Author: Chris Teale

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By Chris Teale

According to the Capital Weather Gang, today was the second wettest day of the year so far at Reagan National Airport, after 1.61 inches of rain fell during this morning’s stormy weather.

And perhaps the rain and colder temperatures had some of you yearning for the warm days of summer, based on some of this week’s most-read articles.

The planned new beer garden called The Lot and the soon-to-open Wilson Hardware, both in Clarendon, got plenty of attention this week, as did the Westover Beer Garden’s efforts to add more outdoor seating.

In other news this week, there are now five remaining options for the name of the new elementary school, while on Sunday police chased a man from Buckingham to Columbia Pike.

And in case you missed them, a bronze eagle was unveiled this week outside George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, and an umpire in Arlington Little League has gotten some attention for being the only female ump in the league.

Feel free to discuss these stories and anything else that’s on your mind below. Have a great weekend!

Seven Local Companies Named Best Business Award Winners

By Chris Teale

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce honored seven businesses earlier this week at its annual Best Business Awards, hosted at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel.

Almost 200 people gathered May 2 for the awards, which are presented to area businesses for their customer service, industry leadership, growth or stability over the lifetime of their business and interest in the success of the Arlington community.

This year’s winners, by category, were:

CNA – 2017 Business of the Year
Hyatt Centric Arlington – 2017 Business of the Year
Beach Geeks, Inc. – 2017 Technology Small Business of the Year
Current Boutique – 2017 Retail Small Business of the Year
Child Care Aware of America – 2017 Nonprofit of the Year
Wolcott Hill Group – 2017 Home-Based Business of the Year
Clarendon Animal Care – 2017 Service Small Business of the Year

“Our community depends upon the businesses that go above and beyond for clients, employees, and the community, and these seven businesses exemplify that kind of dedication,” said Chamber president & CEO Kate Bates in a statement. “We are proud to present this year’s winners with these well-deserved awards and thank all of them for their continued investment in Arlington.”

The Chamber also inducted John Milliken and Richard Doud, Jr. into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame, which honors men and women who have demonstrated a long record of successful management, expertise, and business skills. Milliken is a former County Board member, while Doud served as Chamber president for 23 years.

“John and Rich are the true definition of what it means to be an Arlington legacy,” Bates said. “Their many important accomplishments and efforts to support and advocate on behalf of local business have helped make Arlington the place it is today. It is an honor to induct both of these outstanding community leaders into the Arlington Business Hall of Fame.”

Photos via Arlington Chamber of Commerce

Demolition of Ballston Pedestrian Bridge To Begin Next Weekend

By Chris Teale
1/4

The demolition of the pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd in Ballston is now expected to begin next weekend.

A spokeswoman for Forest City, which is carrying out the revamp of the Ballston Common Mall, said residents will start to see work being done on the bridge on Saturday, May 13.

That day, she said, crews will remove various trees and strip the bridge down to its barebones. On May 14, the spokeswoman said, a crane will be erected to remove the bridge structure. Then on May 20, final remaining bridge components will be demolished, including its columns and footings.

The bridge between Ballston Common Mall and 4201 Wilson Blvd — which houses the soon-to-be-relocated National Science Foundation — closed last year as part of the mall’s renovation.

Wilson Blvd will be shut for construction between N. Stuart Street and N. Randolph Street, with no cars or pedestrians allowed between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. The parking garage at Stafford Place II will remain accessible, as will the pedestrian entrance to CVS from N. Randolph Street.

“Please note that should an unforeseen unsafe condition be encountered that necessitates the operation to extend beyond these hours, we will require the closure to remain in place until such time that the road and sidewalk can be opened to allow for safe passage,” the spokeswoman said in an email.

The bridge is set to reopen with the revamped and rebranded Ballston Quarter mall in fall 2018.

House of Steep Looking To Add Alcohol, More Massage Options

By Chris Teale
1/6

Saved from closure by a new owner, House of Steep on Lee Highway is now in the process of adding new ways for its customers to relax.

The Cherrydale business at 3800 Lee Highway had been set to close late last year, after founder and previous owner Lyndsey DePalma suggested it was not making enough money.

But it was bought by long-time customer Patrick Vaughan and reopened in January, and now Vaughan is looking to bring some new ideas.

The tea house and “foot sanctuary” will soon offer wine to customers, after filing a license application with Virginia ABC. Vaughan said that new innovation could help turn House of Steep into more of a wine bar in the evenings.

“I envision people having a glass of wine while doing a sit and soak essentially, or getting a foot massage,” he said. “The theme of the place is relaxation, so to me I know a lot of people consider a glass of wine at the end of the day the ultimate relaxation.”

Vaughan said he also hopes to expand walk-in availability for House of Steep’s reflexology and massage services. Previously, he said, customers would have to schedule an appointment 24 hours in advance, but Vaughan said he wants to have a system where people can be seen straight away or an hour or two later.

House of Steep’s community outreach is also set to be expanded. Vaughan, a trail and ultra-marathon runner, said he has already partnered with the charity D.C. Capital Striders to host a weekly run from the store. He has other plans too.

“We’ve been proactively inviting community groups to host their meetings in the space or holding wellness seminars or doing open mic nights,” Vaughan said. “We’re definitely trying to create a little bit more of a community environment space for people to use throughout the day and evening.”

Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued For Arlington

By Chris Teale

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for southeastern Arlington until 9:30 a.m.

NWS said severe thunderstorms are along a line from Fort Belvoir to near Prince Frederick, and are moving north towards the D.C. metro area at 65 miles per hour. Residents should expect gusting winds up to 60 miles per hour that could cause some trees to fall and damage homes and cars. Heavy rain is expected to last all morning.

The Capital Weather Gang noted this morning that some isolated storms may be possible in the region later this afternoon. Those storms could be powerful, and bring with them hail, wind and even a tornado.

More from NWS:

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for…
The District of Columbia…
Central Anne Arundel County in central Maryland…
Northern St. Marys County in southern Maryland…
Southeastern Montgomery County in central Maryland…
Northwestern Calvert County in southern Maryland…
Prince Georges County in central Maryland…
Northeastern Charles County in southern Maryland…
Southeastern Arlington County in northern Virginia…
Southeastern Fairfax County in northern Virginia…
The City of Alexandria in northern Virginia…

* Until 930 AM EDT

* At 835 AM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
extending from near Fort Belvoir to near Prince Frederick, moving
north at 65 mph.

HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches
to fall. This could injure those outdoors, as well as
damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by
downed trees. Localized power outages are possible.
Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.

* Locations impacted include…
Arlington, Alexandria, Waldorf, Bowie, Annapolis, Clinton, College
Park, Crofton, Fort Washington, Greenbelt, Langley Park,
Beltsville, Fort Hunt, Groveton, Forestville, Huntington, Largo,
Coral Hills, Bladensburg and Mayo.

Hurricane Hunters Open For Tours Tuesday At Reagan National Airport

By Chris Teale

Next Tuesday, for the first time at Reagan National Airport, the public can tour four planes that fly into hurricanes for better weather forecasts.

Hurricane Hunter aircraft pilots from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Air Force will be on hand, as well as hurricane experts. Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center, NHC hurricane specialists and local National Weather Service meteorologists will educate residents of vulnerable communities about hurricane preparedness.

NOAA will be joined by staff from FEMA, local and state emergency management offices, non-profit organizations such as the American Red Cross, and other partners.

Participating aircraft are the WC-130J, the Lockheed WP-3D Orion “Hurricane Hunter,” the NOAA G-IV and NOAA’s King Air Special Mission. All the planes are used to gather data on hurricanes and forecast their future intensity.

Tours are scheduled to be open to the public from 2-5 p.m.

Registration is not required for the public tours, although no backpacks or large bags are permitted. Tours begin at the aircraft hangar near the Signature Air terminal at shuttle bus stop No. 9. Four pre-selected school groups of 80 local fourth- and fifth-graders will also tour the event and aircraft that morning.

Image via National Weather Service

Casual Adventure Set To Close After Spring Sales, But No Closing Date Yet

By Chris Teale
1/6

Long-time Virginia Square outdoor retailer Casual Adventure is still open, but will close once its spring stock has sold out.

The 61-year-old store at 3451 Washington Blvd announced its closure last month. After the announcement, the retailer kicked off its “End of an Era Sale,” featuring up to 50 percent off any remaining outdoor, tactical and sporting goods in stock.

Store owner Eric Stern said Casual Adventure has received two final deliveries of spring merchandise, which is being sold at reduced prices. Once everything is sold, the store will close, he said.

“We’ve definitely got a good selection, and we’re just blowing it out at this point,” he told ARLnow.com.

Stern said there is still no firm closing date, and there is significant “wiggle room” on when it needs to vacate the premises. Stern said he is looking to host regular Andrew Towne on Memorial Day weekend for a talk on his latest attempt to summit Mount Everest, and said Casual Adventure will continue supporting various community projects.

“It’s nice as we transition out of here that we can take care of our customers,” he said.

The Washington Business Journal reported that the store’s new owner is 1404 Hancock Street Investment LLC, a company registered to local custom home builder BCN Homes. As yet, no building or demolition permit applications have been filed with the county.

Casual Adventure already has an online store set up through Amazon, and Stern said it is actively looking for a new location for its store, but that there is “no rush.”

Westover Beer Garden Battling County Over Adding Outdoor Seating

By Chris Teale

Supporters are again worried that the popular Westover Beer Garden could be in danger of closing, this time because of Arlington County enforcing limits on its outdoor seating.

Westover Market — which combines a grocery store, restaurant and beer garden — went before the County Board late last month in a bid to add live indoor entertainment, expand its outdoor entertainment hours and have furniture on its patio year-round.

But that plan was scuttled in part by county staff finding the business at 5863 Washington Blvd violated several county rules. Some of the violations came to light the week before Westover Market went before the County Board and were included in the staff report on the plan.

In addition to alleged noise violations, Westover Market was accused of having more seats than it is allowed outside. The county states it can have a maximum of 29 outdoor seats, but in the April 25 meeting, CEO Devin Hicks admitted there are more than that.

According to a “Save the Beer Westover Garden” Facebook page, which has been active for several years through Westover Market’s issues with the county and a few neighbors, the owners of the market are scheduled to meet with county staff this Friday.

They will reportedly ask the county to suspend enforcement of the limit on seating on the patio, and have asked the fire marshall’s office for its opinion on a safe capacity. The market said it will also do the sound testing as required, and will comply with decibel limits and the hours that music is allowed.

Owner David Hicks wrote in a Facebook post that the business needs the extra seating to keep revenue up and survive.

“Here is the bottom line regarding Westover Market,” he wrote. “The business is not viable without the beer garden revenue. The beer garden is not viable without additional seating/occupancy. Every other problem can be overcome — including limits on music noise and restrictions on live music. But the outdoor seating is existential for the Market.”

“This would be devastating to the employees, the community, and not a good outcome for the county,” the Save the Westover Beer Garden said in another post. “We want the county to work with us to develop a plan that allows the beer garden’s continued existence and supports small businesses across the county.”

Representatives with Westover Market tried in vain to just add extra seating during the County Board meeting, only to be rebuffed as members said they wanted to see compliance with the rules already in place.

“This is actually fairly easy for me,” said Board member Christian Dorsey. “Let’s establish a record of continuing to move forward with compliance before considering other alternatives. That’s all I see to this issue.”

County Board chair Jay Fisette said he was open to considering expanding the outdoor seating in the future if the market complies.

“I understand it’s a violation. But I also sit here and go almost everybody loves this place,” he said. “It’s a really popular neighborhood place. We’re talking about sound, we’re talking about nights and all the rest, but they’ve obviously got more interest than the condition allows them to have seats outside under the permit.”

Photo via Facebook

Woodbury Park Apartments To Cap Renovations With Ribbon Cutting

By Chris Teale

The Woodbury Park apartment complex in Courthouse will celebrate the end of its revamp with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. today.

The community, which includes 204 affordable and 160 market-rate apartments at 2306 11th Street N, underwent a two-year renovation. It has been owned by regional affordable housing agency AHC since 1987.

Construction crews restored and updated the property’s mix of red and blonde brick masonry, gabled and flat roofing and porticoes at its entrances.

The seven brick buildings also received repairs and new paint, along with new roofs, windows and plantings. The courtyard also was re-bricked. Inside, the apartments received new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and electrical systems.

And what was once under-utilized space has been turned into a leasing office and a community center, which includes an exercise room and gathering area with a large TV, game table and seating.

The renovation came from various funding sources including Historic Tax Credits, and did not require use of Arlington County’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund.

Woodbury Park was built in the 1940s, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Photo via AHC, Inc.

Lee Highway Pedestrian Bridge Approaching Final Design

By Chris Teale
1/9

Refinements are being made to a plan to build a pedestrian and cyclist bridge in East Falls Church, which has undergone big changes in the past few months.

A previous version came under fire earlier this year for what critics viewed as a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhood and a perceived lack of community input, as well as design concerns. In previous renderings, the bridge had a trussed roof and was dark red.

The Virginia Dept. of Transportation has proposed building a new bridge over Lee Highway near the W&OD trail as part of its “Transform 66” interstate widening and tolling project.

If built, VDOT says the bridge would improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. The trail currently crosses Lee Highway at the busy intersection with Fairfax Drive.

Now, the bridge has no trusses along its top and is instead what Amanda Baxter, special projects development manager at VDOT, described at a meeting Tuesday as an “earth tone gray.” Baxter said other refinements include shaped fencing and renderings showing nearby landscaping, as well as locations for relocated trail shelters to provide a rest area for all users.

She added that the lighting on the bridge is still up for discussion. Currently, the bridge has acorn-style lights in its center that would be maintained by Dominion Virginia Power. VDOT and local residents agree the lights could be better, but they are limited to lights in Dominion’s inventory.

Baxter said the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority, which owns land nearby, is instead willing to help out with maintaining different lights.

“I think they’ve heard you too and are willing to step up and look to other options they can maintain,” she said.

Also still up for discussion are the installation of noise walls at certain areas along I-66, which VDOT is required to offer to provide under federal law if the noise level goes higher than 66 decibels.

Neighbors who would directly benefit from the walls would be balloted on whether they should be installed, Baxter said, although some attendees raised concerns about the walls appearing to enclose the neighborhood behind them and block light.

And local resident Sandy Chesrown, representing the Lee Highway Alliance, said the group would continue to push for public art to be installed nearby.

“We see this as a gateway statement to Falls Church and Arlington County, and we will continue to lobby for some sort of public art,” she said.

VDOT plans to award a design/build contract for the entire “Transform 66” project, including constructing the bridge, at the end of this year. Building work is projected to take from mid-2018 until 2021.

SoberRide Offering Free Lyft Rides For Cinco De Mayo

By Chris Teale

Revelers enjoying Arlington’s Cinco De Mayo celebrations this weekend will be able to take a free ride home as part of a regional effort to combat drink driving.

The nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program has partnered with ride-hailing service Lyft to provide free rides home from 7 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Saturday.

During that time, area residents aged 21 and older celebrating with alcohol can download Lyft to their phones, then enter the code CINCODC in the app’s “Promo” section to receive a ride worth up to $15. The code is valid for the first 1,500 Lyft users who enter it.

The program, known as SoberRide, made the switch in March from using local taxicabs to Lyft, a competitor of market leader Uber.

“In 2015 and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly a third of all U.S. traffic fatalities during Cinco de Mayo involved drunk drivers,” said WRAP president Kurt Erickson in a statement. “Worse, 51-percent of male drivers ages 21-to-34 killed in U.S. Cinco de Mayo crashes over the last half-decade were drunk.”

WRAP said that 225 people participated in its Cinco de Mayo SoberRide program. The charity also offers SoberRide on St. Patrick’s Day, Independence Day, Halloween and from December 15 through and including New Year’s Eve.

That same day, the Arlington County Police and Fire Departments will host a joint interactive event to highlight the dangers of drink driving. The event will take place at the intersection of N. Hudson Street and Wilson Blvd in Clarendon beginning at 6 p.m. and is free.

Police will close N. Hudson Street from Wilson Blvd to 1200 N. Herndon Street in front of The Clarendon apartment building from 5 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday to accommodate the event. Temporary “No Parking” signs will be in the area, and illegally parked cars may be ticketed or towed.

View More Stories