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.

Arlington Set to Join Google Connected Citizens Program

By ARLnow.com

Waze map for part of ArlingtonArlington County is likely to join Google’s Connected Citizens Program, which shares road condition and traffic data gathered from its Waze app with localities across the country and around the world.

The County Board is expected to give its okay to joining the program at its meeting on Saturday.

“Launched by Google in October 2014, the Program exchanges transportation data with local law enforcement agencies, cities, state DOTs, and countries around the world,” wrote county staff.

It’s a two-way exchange — the County would be sharing road closure information while Waze would be sharing crash, traffic and road condition reports, as submitted by the app’s users.

“With the County sharing up-to-date disruptive event information with Waze, the County is contributing to the safety of drivers and easing traffic congestion by allowing drivers to re-route in real time,” county staff write. “The County intends to integrate the Waze reported incident data into the County’s My Arlington mobile app to provide enhanced real-time reporting of high impact traffic disruptions in Arlington.”

If You’re Putting Garbage Bags in Your Recycling Bin, You’re Doing It Wrong

By ARLnow.com

Recycling bins in Arlington (Flickr pool photo by Aaron Webb)So you heard last fall that Arlington’s recycling contractor was no longer recycling plastic bags. No big deal, you can just take all of those grocery and shopping bags to your nearest supermarket for recycling.

But it’s still okay to put a garbage bag full of recyclables into the blue bin, right?

Wrong.

Even garbage bags are verboten under the new policy.

“In the past, our recycling processor allowed County recycling customers to put plastic bags in their recycling carts,” Erik Grabowsky, Arlington’s Solid Waste Bureau Chief, tells ARLnow.com. “However, the processor cannot accept these plastic bags anymore because they wrap around processing equipment and disrupt operations. We ask that residents stop putting plastic bags in their recycling carts.”

Also, make sure that plastic films — including bubble wrap, saran wrap and those little air pockets that come in Amazon.com boxes — stay out of the recycling.

There’s a rumor going around that the presence of any plastic bag in a recycling bin automatically forces the recycling crew to dump it as trash. A “stinky policy,” is how one tipster described it. But that’s not exactly true, Grabowsky says.

“The presence of a few plastic bags in a recycling bin does not make the entire bin trash,” he said. “The processor would not discard the entire contents of the bin or a truckload as trash. However, we ask that residents be proactive and refrain from putting plastic bags in recycling bins.”

The policy applies to residents who are served by the county’s trash and recycling service. Those living in apartment buildings or condos have their recycling picked up by a private contractor, which may have different rules.

Flickr pool photo by Aaron Webb

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Bluebells (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

District Taco Featured on CNBC — The amazing success story of District Taco and co-founder Osiris Hoil was featured on CNBC yesterday. [CNBC]

District Taco Gets New Neighbor — The new District Taco in Rosslyn will soon have a new neighbor at 1500 Wilson Blvd. A Wells Fargo bank is “coming soon” to a next-door ground floor retail space. There is an existing Wells Fargo branch down the street at 1300 Wilson Blvd. A branch in Courthouse recently closed. A bank spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment. [Twitter]

Scaled-Down Long Bridge Aquatics Center Proposed — Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz last night proposed a scaled-down version of the Long Bridge Park aquatics center. The original aquatics center design was shelved before it could be built due to construction estimates and an operating budget that were higher than expected. [InsideNova]

Congressional Delegation Writes to NPS Director — Arlington’s congressional delegation — Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Don Beyer — has written to National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, urging him to make sure NPS applies for a “FASTLANE” grant for reconstruction of the decaying Memorial Bridge, before the April 14 application deadline. However, the Park Service is said to be likely to miss the deadline. [Scribd, Washington Post]

Maker Economy Event in Crystal City — TechShop in Crystal City will be hosting a discussion of the “the maker economy and local manufacturing in the DMV region” next Wednesday, April 20. Early bird registration ends tomorrow. [LERCPA]

Beginning of the End for Metro’s 1000-Series — Metro retired the first of its aging 1000-series rail cars from service yesterday morning, calling it the “end of an era.” [YouTube]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Parents Calling for Improvements to Rocky Yard at Elementary School

By ARLnow.com
1/7

Some Claremont Immersion Elementary School parents are mobilizing for improvements to the area around the school’s playgrounds.

The school yard, parents say, is dusty, rocky and potentially dangerous as a play area for students. A website has been set up to encourage parents to write to Arlington Public Schools administrators and demand change.

Here’s what one parent wrote on the website:

Last November (2014), I contacted APS Facilities about the horrible conditions in the Claremont Schoolyard. It didn’t go anywhere because it would “cost too much” to solve the problem.

As you can see, much of Claremont’s school yard is covered in small sharp rocks. Students often fall and get cut on these rocks. As a result, teachers and staff have to direct students to play in the field between the trailer and playground equipment. The over use of this field has caused the grass to vanish.

If APS is going to continue increasing the student population of Claremont, they need to increase the amount of usable SAFE outdoor space!

If you would like to express your concern over the rocky schoolyard, please see the list below to contact APS and the School Board!

Animal Hospital Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

2601-A Wilson Blvd (image via Google Maps)A new Caring Hands Animal Hospital location is “coming soon” to Clarendon.

The facility is currently being built out in the former Henninger Media Services space at 2601-A Wilson Blvd, behind Current Boutique. The local veterinary chain announced the new location on its website.

“Caring Hands Animal Hospital of Clarendon is an AAHA accredited veterinary practice with a state-of-the-art surgical suite, complete in-house laboratory, and a friendly and knowledgeable staff,” the company said. “With ultrasound and digital dental radiography capabilities we strive to provide the best care for you and your pet.”

Building permits for the interior construction were first issued in December.

Photo via Google Maps

NOVA Firearms Closes Store in Falls Church

By ARLnow.com

NOVA Firearms in Falls Church (courtesy photo)NOVA Firearms, the gun store that was once hoping to open in Cherrydale, has closed its location in Falls Church, in part due to security concerns.

The store, which has an existing location in McLean, had its lease in Cherrydale canceled last summer after a community outcry. In February, it opened an “annex” location in Falls Church, citing “high demand [in] that location for transfers and firearm purchases.”

On Friday, just two months after opening, the store announced that it would be closing.

“Regretfully due to recent neighborhood events and our desire to act in the best interests of the community in partnership with Falls Church Police, we have decided to close up this store in order to look for a more ideal location,” the company said.

A store manager explained that there were security concerns with the Falls Church location that came to light after its opening.

“Conversations in partnership with the Falls Church police department and the ATF revealed a rash of burglaries and firearms thefts in the area, and the security of the building at 909 West Broad Street, came into question,” wrote Erik Lorentzen. “In the interest of doing what was best for the community and preventing an unsavory situation with stolen firearms on the streets, we chose to close the store and move the inventory back to the more secure McLean location.”

(The McLean location was burglarized in December.)

Lorentzen said there were also “some business related reasons” for the closure.

“The Falls Church annex… was always a bit of an experiment to see if it was financially viable,” he said. “Over the two months the store was there, no such market revealed itself to us, and the store barely covered its operating expenses.”

Moving forward, NOVA Firearms says it’s focused on “building better relationships with the communities where we reside.”

“Falls Church was actually very welcoming and we had what we felt was a very good relationship with our neighbors,” said Lorentzen. “We were never protested and never received any pressure from anyone pushing us to close down. We simply looked at the situations… and made the call ourselves that this was the right and moral thing to do. We greatly appreciate all the support we have received from our customer base, and look forward to seeing everyone at the McLean store, which isn’t going anywhere.”

NOVA Firearms is not to be confused with NOVA Armory, the gun store that is now open in Arlington’s Lyon Park neighborhood despite vocal opposition from some in the community.

Courtesy photo

Whole Foods Wall Partially Destroyed

By ARLnow.com
1/4

A portion of the low brick wall outside of the Clarendon Whole Foods was smashed by a shopper who apparently mistook the gas pedal for the brake.

The incident happened recently on the N. Edgewood Street side of the store’s surface parking lot. We’re told the shopper was either trying to park to trying to exit the parking space, but ended up hopping the curb and slamming into the wall instead, knocking over a large section of bricks.

(None of the cars pictured were involved in the accident.)

No injuries were reported. The smashed section of wall is now cordoned off by yellow caution tape.

Arlington Considering Allowing Car2Go to Go to D.C.

By ARLnow.com

Car2Go in RosslynThe Arlington County Board this weekend is set to consider a big change to Car2Go car sharing service in the county.

Car2Go launched in Arlington this past fall as a pilot program, but it only allows trips that start and end in Arlington. The Board is considering taking a first step to allowing cross-jurisdictional service between D.C. and Arlington.

After launching Oct. 22, Car2Go got off to slow start with customers, according to a county staff report. In response, Car2Go reduced its Arlington fleet from 95 cars to only 25 in January.

So far, 2,000 Arlington residents have joined as members, taking 6,600 trips, but the fleet reduction has resulted in “less availability overall and reduced usefulness to members,” said county staff.

The company has also had to contend with complaints about their cars being parked in one place for too long. In residential permit parking areas, the maximum idle time is 24 hours; it’s 36 hours everywhere else.

“Membership and vehicle use in the first couple months of the program was lower than anticipated and several complaints were received from residents reporting car2go vehicles that were idle/parked for longer-than-permitted durations,” said the staff report. “All of these relocation requests were resolved by car2go staff.”

With only 25 vehicles — up to 200 were authorized by the county — “the pilot does not indicate that an Arlington-only system is viable,” say county staff.

By allowing Car2Go to operate across state lines, it can “provide a more useful service to members in Arlington and D.C.,” “operate a fleet size sufficient for proper evaluation
of operational viability in Arlington” and “reduce vehicle idle times and rebalancing costs that have been a barrier thus far.”

Even though county staff says their D.C. counterparts support cross-jurisdictional service, approval by the County Board this weekend would not result in an immediate service change, Car2Go said.

“Approval from the Arlington County Board would be a very positive step toward cross-jurisdictional access, and we’re also working to gain support from DDOT,” said spokesman Brad Ducey. “As soon as we are able to get support from both jurisdictions, we would be able to implement quickly.”

“It has always been our goal to create a seamless regional carsharing solution, similar to what members of Capital Bikeshare experience,” Ducey added. “We know car2go members are eager for access between Washington D.C. and Arlington, and we’re continuing to work hard to make that a reality. We’ll be sure to keep our members informed since we know car2go is an important part of how they get around, and cross-jurisdictional access would make it even more convenient.”

Renovated Pacers Store Reopens in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
1/13

After nearly two months of renovations, the Pacers Running Store in Clarendon reopened last week.

The store’s interior was totally revamped to offer a “shopping experience” similar to the new Pacers stores in the District, on 14th Street and in Navy Yard. The new space is more open, more organized and features more natural light.

Pacers is located at 3100 Clarendon Blvd, across from the Metro station. The store moved to an ancillary space along N. Highland Street during construction, offering a scaled-down selection of running shoes, apparel, nutrition and accessories.

Even with the renovated space open, Pacers is still adding product displays and making some finishing touches to the store.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Blooming in Barcroft (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)

VDOT Holds HOT Lane Meeting — Last night VDOT gave the first formal public presentation of its plan to expand the I-395 HOV lanes and convert them to High Occupancy Toll lanes. The meeting was held at Wakefield High School and addressed issues from toll pricing to transit improvements to sound walls. [WTOP, Fox 5]

Bike-on-Bike Crashes Problematic for the Law — A new article asserts that Arlington County Police normally do not file reports for bike-on-bike crashes. “This is a bike accident. Life happens,” an officer reportedly told a victim after one recent incident. Incomplete or nonexistent police reports have frustrated victims and attorneys seeking legal redress — and led to the hiring of private investigators who try to gather evidence and find witnesses. [Washingtonian]

Disability Advocates Protest in Arlington — Disability rights advocates made their frustrations personal yesterday by protesting in front of the Arlington home of Vanita Gupta, head of the U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Division. [Disability Scoop]

Proposal: Allow Older Cabs in Arlington — The Arlington County Board on Saturday is expected to consider a policy change that would allow older cabs on the road, among other changes. Currently, cabs entering service may be no older than two years old and then must be retired after reaching seven years old or 350,000 miles. Recognizing advances in vehicle reliability, the new policy would do away with the two year provision and set the maximum age of cabs at 10 years old. [Arlington County]

Free Donuts for Lawyers Today — It’s Be Kind to Lawyers Day and to mark the occasion Sugar Shack Donuts on Columbia Pike is offering a free “house donut” to lawyers today. Sugar Shack is also beginning a promotion that will give select customers free donuts to distribute to their favorite local teachers. “To participate, folks just need to use the hashtag #Treats4Teach to tell us on Facebook or Twitter why they should be picked to deliver donuts to their local school teachers and to which school,” said a press release.

Nice Weather at Last — After this morning’s rain, expect clearing skies and pleasant weather that should stretch into next week. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

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