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.

‘Livin’ the Pie Life’ Expected to Open Glebe Road Store Later This Month

By ARLnow.com
1/7

The sign on the front door says it all: new pie store Livin’ the Pie Life expects to open “April-ish.”

Located at 2166 N. Glebe Road, near the intersection with Lee Highway, the store is the bricks-and-mortar manifestation of what has up until now been a business that sold its wares primarily at local farmers markets.

Owners Heather Sheire and Wendy MacCallum, two Arlington moms who founded the company in 2011, says they don’t have an opening date set yet — but they’re close.

The store just added a new espresso machine and will be serving Virginia-based Red Rooster Coffee. That’s of course in addition to cookies, cakes, pies (savory and sweet) and other pastries.

The pies will be served in regular and individual sizes, plus by the slice. There are also plans to serve ice cream later this year, once a suitable vendor is selected.

The store is awaiting a couple of county permits before opening. It includes a sizable kitchen, a counter service area and a seating area for customers.

Sheire and MacCallum will still be selling pies at the Westover Farmers Market, and on Saturday will begin serving the Courthouse Farmers Market for the first time. The company only offers whole pies at farmers markets.

‘Relocatable’ Classrooms at Abingdon Relocated to Field

By ARLnow.com
1/4

An open field next to Abingdon Elementary School in Fairlington is now being used by the school’s relocatable classroom trailers, ahead of an expansion and renovation of the school.

The trailers were recently relocated to the field, next to a playground and on top of a paved loop that’s often used by those learning to ride a bike. About a dozen trees around the field have also been cut down.

According to a construction bidding document, part of the field will also soon be used as a temporary parking lot.

The changes are connected to the expansion and renovation of Abingdon, which was approved last year and is expected to wrap up in 2017.

“The relocatable classrooms have been moved onto the site in preparation for the upcoming construction project,” said Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia. “The existing field will be used for relocatable classrooms and temporary classrooms and then restored at the end of the construction project.”

“In accordance with the approved Use Permit and as agreed upon by the County, some trees were removed prior to the start of construction, prior to April 1 and before birds and animals start nesting in them,” Bellavia added.

District Taco Has Reopened on Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com
1/5

The original District Taco at 5723 Lee Highway reopened at 11 a.m. this morning, after closing last month for renovations.

The restaurant doesn’t look all too different than it did before the renovations. We’re told much of the work focused on the kitchen; if anything, District Taco has been a victim of its own popularity in the form of out-the-door lines during the lunch and dinner rushes.

District Taco will be hosting raffles and giveaways today in celebration of its reopening, founder and CEO Osiris Hoil tells ARLnow.com.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rainbow over Wakefield High School (Photo via @WLHSIBProgram)

New Traffic Pattern on Route 1 — There’s a new traffic pattern for the lefthand turn from southbound Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) to 23rd Street S. in Crystal City. The change was necessitated by operations of the new Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway. [Facebook]

Aurora Hills Library Eyed As School Site — The current Aurora Hills library and senior center is being looked at by Arlington Public Schools as a possible site for a new elementary school. Meanwhile, even though nearby Oakridge Elementary is over capacity, Superintendent Patrick Murphy says there’s actually a more pressing need for additional elementary capacity in north Arlington due to population growth around the Rosslyn-Ballston and Lee Highway corridors. [InsideNova]

Australian Company Says G’Day to Ballston — The Australian investment firm QIC has taken a 49 percent stake in Ballston Quarter, the soon-to-be-renovated shopping center currently known as Ballston Common Mall. The majority of the mall is still owned by Cleveland-based Forest City. [Washington Business Journal, Crain’s Cleveland Business]

Local Named New Jersey Cherry Blossom Princess — The 2016 New Jersey Cherry Blossom Princess is a 24-year-old Hoboken native who now lives in the D.C. area and works at Rosslyn-based CEB. [Hudson Reporter]

CEB Acquires Portland Firm — Rosslyn-based CEB is getting bigger. The company is acquiring Portland, Oregon-based Evanta Ventures for $275 million. CEB will be moving into a new namesake CEB Tower in Rosslyn after construction wraps up in 2018. [StreetInsider]

Arlington’s Top Bond Rating Affirmed — Arlington County has once again earned the highest bond rating from the three major rating agencies. “The County works hard to maintain these AAA ratings to finance critical County infrastructure projects with bonds that carry the lowest interest rates available,” said County Manager Mark Schwartz. [Arlington County]

Photo via @WLHSIBProgram

Commuting Woes on Metro, Route 50 This Morning

By ARLnow.com

It was not a good morning commute if you were driving on Route 50 or riding Metro’s Orange or Silver lines over the last hour or so.

First, a crash on Route 50 at N. Fillmore Street around 8 a.m. left a vehicle on its side and one person trapped, before being extricated by firefighters. The eastbound lanes of Route 50 just reopened after an extended closure. Delays extends back several miles.

On Metro, a number of issues on the Orange and Silver line have produced big delays and crowded station.

As a bonus, there were also some issues on the Yellow and Blue lines.

Greene Turtle in Ballston to Close, Become an Applebee’s

By ARLnow.com

The Greene Turtle in BallstonToday is the last day in business for the Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille in Ballston.

The restaurant, at 900 N. Glebe Road, will close permanently at its normal midnight closing time tonight, a tipster told us and an employee confirmed.

The Greene Turtle first opened in January 2012, in an expansive space featuring more than 50 TVs on the walls and in booths. It struggled to attract enough customers to make it viable, we’re told, owing at least in part to its location across busy Glebe Road from Ballston’s main business district.

“Greene Turtle has been starving from the moment it opened,” an insider told us last month. “That side of Glebe is just brutal.”

Another tipster told ARLnow.com last month that the Greene Turtle would be replaced by an Applebee’s restaurant later this summer. An employee today said that was true. So far, the company has not confirmed the news.

Restaurant staff was informed of the closure on Friday, we hear.

Renovations at Columbia Pike Burger King

By ARLnow.com
1/3

The Burger King on Columbia Pike is getting a makeover.

Located at 3627 Columbia Pike, Burger King’s realm was looking a bit less-than-regal as of late. Over the past few days, however, workers have spruced up the interior.

More remodeling — including exterior changes — appears to be in the works.

During the interior renovation, the restaurant’s dining room was closed but its drive-thru remained open.

Hat tip to John Fontain

New Coffee Shop Coming to Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A Rock ‘n’ Joe coffee shop is coming to Ballston, across from Ballston Common Mall.

With existing stores in Pittsburgh and New Jersey, Rock ‘n’ Joe describes itself as “a new third-wave coffee bar design, with artisan drinks focused on quality and craft with music brewing in the décor and air.”

“At Rock ‘n’ Joe the guest will be treated to an environment that is committed to the craft of making the perfect beverage, from our drip coffee of the day, to a special single origin coffee made in a pour-over method,” the company’s website says. “Our beverage artists are committed to making the perfectly balanced delicious espresso beverages; from a shot of espresso to a vanilla latte and our signature beverages and everything in between, our goal is to ROCK you with every cup of Rock ‘n’ Joe.”

The store is located at 4401 Wilson Blvd, next to Big Buns and across from Grand Cru.

So far there’s no word as to when Rock ‘n’ Joe expects to open. A company representative has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Rock ‘n’ Joe will benefit, at least temporarily, from the impending renovations at Ballston Common Mall. The mall’s Starbucks store has closed ahead of the two-year renovation process, although there are others nearby, including two blocks away at 801 N. Glebe Road.

https://twitter.com/guusbosman/status/717034342363570177

Hat tip to @sfuss

Police Investigated Bomb Threat at Pentagon City Starbucks

By ARLnow.com

ACPD K9 unitPolice investigated a bomb threat at a Starbucks in Pentagon City late last week.

The incident happened around 8 a.m. on Friday, Arlington County Police said today, after a Starbucks employee found a threatening note on the floor.

“Business was being conducted as usual when officers arrived,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage said. “K9s swept the store periodically throughout the day with negative results. There is no suspect description.”

The Starbucks was reported to be on the 1100 block of S. Joyce Street, at the Pentagon Row shopping center. Friday (April 1) was April Fool’s Day.

Sweetgreen, Orangetheory Fitness Coming to Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Ground floor of the Metropolitan Park Acadia building in Pentagon CityTrendy salad purveyor Sweetgreen and trendy sweat producer Orangetheory Fitness are both coming to Pentagon City, permit applications show.

The businesses are coming to the ground floor of The Acadia at Metropolitan Park apartment building. That the same building in which a CorePower Yoga studio just opened.

Sweetgreen applied for its construction permit on the 12th Street S. side of the building on Feb. 24. Orangetheory applied for a permit on the S. Fern Street side of the building on April 1.

Also coming to the building: a European Wax Center location. And, according to a retail leasing document, a thus-far unnamed coffee shop.

Orangetheory has existing Arlington locations in Rosslyn and Ballston. Sweetgreen recently opened in Crystal City and also has a Ballston location. European Wax Center has a location in Courthouse.

The 12th Street extension between S. Eads and Fern streets is rapidly becoming a powerhouse retail corridor, even though it’s a block from an existing, expanding retail hub: the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall. A Whole Foods and a Commonwealth Joe coffee shop will be opening this summer on 12th Street S., at The Bartlett apartment building.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Herselle Milliken Park in Ashton Heights

Big Tree Down on Washington Blvd — A large tree fell across power lines on Washington Blvd just south of Virginia Hospital Center during Saturday night and Sunday morning’s windstorm. Washington Blvd was closed between George Mason Drive and N. Harrison Street for much of the day Sunday while Dominion crews repaired the lines. [Twitter, Twitter]

Photos: DCA Airport Strike — DCist has photos from last week’s 24 hour strike of contract service workers at Reagan National Airport. [DCist]

Arlington Signs on to Amicus Brief — Arlington was among more than 50 counties and cities that signed on to an amicus brief in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan for reducing carbon emissions from power plants. [Columbia Law School, Twitter]

Capital Improvement Plan Survey — Through April 22, Arlington County is conducting an online survey of residents that will help guide decision-making during the upcoming Capital Improvement Plan process. The CIP helps to plan “major investments in parks, libraries, transportation, community centers, facilities, technology, water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure — along with other areas that support the community.” [Arlington County]

‘The Burbs Are Back’ in Office Leasing — Arlington and other suburban D.C. jurisdictions are showing a bit of strength in the office leasing market. “The suburbs accounted for 69.5 percent of Washington region’s leasing activity in the first quarter, up substantially from a 52.9 percent share in 2015, according to JLL’s quarterly market reports.” [Virginia Business]

TSA Move Delayed Until 2020 — The Transportation Security Administration will be staying put at its Pentagon City headquarters until at least 2020. The TSA had planned to move to Alexandria by 2018, but legal wrangling has delayed the move and forced the TSA to redo its leasing process. [Washington Business Journal]

PSA: Don’t Do This — Spotted in Clarendon: a young woman urinating while sitting on a bench along a busy street, at 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday. [Twitter]

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