Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow.com

Apartments Could Replace Vacant Pentagon City Office Building

Published January 15, 2014 at 2:05PM

A vacant office building in Pentagon City could be in line for a transformation into a two-tower high-rise apartment building.

The former Department of Defense Inspector General office at 400 Army Navy Drive has submitted a site plan for a 20-story building with two towers — on one, three-story platform — that would have 491,588 square feet of ground floor space and 453 residential units.

The building, also called the “Paperclip Building,” was acquired by Bethesda-based developer LCOR in 2012, according to City Biz List, with the plan to convert it into housing. The site plan is now under consideration with the Site Plan Review Committee (SPRC) and is slated to go before the Planning Commission and the Arlington County Board no earlier than April for approval, we’re told.

The 1.6-acre plot of land is bounded by Army Navy Drive to the north, 11th Street S. to the south, S. Eads Street to the west and the Doubletree hotel to the east. The site is across S. Eads Street from the recently-approved PenPlace commercial development, which calls for four office buildings and a 300-room hotel on 10.2 acres; more than 4 million square feet of floor space.

PenPlace was approved despite heavy opposition from the Arlington Ridge Civic Association (ARCA) and other neighborhood groups, who objected to the height of the buildings (16-21 stories) and the additional traffic expected to be generated.

At the initial SPRC meeting, commissioners expressed concern that the traffic study the developer performed in June, when putting together its site plan, did not include the impact from PenPlace. In addition, a proposed operations and maintenance facility for the Crystal City streetcar line is directly adjacent to the planned apartment site.

“I don’t see how the proposed 400 Army Navy Drive project can be successfully developed if the County proceeds with its plan to build a streetcar operations and maintenance facility a few feet from its front door on the ‘tear drop’ in the middle of Eads Street,” Arthur Fox, who’s representing ARCA on the SPRC for the project, told ARLnow.com.

“Indeed, an O&M facility in that location will likely be the rotten apple that will spoil the barrel the County is seeking to develop across Eads on PenPlace,” Fox continued. “Unfortunately, the county failed to seriously consider a number of alternative sites that would be far better suited for an O&M facility. It needs to take a step backward and reopen that process.”

Arlington Considering Tax Incentives, Other Options to Combat High Office Vacancy

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 14, 2014 at 4:20PM

Arlington is “still sorting through the mess” of the BRAC closures that have boosted office vacancy rates, an Arlington representative told hundreds of Northern Virginia commercial real estate developers today.

Arlington, like other communities in the D.C. area, is experiencing weakness in the office market. The high office vacancy rate is exacerbated by new office buildings coming on the market and certain large employers (including military offices impacted by BRAC) leaving.

To combat that, Arlington is considering options providing certain incentives to attract new businesses and hang on to existing employers.

“We’re aggressively planning for the future,” Alex Iams, a commercial development specialist with Arlington Economic Development, told members of NAIOP, an association for commercial real estate developers.

“[BRAC] is still a four-letter word in Arlington for certain,” he said. “We did an aggressive plan for Crystal City, we’ve done planning along Columbia Pike. We have done planning for BRAC in Rosslyn as well, so we’re not only doing planning for the future, but now we’re aggressively positioning ourselves to hold on to what we have.”

Iams was one-fifth of a panel with the directors of economic development from Alexandria as well as Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties. He told ARLnow.com that Arlington is considering tax incentives and other methods to try to encourage businesses to grow — and, just as importantly, stay — in Arlington.

“We’re trying to structure a policy on how to address office vacancy,” he said. “We haven’t done it yet, but you can expect to see it at the end of the season.”

With the delivery of the 35-story 1812 N. Moore Street last fall, Iams said Arlington’s office vacancy rate is now hovering around 20 percent, the highest it’s been in nearly a decade. Iams said projects like Monday Properties’ skyscraper, which is still unoccupied after being built “on spec” are “suffering the most, because it’s so much space all at once.”

Iams pointed to the success at 1776 Wilson Blvd, a five-story office building at the intersection of N. Quinn Street. It opened in winter of 2012 and is about 85 percent leased, he said.

What Arlington can do to solve its vacancy rate, Iams said, is to follow Vornado’s example in Crystal City when the first wave of BRAC closures saw the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office move to Alexandria.

“Vornado didn’t just sit on their hands,” Iams said. “There was an adaptation with rents and an increase in amenities nearby, and they transformed Crystal Drive into a retail center.”

Iams also cited Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Penrose Square and the Village at Shirlington as examples of “placemaking” the county has partnered with private businesses on to make specific areas more attractive to employees and residents.

The other economic development leaders lamented the lack of demand for office space while demand for residential units all over Northern Virginia is exploding, creating a tricky regulatory line to walk to ensure balance. Iams said Arlington, despite its vacancy rate, still sees demand for office development.

“We’re getting questions from our board and our community about approving more office space,” he said. “The office market also works in cycles, and we want different kinds of products available to be able to deploy when a certain company or tenant may be searching in our market.”

Blue Sea Seafood Opening Soon in Shirlington

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 14, 2014 at 2:30PM

Blue Sea Seafood Restaurant will soon be the newest culinary addition to the Village at Shirlington.

Blue Sea will specialize in “spicy Cajun seafood,” according to its website, offering such dishes as crawfish tails, fried frog legs (called “swamp wings” and tossed in a Creole BBQ sauce), catfish nuggets (served with “chef’s redneck sauce”), lobster mac and cheese, seafood gumbo and “breaded Florida alligator tail.” For the health conscious, there’s also a soup and salad menu.

The restaurant is replacing Bear Rock Cafe at 4251 Campbell Avenue, which closed in 2010. Plans materialized to open a vegan restaurant in the space in 2011, but those apparently fell through.

Blue Sea’s general manager tells ARLnow.com that the restaurant is still hiring and is hoping to open in time for Valentine’s Day.

Proposed Bill Would Allow Drinking on Trolley Pub

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 14, 2014 at 1:30PM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:40PM

Proposed legislation in the Virginia General Assembly would allow patrons of Arlington’s Trolley Pub to drink alcohol while on board.

Del. Patrick Hope (D-47) has introduced House Bill 423, which would allow passengers on vehicles with a common carrier — which would include limousines and motor coaches, in addition to the Trolley Pub — to consume alcohol.

The Trolley Pub in Arlington launched last year but has been unable to serve passengers alcoholic beverages, as it does in its original market of Raleigh, N.C. Instead, it stops at bars and restaurants in Clarendon and lets passengers debark to drink.

The Sun Gazette, which first reported on the bill, suggested that Hope’s legislation might not sit well with Arlington County Board members.

“Board members last year blasted the entire concept of the trolley pub, and only calmed down (slightly) when they learned that those using it could not consume alcohol,” the newspaper reported. “But they have remained upset about the human-powered trolley’s impact on traffic in one of Arlington’s most congested areas.”

The Trolley Pub debuted in Arlington in March, and at the time owner Kai Kaapro said he believed the business was “perfectly legal.” That was backed up by a preliminary police review. A ruling in April by the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, however, later determined no alcohol could be served on board.

Drinking in a vehicle in Virginia is currently only legal on chartered boats. The bill was assigned to the General Laws committee and is now in subcommittee, according to the General Assembly’s website.

Photo via Facebook

Fire Causes Cherrydale Restaurants to Close

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 13, 2014 at 5:00PM

A dryer fire early this morning has caused Cherrydale eateries Billy’s Cheesesteaks and Pasha Cafe to close indefinitely.

The fire was called in to dispatch at 2:18 a.m., according to Arlington County Fire Department spokeswoman Lt. Sarah Marchegiani, who said she couldn’t specify how long it took the firefighters to extinguish the blaze.

The fire originated from a dryer in the back of Billy’s Cheesesteaks (3907 Lee Highway), according to Marchegiani, and fire marshals estimate it did approximately $10,000 worth of damage to the restaurant. Pasha Cafe, which is just next door and has the same owner, suffered some smoke damage. The buildings were unoccupied and no one was injured in the fire.

A manager at Pasha told ARLnow.com that Pasha should reopen “very soon,” but admitted he didn’t know how long it would Billy’s Cheesesteaks to reopen. Billy’s had been cleared of most of the debris but soot still covers the walls and many surfaces.

Arlington Agenda (Jan. 13-19)

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 13, 2014 at 2:00PM

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. Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Monday

Kids Read to Therapy Dogs
Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street)
Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Children from grades K-5 are invited to spend 15 minutes reading to a therapy dog in the “Paws to Read” program. Event is free but participants must register by calling 703-228-5946.

Free Movie Night: The Big Lebowski
Iota Club & Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.

The cult comedy classic will be shown at the Clarendon nightspot at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. “on two sheets,” which really tie the room together. The event is free.

Tuesday

Solar Generator Display
WBM Motors parking lot (3210 10th Street N.)
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

A new solar energy generator will be on display, presented by George Washington University adjunct professor of sustainable urban planning Scott Sklar. The generator is currently “commercially available.”

Thursday

RedRocks Beer Tenders Series*
RedRocks (2501 Columbia Pike)
Time: 5:30-8:30 p.m.

The Beer Tenders Series this January kicks off with Samuel Adams this week with some “rare and special” Sam Adams beers. Parking is free with validation in the Giant lot.

Friday

Live Music: Burnt Sienna
Clarendon Grill (1101 N. Highland Street)
Time: 9:00 p.m.

Rock cover band Burnt Sienna will grace the stage at Clarendon Grill. Cover charge is typically $5 on Friday nights, and the band will be spelled by a house DJ.

Saturday

Animal Feeding 101: Raptors
Potomac Overlook Regional Park (2845 N. Marcey Road)
Time: 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Potomac Overlook’s naturalist will demonstrate how they feed the permanently injured birds of prey they house at the park. Reservations and $5 donations are requested.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event.

#Arlington Agenda

Former TSA Employees Move Into Mobile Apps

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 13, 2014 at 10:55AM

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders. 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.

Hans Miller and Adam Tsao had a multi-million dollar deal signed with one of the world’s biggest credit card companies in 2010 that would have launched their fledgling startup into the stratosphere.

Three weeks later, the deal was dead, and it was back to the drawing board in Miller’s Arlington home on Lorcom Lane.

Such is life for startup founders trying to make an impact. Miller and Tsao are the cofounders of Airside Mobile, which develops mobile apps to make peoples’ lives easier in airports. The two worked at the Transportation Security Administration and were key members of the team that invented the mobile boarding pass before leaving the agency to start their own company in 2009.

Airside Mobile has already developed B4 You Board for Bethesda-based HMSHost, which operates restaurants in airports all over the country. B4 You Board allows users to order food delivered to their gate or place orders while in security to be picked up at the restaurant when they arrive. It’s already live in Chicago O’Hare International Airport as well as the international airports in Phoenix, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn., Sacramento, Calif., and Salt Lake City.

Miller, the CEO of Airside Mobile, and Tsao, the COO, met after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks while helping on security issues for the government. After eight years of working at TSA, the duo decided that while their work was rewarding and gratifying, they were ready to move on.

“Life in the TSA is tough,” Tsao said. “You’re ‘on’ 24/7. It takes a lot out of you. You’re constantly on guard.”

“There’s stuff going on in airports that would make your skin crawl,” Miller added. “It’s a tough, draining place to work, but it’s awesome. You have so many chances to impact people’s lives.”

When the two were reaching the decision, they sat down at a table and, as Tsao tells it, wrote down ideas on what to do next on a piece of paper and passed it back and forth. They “kept coming back” to the mobile boarding pass they helped invent. So they launched Airside Express, a mobile boarding pass for Apple’s App Store and the Android Market that allowed users to sort through passes from five different airlines.

They moved temporarily to California to find developers and even took a meeting with Apple. The app launched, but the airlines, which included American, United and Delta, kept changing their boarding security procedures, making it impossible for such a small company to keep up. The app is now defunct, effectively killed off when Apple introduced their proprietary boarding pass app, Passbook.

“At any moment, it was like ‘we made it,'” Tsao said. “We’re up, and then we’re down. The highs in this business are dizzying, and the lows are depressing.”

The app flamed out, but Tsao and Miller kept plugging away. Because of its initial success, “folks within in the airport community liked the concept,” Miller said, which is how they linked up with HMSHost. B4 You Board will expand its footprint vastly across the country. “A hundred airports are in play,” Miller said.

They’re working on a Starbucks prototype that allows users to order their drink, customize it — with skim milk, an espresso extra shot, etc. — and have their phone’s GPS tell the baristas when to make it so it’s ready right when the user arrives.

Airside is also preparing to launch its biggest innovation yet: a mobile app that allows passengers to fill out customs forms on phones and tablets. Users will then have access to an express lane for going through U.S. Customs, a process that sometimes would otherwise take hours.

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#Startup Monday

County Inspectors Shut Down Ballston Water Fountain

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 13, 2014 at 9:35AM

The water fountain between N. Randolph and Quincy Streets on Wilson Blvd in Ballston has been shut down and it’s unclear if it will be turned back on in time for warm weather.

Located next to Rustico restaurant in the Liberty Center development, the fountain is privately owned and operated by property owner the Shooshan Company, according to county officials.

It has been on for years and children have played in it during the summers, but the Shooshan Company voluntarily turned it off this past fall after county inspectors discovered it had never had a health and safety license.

In fact, it was only discovered to be permit-less when a county Department of Human Services inspector was driving by and noticed the fountain and realized it hadn’t been inspected.

“The fountain at Liberty Center didn’t have the right water monitoring and quality control,” DHS spokesman Kurt Larrick said. “If children have access to it, then the water quality needs to be regulated. They have to follow the same code as other water features.”

The Shooshan Company has applied for a license, Larrick said, but the county sent back their plan, asking for it to include water quality measuring and a monitoring schedule, as well as signage and a proposal for remote shut-off capability. The “ball is back in their court,” Larrick said.

Calls to the Shooshan Company were not immediately returned.

The fountain is considered “an interactive water feature” which, according to county ordinance, needs to have lifeguards and fencing, but, as is the case with a similar fountain at Penrose Square on Columbia Pike, the county can waive those requirements if they are deemed unnecessary, Larrick said.

Flickr pool photo by Maryva2

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 10, 2014 at 3:00PM

From a two-bedroom condominium in Columbia Heights West to a five-bedroom house in Dover-Crystal, there are tons of open houses to choose from as you thaw from the week’s weather.

See our real estate section for a full listing of open houses. Here are a few highlights:

5020 7th Road S.
2 BD / 1 1/2 BA condominium
Agent: Peggy Parker, Keller Williams Realty
Listed: $258,900
Open: Sunday, Jan. 12, noon to 3:00 p.m.

1301 S. Arlington Ridge Road
1 BD / 1 BA condominium
Agent: Wendy Dean, Keller Williams Realty
Listed: $324,900
Open: Sunday, Jan. 12, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

4767 21st Road N.
2 BD / 1 BA townhouse
Agent: Carol McEwen, Long & Foster Real Estate
Listed: $459,900
Open: Sunday, Jan. 12, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

145 S. Garfield Street
3 BD / 2 BA single family detached
Agent: Michael Webb, Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $610,000
Open: Sunday, Jan. 12, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

1418 N. Rhodes Street
2 BD / 2 1/2 BA condominium
Agent: Keri O’Sullivan, Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $849,000
Open: Sunday, Jan. 12, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

3509 25th Street N.
5 BD / 5 1/2 BA single family detached
Agent: Florann Audia, Long & Foster Real Estate
Listed: $1,795,000
Open: Sunday, Jan. 12, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

#open house

School Board Approves $46.5 Million Williamsburg School

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 10, 2014 at 2:00PM

The Arlington School Board approved the final design and budget for the $46.5 million elementary school adjacent to Williamsburg Middle School on Thursday.

The 28-classroom building, at the corner of N. Harrison Street and 36th Street, will have a 630-student capacity and is being built to help alleviate elementary school overcrowding in North Arlington.

The 97,000-square-foot elementary school is projected to open in September 2015. It will have a high-school-sized gym floor, three music spaces, two art rooms, a library, and, according to Arlington Public Schools “will be a net-zero energy ready building with a LEED silver or higher energy certification.”

The current design is slightly different than the one approved last February, which called for a 93,578 square foot building with 28 classrooms, although the capacity is unchanged from previous plans. There will be a synthetic turf field built as well, but the County Board won’t make a decision on lighting the field until 2015 after residents of the Rock Spring Civic Association protested installing the lights in the neighborhood.

School and county officials heralded the new school’s approval in statements issued Friday morning.

“The community should be proud of this school and what it represents,” said School Board Chair Abby Raphael. “It is the product of hard work and collaboration between APS, our County colleagues and the entire community, and will provide more seats for more students in a new and exciting learning environment.”

“The addition of new community facilities, such as an elementary school, is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and we are pleased that, through a collaborative process with APS, we were able to jointly fund a number of community amenities that will benefit students and residents of all ages,” said County Board Chair Jay Fisette. “The additional amenities include two synthetic turf fields, a larger gym, and emergency preparedness infrastructure, including enhanced public safety communications. “

Your Beermonger: The Bubble Bursts on ‘Craft Bubble Bursting’ Pieces

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 10, 2014 at 1:00PM

Your Beermonger logo

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

With the start of every new year come predictions as to how the craft beer business will fare. I was pleasantly surprised by a column I saw this week by wine writer Jamie Goode, who sees 2014 as potentially a “big year” for craft beer — though I don’t believe that craft beer’s rise has to come at the expense of wine’s fall.

The point is that all too predictably, columns start popping up every December and January warning of the craft beer bubble bursting; of impending “collapse;” that there is “too much craft beer” on the market and that a 1 percent drop in overall beer sales means that the market is closing in on craft beer’s approximately 10-12 percent share, leaving no room for new brewers to succeed — no room I tell you!

The predictions of impending doom for craft beer come in spite of craft’s continuous, steady growth. The Brewer’s Association (BA) is a trade association whose mission is the advancement of the craft beer industry, so you’d expect them to try to put the best possible spin on any bad news; it’s just that there doesn’t seem to be any.

The BA hasn’t yet posted numbers for 2013, but its 2012 figures indicate craft beer sales grew 15 percent by volume and 17 percent by dollar over 2011; a year that saw sales grew 13 percent by volume and 15 percent by dollars over 2010. This, by the by, is during a period where big beer saw dramatic losses, leading to the major mergers that have taken place over the past few years (and will continue to take place).

The BA figures bear out when I look at craft beer’s growth in our area. Growth of beer sales in shops I’ve worked in over the past ten years bears a close resemblance to BA’s reporting, and one local beer distributor has seen its craft beer sales roughly double every year from 2010 through 2013.

With more breweries opening in the U.S. than ever, you will see more fail; that’s simply unavoidable. Not every brewery will light the world on fire, and a lot of money-chasing will inevitably lead to busts. A true craft beer bubble could burst any year now, but from my perspective and experience it appears to be years, perhaps decades away.

It will happen someday — all things must pass, after all — but not while the biggest names in craft beer are still dwarfed in size by the smallest of the international conglomerate brands. Personally I think 2014 won’t be about any bubble bursting so much as craft finally breaking through to the mainstream, becoming less a niche and more accessible to more consumers than ever.

In any case, none of us knows what’s going to happen, so let me have some fun and call it here: the only bubbles in the beer business are for the big boys, who have saturated the market in nearly every possible way and have nowhere to go but down, and for concern-trolling columns by everyone who wants to be able to say they were the first to notice the sky falling- — as if it won’t be obvious when/if it does happen.

Until next time.

Nick Anderson maintains a blog at www.beermonger.net, and can be found on Twitter at @The_Beermonger. Sign up for Arrowine’s money saving email offers and free wine and beer tastings at www.arrowine.com/mailing-list-signup.aspx. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

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