Author: Chris Teale

Crystal City to Hold Meeting on Pedestrian Link to Reagan National Airport

By Chris Teale

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) A series of public meetings will be held next week to discuss a possible new pedestrian connection between Crystal City and Reagan National Airport.

The meetings are scheduled to take place Tuesday, September 5 on the 11th floor of 2011 Crystal Drive, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. Both meetings will have the same agenda, with staff from the Crystal City Business Improvement District looking to gather public feedback on the proposed pedestrian link.

RSVPs for either meeting are requested but not required.

“Imagine walking from Crystal City’s main street to the airport in just under 5 minutes,” the meetings’ event page says. “The CC2DCA Pedestrian Connection Feasibility Study that is investigating this possibility.”

Earlier this year, the BID issued a Request for Proposals asking for consultants to study a possible connection. The deadline for sending those proposals, which included the studying of optimal alignments, real estate, regulations, costs and necessary approvals, has since passed.

BID officials say a new pedestrian crossing would help leverage various transportation improvements in Crystal City, including the revamped VRE station and a proposed new Metro station entrance on Crystal Drive. Reagan National is also set for a $1 billion refresh, with construction there expected to conclude in 2021.

Anyone unable to attend in person can watch the presentation on Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/crystalcityva or send comments and feedback by email to [email protected].

Map via Google Maps

BrickHaus to Open Labor Day on Columbia Pike

By Chris Teale

After months of delays and regulatory hurdles, new Columbia Pike beer garden BrickHaus is set to open on Labor Day.

The 2900 Columbia Pike restaurant will open its doors at 2 p.m. with full service inside and a range of freshly tapped beers and new food. Reservations are not available, and the patio will not be open until October, owner Tony Wagner said in a Facebook post.

It's time to celebrate! BrickHaus is at long last opening our doors on Columbia Pike on Monday, September 4th. Doors…

Posted by BrickHaus on Thursday, August 31, 2017

Most construction on the space has been finished since May.

BrickHaus will be a beer garden on the first floor, with some 20 beers on tap and an approximately 30-seat outdoor patio. The second floor mezzanine will have upstairs dining with a menu including steaks, German food and other entrees.

It will offer mostly regional brews from Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, in addition to perhaps a couple of German beers. Wagner said draft wine will also be available.

The aging building has received an extensive renovation after being vacant for years following the departure of Blanca’s Restaurant.

“The oldest building on Columbia Pike will come to life once more, letting it all hang out!” Wagner wrote.

Speed Pitch Event For Local Inventors Coming to Arlington Next Month

By Chris Teale

A company that markets “As Seen on TV” products will come to Arlington next month to hear local inventors’ ideas on the next big thing.

Top Dog Direct will hold a “Speed Pitch” event at TechShop (2100-B Crystal Drive) in Crystal City on Monday, September 18 starting at 9:30 a.m.

The company is known for products like the Sobakawa Cloud Pillow, Stream Clean stain remover, Tag Away skin tag remover, the Futzuki pain relieving reflexology mat.

The event will be held in conjunction with the Inventors Network of the Capital Area, a nonprofit that helps inventors of all experience levels network and share information.

Anyone who wants to pitch their ideas at the event must fill out and send an application form beforehand. The form asks for a short description of the product, and has the following requirements for the pitch itself:

  • Prototype or final product available to present
  • Consumer product
  • Reach a mass audience
  • Can retail from $9.99-39.99
  • Demonstrable
  • Easy to understand
  • New product that is not on the market
  • Short, two-minute pitch

Forms must be sent to [email protected], with the subject line, “Sept 18 Arlington, VA Pitch.” Top Dog will review applications and then select the contenders for the pitch-a-thon.

Rosslyn Jazz Fest Set For Early September

By Chris Teale
1/3

Several thousand people are expected to descend on Rosslyn’s Gateway Park on Saturday, September 9 for this year’s Rosslyn Jazz Fest.

The free event at the park at 1300 Lee Highway regularly draws more than 5,000 people for jazz music, local food trucks and a beer and wine garden from 1-7 p.m.

This year’s lineup, with timings, is as follows:

Food trucks Tacos Matadores, Rocklands BBQ, Mangia Tutti, Chix N Stix, Tapas Truck, Bon Bonni and Healthy Food Fool will be on site.

And for the second year, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District is partnering with neighborhood restaurants to offer discounts at to those attending this event. Customers must mention the code “Rosslyn Retail” at participating restaurants and receive 15 percent off their bill all day long.

The offer is available at Barley Mac, Bistro 360, Heavy Seas Alehouse, Kona Grill, Pancho Villa, Piola, Ben’s Chili Bowl, cityhouse, Key Bridge Terrace, Jimmy John’s, Continental Pool Lounge and The Perfect Pita.

Organizers said parking nearby will be limited. Public parking is available on N. Moore Street between 19th Street N. and Lee Highway for a $5 flat fee, while parking around Rosslyn will likely be limited too. Instead, organizers said they “strongly encourage” attendees to take Metro or bike to the festival, with the park a few blocks away from the Rosslyn Metro station.

Photos via Rosslyn BID.

Nam-Viet Restaurant Reopens in Clarendon After Renovations

By Chris Teale
1/6

The last still-operating reminder of when Clarendon was known as “Little Saigon” is celebrating its reopening with an open house today (Wednesday).

Nam-Viet at 1127 N. Hudson Street closed temporarily last month for renovations, but is back in business today with a free lunch buffet from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. It will reopen for regular business hours tomorrow (Thursday).

During the renovations, workers raised the restaurant’s ceilings, refreshed the ceiling tiles, added new tables, chairs and toilets and, literally, raised the bar. The eatery seats 90 people inside and another 60 on the patio outside. General manager Richard Nguyen said the refresh was the first since the restaurant opened in Clarendon in 1986.

“We figured, hey, we stayed here 31 years, have longevity, let’s see if we can stay here for even longer,” Nguyen said.

When customers walk into the restaurant, they will see photos of former prisoners of war, who Nguyen said have helped make Nam-Viet a success. The restaurant holds reunions for POWs as well as other private events.

Nguyen said customers can expect the same menu as before, filled with traditional Vietnamese food which has stayed more or less unchanged throughout its decades in business.

“The only thing that’s changed over 31 years is the décor,” he said. “Everything else has stayed the same.”

The renovation came a month after Nam-Viet closed its second location, in D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood. Nam-Viet’s full letter to its customers is after the jump.

(more…)

County’s Bike Plan Getting a Refresh

By Chris Teale

Arlington County is updating the section on bicycling in its Master Transportation Plan, and is asking residents to help shape how it should now look.

The Bicycle Element of the plan last received an update in 2008, and now staff from the county’s Department of Environmental Services said the time is right for a revamp given the new “technologies, facilities and best practices” around bicycling. Staff said they will get feedback from a wide range of people, including those in civic associations and business organizations.

Currently, the plan looks to increase bicycle usage, make bicycling safer in the county, add to the network of bike trails and paths and integrate biking with other methods of transit.

“The wealth of expertise in our community, and among our County staff, will help us improve mobility, safety, comfort and convenience for bicyclists and make it even more attractive to ride a bicycle as a way of getting around for people of all ages and interests,” staff wrote.

Anyone can have their say at the monthly meetings of the Master Transportation Plan Bicycle Element Working Group, as well as via an online survey through September 22. Included in the survey is a question about what the county can do to encourage more bicycle riding, with the following answers offered as options.

  • Offer community bike rides.
  • Educate drivers.
  • Add more Bikeshare stations.
  • Add more bike parking.
  • Add more separated bike lanes.
  • Improve the condition/maintenance of the existing bike lanes and trails.
  • Educate bicyclists and pedestrians.
  • Improve the connected bike network.
  • Add more wayfinding signs to help people find destinations.
  • Add more bicycle or multi-use trails.

County staff and working group members will also hold a series of meet and greet events at various locations, including today (Wednesday) at the Clarendon Metro station farmers market from 3-7 p.m.

There, residents can discuss the plan updates, take the survey and give feedback in person. Other meet and greets beyond tonight’s event are as follows:

The County Board is likely to carry out an initial review of the update at a work session in late fall. Afterward, county staff will begin community outreach on how to implement the new plan, and finding projects for new or improved bike facilities in the county. An updated plan is expected to be adopted in summer 2018.

Ballston BID Faces Up to ‘First Real Challenge’ of NSF Departure

By Chris Teale
1/7

Ballston is prepared to cope with the imminent departure of the National Science Foundation, a major local employer, says Ballston Business Improvement District CEO Tina Leone.

The NSF is set to finish moving from Stafford Place on Wilson Blvd to Alexandria later this year, and began to move employees earlier this month.

But with a number of new construction projects ongoing in Ballston, and the upcoming opening of the renovated Ballston Quarter mall, Leone said the neighborhood is going to be just fine without a federal tenant and its more than 2,000 employees, even though she said it will add about 1 percent to Arlington’s office vacancy rate.

“This is our first real challenge, I believe,” she said. “Ballston has been very much growing and sustaining organically, it’s always been a place where people can live and work very easily. And now this is probably our first big challenge, I believe.”

Leone said the reason for her optimism lies in the major development projects underway, especially the redeveloping Ballston Common Mall, rebranded as Ballston Quarter.

Demolition of the mall to make way for a new apartment tower and retail space has been ongoing for just over a year, and Leone said once that project is done in 2018 it can anchor the rest of the neighborhood.

Leone also pointed to the likes of Marymount University’s “Newside” building, construction of new mixed-use developments at 750 N. Glebe Road and the former Carpool building, as well as developer Jamestown LP’s revamp of the NSF’s current home for new tenants, as other examples of the neighborhood’s continued growth.

Ballston will also be home to a revamped Central United Methodist Church that will include affordable housing, as well as several other new apartment buildings.

“The Ballston Quarter development has helped spur on these other developments,” Leone said. “Once developers knew that this project was a go, they said, ‘okay, now we can push the button on our projects too.’ Who doesn’t want to live next to a beautiful new open air retail, restaurants, 360,000 square feet of fun? That’s what really pulled the trigger on many of these other developments, for sure.”

(more…)

In Re-Election Bid, Alfonso Lopez Hopes to Keep Advocating For Constituents

By Chris Teale

In a position he describes as the “greatest honor of my life,” three-term Del. Alfonso Lopez (D) said he finds it most rewarding to help his constituents with issues they may be having.

Lopez said he likes to help his constituents in the 49th District with issues like wanting a new stop sign, or help with filing their taxes. And he and his staff run events such as health insurance enrollment fairs and stream cleanups.

“I do it because I love it,” Lopez said. “I love giving back, I love the opportunity to help people that I’ve never met before. To literally help change people’s lives that I don’t even know but who need help. I’m proud of the fact that with things I’ve accomplished I think I’ve done that. And I want to keep doing that.”

Lopez is the only Arlington member of the House of Delegates facing a challenge this November, against Republican Adam Roosevelt.

But the three-term delegate, whose district includes neighborhoods along Columbia Pike, around Pentagon City and west to Bailey’s Crossroads and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, said he has plenty to be proud of.

Lopez said one of his main priorities is to ensure Virginia is welcoming to immigrants, even amid some heated rhetoric and actions from some in both Washington and the General Assembly.

He said that desire to protect those people is rooted in his family history. Lopez’s father came to the United States in the 1950s from Venezuela and overstayed his tourist visa. He then worked, learned English, became a citizen and graduated from Northern Virginia Community College. His mother was a guidance counselor at Washington-Lee High School and helped more than 1,000 students get to college.

Lopez said them and a shared desire to live the American Dream are a reminder each day of the importance of helping immigrants.

“[E]very time I see a DREAMer kid, I see my father,” Lopez said. “Every time I look in the eyes of some young student trying to make a better life for themselves here, I see my dad.”

(more…)

Central American Restaurant Plaza Maya Open on Columbia Pike

By Chris Teale
1/8

A Central American restaurant run by Honduran immigrants just celebrated its first month open on Columbia Pike.

Plaza Maya at 3207 Columbia Pike serves food from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, and replaced the Ethiopian restaurant Flamingo.

The restaurant’s menu includes staples of Central American food like enchiladas, burritos and tacos. It has also applied to Virginia ABC to start serving alcohol with its food. Per a permit filed with the county, it can seat up to 61 people.

It opened July 21, between the Panda Bowl Chinese restaurant and City Kabob & Curry House, an Indian and Pakistani eatery. Plaza Maya offers dine-in and carry out options.

Employees at the restaurant said they are from Honduras, and some have lived in the United States for a decade or more. They said they opened the restaurant so others could experience their love of food from their native country.

“We like cooking, and we like money too,” one joked.

Photos 4-8 via Facebook.

Discounts Reach Clarendon After Amazon Buys Whole Foods

By Chris Teale
1/7

Shoppers can expect to see some discounted items at the Whole Foods in Clarendon (2700 Wilson Blvd) after online retailer Amazon bought the grocery giant.

Already, signs featuring both company logos indicate discounts on fresh produce like avocados, tomatoes and apples, as well as pasta sauce, almond butter and walnut halves. More discounts could follow in the near future. Many products have been reduced in price by $1, while avocados are now available for $1.49 each, having previously been at $4 for two.

The slashed prices follow Amazon’s $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods, which it closed on Monday after being allowed to proceed by the federal government.

Bloomberg reports that it slashed prices in some stores by as much as 43 percent, and also had its Amazon Echo voice recognition electronic assistant on sale for less than $100.

In a press release announcing the acquisition, the companies said the Amazon Prime delivery and membership service will be integrated into Whole Foods’ sales system, giving members discounts and other benefits. They also promised to lower prices while maintaining the quality of Whole Foods’ products.

“It’s been our mission for 39 years at Whole Foods Market to bring the highest quality food to our customers,” John Mackey, Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “By working together with Amazon and integrating in several key areas, we can lower prices and double down on that mission and reach more people with Whole Foods Market’s high-quality, natural and organic food. As part of our commitment to quality, we’ll continue to expand our efforts to support and promote local products and suppliers. We can’t wait to start showing customers what’s possible when Whole Foods Market and Amazon innovate together.”

Whole Foods has a second Arlington location in Pentagon City — though there was no sign of Amazon-driven discounts there as of Monday afternoon (update: a reader, below, says the discounts are now in place) — and there are rumors of another landing in Ballston. A new building at 750 N. Glebe Road had been eyed for a new Whole Foods, but will instead host a small-format Target.

Work to Begin Soon on Washington Blvd Bike Lanes, Repaving

By Chris Teale

Drivers in Westover and East Falls Church can expect traffic delays and detours in the coming weeks as the state and county repave and add bike lanes to Washington Blvd.

The project by the Virginia Department of Transportation, which owns and operates the street, is set to begin in the next couple of weeks with repaving between Lee Highway and N. McKinley Road.

After that repaving is complete, staff from the county’s Department of Environmental Services will install green bicycle lanes, bollards and way-finding signs for bicyclists. At some points, the lanes will have a buffer as wide as two or three feet from traffic. The county and VDOT coordinated on a design plan for the new striping earlier this year.

At one stage, the plan had been for continuous bike lanes along Washington Blvd. But those plans were nixed earlier this year and revised.

Instead, a bicycle lane will be added to shorter stretches. Westbound the lane will run between N. McKinley and N. Sycamore streets. Eastbound the lane will stretch from the hill at N. Sycamore Street near the East Falls Church Metro station to N. Quintana Street. There they will be directed along parallel neighborhood streets before reconnecting with Washington Blvd near Westover.

Staff said they anticipate between 16 and 19 parking spaces on the street will be lost out of around 150 in total. In turn, Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church (6201 Washington Blvd) is expected to increase its parking capacity to 15 spaces.

DES staff said the project has a number of benefits for those in the area:

  • Enhance bicycle infrastructure where it does not currently exist
    • Help stitch together the expanding Capital Bikeshare system (a new station was installed at the East Falls Church metro station in 2016 and two new stations will be installed in Westover in 2017 and 2018).
    • Connect to existing bicycle lanes on Washington Boulevard between Westover and Lacy Woods Park.
    • Create a nearly two-mile stretch of bicycle lanes from Sycamore St. to George Mason Dr.
  • Narrow unnecessarily wide travel lanes to help calm traffic.
  • Install a dedicated left turn lane for westbound Washington Boulevard at N. Ohio Street to help reduce backups.
  • Sidewalks will be more comfortable for walking due to buffering provided by the new bicycle lanes.
  • Pedestrian safety improvements at key intersections with highly visible markings for crosswalks (pending VDOT approval). Center line “Yield to Pedestrians in Crosswalk” signs may also be installed.

During the work, DES says parking will be prohibited on Washington Blvd and detours will be in place.

Next year, staff will collect additional usage data to track cars, bicycles, pedestrians and parking.

Image (top) via VDOT, (middle) via Google Maps

View More Stories