Author: Anna Merod

County Opens Up 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan for Comment

By Anna Merod

Arlington residents can now take a five minute survey sharing their thoughts for the 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a blueprint for how officials will shape Arlington County from 2019-2028.

The plan focuses on “building, maintaining, upgrading or replacing County facilities and infrastructure” over that 10 year period, according to the County’s website. Some of those facilities include libraries, parks, community centers, and transportation infrastructure.

The deadline for public input on the CIP is March 16. In May, County Manager Mark Schwartz will release a proposed plan for public review, in which the public will again have another opportunity for comment until July. The County Board will adopt the final improvement plan this July.

The CIP for 2017-2026 totaled $3.3 billion for capital projects and infrastructure investment for both the County and schools.

The survey asks about funding for a myriad of topics ranging from schools to transportation, including:

  • Maintenance of roads (ex. paving, potholes)
  • Bicycle and pedestrian safety and connectivity projects
  • Public art projects
  • New parks and/or playgrounds, maintenance of existing parks and playgrounds
  • New or expanded libraries, maintenance of existing libraries
  • Design and/or construction of public buildings (ex. recreation/community centers)
  • New or expanded public schools to address growing enrollment, maintenance of schools
  • Arlington Transit (ART) buses, bus stops or related facilities
  • Neighborhood Conservation projects
  • Metro

Photo via Arlington County

Demolition Underway at 2000 Clarendon Blvd

By Anna Merod
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Demolition is underway on an old office building in Courthouse.

The demolition of the building at 2000 Clarendon Blvd will allow the construction of a new, 15-floor condominium tower. The 18,380 sq. ft. site will also feature ground-level retail and a garage fitting 112 parking spaces.

The site is currently fenced off while the building is torn down.

Photo (third) courtesy @721tv

Two Rosslyn Office Buildings Chat Via Post-it Notes

By Anna Merod

 

One smiley face made of Post-it notes turned into a conversation between the occupants of two Rosslyn office buildings in this week.

Allison Krumsiek, a government contractor, said her office has considered making contact with the office across the street — the new CEB office tower at Central Place — ever since people began moving into the space a few weeks ago.

Before the new office moved in, Krumsiek said she and her coworkers had a straight-on view of construction workers putting the building together. Then on Monday, people in the new office placed a Post-it smiley face on their window, and the intra-office communication was on.

“So we thought time was perfect to respond! We put up the ‘Hi!’ And when another floor of their building responded with ‘Hey’, we added ‘Welcome!'” wrote Krumsiek in an email.

After that Krumsiek said she heard another floor in her building put up “5 o’clock yet” to which the opposite building responded “sum where.”

“As you can tell from the picture, they had to use at least 3 colors of Post-it. Those things last forever when on your desk but go in a heartbeat when sending messages on windows,” Krumsiek added.

https://twitter.com/aliekrum/status/963483932275761152

Photos courtesy of Allison Krumsiek

Atrium Cafe to Replace Jen’s Kitchen in Virginia Square

By Anna Merod
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A new, casual eatery is coming to Virginia Square.

In a couple months the Atrium Cafe will open in the former Jen’s Kitchen space in Virginia Square, according to cafe owner DJ Lee.

The Asian-fusion style cafe that sells coffee and sandwiches already has 8 locations in D.C., Lee said. The new establishment is currently applying to sell beer and wine, something its D.C. locations do not serve. There will also be more desserts at the Virginia Square location, Lee added.

Jen’s Kitchen closed in late December and posted a sign that it would reopen in late January under new management. Jen’s Kitchen opened in 2015 following the closure of Metro Cafe and Gourmet.

Here’s Where You Can Buy Girl Scout Cookies in Arlington This Month

By Anna Merod

Girl Scout cookie season is upon us, and there will be plenty of booths throughout Arlington where residents can get their sweet fix.

The net revenue raised from Girl Scout cookies funds the organization’s local council and troops, which in turn is used for trips or donated to community projects or causes.

According to the Girl Scouts website, booth sales in Arlington will kick off this coming Friday, Feb. 16. Below are some of the times and places places you can grab some Girl Scout cookies this month.

  • Four Sisters Grill (3035 Clarendon Blvd.)

    • Feb. 16 — 4-7 p.m.

  • Giant Food (3450 Washington Blvd.)

    • Feb. 16 — 4-8 p.m.
    • Feb. 17 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 18 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Feb. 23 — 4-8 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

  • Giant Food (3115 Lee Highway)

    • Feb. 17 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 18 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

  • Giant Food (2901 S. Glebe Road)

    • Feb. 16 — 4-8 p.m.
    • Feb. 17 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 18 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Feb. 23 — 4-8 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

  • Giant Food (2501 9th Road S.)

    • Feb. 16 — 4-8 p.m.
    • Feb. 17 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 18 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Feb. 23 — 4-8 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

  • Key Elementary School  (2300 Key Blvd.)

    • Feb. 16 — 3-6 p.m.

  • Courthouse Metro Station (2100 Wilson Blvd.)

    • Feb. 16 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 19 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 20 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 21 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 22 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 23 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
    • Feb. 26 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 27 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 28 — 3:30-7:30 p.m.

  • Virginia Square-GMU Metro Station (3600 Fairfax Drive)

    • Feb. 16 — 4-7 p.m.
    • Feb. 23 — 4-7 p.m.

  • Pentagon Center Mall (1201 S. Hayes Street)

    • Feb. 16 — 4-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 17 — 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
    • Feb. 18 — 1-6 p.m.
    • Feb. 23 — 4-7:30 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 1-6 p.m.

  • Ace Hardware (2001 Clarendon Blvd.)

    • Feb. 17 — 12-4 p.m.
    • Feb. 18 — 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 12-4 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

  • Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St.)

    • Feb. 17 — 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 18 — 12:45-5 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 12:45-5 p.m.

  • Meridian (1401 N. Taft St.)

    • Feb. 17 — 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

  • Nice Cream (2831 Clarendon Blvd.)

    • Feb. 17 — 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

  • Delancey at Shirlington Village (4220 Campbell Ave.)

    • Feb. 17 — 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

  • Io Piazza Apartments (2727 S. Quincy St.)

    • Feb. 17 — 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

  • The Whitmore (4301 Columbia Pike)

    • Feb. 16 — 4:30-7 p.m.

  • Goodwill Industries  (10 S. Glebe Road)

    • Feb. 17 — 12-6 p.m.
    • Feb. 24 — 12-6 p.m.

  • Market Common (2801 Clarendon Blvd.)

    • Feb. 24 — 2:30-6 p.m.
    • Feb. 25 — 1-5 p.m.

  • The Citizen at Shirlington Village  (3000 S. Randolph St.)

    • Feb. 24 — 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Photo via Girl Scouts of the United States of America

Fire Department to Hold CPR Training Event on Valentine’s Day

By Anna Merod

This Valentine’s Day, the Arlington County Fire Department will conduct a free mass CPR training event at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City.

The “Hands2Hearts” event is intended to save lives. If hands-only CPR can be performed immediately on a cardiac arrest victim, the victim is 2-3 times more likely to survive.

“You will gain confidence in providing life-saving techniques in just a couple of minutes,” said an Arlington County press release.

The training session will be held from 1-1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14 on all four levels of the mall surrounding the center food court. The event is being conducted in partnership with the Virginia Hospital Center and supported by the American Heart Association.

“There will be opportunity to interact with Arlington County firefighters, paramedics, and Virginia Hospital Center’s healthcare team while they teach hands-only CPR,” noted the press release.

Software Company Moves Headquarters to Ballston

By Anna Merod

OpenWater, a company that develops a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for award ceremonies such as the TONY and James Beard awards, has move its headquarters from the District to the Ballston neighborhood.

The 35-person company signed a seven year lease at 4401 Fairfax Drive and moved in earlier this year, according to a press release by the company. OpenWater previously resided in D.C. for 8 years and was able to expand its footprint by 120 percent as a result of the move.

The company was named one of Inc’s 5000 fastest growing companies in 2017 and reported $2.5 million in revenue in 2016. On top of providing management software for awards ceremonies, their software is also compatible for other application review processes such as selecting board members, grants and scholarships.

The company also plans to open up the new space for technology forums and networking events.

“OpenWater is a company that thrives on constant and consistent innovation, making them a perfect fit for the robust and fast-growing tech scene in Ballston,” said Tina Leone, CEO of the Ballston Business Improvement District, in a press release. “Ballston continues to lead the push for innovative technologies in the DC metro area because of companies like OpenWater and we are thrilled to have them in our neighborhood.”

Images via OpenWater

Chill Zone Applies To Sell Beer, Wine

By Anna Merod

Chill Zone, a Yorktown cafe, might be serving alcohol soon.

The shop recently applied for a license to sell beer and wine at its location at 2442 N. Harrison St., said Chill Zone’s manager Daniel Bui.

Pending license approval, Chill Zone will serve red and white wine, and local beer, according to Bui. Initially the coffee shop plans to serve alcohol only on Fridays and Saturdays.

Chill Zone, which just celebrated its first anniversary, currently serves bubble tea, Vietnamese coffee and its signature “volcano mango frap,” in addition to food options like wings and sandwiches.

File photo

Playapod Creates Cross-Platform Devices Syncing Option for Podcast Listeners

Startup Monday header

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

Todd Moore spends three to five hours a day listening to podcasts.

“I’ve never really been happy with the existing podcast apps,” he said.

That’s where the idea for Playapod, a cross-platform syncing podcast app, came in. The app, created by Moore through the Crystal City-based TMSOFT, best known for its white noise app, is compatible with all Android and iOS devices and is available to download from the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and the Amazon App store. The app launched last week.

One podcast-playing problem that bothered Moore was the inability to sync podcasts across different devices from different platforms. Another issue was the difficulty of relocating where someone left off listening to a podcast.

“Something that frustrates me with all audio playback app, like even Amazon’s audio books, they never show you what you’ve listened to,” he said.

That made it easy to lose place in a podcast if, for example, the user accidentally touch the wrong button. On Playapod, users can see exactly where they left off if they lose their place through the precision progress bar. Users can also bookmark the most-recently played portion of a podcast for future playback, said Moore.

Playapod is free and has no advertisements. Another feature includes the ability to download podcasts so users can listen offline.

“I think the interface of Playapod is very simple, and it’s intuitive and it’s easy to navigate,” Moore said. “So I think it’s going to be a real hit based on the initial feedback I’m seeing.”

Playapod may have some big shoes to fill against its competitors at Apple and Amazon, but Moore said he’s not concerned.

“I think if people try Playapod, they’re going to see a better feature set. I think they’re going to enjoy this type of listening experience, and I’ve spent a year on this, so I’m a little biased,” he said.

‘Love the Run You’re With 5k’ Brings Road Closures to Pentagon City

By Anna Merod

The annual Love the Run You’re With 5K is returning to Pentagon City this Sunday, prompting some road closures.

Runners can register as a couple, as singles, or can run without signaling their relationship status. Solo registration currently costs $45 and couples’ registration is $80.

The race will begin and end at the Pentagon City mall, with after-race deals at Shake Shack and nearby Commonwealth Joe. The course runs up S. Joyce Street and along Army Navy Drive to 23rd Street S. and back.

ACPD has provided a list of road closures for the race, below.

The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures to accommodate the race:

  • South Joyce Street, between South 15th Street and Army Navy Drive, will be closed from 7:00 AM until 11:00 AM.
  • South 15th Street, between S. Hayes Street and S. Joyce Street, will be closed from 6:00 AM until 11:00 AM (The southern entrance to the Pentagon City Mall Garage will be closed for the duration of the event).
  • Army Navy Drive, between South Joyce Street and South 23rd Street, will be closed from 7:00 AM until 11:00 AM.

Street parking in the area will be restricted. Motorists should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs, and illegally parked vehicles will be subject to ticketing and towing. If your vehicle is towed from a public street during this event call the Emergency Communication Center at 703-558-2222.

Race attendees are strongly encouraged to use Metro or other forms of transportation services.  Participants arriving by car can park in the Pentagon City Mall garage, which will be accessible via the Army Navy Drive entrance.

Photo via Pacers Running

Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming to Offer Free Treats at Grand Opening

By Anna Merod

A new pet store is coming to Arlington County.

Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, at 4550 Lee Highway, is holding its grand opening this Saturday (Feb. 10) at 10 a.m., where it will be offering gourmet dog treat samples and premium dog food, said a Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming press release.

The first 20 dogs to enter the store at the grand opening will receive free pet treats for a year. There will also be prizes, giveaways, and light refreshments.

Homeward Trails Animal Rescue will bring ready-to-adopt rescue animals to the store.

Besides treats, Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming offers self-service and grooming services. Customers can choose to use the store’s facilities to bathe their pets or pay to have the staff do it.

The store has more than 90 locations across the country, including one in Alexandria, Va.

Photo via Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming

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