Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow.com

Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop Coming to Rosslyn

Published October 18, 2013 at 4:30PM | Updated October 18, 2013 at 5:48PM

A new sandwich shop will be opening in Rosslyn in early 2014.

Capriotti’s, a fast-casual sandwich shop, will be moving into ground floor retail space along Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn, according to Capriotti’s Washington Metro Area Developer George Vincent. Vincent wouldn’t reveal the precise location because the lease has not yet been signed.

Vincent expects to sign the lease in the coming weeks, and is concurrently applying for permits with Arlington County, he said. Once the lease is signed, building the interior of the restaurant will take about five weeks.

“We’ll probably be open right after the first of the year,” he said. “The idea is to open for the Super Bowl or the week before the Super Bowl.”

Vincent said he’s going to push for some outdoor seating during the process with the county. The Rosslyn location will be Capriotti’s second in the region; a shop will be open in a few weeks on M Street NW, Vincent said.

The chain has locations in 13 states, and specializes in large sandwiches and roasting turkey and roast beef in house overnight. Its most popular sandwich, Vincent said, is The Bobbie, with roast turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayonnaise.

“Part of what drew us to Rosslyn is you don’t have a ton of sandwich shops here,” Vincent said. “I think we’re going to be a spot where you can go in and pick something new every time and not be disappointed.”

Image via Facebook

Open Houses in Arlington this Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 18, 2013 at 3:30PM

The first crisp autumn weekend of the year brings a new collection of houses that are open to visit.

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

2609 S. Walter Reed Drive
2 BD / 1 BA condominium
Harry Lilly, Long & Foster Real Estate
Listed: $296,999
Open: Saturday, Oct. 19, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

1200 N. Hartford Street
1 BD / 1 BA condominium
Karrina Brown, Re/Max Allegiance
Listed: $420,000
Open: Sunday, Oct. 20, 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

5631 5th Street N.
3 BD / 1 1/2 BA single family detached
Jane Price, Weichert Realtors
Listed: $550,000
Open: Sunday, Oct. 20, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m.

138 S. Pershing Drive
4 BD / 2 1/2 BA single family detached
Nicholas Kuhn, McEnearney & Associates
Listed: $779,000
Open: Sunday, Oct. 20, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

4728 N. Old Dominion Drive
4 BD / 3 1/2 BA townhouse
Thomas Anderson, Long & Foster Real Estate
Listed: $859,000
Open: Sunday, Oct. 20, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

3020 N. Underwood Street
5 BD / 4 BA single family detached
William Gaskins, Keller Williams Realty
Listed: $1,475,000
Open: Sunday, Oct. 20, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

#open house

Fall Heritage Festival Returns this Saturday

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 18, 2013 at 2:30PM | Updated October 18, 2013 at 2:49PM

Arlington’s Fall Heritage Festival will be returning tomorrow (Saturday) for another year of history activities.

From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Gulf Branch Nature Center (3608 N. Military Road), visitors are invited to participate in some old-fashioned games and crafts, including building a scarecrow.

The family-friendly event is “a celebration of our nation’s heritage,” according to the county website, and visitors will gather at the Walker Log Cabin at the nature center for the festivities.

The event is $5 at the door and parking will be along N. Military Road and 36th Road while the parking lot is closed for the event. Those who wish to build scarecrows should bring old clothing for the scarecrows to wear.

Photo by Maryva2

Taxi Drives Into Ballston Light Pole

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 18, 2013 at 11:45AM

A Blue Top Cab driver drove his taxi into a light pole this morning (Friday) in Ballston.

The driver struck the concrete pole at about 10:45 a.m. on Fairfax Drive at the intersection with N. Quincy Street. The pole broke in half and shattered onto the street.

There were no passengers in the car, according to police, and the driver was up and talking to the responding officers. The traffic signal at the intersection was still operational and traffic wasn’t impeded.

Arlington Ridge Proposes Zoning Freeze in Neighborhood Plan

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 18, 2013 at 11:00AM

The Arlington Ridge Civic Association is requesting the Arlington County Board institute a “zoning freeze” in its neighborhood.

ARCA is proposing an update to its Neighborhood Conservation Plan, its first since 1973, which the Board could approve during Saturday’s meeting. The civic association said the zoning freeze request is being made in light of the 22202 zip code’s 37.5 percent population increase between 2000 and 2010.

In its request to the county, submitted this spring, ARCA asks the County Board “to ‘freeze’ zoning within and outside the ARCA area until the full impact of present development plans in areas adjacent to us can be fully assessed in order ultimately to conserve the peaceful single-family character of our neighborhood and protect our quality of life and the air we breathe.”

County staff recommends the neighborhood plan be accepted by the Board, but with notes from county staff essentially denying the proposed halt to zoning. Helen Duong, spokeswoman for Arlington’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, said there are no zoning freezes in place in Arlington, “nor have there ever been.”

“A neighborhood’s request for a zoning freeze is not a typical recommendation in Arlington County,” Duong told ARLnow.com. “More often we see communities asking that the County adhere to the General Land Use Plan and zoning plans and to not consider making changes without going through an inclusive neighborhood process.”

The neighborhood plan does not become codified upon its acceptance by the Board. Instead, the plan consists of recommendations which are then to be implemented by county staff, provided they are consistent with county policy.

There were several other recommendations in the plan that county staff expressed concern about, in terms of implementation, including:

Expansion and improvements to the Aurora Hills Library and Community Center
Proactive noise monitoring
Undergrounding of utilities on Arlington Ridge Road
Use of speed enforcement cameras
Erection of sound barriers on I-395

The speed cameras would require authorization from the state legislature, and ARCA requests that the county lobby the legislature for that permission.

Other neighborhood priorities identified by ARCA include maintaining its nine public parks, improving sidewalks and streetlights, “proactively limiting and managing traffic,” and designating Aurora Hills Library and Community Center the neighborhood’s “cultural hub,” despite the fact that the facility is in adjacent Aurora Highlands.

The Arlington Ridge neighborhood is located just west of Pentagon City. Many in the neighborhood vehemently opposed the 2 million square foot PenPlace development in Pentagon City, which was approved by the Arlington County Board in September.

Baja Fresh, Zpizza Close in Rosslyn

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 16, 2013 at 4:05PM

The Baja Fresh and Zpizza in Rosslyn have closed for business.

The restaurants, at 1100 Wilson Blvd, closed earlier this month. In July, the possibility they could close became apparent when Monday Properties, which owns the building, applied for a county permit with plans to combine the two spaces into one restaurant with outdoor seating.

Baja Fresh’s phone is disconnected and the space is closed this afternoon. Much of the interior signage has been removed.

A Zpizza employee at its Lyon Park location confirmed that the Rosslyn location closed last week.

So far, no restaurant has signed a lease for the soon-to-be renovated space, according to Aaron Twersky, marketing director for building owner Monday Properties. However, Monday anticipates signing a restaurant in time for a possible spring or summer 2014 opening.

Shutdown Has Been ‘Very Painful’ for Arlington Hotels

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 16, 2013 at 2:05PM

While government workers and contractors have been stuck at home during the government shutdown, hotels around the area are hurting due to a large decrease in visitors.

Hotel occupancy rates have dropped steeply because the shutdown has meant a trifecta of key travelers have cancelled trips, B.F. Saul President Mark Carrier said. B.F. Saul owns the Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn in Crystal City and 13 other hotels in Northern Virginia.

Government workers and contractors that would have traveled here for business are canceling reservations, as are visitors with their families and large tour groups concerned they won’t be able to see key monuments and museums in D.C.

“The decline has been quite severe and very impactful,” Carrier told ARLnow.com. “The reality in the hotel business is when you lose business today, it’s gone. October is the strongest month in the second half of the calendar year, so to have this occur right in October is particularly harmful.”

Carrier said the typical occupancy rate in B.F. Saul hotels at this time of year is between 75-80 percent, and estimates that since the shutdown started, it has dropped to around 50 percent. As of Wednesday afternoon it appears Congress is close to a deal to end the shutdown, but Carrier said that doesn’t mean relief is necessarily on its way.

“I expect we’ll see significant effects from this,” he said. If contractors have lost revenue because of the shutdown, “one of the things they cut back on is travel. It seems to be an expense you can say ‘no’ to.”

Carrier said some hourly staff and supervisors have had their hours cut into to try to offset the hotel’s declined revenue, which he called “very painful” as a hotel operator. If the shutdown deal falls through and the Marine Corps Marathon is cancelled, the effects could be even worse. Carrier said his hotels, and many others in Arlington, are usually close to 100 percent occupancy rate during race weekend.

The steep drop in revenue could have impacts for Arlington County’s planned transportation projects as well. The Transient Occupancy Tax — commonly known as the hotel tax — helps pay for the funding in last year’s transportation package, and will take a hit from the drop in hotel visitors.

Spectrum Theatre to Host Kristallnacht Anniversary Concert

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 16, 2013 at 12:30PM

The National Chamber Ensemble will perform a medley of Jewish songs at Artisphere‘s Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre (1611 N. Kent Street) next month to commemorate the anniversary of a massacre of Jews in Europe.

The NCE’s show, “Jewish Musical Treasures,” will be the first show of the orchestra’s season, and it falls on the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. On Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m., they will perform an assortment of music by several Jewish composers.

The NCE is the Spectrum Theatre’s resident ensemble and the show opens its seventh season. It will perform premieres of new pieces, including one based on the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” as well as compositions by George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children.

A brief description of Kristallnacht, from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum:

On November 9–10, 1938, the Nazis staged violent pogroms—state sanctioned, anti-Jewish riots—against the Jewish communities of Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. These events came to be known as Kristallnacht (commonly translated as “Night of Broken Glass”), a reference to the broken windows of synagogues, Jewish-owned stores, community centers, and homes plundered and destroyed that night. Instigated by the Nazi regime, rioters burned or destroyed 267 synagogues, vandalized or looted 7,500 Jewish businesses, and killed at least 91 Jewish people. They also damaged many Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools, and homes as police and fire brigades stood aside.

“The National Chamber Ensemble concert ‘Jewish Musical Treasures’ will note events that should never be forgotten through our concert celebrating the joy of life and creative survival,” the NCE said in a press release.

Photos courtesy of Nick Khazal

Arlington to Participate in Earthquake Drill Thursday

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 16, 2013 at 10:00AM

Arlington residents are encouraged to participate in an international earthquake preparedness drill tomorrow (Thursday).

Taking place at 10:17 a.m., The Great Shakeout will drill participants on the proper precautions to take when an earthquake strikes. Even if an earthquake is mild, emergency management experts encourage people to drop to the floor, seek cover under a sturdy desk or table and hold on to the shelter until the shockwaves are complete.

The event is being coordinated nationally by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and in Virginia by the state Department of Emergency Management. Virginia’s population is especially encouraged to participate after the 5.8 magnitude Mid-Atlantic earthquake in August 2011, which caused minor damage around Arlington.

Almost 2 million people have registered in the southeast region of the Shakeout, which stretches from Maryland to Georgia, and more than 24 million in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Canada and Italy. Participants can register to join for their family, school, company or other group, and can get resources like drill manuals and flyers.

Image via Shakeout.org

#earthquake

Teen Hits Mom With Frying Pan Over Kindle

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 15, 2013 at 4:30PM

A teenager was arrested over the weekend for allegedly hitting his mother with a frying pan after she refused to let him use her Kindle.

The incident happened near Ballston, just before 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning (Oct. 12). Arlington County Police say a 16-year-old boy was so upset about his mother’s refusal to let him use the tablet device, which is marketed by Amazon.com, that he struck her in the head with the pan.

The boy was charged with malicious wounding and destruction of property.

Image via Amazon

County Board Considering Three Neighborhood Improvement Projects

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 15, 2013 at 3:00PM | Updated October 15, 2013 at 3:51PM

The Arlington County Board will vote this Saturday on whether to allocate more than $1.4 million to fund three improvement projects in residential communities.

If passed, the motion would fund $781,082 for street improvements on 24th Street N. from Illinois Street to Kensington Street; $159,751 for new streetlights on S. Edison Street from George Mason Drive to 11th Street; and $521,409 for median and striping improvements on N. Sycamore Street from 26th Street to Williamsburg Blvd.

The three projects were recommended by the Neighborhood Conservation Action Committee. The money would come from the Neighborhood Conservation Program, an $11 million pot of money used for relatively small citizen-initiated projects. The three projects would be the third installment of the latest Neighborhood Conservation fund, approved by referendum last year. Four projects were funded last fall and five were funded this spring. If approved, the program would have $4,866,407 in funding left for future projects.

The projects were selected on a points-based system. They were the three highest-scoring projects out of the 25 proposals the NCAC reviews. County staff supported the NCAC’s recommendations in its report..

The item is on the Board’s consent agenda, which means unless a Board member or a citizen decides it warrants further analysis at the Board’s Tuesday meeting, it should pass without additional discussion on Saturday.

File photo