Rehabilitation work on the I-66 bridge between the Rosslyn tunnel and D.C. has begun, according to the Virginia Dept. of Transportation.
Crews began setting out concrete barriers and pavement markings overnight on Wednesday, and will continue to do so through tonight (Thursday).
Lane closures on eastbound I-66 will be scheduled Monday-Friday from 9:30 p.m.-5 a.m., while westbound I-66 closures will be scheduled from 10 p.m.-5 a.m. on the same days.
VDOT expects traffic impacts to be minimal throughout the construction, which is expected to be completed by the summer of 2019.
For the next day or two, VDOT will periodically close the ramp from the southbound GW Parkway to the Roosevelt Bridge and westbound Route 50. The closures will take place between midnight and 5 a.m. to “allow for the installation of concrete barriers under the I-66 bridge,” according to the National Park Service.
The $5.7 million construction project will resurface the bridge’s deck, repair piers and abutments, and repave I-66 approaching the bridge.
According to VDOT, the bridge averages 54,000 vehicles a day eastbound and 44,000 westbound.
Arlington has taken in fewer refugees than other Northern Virginia communities, according to data from the U.S. State Department-run Refugee Processing Center.
Between 2002-2017, approximately 409 refugees were resettled in Arlington — about .17 percent of Arlington’s population, going by the latest census figures.
In that same time period, a higher percentage of refugees were resettled in Alexandria or Annandale. Alexandria received 1,032 refugees and Annandale received 248. That’s approximately .74 percent and .6 percent of their overall populations, respectively.
In nearby Woodbridge, 271 refugees were resettled between 2002-2017. That’s approximately 6.12 percent of the overall Woodbridge population.
Falls Church, per the data, took in 1,618 refugees from 2002-2017. Per recent estimates, that’s about 13.17 percent of its population.
The Arlington County government has “no official role… in resettlement decisions” and has “expressed interest in serving as a receiving community for refugees,” according to the county’s website.
Alex Mattera, a Virginia Dept. of Social Services (DSS) planning researcher, confirmed to ARLnow that Arlington doesn’t resettle as many refugees as other Northern Virginia localities. This, he added, is likely due to a number of factors, including that only refugees with current local ties are settled in the region.
DSS’ statistics vary slightly from those of the U.S. State Department, in part because of different methods of categorizing the visa status of arrivals. Iraqis and Afghanis who are resettled in America through a S.I.V., the special immigrant visa program for those who assisted the U.S. Armed Forces in their countries during operations.
The 105 Iraqi refugees accounted for a large portion of those resettled in Arlington between 2002-2017, per the Refugee Processing Center data.
Mattera noted that the report from the Refugee Processing Center doesn’t cite SIV entrants in the same category as other refugees, and that Virginia has higher-than-average SIV-related arrivals numbers than most states.
An informal poll conducted by ARLnow in 2015 showed that opinions were mixed among readers whether or not to resettle Syrian refugees specifically in Arlington. According to the State Department data, no Syrian refugees were settled in Arlington between 2002-2017, despite the county stating its willingness to help resettle refugees displaced by the Syrian civil war.
Cafe Italia has been evicted from its Crystal City location, according to notices affixed to the restaurant’s front door and signed by an Arlington County deputy sheriff.
The restaurant opened in 1976, according to its Facebook page.
Cafe Italia, which was located at 519 23rd Street S., served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Out of 185 Yelp reviews, it averaged about three out of five stars.
The restaurant’s website appears to have been deactivated. A call to the listed phone number went straight to voicemail.
Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant CAVA is opening its Ballston location on Friday (April 13). To kick off the grand opening, the restaurant will be offering the first 150 customers a free meal.
The free meals start at 10:45 a.m., and proceeds from sales will go to City Blossoms, an urban gardens and community building focused organization.
The new 52 seat location is on the ground floor of the Stafford Place II building, at 4121 Wilson Boulevard, which is the former National Science Foundation headquarters. It will replace Matsutake Steak and Sushi, which closed at the site in 2014.
This Ballston location will be the chain’s 51st in the country, and the 28th in the Washington metropolitan region. Hours of operation will be 10:45 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
The general trend for February home sales has been up, however, since February 2010.
Despite the decrease in the average sale price, the number of homes — including condos, townhomes and single-family detached houses — sold in February 2018 was up 3.6 percent year over year, with a total of 175 homes sold. Selling prices were 1.48 percent less than the asking prices.
The median home selling price in Arlington in February, meanwhile, was up 0.44 percent to $532,353.
Average sale prices can be affected by changes in the mix of the types of homes sold. For instance, a higher percentage of condos — which typically sell for less than single-family homes — sold may cause a dip in the average. In February 2018, 62% of the homes sold in Arlington were condos, compared to 58% in February 2017.
Update at 5 p.m. — Another source of local real estate data, Bright MLS, is reporting a jump in Arlington’s median home selling price in March.
“Arlington County led the region for price, with a median selling price in March of $564,250,” WTOP reported Tuesday afternoon. “That’s up 11 percent from a year ago and topped D.C.’s median price of $555,451, which was up 3.8 percent.”
The popular political podcast Pantsuit Politics will turn the VIP reception at the annual Arlington Democrats “Blue Victory Dinner” into a “live podcast” event.
The bipartisan pair — Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, both of Kentucky — will be recording their podcast at the event on April 21, according to a press release.
A number of female Democratic elected officials will be interviewed during the taping, including Del. Hala Ayala (D-51), who became one of the first Latina women to serve in the Virginia General Assembly this past November, and Del. Danica Roem (D-13), who became the first openly transgender elected official in Virginia after last year’s election.
Other recently-elected state officials, including Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-2), Del. Gwendolyn Wendy Gooditis (D-10), Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D-31), Del. Karrie Delaney (D-67), and Del. Kathy Tran (D-42) are also expected to be interviewed.
The delegates will be discussing “why representation matters, the importance of inclusive representation, and how [the delegates] bring multi-layered experiences to governance and the legislative process.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is listed as the evening’s keynote speaker.
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington took in about 70 cats and dogs this past Friday (April 6) from shelters across Virginia and West Virginia.
Four staff members traveled to different parts of Virginia, but shelter staff from the West Virginia brought the animals to Arlington themselves.
The AWLA accepts animals weekly from the West Virginia shelter, and the large number of transfer requests from Virginia shelters wasn’t tied to any specific event, according to Chelsea Lindsey, the league’s communications specialist. The other shelters are simply high-intake and at capacity, and can’t easily adopt out all of the animals in their region.
Even though shelter transfers aren’t unusual, it was still a larger intake than usual for the AWLA.
“That’s a big number for us to take in in one day,” Lindsey told ARLnow.com, adding that she expects many of the kittens to be “snatched up quickly.”
About 50 of the animals were mother cats with kittens, and have been placed with foster families mainly in Arlington and Alexandria. Those kittens will have to wait until they are at least eight weeks old before being adopted out, in addition to hitting weight targets and being fixed.
Only one animal, a cat, from the large shelter transfer is ready for adoption. The dogs all need to be fixed and several of the cats have what Lindsey called “kitty colds.”
Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.
Select plants that will function and thrive best in the conditions of your site, as well as Virginia native plant alternatives to commonly used non-native plants and best practices for planting.
Enjoy networking, music, cocktails, an improv comedy show, and 80’s arcade video games, with donations going toward preparing foster care youth for their future.
Pet Loss Support Group Animal Welfare League of Arlington (2650 S. Arlington Mill Drive)
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
All are welcome to join in a meeting to find support and help pet owners cope with the loss of their companions. Run by Kathy Reiter, a psychiatric social worker who specializes in bereavement.
Join Crystal City’s after work Friday evening 5K series. Registration fees start at $25 for one race, and runners receive post-race happy hour drink tickets for select Crystal City venues.
Sweeney Todd*
Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Road)
Time: 8-10:30 p.m.
Director Clare Shaffer (Man of La Mancha) brings Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning tale of Sweeney Todd, the “demon barber of Fleet Street” to life.
More than 65 home improvement-related organizations and businesses will be available to answer questions alongside a full free class and workshop schedule.
Super Slam Ball*
Kenmore Middle School (200 S. Carlin Springs Road)
Time: 3-5 p.m.
A tee ball program for ages 3-5 kicks off Saturday and runs for 7 weeks. Includes t-shirt, baseball cards and stickers, awards ceremony, picture day, pizza, kids races, strike board competition and bring a friend week.
The 6th Annual Sole Celebration will feature a DSW shoe fashion show, hors d’oeuvres, a Shoe and Sock Selfie Contest, and a silent auction and raffle. Benefits several local nonprofits.
It’s the season for spring cleaning, and Arlington’s street sweeping service is set to resume today (Monday).
The sweeping service runs from April through October in an effort to “reduce stormwater pollution in our local streams, the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay,” according to an Arlington County Solid Waste Bureau press release.
The street sweeping schedule is zoned by neighborhood, and begins April 9. The sweeping will run each day in the designated civic associations from about 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
For “more effective sweeping” the County is asking residents to move their cars out of the road — “to a driveway, garage or non-sweeping street” — during cleaning, but parking fines will not be issued.
Monday, April 9
Zone 1 – Alcova Heights, Ashton Heights, Arlington Heights, Foxcroft Heights, Arlington View, Penrose
Tuesday, April 10
Zone 2 – Claremont, Douglas Park, Columbia Forest, Fairlington
Wednesday, April 11
Zone 3 – East Falls Church, Yorktown, Williamsburg
Thursday, April 12
Zone 4 – Arlingwood, Old Glebe, Chain Bridge, Rock Spring, Country Club Hills/Gulf Branch, Stafford-Albemarle-Glebe
Friday, April 13
Zone 5 – Bellevue Forest, North Highlands, Donaldson Run, Rivercrest, Dover Crystal, Riverwood, Maywood, Woodmont
Monday, April 16 Zone 6 – Arlington Ridge/Forest Hills, Aurora Highlands, Columbia Heights, Long Branch Creek, Nauck
Tuesday, April 17
Zone 7 – Clarendon, Courthouse, Colonial Village, Lyon Park, Lyon Village, North Rosslyn, Radnor/Fort Myer Heights
Wednesday, April 18
Zone 8 – Arlington Forest, Barcroft, Buckingham, Columbia Heights West/ Arlington Mill, Forest Glen, Glencarlyn
Thursday, April 19
Zone 9 – Ballston, Virginia Square, Cherrydale, Cherry Valley Nature Area, Glebewood, Old Dominion, Waycroft-Woodlawn, Waverly Hills
Friday, April 20 Zone 10 – Highland Park, Overlee Knolls, John M. Langston, Leeway Overlee, Madison Manor, Tara-Leeway Heights, Westover Village
Monday, April 23 Zone 11 – Bluemont, Boulevard Manor, Dominion Hills
Some snow may fall over the weekend and even though accumulation is unlikely, several events like this weekend’s Fitness + Wellness Festival and Chalkapalooza have been rescheduled or cancelled.
Snow aside, let’s take a look back at ARLnow’s biggest stories over the past week.
A chronometer, in for repairs, alongside its original bill of sale
A Van Cleef and Arpels watch
The exterior of Arlington Watch Works
Dan Sabouni didn’t set out to be a watchmaker and repairman.
His shop, Clarendon’s Arlington Watch Works, never would have come to fruition if Sabouni had actually enjoyed working in an automotive engineering office after college.
Luckily for Sabouni, he had worked in a jewelry shop during college, and did repairs for antique shops in D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood. Now, he occupies the tiny, 200-square-foot space, between Goody’s Pizza and Rien Tong, at 3127 Wilson Boulevard, repairing, buying, and selling watches.
He initially owned a similar store in Georgetown neighborhood — a spit of a shop with only 90-square-feet of space — and found success there.
“When I opened that shop, everyone thought I was crazy,” said Sabouni, recounting how people would ask him who even fixes watches anymore.
Eventually, he sold the shop in the early 2000s to a friend and began traveling the world with his watch repair money. That was before he was married, “of course,” he pointed out.
Once he “ran out of money,” Sabouni, originally from London, came back to the area. He opened up the new Arlington shop in January 2015. Per square foot, he says, he’s paying more than any other shop.
“For us watchmakers, we can’t afford high rent,” said Sabouni. “So this was small, but yet affordable.”
Though most would think that those seeking less expensive rent would stay away from one of the more bustling Arlington corridors, or even stay out of Arlington as a whole, Sabouni says that the demographic makeup of the county is necessary for his business to grow.
“I have to be in a place where people do have what I’m looking to repair,” he said. “If I were to go down to, you know, Detroit, Michigan — who’s going to spend a thousand dollars or more restoring their dad’s watch?”
“All said and done, I don’t think you’ll ever find a rich watchmaker,” he added. “But it pays the bills, and I do what I like.”
And his clientele seems to like what he does, as well. Looking at a Yelp review page for Arlington Watch Works, 28 of his 29 reviews are five stars.
It usually takes about a day for a repair, if all goes according to plan. But it’s not an easy task, and even just apprenticing with Sabouni takes several years before being allowed to work on a paying client’s piece.
Sabouni still says that he’s still learning himself, and meets almost every Saturday with his mentor to discuss what’s stumping them.
Though watch repairs are certainly at the heart of the business model, Sabouni has a number of expensive watches on his shelves. Some are priced as little as a few hundred dollars, while others on display push the $20,000-$25,000 mark.
One watch on display, which Sabouni unlockws from its case and brings to a work table, is infinitely more delicate than what you could find at department stores.
It’s an $8,900 Van Cleef and Arpels model, handmade, completely see through, and thoroughly filigreed with real gold.
It’s an expensive passion to pick up, and an equally difficult industry to get into. But in an age of industry disruptions and smartphone app development, Sabouni doesn’t see his industry, and his place in it, going away.
“As long as men are men, and want to have their toys — I guess [the industry] will be over when men want to stop playing with their toys.”
