re-election over his two challengers in November, while Bethany Sutton won a seat on the Arlington School Board, according to preliminary results.

4. Arlington Sheriff's Office Ends Voluntary Cooperation With ICE

The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to end its voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after community groups urged the sheriff’s office and other Arlington officials to stop the practice.

5. Arlington Approves 553 New Housing Units, Grocery Store At Macy's Site

The Arlington County Board in December approved a 16-story glass-walled apartment tower with ground-floor retail on the current site of the Macy’s department store in Ballston.

6. Arlington Honors 'Mayor Of Green Valley' With New Town Square

Arlington County officials joined members of the Green Valley community in May to celebrate the opening of the John Robinson Jr. Town Square, a large plaza with public art, seating and tables.

7. 54 Vehicle Windows Shattered In Arlington In New Wave Of Vandalism

The windows of about 54 vehicles were shattered with a BB gun in October across Arlington. The vandalism was part of a trend that also included the theft of catalytic converters and airbags.

8. Josh Katcher Enters Race For Arlington’s Commonwealth's Attorney

A former deputy commonwealth’s attorney for Arlington and Falls Church announced in November that he plans to seek the Democratic nomination for Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney, with the goal of replacing his former boss.

9. Historic Marker Honors Arlingtonians Buried At Cemetery In Halls Hill

Arlington County placed a historic marker next to the Mount Salvation Baptist Cemetery on Culpeper Street in Arlington in late November in honor of the many prominent Black residents from the Halls Hill neighborhood buried in the cemetery.

10. Last Curative COVID Testing Site To Close In Arlington At End Of 2022

All Arlington County Curative COVID-19 testing kiosks are now closed, marking a turning point in the COVID-19 pandemic.

11. Memorial Service Set For Arlington NAACP Official Kent Carter

A memorial service was held in October in Arlington to celebrate the life of Kent Carter, a real-estate agent and NAACP Arlington Branch official who was killed Oct. 2 while on vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

12. No Charges For Driver Who Injured 15, Damaged Ireland's Four Courts

A driver who crashed into Ireland’s Four Courts in August, seriously injuring several people and causing extensive damage to the restaurant and bar, will not face charges, the Arlington County Police Department said.

13. 36-Story Hilton Hotel, With Rooftop Event Space, Planned For Rosslyn

Hilton has signed an agreement to operate a new 36-story, 331-room hotel in Rosslyn that will overlook Key Bridge and Georgetown, the company announced in October.

14. New Amazon Fresh Grocery Store Now Open In Arlington

A new Amazon Fresh grocery store in Crystal City opened in July, offering customers the option of Just Walk Out Shopping, which lets customers skip the checkout line.

15. Black Arlingtonians Honored At Ceremony For Renovated Jennie Dean Park

Arlington County Parks and Recreation held a ceremony in May to celebrate the reopening of the newly renovated Jennie Dean Park, a recreation area along Four Mile Run with two baseball fields named in honor of men who made significant contributions to Arlington County and the Green Valley community.

16. Arlington's Conservation Program Gets New Name Over Equity Concerns

After almost a yearlong renaming process, Arlington County has changed the name of its Neighborhood Conservation Program to the Arlington Neighborhoods Program. The county decided to change the name after a review of the program found that the word “conservation” often evokes a negative connotation and suggests exclusivity.

17. VA High School Students Walk Out Over Roe V. Wade Leaked Decision

Students from Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington on May 9 participated in a Statewide Student Day of Action for Abortion Access organized by Generation Ratify Virginia, a youth-led organization advocating for abortion rights.

18. Arlington's Virginia Hospital Center Rebrands Itself As VHC Health

Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington has rebranded itself as VHC Health and adopted a new tagline, changes that the health system says reflect its community-centered approach to bringing top-quality healthcare to patients across the region.

19. 'Sun Glare' Contributed To Fatal Crash In Arlington Crosswalk: Police

A police investigation found that "sun glare" was a contributing factor to a fatal crash in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Arlington in early October, where a driver ran into and killed an 85-year-old woman who was walking in a crosswalk, the Arlington County Police Department said.

20. Arlington County Appoints Members To New Police Oversight Board

The Arlington County Board in March appointed nine members to the county’s new Community Oversight Board, a public body charged with advising the board on how to improve transparency and accountability in the Arlington County Police Department. The oversight board will accept complaints about the police from the public, review ACPD investigations into police conduct, and work with the community to improve its relationship with the police department.

21. House Passes Bill To Rename Arlington Post Office After Letter Carrier

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Monday introduced by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) to rename a post office in Arlington after local letter carrier Jesus Collazos. The bill passed without objection on a voice vote. Collazos immigrated to Northern Virginia from Colombia in 1978 and worked for 25 years as a U.S. Postal Service carrier in Arlington.

22. Man Falls To Death As US Marshals Attempt To Make Arrest: Police

A man died in March when the U.S. Marshals Service was attempting to serve an arrest warrant in an apartment building near Columbia Pike in Arlington. A U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force knocked and announced themselves at an apartment in the Infinity Apartments complex at 955 S. Columbus St. in the Columbia Forest neighborhood, police said. A man inside the apartment then attempted to leave the apartment through a window and fell, according to police.

23. ABC News Producer Disappears After FBI Raid On His Arlington Home

An Emmy award-winning producer for ABC News, who often broke investigative stories on national security issues, has reportedly not been seen or heard from publicly since an FBI raid on his Arlington home in April.

24. 'Chicken Is In Custody': Inside The Capture Of Pentagon Chicken

When a chicken, which would later become a national celebrity after late night talk-show host Jimmy Fallon sang a song about the bird, was found wandering around a secure area of the Pentagon early on a cold morning in late January, officials were uncertain how to handle the intruder.

25. Arlington Residents Rank 2nd Happiest In The U.S.: SmartAsset

Arlington residents came close to ranking as the happiest people in the country as they learn to stop worrying and be happy like residents in California. According to a new data analysis by SmartAsset, Arlington residents ranked No. 2 on the list of happiest in the country, just behind residents of Sunnyvale, California.