Author: Alex Koma

South Arlington Water Main Breaks Cut Off Service for Thousands Overnight

By Alex Koma
1/3

A series of water main breaks in South Arlington sent workers scrambling last night into this morning, though the county now seems to have made all the necessary repairs.

The problems started around 7 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday), when the county’s Department of Environmental Services received word of pipe problems near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Frederick Street.

A short time later, workers encountered another water main break not far away at S. Park Drive, just off Route 50.

https://twitter.com/LuckyLyzzie/status/1034884501909000193

By 10 p.m., they reported several other water main breaks along the pike running up to S. Dinwiddie Street as well, and determined that the S. Park Drive problem was “related” to the previous breaks. DES spokeswoman Katie O’Brien told ARLnow that the subsequent breaks all stemmed from work on the first one, located along the 5000 block of Columbia Pike.

“After the break was repaired, crews were pressurizing the water main which caused it to break again,” she said. “As a result, this caused two additional breaks in the area.”

O’Brien estimates that anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 people were left without water during the work. However, as of roughly 9 a.m., all the mains have been repaired.

DES is warning of continued repaving work in the area through the afternoon, however.

Photos 1 and 3 via @ArlingtonDES, photo 2 via @LuckyLyzzie

Crime Report: Police Searching for Suspect in Weekend Clarendon Brawl

By Alex Koma

(Updated at 9 a.m.) Arlington police are still searching for a suspect involved in an early morning fight in Clarendon this past weekend.

Police say they received reports about an altercation on the 1200 block of N. Hudson Street, just behind businesses like the CVS and Goody’s Pizza, around 4:20 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 25)

They say a verbal dispute turned physical, “resulting in the victim being struck multiple times, causing lacerations.” Police are seeking a suspect in the case on a charge of aggravated malicious wounding, but haven’t released the person’s name or description.

The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Full details from a county crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2018-08250056, 1200 block of N. Herndon Street. At approximately 4:20 a.m. on August 25, police were dispatched to the report of a dispute. Upon arrival, it was determined that a verbal dispute between known individuals became physical, resulting in the victim being struck multiple times, causing lacerations. The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A warrant for Aggravated Malicious Wounding was obtained for the suspect.

And here are more highlights from crime reports over the past week, including some we’ve already reported:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-08280054, 2300 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 5:45 a.m. on August 28, police were dispatched to the report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was inside a business when he observed the male suspect outside looking through a window while allegedly masturbating. The suspect fled prior to police arrival. The suspect is described as a black male, 5’10”-5’11”, weighing 170-180 lbs., approximately 35-40 years old, wearing a grey and navy hoodie with the hood up, and black sweat pants.

ROBBERY, 2018-08260021, Columbia Pike at S. Dinwiddie Street. At approximately 1:02 a.m. on August 26, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was sitting on a bench in the area when the known suspect approached her, forced her to the ground and stole cash from her backpack, before fleeing on foot prior to police arrival. The victim was uninjured. A warrant for Robbery was obtained for the suspect.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-08220138, Unit block of N. Glebe Road. At approximately 1:16 p.m. on August 22, police were dispatched to the report of a male exposing himself. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim observed the male suspect allegedly exposing himself and masturbating inside a business. Durrell Carter, 37, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Indecent Exposure, Possession of Marijuana, Identity Theft and Possession of a Fake Identification. He was held on no bond.

RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE, 2018-08230162, 14th Street N. at N. Adams Street. At approximately 5:30 p.m. on August 23, a lookout was broadcast, based upon a License Plate Reader hit for a vehicle previously reported stolen out of Pennsylvania. Officers in the area located the vehicle, effected a traffic stop and the driver of the vehicle was taken into custody without incident. Arnaud Aka Kouadio, 35, of Alexandria, Va., was arrested and charged with Possession of Fake Identification and Buying or Receiving Stolen Goods.

RECOVERED STOLEN VEHICLE, 2018-08240194, 700 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 4:43 p.m. on August 24, an officer on routine patrol was alerted to a License Plate Reader hit on a parked vehicle that had previously been reported stolen out of New York. While investigating, the suspect returned to the vehicle and was subsequently taken into custody without incident. During the course of the investigation, an additional stolen vehicle was located in the area and was determined to be related to the same suspect. Moulaye Ely, 34, of Alexandria, Va., was arrested and charged with Buying or Receiving Stolen Goods (x2) and Possession of Marijuana.

MISSILE INTO OCCUPIED DWELLING, 2018-08260224, 900 block of S. Buchanan Street. At approximately 11:50 p.m. on August 26, police were dispatched to the report of destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined that an unknown suspect threw a piece of cement through the window of an occupied residence, causing it to shatter. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.

BURGLARY, 2018-08230110, 2200 block of S. Ives Street. At approximately 11:34 a.m. on August 23, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary just discovered. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., an unknown suspect(s) forced entry to a residence and stole items of value. The suspect is described as a black male, clean cut, approximately 5’8″ to 5’10”, in his late 20’s or early 30’s, weighing 160-200 lbs. The investigation is ongoing.

UNLAWFUL ENTRY (late), 2018-08240291, 300 block of 10th Street S. At approximately 11:00 p.m. on August 24, police were dispatched to the late report of a burglary. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 11:45 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., an unknown suspect(s) gained entry to a residence. Nothing was reported missing. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.

UNLAWFUL ENTRY, 2018-08220098, 2500 block of  20th Road N. At approximately 10:50 a.m. on August 22, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined that building maintenance was checking on an apartment and observed signs of forced entry. Maintenance opened the door to the residence and observed two unknown suspects inside. The suspects fled in a vehicle prior to police arrival. Nothing was reported missing from the residence. Suspect One is described as a black male with a small build, approximately 5’4″, wearing a baseball cap and white t-shirt. Suspect Two is described as a black male with a small build, approximately 5’10”, a short black beard, wearing black clothing and earbuds. The investigation is ongoing.

UPDATED: Firefighters Extinguish Bluemont House Fire

By Alex Koma
1/7

Arlington firefighters extinguished a house fire in Bluemont this afternoon.

First responders received a call about the blaze in a home along the 5600 block of 7th Street N. around 3:40 p.m. today (Wednesday). The fire was concentrated in the kitchen, per scanner traffic.

No one was inside the home when the fire started, and there were no injuries as a result of the blaze, a fire department spokesman said. However, the department did dispatch an extra medic unit to the scene, due to the heat, the spokesman said.

Photo via Google Maps

County Board Contenders Call for Boost in Arts Grants, Differ on Private Sector’s Role

By Alex Koma

Both contenders for the lone County Board seat on the ballot this fall say they want to see more money go toward grants for local artists, though they differ a bit on the exact logistics.

In a forum focused on the county’s arts scene, hosted by Embracing Arlington Arts and Arlington Independent Media earlier this month, both independent incumbent John Vihstadt and Democratic nominee Matt de Ferranti emphasized that the arts have such a vital role to play in the county’s cultural and economic health that the county needs to subsidize local programs.

Furthermore, both candidates want to see the county restore the $30,000 the Board slashed from the new year’s budget in funding for “Challenge Grants,” which provide some matching funds for artists who attract private donations. Vihstadt and de Ferranti both advocated for even increasing the amount offered through the program in future budget cycles, even with the county facing an uncertain financial future due to Metro funding obligations and a persistently high office vacancy rate.

Though the forum was light on stark disagreements between the two, Vihstadt painted the private sector as having an especially large role to play in supporting the arts. Though he remains confident the county will be able to eventually increase grant funding, he cautioned that Arlington’s “economic headwinds” will inevitably limit what the county can do.

“The arts are going to have to step up to the plate a bit, maybe to a greater degree than the art community has, in terms of really leveraging those private sector resources,” Vihstadt said. “The government can be a catalyst, it can help with climate change of a sort, but the government can’t do it all.”

He pointed out that the Board already took one step in the direction of encouraging artists to embrace the private sector when it restored $70,000 in funding for AIM originally set to be cut from the fiscal 2019 budget, which came with the condition that the organization pursue matching funding from donors.

“That was controversial, but I felt it was the right thing to do to encourage and really make sure that AIM would further reach out into that community and bring in those private sector dollars,” Vihstadt said.

De Ferranti says he was certainly glad to see those AIM cuts reversed, calling them “short sighted,” but he was more willing to see a role for direct county spending, connecting the success of Arlington’s arts scene to its economic prosperity.

“If we view this as a zero-sum game, then Arlington will lose in the long term,” de Ferranti said. “We have to see it as how we can grow together and have the vision to find the right investments to move us forward so the budget isn’t so tight… We have to think about, how do we create an environment where millenials don’t want to go to the Wharf and the Anthem, but want to stay in Crystal City, or at least consider it.”

Beyond direct subsidies, de Ferranti also expects the county can do more to help artists afford to live in Arlington. For instance, he pointed to the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust in Richmond as a model for the sort of program the county could experiment with to make home ownership more affordable — the nonprofit acquires single-family homes to sell to qualified buyers at affordable prices, but maintains ownership of the land itself. That helps the nonprofit reap the benefit of any increase in market value when owners decide to sell, which it uses to keep prices affordable going forward.

De Ferranti foresees the county creating a similar system matching artists, or even groups of artists in co-op communities, with affordable homes.

“Artists desperately want to live here… but in Arlington, being middle class is not easy,” de Ferranti said. “We need to make sure we’re caring for folks who need the chance to get up that economic ladder.”

Yet Vihstadt and de Ferranti both expressed confidence that space in the Four Mile Run valley in Nauck will someday be home to more affordable studio space for artists of all stripes. Though the creation of an “arts district” in the area has at times stirred controversy throughout a lengthy planning process for the valley, both candidates say they feel such a solution is the right fit for its future.

“We will have an arts district in harmony with the other uses around that park area, and we’ll have that synergy,” Vihstadt said.

Photo via YouTube

‘Erasian’ Restaurant Could Be on the Way for Virginia Square

By Alex Koma

A new bar and restaurant could be on the way for an office building along Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square.

Records show that a restaurant dubbed “Erasian” is applying for a license to serve wine, beer and mixed drinks in a space at 3811 Fairfax Drive.

Representatives with the company backing the venture, ABR LLC, didn’t respond to requests for comment on their plans for the restaurant. But the permit application, filed on Aug. 14, shows that the proposed restaurant would have space for anywhere from 101 to 150 people.

The office building is also home to a Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and was once the home of Water & Wall, a restaurant backed by chef Tim Ma that closed last year.

County Hands Over Half of Cash Incentives Promised to Nestle for Rosslyn Move

By Alex Koma

Nestle is now in line to earn half of the $4 million in local grants Arlington promised the company in exchange for moving to Rosslyn, after meeting the county’s targets to qualify for the incentives.

In all, the packaged food giant will receive $12 million in cash and infrastructure improvements after agreeing to relocate its corporate headquarters to 1812 N. Moore Street last February. But the money did come with some strings attached, forcing the company to prove that it will create 748 new jobs with an average annual salary of $127,719 in the county and lease at least 205,000 square feet of office space by the time 2020 arrives.

Only $4 million will come from the county itself, through a “Economic Development Incentive” grant, while a $6 million state grant and $2 million in nearby infrastructure construction round out Arlington’s deal with Nestle. Even still, the grants have become a hot-button political issue around the county, with plenty of observers questioning whether the incentive money might’ve been better spent elsewhere.

So far, at least, the company seems to be holding up its end of the bargain. According to documents released through a Freedom of Information Act request, Nestle has created and maintained 358 new jobs at the Rosslyn office, and has leased 229,000 square feet of space in Rosslyn through June 30. Daniel Nugent, chief legal officer and general counsel for the company, signed a July 18 affidavit attesting to those statistics.

That means the company has well exceeded its office space requirement to earn the grant money, but fell just short of the 374 new jobs it needed to create by the time June 30 rolled around.

However, Cara O’Donnell, a spokeswoman for Arlington Economic Development, noted that the company only needed to hit 90 percent of the grant’s requirements to earn the money. Accordingly, the county will now release $2 million to Nestle.

“This year, Nestle achieved 95 percent of its new jobs target and 111 percent of its facility lease target, well above the 90 percent required in each category,” O’Donnell told ARLnow. “They are currently meeting targets as required.”

Josh Morton, a spokesman for Nestle, added that the discrepancy in the job figure is because “the number is always changing as more people are hired in Arlington.” In July and August alone, he says the company hired another 125 employees.

Though she generally remains “skeptical” of such relocation incentives, County Board Chair Katie Cristol thinks “it’s great, but not a surprise to know that Nestle is performing consistently with those expectations.” She attributes that to the work of county staff to “develop an incredibly conservative incentives program where we can see a very clear and really significant return on investment in any incentive we make.”

“We’re not going to do something speculative where we’re giving away the public’s money without a lot of confidence that we’ll see that money return to us well in orders of magnitude beyond what we invested,” Cristol said.

Cristol is well aware what kind of controversy the Nestle incentives kicked up after the Board approved them last year, and how the prospect of similar grants going to Amazon to bring HQ2 to Arlington has roiled the community.

So while she does remain “a little uneasy” about the prospect of “a community like Arlington, that has so much else to offer, seeking to offer cash incentives,” Cristol thinks the Nestle deal does show that these grants can work, if managed properly.

“We’re delighted to have Nestle here, they’ve been a great partner in the community already,” Cristol said. “And in the long term sense… we’re going to be really gimlet-eyed about continuing to look at all over those targets and looking at the return on investment over the life of any deal we put together.”

Nestle will next report back to the county on July 15, 2019 to affirm that it’s indeed created all 748 jobs it promised for the Rosslyn office.

File photo

Construction Set to Start on New Lubber Run Community Center

By Alex Koma
1/4

Construction work on the new Lubber Run Community Center is now set to start in just a few days, kicking off a years-long, nearly $48 million project.

The county’s Department of Parks and Recreation says construction should start in “early September,” with fencing going up to close the area to park visitors. The county closed down the old rec center, located at 300 N. Park Drive, early last month, then gave people a chance to decorate its walls with art ahead of its impending demolition.

The County Board agreed to move ahead with construction of the project last September, though Arlington officials have eyed a replacement for the Lubber Run facility for years now. The original community center was built back in 1956, and the two-story facility will provide anywhere from 45,000 to 55,000 square feet of new space at the site.

Construction is set to wrap up on the project sometime in 2020, prompting the relocation of a variety of community programs in the meantime. County parks staff have relocated to several locations around the county, while the Office of Senior Adult Programs moved to the Madison Community Center.

Meanwhile, the Lubber Run Creative Preschool has shifted over to the Langston-Brown Community Center, as have the “tot summer camps” held at the facility.

The “Kids-in-Action” Afterschool Program moved over to the Barrett Elementary Extended Day Program, and the county plans “to determine if the program will be revitalized in the new Lubber Run Community Center” moving forward.

JUST IN: Pedestrian Struck by Car Along Columbia Pike

By Alex Koma

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) A pedestrian was struck by a taxi cab in a crosswalk along a busy section of Columbia Pike, per scanner traffic.

The incident happened around 3 p.m. today (Tuesday), near the the intersection of the pike and S. Walter Reed Drive, just near the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.

County police spokeswoman Kirby Clark said the pedestrian “suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital.”

She added the driver was cited for “failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.”

Photo courtesy of @karaokemookie

Par Hair Design Leaves Williamsburg for Westover

By Alex Koma
1/2

A hair salon in Williamsburg has relocated to Westover, and one of its stylists is trying to re-connect with old customers after the move.

Par Hair Design, formerly located in the Williamsburg Shopping Center near the intersection of Williamsburg Blvd and N. Sycamore Street, has set up shop at 5852 Washington Blvd instead.

According to a sign posted at its former location, it made the move in May, and is now located across the street from Westover Beer Garden.

However, a dueling sign posted at the shop notes that “Tram Hairstyles” didn’t make the move to the Westover location, instead heading to Queen King Salon in McLean. Tram wrote on the sign that she’s “really missing all customers” who she got to know at Par Hair Design, urging anyone missing her as well to call the new McLean salon.

As for the old space in the Williamsburg Shopping Center, the 1,018-square-foot location is currently listed for lease.

Parking Plans Spark Debate Over Pentagon City’s PenPlace Development

By Alex Koma
1/4

Plans for a new parking lot at the large “PenPlace” development in Pentagon City are shaping up to cause a bit of friction between county staff and the project’s developer.

JBG Smith is hoping to build a temporary, 204-space retail parking lot adjacent to the development, located on a nine-acre plot of land along S. Fern Street and just off Army Navy Drive. But Arlington officials would much rather see the developer construct a lot roughly a quarter of that size, over fears that so much parking would contribute to a car-dependent culture in the area.

The real estate firm argues that the parking is necessary to meet demands of the up to 50,000 square feet of retailers who will someday occupy the development, noting that the lot will only be a temporary necessity. Yet county staff have repeatedly insisted on changes, marking another dust-up over the development after officials previously expressed skepticism about JBG’s desire to significantly scale back the size of some buildings planned for the site.

The County Board approved the project back in 2013, when it was proposed by Vornado before the company spun off its D.C. holdings in a merger to form JBG Smith. Original plans called for three office buildings between 20 and 22 stories tall, an 18-story, 300-room hotel and a 300-unit apartment building between 16 and 18 stories tall.

JBG decided earlier this year to spread the residential space among two seven-story buildings instead, shifting the hotel rooms to some of the other buildings on the site, which prompted a new round of county scrutiny of the project.

Documents prepared for the project’s Site Plan Review Committee over the last few months show that county staff remain concerned about the reduced density on the site, citing the “dramatically lower heights and scale” of the seven-story buildings as especially problematic given their potential to house people close to the Pentagon City Metro station. Arlington planners previously called it “highly unusual” that a developer would seek to build something less dense than originally approved, though JBG executives have said the change was meant to “improve the pedestrian experience in the area.”

The newest debate centers around the parking lot proposed for a new segment of 11th Street S., which would sit behind two of the buildings to be built along S. Eads Street.

JBG argues that its plans for copious new retail in the area make the new lot essential, at least until another 1,600 parking spaces become available as the developer builds garages alongside the office buildings it has planned for the area.

“In addition, the applicant has claimed that a larger amount of parking is necessary due to the type of retailers being sought,” county staff wrote in a July 23 SPRC report on PenPlace. A JBG executive did not respond to a request for comment on the exact nature of the developer’s plans.

But to add so much parking for the new buildings, JBG needs an exception from the county’s zoning ordinance, which only lets developers construct one space for every 1,000 square feet of retail space. JBG’s proposal, by contrast, works out to about one space for every 196 square feet.

That’s a problem for county officials, who believe the parking lot “encourages auto traffic to the site, and proliferates surface parking.”

JBG has offered to shrink the size of the lot slightly, adding a 10,000-square-foot temporary dog park to cut the number of spaces to 180. Arlington planners wrote in the July 23 report that such an offer is an “improvement,” but lament that the change “does not address comments from staff regarding confining parking lots to future building footprints.”

So far, the SPRC has met four times to discuss the PenPlace plans, but does not yet have another meeting scheduled to hash out this dispute. Plans will ultimately need to go to the Planning Commission and then the County Board for final approval.

Arlington Fire Chief Steps Down, As Search for Replacement Continues

By Alex Koma

Arlington’s fire chief has officially stepped away from his post, leaving the department under interim leadership as a search for a permanent replacement continues.

Chief James Bonzano’s last day on the job was this past Friday (Aug. 24), fire department spokesman Ben O’Bryant told ARLnow. The county’s been searching for a new chief since early May, when Bonzano decided to bring his 34-year career to a close. He served as county fire chief for about three years in all.

O’Bryant said that Assistant Chief Joseph Reshetar will step in as acting chief while the county’s search continues. Reshetar has served in that same role before, back in 2015 when then-Fire Chief James Schwartz was appointed deputy county manager, so O’Bryant expects that “it will be a smooth transition between now and when the new chief starts.”

He added that the county’s human resources team is still interviewing candidates for the permanent post, with the ultimate goal of having a new chief leading the department “before November.”

A job listing on the county’s careers website remains active, though it notes the county will give preference to candidates who applied by June 4. It lists the annual salary range for the post as between $117,145.60 and $224,806.40.

File photo

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