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.
Taco + Pina in Shirlington closed in December 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Food and drink at Taco Bamba (Photo by Greg Powers)
Food and drink at Taco Bamba (Photo by Greg Powers)
Food and drink at Taco Bamba (Photo by Greg Powers)
Taco Bamba is expanding its presence in Arlington.
The burgeoning fast-casual chain is planning to open at 4041 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington, a PR rep said this morning. That’s the former location of Taco + Piña, which closed late last year after opening early in the pandemic and never quite finding its footing.
“The 2,100-square-foot space at 4041 Campbell Ave. will include a full bar and patio, and open this spring,” the PR rep noted.
Taco Bamba has an existing Arlington location at 4000 Wilson Blvd in Ballston, which opened in August 2020 after chef Victor Albisu decided to swap out a planned all-day egg concept called Huevos for his tried-and-true taco eatery.
Albisu today also announced the April 4 opening of a new Taco Bamba in Herndon, the restaurant’s ninth location. Additionally, the company is preparing for the impending opening of locations at City Ridge in D.C. and in Raleigh, North Carolina — the first outside of the D.C. area — as well as a new Fair Lakes location in Fairfax opening this fall.
Taco Bamba’s menu includes a variety of tacos, tortas, sides, sweets and cocktails.
A man walking along Columbia Pike at 8 p.m. on Friday was punched and robbed by a trio of suspects, two of whom were armed.
That’s according to the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report.
The incident happened on the 5000 block of Columbia Pike, just west of the Arlington Mill Community Center. It was reported to police about 50 minutes after it happened, according to ACPD.
“The victim was walking in the area when he was approached by the three unknown male suspects,” the police department said. “Two of the suspects displayed firearms in their waistbands while one of the suspects struck the victim with his fist, stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene on foot. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated by medics.”
The Potomac River and Tidal Basin while cherry trees are blooming, as seen from Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Rental Car Changes at DCA — “Avis and Budget, both owned by Avis Budget Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR) in Parsippany, New Jersey, recently notified customers in an email that they are relocating from the on-airport rental center on the first floor of the airport’s main parking garage to a stand-alone facility in Crystal City. Taking their place will be Sixt, a German car-rental company that has been rapidly expanding in the U.S. in recent years.” [Washington Business Journal]
Online Missing Middle Survey — “A survey of Patch readers conducted after the county board’s March 22 vote found that nearly 63 percent of respondents did not agree with the board’s decision to approve the Missing Middle Housing plan. And among the 942 responses to the Patch survey, 65 percent said they do not believe the board’s decision to eliminate single-family zoning will create more affordable housing in Arlington County.” [Patch]
Update on ARLnow Poll — As of 5 p.m. Monday, about 58% of the more than 2,500 respondents to ARLnow’s morning poll on the Missing Middle decision expressed support for some degree of rezoning. Just over 42% were totally opposed to any rezoning. [ARLnow]
Local LGBT Group Changes Name — “It’s a new name for a local organization, as the Arlington-Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Alliance (AGLA) morphs into ‘Equality NoVa.’ The switch will take place over coming months, and is designed in part to show the organization’s growth into the broader local region.” [GazetteLeader]
Teen Police Academy Applications Open — “Due to the popularity of last year’s inaugural Teen Police Academy, the Community Engagement Division’s Youth Outreach Unit (YOU) is pleased to announce the expansion of the Summer Teen Police Academy for Summer 2023. The application has opened for two sessions being held in the months of July and August focused on education, relationship-building and positive youth development.” [ACPD]
Amazon Job Training Event — “Amazon Web Services is hosting a free, two-day fiber optic training program April 4-5 in Arlington in partnership with Northern Virginia Community College. The program is open to the public and will be held at the AWS Skills Center at 1550 Crystal Drive in Arlington. The AWS Skills Center in Crystal City is a free cloud education resource for the community.” [Patch]
It’s Tuesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 56 and low of 44. Sunrise at 7:00 am and sunset at 7:29 pm. [Weather.gov]
A Ballston intersection at lunchtime on 3/27/23 (staff photo)
(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) From Ballston to Pentagon City to D.C. to Fairfax County, there’s a burning smell that seems to be lingering outside.
Those trudging out on their lunch breaks caught a whiff of the smoky scent, and the appearance of a slight haze, prompting a bunch of calls to Arlington’s 911 dispatch center.
“We’re getting multiple calls… so has D.C. and Fairfax,” an Arlington dispatcher said around 12:40 p.m., after dispatching a fire department call to investigate a smell of something burning.
D.C. neighborhood news site PoPville also wrote about the smell just before noon, noting that the District’s dispatchers have also been getting calls about it.
.@dcfireems is receiving calls for the smell of smoke in the District. At this time, there is no fire/significant incident. #DCsBravest are working to determine the source of the odor,
— DC Fire and EMS Department (@dcfireems) March 27, 2023
An Arlington County Fire Department spokesman confirmed to ARLnow that the department is monitoring the situation.
“Arlington County Emergency Communications Center (911) has been getting calls about odor of something burning all day,” said Capt. Justin Tirelli. “So far, the Fire Department has been unable to locate the source of the odor. Both Fairfax County and Washington DC have been reporting the same.”
“Currently, we are not working any significant fire incidents,” Tirelli added. “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates if more information becomes available.”
One theory — later largely confirmed by the Fairfax County fire department and the National Weather Service — is that the smell is related to wind patterns and a large wildfire in North Carolina.
Someone mentioned fires in NC. Wind pattern does appear to support that theory. pic.twitter.com/DHYQx5q34O
Police presence at former Key Bridge Marriott (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A County Board candidate says Arlington should acquire the now-condemned Key Bridge Marriott hotel and surrounding property in Rosslyn.
A number of people living in the shuttered hotel were removed Friday in a large-scale law enforcement operation, after the county condemned the building “due to the risk posed to the community’s safety and health.”
A planned residential redevelopment of the property, overlooking the Potomac River, was approved in 2020 but the project has stalled amid financial problems for its owners.
Natalie Roy, a local real estate agent who’s running in June’s Democratic primary for County Board, said in a statement this morning that current situation is “a tremendous opportunity for Arlington.” The property, she said, could be purchased and used for affordable housing, sports fields, an arts facility and a park.
“The former hotel’s garage could be the site of a state-of-the-art Pickleball facility,” the statement adds.
Roy cites the ongoing redevelopment of the 9+ acre Rouse estate in Dominion Hills — on which several dozen large, single-family homes are being built — as an example of a missed opportunity for the county.
“The key is to not let what happened to the Rouse Family Estate happen to this Arlington gateway,” her statement says.
Roy will be going up against fellow Democratic candidates Maureen Coffey; Jonathan Dromgoole; Julius “JD” Spain, Sr.; Tony Weaver; and Susan Cunningham in the June 20 primary for the two Board seats being vacated by Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey. The primary will be conducted for the first time using ranked-choice voting.
More of Roy’s statement regarding the Marriott site is below.
This empty hotel and the surrounding property represent a tremendous opportunity for Arlington. Land is at a premium in Arlington and when it becomes potentially available, as it has in this case, we need to make smart decisions quickly.
The County needs to be creative by acting now to explore ways to form a private-public partnership to purchase and then re-utilize this prime property. The site could be a showcase for Arlington and include a mixed-use complex that provides affordable housing and retail for essential workers and the most vulnerable members of our community. It could include a sports field, an arts facility or a large tree lined park. The former hotel’s garage could be the site of a state-of-the-art Pickleball facility. The potential is great.
The county needs to act swiftly and bring public and private stakeholders together, to explore the possibilities and develop a comprehensive strategy for the site. The key is to not let what happened to the Rouse Family Estate happen to this Arlington gateway.
“If elected as a County Board Member, I will make it a priority to work with other Board Members to develop a strategic county-wide land use plan, so we are not playing catch up when opportunities present themselves.”
Duplexes along Washington Blvd in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Last week, after years of housing policy discussion, the Arlington County Board made the bold move of rezoning most of the county’s residential areas.
The unanimous final vote did not reflect just how contentious the issue was locally, with multiple groups and County Board candidates opposing the changes, holding rallies and blanketing the county with mailings.
On the other side of the issue, known broadly as “Missing Middle,” some proponents — while celebrating the action — said the rules around allowing smaller-scale multifamily housing in heretofore single-family-only neighborhoods are actually too restrictive. That includes a cap of 58 properties per year for five years.
There was also, perhaps, more of a middle ground to be found, with a lower maximum number of units (4 instead of 6) or even a provision for only allowing duplexes (2) and townhouses (3).
Without rehashing the entire debate in greater detail — you can read more via the links above — how do you feel about the vote?
Tree blossoms in the Zachary Taylor Nature Area (staff photo)
Post Office Dedicated to Mail Carrier — “Local leaders, family members of Jesus Collazos and community members gathered at the U.S. Post Office on N. George Mason Drive in Arlington on Sunday morning for the official dedication of the Jesus Collazos Post Office. Collazos, a beloved mail carrier in Arlington, died in June 2020 at the age of 67 after being diagnosed with COVID-19.” [Patch]
I-66 Lane Closure for Bridge Painting — “The eastbound I-66 right lane at the North Utah Street overpass will be closed, weather permitting, between 9:30 p.m. Monday, March 27 and 5 a.m. Tuesday, March 28, and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday, March 29 to place barriers along the right shoulder for bridge painting work, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.” [VDOT]
Yorktown Basketball Coach Resigns — “Joe Reed, the Yorktown High School head boys basketball coach the past eight seasons, resigned March 22 during a meeting with school administrators. The coach stepped down because he didn’t believe he was treated fairly by the administration and had differences of opinions with his supervisors, during his tenure.” [GazetteLeader]
More on NAACP’s CivFed Departure — “The NAACP version, shorter at 500 words and 15 footnotes, was intended to be less polarizing and less insulting to government officials. ‘CivFed must decide whether it wants to be merely expressive, or effective. The current draft resolution suffers from fatal defects that make it highly unlikely to prompt meaningful engagement or change from the county’ said the NAACP. In particular, ‘the draft channels grievances from a select few, relies on assumptions that county officials and staff do not share, and levies accusations that are unfair or unfounded.'” [Falls Church News-Press]
Arlington Among Most Expensive Places — “Arlington ranks as the 10th most expensive to live in among the nation’s 100 largest urban areas, according to a new survey, rising 39 percent above the national average and fueled by the whopping cost of housing. That’s according to a new data analysis by Apartment List, which looked at the cost of living through lenses of housing, utilities, transportation, health care, groceries and miscellaneous goods and services.” [GazetteLeader]
Parking Rules May Restrict Missing Middle — “Where Arlington has not gone as far as other regions is in pairing parking reform with missing middle. The rules require missing middle units to have half a parking spot per unit in areas well-served by transit and one per unit elsewhere. What might be worse in terms of getting missing middle units built, the rules limit the interior of garages that face the street to less than half of the width of the building.” [Twitter]
It’s Monday — Possible light rain in the afternoon and evening. High of 57 and low of 47. Sunrise at 7:02 am and sunset at 7:28 pm. [Weather.gov]
Rain in the morning and afternoon. High of 63 and low of 47. Sunrise at 7:05 am and sunset at 7:26 pm. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Thought of the Day
Embrace each failure as beautifully flawed stepping stones, outlining a path that eventually leads to surefooted success.
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
Today may be rainy, but in general the weather is getting warmer, the cherry blossoms are in peak bloom, and it’s a great time to get out of the house.
But where to go to take in the cherry blossoms and enjoy a nice night out? There’s a strong case this year for staying right here in Arlington.
Specifically: National Landing.
Not only does National Landing have its own cherry trees that are in bloom, but in case you haven’t been paying attention to all of the changes, there is also a ton to do there.
So we decided to partner with the National Landing BID to get some cool prizes from local businesses for one lucky ARLnow reader.
The grand prize haul includes all of the following:
While you’re contemplating what food to get, shows to see, etc. with $500 in local gift cards, you can also mark your calendar for Pink in the Park, the new music-centric event hosted by Orlando Jones. It’s happening from 3-7 p.m. on Saturday, April 1 at Long Bridge Park.
Free tickets to this official National Cherry Blossom Festival Event, presented by Amazon, are available for free online.
In the meantime, use the form below to enter for a chance to win the Big Night Out prize package. Good luck!
If you’re not seeing the form above, use this link.
The drawing will take place on Friday, March 31 and the prize will be available for pickup at Pink in the Park on Saturday, April 1.
She loves to get out to explore and enjoys pets on her head and attention from her people. Francisca relaxes in her space and enjoys her food and treats.
Franscisca’s perfect day would be lounging and then getting out to play and explore before lounging again! If Franscisca was an ice cream flavor, she would be Black Cherry. Beautiful and sweet!
Franscisca is not so into missing her playtime. She is a very sweet and funny bunny and we hope she will find her forever home soon.
Franscisca has not met other pets whilst in our care, but has been exposed to children. She enjoys the company of the children and willingly accepts their attention.
Are you and Franscisca a match? Read her entire profile to learn more! To set up a virtual meet and greet email [email protected].
Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo gallery!
