Author: ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

Bread & Water Coming to Pentagon Row

By ARLnow.com

Artisan bakery Bread & Water appears to be coming to Pentagon Row.

According to a sign, the bakery and cafe is opening in one of the glass-and-steel kiosk building of Pentagon Row’s central plaza, which was formerly occupied by Capital Teas and sunglasses store Specs.

The bakery has an existing bricks-and-mortar location in the Belle View section of Fairfax County, south of Alexandria. It also is a regular fixture at local farmers markets, including Crystal City, Ballston and Columbia Pike.

Bread & Water’s menu includes freshly-baked breads, breakfast items, salads, soups, sandwiches, pastries and desserts.

No word yet on an opening date.

DEVELOPING: Track Fire at Pentagon City Metro

By ARLnow.com

Update at 1:15 p.m. — Repairs were completed and normal service resumed before noon, Metro says.

Update at 9:45 a.m. — All Blue and Yellow line service between National Airport and the Pentagon has been suspended due to “unscheduled track repairs.” The Pentagon City and Crystal City stations are being evacuated, Blue and Yellow line service is being run in two separate segments, and a shuttle is being established.

A large fire department response is on scene at the Pentagon City Metro station due to a track fire.

The apparent insulator fire is on one of the track at the station, producing light smoke. As of 9:15 a.m., the station was not being evacuated, but trains were being offloaded.

The Arlington County Police Department is helping to direct traffic in the area.

Trains are currently halted but Metro is preparing to single-track through the station, according to scanner traffic.

https://twitter.com/dbroncos78087/status/955440315699212288

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Map Tracks Water Main Breaks — A new map created by Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services shows the location of the dozens of water main breaks in Arlington County since Nov. 1. “It has been a particularly brutal winter season in Arlington,” DES said via Twitter.  [Google Maps]

Local History Archives Closing Temporarily — “Beginning February 1, the Center for Local History’s off-site Community Archives, located at the Woodmont Community Center, will temporarily close for a renovation project.” The archives are not open to the public but are available to researchers on a by-request basis. [Arlington County]

County to Release Amazon Bid Details — Win or lose, after Amazon’s HQ2 process concludes Arlington County plans to release details of its bid for the tech and online retail giant. Arlington is now among those in the Top 20 for the second corporate headquarters. [InsideNova]

Fake ID Stat from ACPD — Bouncers caught 703 fake IDs in Clarendon last year, according to stats from the Arlington County Police Department. Extra vigilance from establishments like Don Tito and Whitlow’s helps “maintain Clarendon has a safe place to enjoy nightlife and entertainment,” says ACPD. [Twitter]

Nearby: DCA Noise Case in Federal Court — “The three-year battle between residents in Northwest Washington and the Federal Aviation Administration over noise from flights at Reagan National Airport is now in the hands of a federal appeals court… A ruling, which could take several months, will be closely watched by communities across the country grappling with similar issues tied to the FAA’s efforts to modernize the nation’s air traffic system.” [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

More Stuff Coming to Ballston — Even more hip food-and-drink spots are on the way for Ballston. A 3,000 square foot Union Kitchen Grocery store is coming to the ground floor of the revamped Ballston Quarter mall, at the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Randolph Street, while a Compass Coffee cafe will also be opening in the mall. [Washington Business Journal]

Wheels Stolen Off the Lot at Dealership — Someone stole tires from three vehicles parked in the lot of a car dealership on Lee Highway just after midnight Wednesday. “An unknown suspect(s) removed the tires from and tampered with multiple vehicles in the parking lot of a business,” police said in a crime report. There is no suspect description and no surveillance footage, we’re told. There is a Toyota dealership on the 4000 block of Lee Highway, where police said the crime occurred, but also a Honda dealership nearby. [Arlington County]

Garvey Confident About Amazon — Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey is optimistic about Amazon coming to the area. “I think Amazon is very likely coming here,” she said at a Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce conference, shortly after it was announced that Northern Virginia, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland were among the top 20 finalists for Amazon’s HQ2. “We have got everything here.” [Washington Business Journal]

Here’s How Alair Homes Updated an Older Home Within a Growing Family’s Budget

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Arlington Construction Management is now Alair Homes Arlington. While the company’s name is new, its values remain the same.

Alair Homes Arlington specializes in residential construction for people in the Washington, D.C. area, with a focus on Arlington. Home projects range from renovating a bathroom to building an entirely new abode.

For projects of all sizes, Alair follows a client control model, which emphasizes convenience, customization, service and transparency for the client. That helps to eliminate any unexpected surprises. Plus, before entering an agreement, projects are fully scoped, priced and validated.

The photos above are an example of one of Alair’s recent projects. Here’s what company owner Chad Hackmann said about how he totally transformed this Arlington home:

This home started out as a typical 1940’s Arlington Cape, brick and block construction with a center hall stair, upstairs had two bedrooms and one bath under a shed dormer off the back and two small dormers off the front. Clients were looking to add room without significantly expanding the footprint of the house in order to keep the budget reasonable and preserve the large back yard for the enjoyment of the growing family.

After getting into the design it was quickly decided that so much drywall and plaster were being removed that it made sense to gut the entire floor, completely updating everything including insulation, electrical, HVAC, all windows and creating a new thermal envelope. The new dormers were made as big as possible to raise the ceiling height in those rooms as high as possible to really open up the space. This allowed for plenty of space for a new custom bunk beds in the kids room. The master bedroom addition was built on the angle to take advantage of the side yard setbacks creating as much room as possible. A custom bureau was further cantilevered into the set back in the master bedroom. The front entrance was dressed up to blend properly with the addition. All this to maximize utility but keep to a value and budget goals of the owners.

In the end we transformed a home whose second floor could barely sleep 4 to one that could easily handle 6 and in addition the owners now have actual storage on that second floor including a walk-in closet! A major transformation indeed for the typical Arlington home.

Want to see more? Come visit Alair at the Home + Remodeling Show at the Dulles Expo Center. Need tickets? Email [email protected] or call 202-409-1280 for a free ticket while supplies last.

The preceding was written by ARLnow and sponsored by Alair Homes Arlington.

Crime Report: Man Accosts Girl Near Westover

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police are looking for a man who “made a sexually inappropriate comment” to a girl under the age of 18 near the Westover neighborhood.

The incident happened last Thursday afternoon, according to this week’s ACPD crime report.

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES (late), 2018-01110206, 5600 block of N. Washington Boulevard. At approximately 6:47 p.m. on January 11, police were dispatched to the late report of a suspicious person. Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 2:30 p.m., a juvenile female victim was walking in the area when an adult male approached her on foot and made a sexually inappropriate comment before fleeing the scene. The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 5’5″ to 5’11” tall with an average build, and a black beard. He was wearing a red baseball hat and blue jeans at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

The rest of this past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.

Map via Google Maps

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

PenPlace Plan Revived with Apartments — JBG Smith plans to revive its stalled PenPlace project in Pentagon City by building apartment buildings rather than office buildings in the first phase of the project. The updated plans will be open to community input during a new site plan review process. The original plans were approved in 2013 over the objections of some nearby residents. [Washington Business Journal]

Traffic at DCA to Get Heavier During Construction — “Drivers heading to Reagan National Airport might soon begin to feel the impact of a major project to transform the facility. Construction crews will begin overnight work in the lower-level roadway in the next couple of weeks, and that work will spill into daytime hours come spring.” [WTOP]

More Dirt Coming to DCA — Another portion of the expansion project at Reagan National Airport will bring a big mound of dirt to the airport grounds. The dirt is needed to support the weight of a new regional jet concourse. DCA was built on land reclaimed from the Potomac River. [InsideNova]

Photo by Anna Merod

UPDATED: Northern Virginia, D.C. on Amazon ‘Top 20’ List for HQ2

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 5:05 p.m.) Amazon has just revealed the top 20 finalists for its second headquarters, and the D.C. area figures in prominently.

Northern Virginia, D.C. and Montgomery County are all included in the list, below. Arlington is not explicitly mentioned but is included within “Northern Virginia,” a county spokeswoman confirmed to ARLnow.

“Amazon reviewed 238 proposals from across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to host HQ2, the company’s second headquarters in North America,” the company said in a press release. “Today, Amazon announced it has chosen the following 20 metropolitan areas to move to the next phase of the process.”

The list of areas is below.

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Austin, TX
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Columbus, OH
  • Dallas, TX
  • Denver, CO
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Miami, FL
  • Montgomery County, MD
  • Nashville, TN
  • Newark, NJ
  • New York City, NY
  • Northern Virginia, VA
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Pittsburgh, PA
  • Raleigh, NC
  • Toronto, ON
  • Washington D.C.

Arlington is actively competing for HQ2, as is D.C. and other local jurisdictions. Among the locations in Arlington that are being floated as potential homes for Amazon are Rosslyn and Crystal City.

“We’re pleased that Arlington and our partners in Northern Virginia are being considered for Amazon HQ2” County Board Chair Katie Cristol said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to showcase why Arlington’s excellent workforce, schools, transit options and proximity to the nation’s Capital make it an ideal location for innovative, field-leading businesses.”

In all, 238 communities in North America submitted proposals.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s office sent out a press release touting the top 20 selection Thursday afternoon. An excerpt:

The Northern Virginia proposal included four sites for consideration in Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Loudoun County. Northern Virginia is a region positioned at the cutting edge of innovation and technology, comprised of bustling mixed-use developments; 11 Fortune 500 companies; thousands of top technology firms; a top-five talent base; a hub of innovators, entrepreneurs and investors; diverse cultural amenities; and one of the friendliest business climates in the U.S.

“We couldn’t be prouder that Northern Virginia has been selected as one of 20 candidate locations for this historic project,” said Governor Northam. “The Commonwealth’s strong proposals for the Amazon HQ2 project represent an unprecedented level of local and regional collaboration, as well as strong support from Governor McAuliffe’s Administration and leaders in the Virginia General Assembly. Virginia’s outstanding business climate and world-class workforce make our Commonwealth the right place for Amazon to place this key base of operations. We look forward to a continuing partnership with our Northern Virginia communities to show Amazon and job creators all over the world that the Commonwealth is the best place to locate and grow.”

[…]

“This is an exciting time for Virginia,” said Victor Hoskins, Director of Arlington Economic Development. “The opportunity to showcase Northern Virginia’s incredible assets, from our top-notch workforce and unparalleled transportation access to our vast residential opportunities and proximity to the nation’s Capital, to Amazon’s top executives is truly a win for all of us, and it would be a win for all of us. We in Arlington look forward to working together with our Northern Virginia partners to demonstrate to Amazon that the Commonwealth is indeed the ideal location for HQ2.”

More from an Amazon press release, after the jump.

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2018 ARLnow Reader Survey

By ARLnow.com

Once a year, we poll all of our readers and use the data collected to help set the direction of ARLnow.com for the year to come.

The time has arrived to unveil the 2018 ARLnow reader survey, which is now live and ready for your feedback.

We take reader feedback seriously, so if you have a couple of minutes, we would greatly appreciate if you can answer some or all of the questions below. If you’re on mobile, or if the survey is otherwise not working, click here to open it in a new window.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Garbage Truck Crash — Among a number of other potentially weather-related crashes this morning, a garbage truck ran into a utility pole on the 4600 block of 27th Street N., near Marymount University. Dominion crews responded to the scene for a report of downed power lines. No injuries were reported.

Four Mile Run Valley Meeting Cancelled — A meeting of the Four Mile Run Valley Working Group, scheduled for tonight, has been cancelled. The cancellation is due to county staff reviewing “key pieces of the 4MRV transportation analysis,” the county wrote. “Staff will provide an update on the process schedule and timeline at the next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 6.” [Arlington County]

Lee Highway Planning Moving Forward — “Funded with two county grants, donations and sponsorships, the Lee Highway Alliance is now back on the front burner of Arlington’s planning agenda, said county board Chairman Katie Cristol, who promised forward movement in the next couple of months.” Meanwhile, businesses along Lee Highway are generally supportive of redevelopment, according to the alliance. [Falls Church News-Press]

ACFD Helps Battle Fairfax Fire — Arlington County firefighters assisted Fairfax County on an apartment fire near Tysons Corner early this morning. About 34 residents were displaced by the fire. [Twitter, Twitter]

Photo courtesy Dennis Dimick

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