A branch of PNC Bank in Rosslyn will close in mid-March.
A sign on the door of the bank at 1801 N. Lynn Street said it will permanently shutter on Friday, March 16.
The sign directs customers to nearby PNC branches in Clarendon (2601 Clarendon Blvd) and Georgetown (1201 Wisconsin Ave NW).
An anonymous tipster also reported receiving a notice about the closure when they logged into internet banking.
Two residents have launched a petition to try to change the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance after the Board of Zoning Appeals denied their plan to add a story to their home.
John and Gina Quirk, who live on 20th Road N. in the North Highlands neighborhood north of Rosslyn, had an application to convert an unused attic at their duplex home (pictured above) into a third-story bedroom rejected by the BZA late last year.
John Quirk said the “minimal” addition to make more room for their expanding family had the support of all their neighbors. It also had the support of some BZA members, who said at their December meeting that the fact that it stayed within the property was laudable.
“I think this is a really wonderful attempt to gain more space without increasing the footprint, and if we don’t grant these kinds of variances, then we’re faced with variances where they want to expand with the footprint,” said BZA member Charles Smith. “I think this gives developers and builders a [really] good model on how you can gain more with less.”
But the BZA voted down the proposal by a 3-2 margin on the grounds that the R2-7 zone for the property, a residential zone for townhouses and two-family homes, does not allow for such expansions by homes that were built before the Zoning Ordinance took effect. This home was built in 1939.
Such extensions are allowed for homes in other, similar residential zones, but in the Quirks’ zone it requires a special exception from the BZA.
In denying the extension, BZA members urged the Quirks to petition the County Board to change the Zoning Ordinance to allow the extensions in the zone where their home is.
“There’s hundreds like you, so maybe it could be a worthwhile community project for you to be the poster child for,” said BZA member Peter Owen, who also said the Zoning Ordinance is “broken.”
So the Quirks have done just that, and launched an online petition that has 91 supporters so far. The pair said their efforts could help the county address its lack of affordable housing and help people not be priced out of the county when they need more space.
“New county initiatives champion Missing Middle Housing as a strategy to support walkable, urban neighborhoods,” they wrote. “Duplexes are a perfect example of Missing Middle Housing if they can be improved to be compatible in scale to single family homes.”
Image via John and Gina Quirk
A proposal to add a major expansion to Virginia Hospital Center has been opened up for public discussion ahead of a possible approval in the near future.
A walk-through of the site by the county’s Site Plan Review Committee had been planned for January 6 but has been postponed, with a new date yet to be confirmed.
SPRC held its first meeting on the project on December 18, 2017. It will review the plans and then make a recommendation to the Planning Commission, and also provide a first forum for public comment.
VHC is proposing a more-than 230,000-square-foot, seven-story outpatient pavilion for walk-in patients.
The plans would also convert around 120,000 square feet of existing outpatient space to 101 hospital beds and build a 10-story parking garage with just over 2,000 spaces.
The extension to its campus would replace the county-owned Edison Center on the 1800 block of N. Edison Street, to the north of VHC’s main site. The Edison Center is currently home to some county offices and an Arlington County Refugee Services location.
The County Board voted in July that it wants to acquire the hospital’s property at 601 S. Carlin Springs Road and use the site on N. Edison Street as part of the purchase price.
The county hosted a kick-off meeting for the project on November 16, 2017. According to a meeting summary posted online, feedback was generally positive, with questions raised about traffic and parking issues but also noting the project’s importance.
“This isn’t just some ordinary expansion,” one commenter wrote on a feedback card. “This is a vital resource to this County. No one wants something in their backyard. The renderings are beautiful and definitely better than what exists on Edison Street.
Images by HDR.
Arlington County Police said they recovered a “skimmer” device designed to steal credit and debit card information from a Clarendon ATM late last week.
ACPD said officers responded to the 3000 block of Wilson Blvd just after 11 a.m. on Friday, January 12 after hearing reports of the device. Police determined that it was installed at some point between the previous afternoon and that morning.
Police did not specify which ATM the device was installed at. That block is home to a BB&T bank branch and ATM.
The skimmers have recently been discovered inside pumps at local gas stations, while AAA warned of a spate of the devices across the region last year.
In a tweet, ACPD warned ATM users to monitor their bank statements and report any activity that appears to be fraudulent.
FRAUD ALERT: On Friday, ACPD recovered a skimmer on an ATM in Clarendon (details: https://t.co/6hXJtFm5cg). Reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim with these crime prevention tips: https://t.co/LYbHg9zody pic.twitter.com/VNJIvTy7Cs
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) January 16, 2018
While we have most recently seen credit card skimmers inside gas pumps, the tips to keep your banking information are the same. We encourage you to regularly monitor your bank statements and report fraudulent activity.
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) January 16, 2018
More from an ACPD crime report:
SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES (Significant), 2018-01120112, 3000 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 11:11 a.m. on January 12, police responded to the area for the report of a skimming device located inside an ATM. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 4:30 p.m. on January 11 and 10:30 a.m. on January 12, an unknown suspect placed the device inside the machine. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.
Photo via Google Maps.
Del. Alfonso Lopez (D) announced last week the formation of the Virginia Latino Caucus in the General Assembly.
Lopez, who represents the 49th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, a district that includes swathes of south Arlington, said the bipartisan caucus will initially include Del. Jason Miyares (R-Virginia Beach) and first-term Dels. Elizabeth Guzman and Hala Ayala (both D-Prince William).
“Latinos make up 9 percent of Virginia’s total population,” Lopez said in a statement. “It’s long past time that we have more representation in the General Assembly to reflect that reality. I’m honored to welcome Delegates Guzman and Ayala to the House of Delegates and look forward to working with them to represent Virginia’s Latino community.”
Lopez announced the caucus’ formation on the House floor on Friday, January 12. The caucus is open to all members, regardless of ethnicity.
N. Glebe Road is closed in both directions after a car struck and shattered a utility pole, bringing wires down.
The collision took place just after 11:30 a.m. today (Tuesday) on the 3700 block of N. Glebe Road in the Old Glebe neighborhood. The driver of a white car struck the pole while heading south, then veered across into the northbound lanes. The car was left with significant damage to its front end.
Officers from the Arlington County Police Department closed N. Glebe Road in both directions and diverted traffic onto side streets. In a tweet, the Arlington County Fire Department said closures will be in effect for an “extended time.”
No injuries were reported. Several dozen Dominion customers in the area are currently without power, according to the company’s outage map. Crews from Dominion arrived on scene to assess the damage around noon.
3700blk N Glebe Rd. wires down from vehicle accident. No injuries but road blocked in both directions for extended time. @ArlingtonVaPD and FD on scene. Power Co. enroute pic.twitter.com/ciqJHfspLf
— Arlington Fire (@ArlingtonVaFD) January 16, 2018
A U.S. House of Representatives committee will discuss a bill to rename Gravelly Point after former First Lady Nancy Reagan.
The House Committee on Natural Resources will mark up the bill, H.R. 553, by Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10 a.m. As previously reported, Hice first introduced the bill in 2016.
It would rename the park, located to the north of Reagan National Airport’s main runway, as Nancy Reagan Memorial Park. But the park’s use by cyclists, runners, recreational team sports, picnics and for those watching planes land and take off would not change.
A memo on the bill said it would honor Reagan’s “life and legacy,” and as a champion for various causes.
“Nancy Reagan Memorial Park would recognize First Lady Nancy Reagan for her dedication and support of important causes throughout her life,” the memo reads. “The re-designation would act as a tribute to the First Lady’s legacy while maintaining the current status and uses of the park.”
Hice’s bill has 51 Republican co-sponsors, but no Democrats. The memo describes the Trump administration’s position on the renaming as “currently unknown.”
Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley
Rosslyn has undergone a transformation in recent years as it continues to add new businesses, residential units and retail space in arguably Arlington County’s densest neighborhood.
It made national news last year as food giant Nestle chose to relocate its U.S. corporate headquarters there from Southern California. Nestle joined other corporate giants like Grant Thornton in moving to Rosslyn in recent years.
And at the forefront has been the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, which works to bring in new businesses and make the neighborhood a fun and vibrant place to be.
On this week’s 26 Square Miles podcast, we spoke to Rosslyn BID President Mary-Claire Burick about Nestle’s move, the ongoing construction at Central Place and its soon-to-open observation deck, as well as other development projects in the works.
Burick also discussed the ambitious Western Rosslyn Area Plan, events hosted by the BID and the future of Rosslyn, including a possible second Metrorail station and the long-discussed boathouse by the Potomac River.
Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn.
A former player in the National Football League now patrols local streets as a Corporal in the Arlington County Police Department.
Dorian Brooks spent two seasons (2010-2011) as an offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers after graduating from James Madison University and signing a free agent contract with the NFL after going undrafted.
Brooks joined ACPD in 2012, and since then has worked in patrol on the south side of the county. He was promoted to Corporal from Police Officer II in July.
In an interview with Go Law Enforcement, which has resources for those looking to go into policing and similar fields, Brooks said there are plenty of parallels between his current and former jobs.
“There are a lot of parallels between law enforcement and football,” he said. “Specifically, with me playing offensive line, you have to protect the quarterback, you’re the unsung heroes. we don’t do it for the glory, we just have great times but at the same time it’s a tough job to do. so I feel like that translated in a way, plus the camaraderie of the game of football, I could draw that parallel.”
Brooks’ brief NFL career included appearing in Super Bowl XLV in early 2011, at the end of his rookie season, a memorable experience for the first-year player.
“It was an incredible experience for me, that was my rookie year, so I’m 22-23 years old at the time,” he said. “Being able to make it to a point where a lot of guys spend their entire career not getting to that point, it was a great experience.”
Even when he was playing football in college and professionally, Brooks said he always had other interests, and had thought of joining the military after high school before going to JMU.
When he left the NFL, his wife was starting an OB-GYN residency in Washington, D.C., and after some research, Arlington’s police department came up as a place to work. He noted that his father and stepmother both served in the military.
“I’ve always had an appreciation for service,” Brooks said. “[I] kind of stumbled across it once I stopped playing football and I had to make a decision on what I was going to do.”
Since then, Brooks said he has found his size to be a benefit, especially as, he said, people “maybe think I’m one type of person, and once we have a conversation they might think, ‘Oh I would never have guessed you’re this type of person.'”
And for anyone looking to transition into law enforcement, Brooks said anyone can flourish regardless of their prior experience.
“Go into it knowing that you don’t have to have per se a criminal law background. you don’t have to be in criminal justice,” he said. “I tell students or folks who come over from the military, they feel that they have to have this to be a cop. I work with people who have English backgrounds, history backgrounds, business backgrounds. I think that’s part of it that really helps with the people we interact with, that it’s not just one type of person. It’s not just one type of person that becomes a great officer.”
Photo via Arlington County Police Department
A new wine bar and restaurant is open on the first floor of a Courthouse hotel.
Verre Wine Bar and Restaurant is located at 2415 Wilson Blvd, on the first floor of the Hyatt Place hotel, which opened ahead of schedule last year. Based on photos posted to the wine bar’s Yelp page, it opened in November.
Verre has an extensive wine and draft beer list, as well as small plates and cheese and charcuterie boards among other foods. It opens at 5 p.m. each day with happy hour.
The new Ten at Clarendon apartment building at 3110 10th Street N. has its first open retail tenant: frame store Italo Frame.
Open for about two weeks, owner Nasir Ester said it has a wide selection of frames as well as deeper shadow boxes for several photographs or other memorabilia.
Ester said he has been involved in the framing business for over 30 years. He previously owned Alna Art & Framing in Alexandria. The new store has frames from across Europe of all different colors and materials.
“You bring it, I will frame it for you,” he said.
The store is on the building’s westernmost corner, across the street from Fire Station 4.
