Author: Heather Mongilio

Car2Go Arlington Launch Delayed Until October

By Heather Mongilio

Car2Go at the Village of Shirlington (courtesy photo)(Updated at 9:10 a.m.) Car2Go’s trip to Arlington has been delayed.

The car-sharing service will now arrive in October, said Car2Go spokesman Brad Ducey.

Car2Go planned to launch last Saturday, Sept. 19, with a fleet of 200 new vehicles that would unlock using the Car2Go smartphone app. Due to production delays, the new cars are not ready, Ducey said.

“We’re committed to bringing one-way car sharing to Arlington as soon as possible, so in the meantime, we’ll launch in Arlington next month with classic Car2Go vehicles,” he said.

To start and end a trip with a “classic” car, users tap their membership cards to the front windshield or unlock it with a smartphone app. Upgraded cars that are managed using a smartphone app, have an upgrade navigation system and phone charging cables are expected to roll out at a later time, Ducey said.

Members can locate or reserve a car online or by using the Car2Go smartphone app.

Once Car2Go arrives in Arlington, members will be able to start and end trips in the Arlington “home area,” which does not include the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery or Reagan National Airport.

Car2Go costs $0.41 plus tax per minute of driving, with maximums of $14.99 plus tax per hour and $84.99 plus tax per day. Trips that start in Arlington must end in the county — cross-jurisdiction trips that end in D.C., which also offers Car2Go service, are not currently supported. To end a trip, users just park the car in any county-metered parking spot or on a residential street.

“Arlington has shown an increasing appetite for more flexible and convenient mobility options, such as bike sharing and the Metro’s new Silver Line, and we’ve heard consistent requests to add Car2Go to the mix,” said Car2Go D.C. General Manager Adam Johnson in a statement last month. “We’re excited to make Car2Go an important part of the evolving transit landscape in Arlington, enhancing existing transit options and offering residents greater choice and flexibility in their day-to-day lives.”

Arlington Company Combines Vacation with Dance

By Heather Mongilio

Startup Monday header

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, plus other local technology happenings. 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.

Sarah Lee Parker Mansare, leader of the Guinea trip, dances in the heart of inland Guinea (Courtesy of Megan Morrison)(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) A local company is connecting people vacationing in a different country with the area’s locals through dance.

“I really wanted to provide a way to have fun, exercise a little on vacation and bond with the locals,” said Megan Morrison, the CEO of Dance Adventures.

Dance Adventures is similar to an organized tour group visiting another country, except that it adds dance to the vacation.

Each trip has about eight to 15 people and includes classes in the local dance style, dance shows and other cultural aspects, like a traditional tour of the area. For dances that are more social, like salsa dancing, the company takes the participants to dance clubs where they can interact with locals. Each trip is lead by a certified guide, according to Dance Adventure’s website.

Morrison started Dance Adventures based off of her own experience dancing in different countries. Through dance she was able to interact with the area’s locals, despite the fact that they often didn’t speak the same language.

“Anywhere I went, I was immediately able to connect with people through dance,” she said.

She wanted to bring the experience of connecting with others without spoken language, Morrison said. She reached out to tour guides she had worked with previously, and with their help, she was able to start organizing dance trips.

The company currently leads trips to Bolivia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Guinea and India. Tour guides are experts in the area and have often lived in the country where they lead groups, Morrison said. The local connection makes it easy for the company to find dance lessons and shows for the people to attend, she said.

Morrison said the Guinea and Dominican Republic are her favorite trips that she has gone on.

A Guinean man performs the traditional "strong man" dance: Dununba (Courtesy of Megan Morrison)

“Guinea is just so far outside of what we know as western culture,” she said. “It’s also like living in a musical. You show up at a market and start singing a song you learned and the lady selling cloth will start singing with you.”

Trips typically cost between $1,500 to $4,000 depending on the location. The total cost of the trip includes hotels, some meals, the shows, in country transportation and club entree fees. Airfare and travel insurance are not included, she said.

“The best part [about a trip] is being able to connect with local people so quickly,” Morrison said.

People do not need to be dancers to go on a Dance Adventures trip, Morrison said, adding that a trip can include more or less dance classes depending on the people in the tour group.

“For anyone who just values the arts, I think it’s a great experience,” she said.

Arlington County Seeks Input on New Skatepark Design

By Heather Mongilio
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(Updated on Sept. 22 at 11 a.m.)Arlington County is seeking the public’s opinion for the new design of Powhatan Springs Skatepark (6020 Wilson Blvd).

Residents had the chance to vote for their favorite preliminary design of the skatepark during a showcase last Thursday, Sept. 17 at the Arlington Mill Community Center. Those who could not attend the presentation can vote on the designs on the skate park website.

“In the case of the skate park, we are reaching out to the community of skaters and non-skaters for their feedback on preliminary concepts intended to meet the active and passive needs of a diverse audience. The skating community clearly understands the value of providing input for the skate park’s schematic designs,” said Wilfredo Calderon, a spokesman with the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

The county currently has three different concepts for a renovated skatepark, which were created using community feedback, Calderon said.

The county is looking to renovate the 11-year-old skatepark due to aging equipment, he said, adding that some of the existing structures had a seven to 10 year lifespan.

“Any consideration of replacing  elements should take into consideration that needs tend to change over time and an active skate park is no different,” he said.

The skatepark project is in the beginning stages. Once a design is picked, the Department of Parks and Recreation will submit the project to the County Board as part of the Capital Improvement Plan, Calderon said. The skatepark is being designed by Team Pain, a skatepark design firm, and Gordon Construction, according to the park’s website.

“In short, a new design, if effective, will enhance the skate park by replacing elements that have reached their end of life cycle and introduce components and elements that current skaters want to see in the park,” Calderon said.

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By Heather Mongilio

Air Force Memorial

The Capital Weather Gang may have declared summer over in the D.C. area, but National Weather Service’s predictions for this weekend look pretty summery. NWS expects a high of 86 degrees for Saturday and a high of 78 degrees on Sunday.

One way to enjoy the beautiful weather may be a trip to the Air Force Memorial, located off of Columbia Pike, to say happy birthday. The Air Force turned 68 years old this week.

This morning you may have seen or heard fighter jets flying over parts of Arlington. The Air Combat Command, which is part of the Air Force, flew two F-22 aircrafts at approximately 9:10 a.m. over Arlington National Cemetery and two F-15C planes over the Pentagon around 10:40 a.m.

Arlington’s future may look a little more affordable, at least in terms of housing, after the County Board meeting on Saturday. The Board will take up the Affordable Housing Master Plan during their meeting first meeting since July. Under the plan, the county will add approximately 15,800 affordable housing units by 2040.

At least two groups from South Arlington have organized in response to the housing plan. While both groups support adding more affordable units, the Coalition of Arlingtonians for Responsible Development has been lobbying the Board to include more geographic distribution of affordable units. New group, Mi Voz Cuenta, supports the plan as is and says it welcomes more affordable housing on Columbia Pike. Mi Voz Cuenta is allied with Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, which supports affordable housing.

County Board candidates have also weighed in on affordable housing with Christian Dorsey and Katie Cristol announcing their support of the plan and independents Mike McMenamin and Audrey Clement saying they would not vote for it.

The County Board’s meeting starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday in the County Board room at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

Feel free to weigh in on affordable housing or any other topics of local interest in the comments section.

County Staff, Residents Quarrel Over Potential Locations for New Fire Station 8

By Heather Mongilio
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The last planned community meeting on the topic of Fire Station 8’s potential relocation turned heated quickly as residents strongly objected to the county staff’s recommendation to move the fire station to what’s now a salt dome at 26th Street N. and Old Dominion Drive.

The county plans to replace the aging fire station with a larger, “state of the art facility,” which requires the station to be relocated to a larger piece of land or for the current building to be torn down and rebuilt. For the most part, residents at the meetings have objected to any relocation of the fire station, citing the station’s history and importance to the surrounding community, among other issues.

“I have been at these meetings and at every one of them, one or two or five people have suggested either a newer cooperative station or a new station for emergency medical services in the northern part of the county and leaving Fire Station 8 renovated and modernized where it is,” one neighbor said. “And yet immediately that suggestion is dismissed and does not appear on any of these studies that you present. It doesn’t look like you have taken back suggestions in any form for your consideration.”

County staff are planning to recommend the salt dome at 26th Street N. and Old Dominion Drive as the location of the new Fire Station 8 to the county manager. The county manager will then draft a recommendation that will be made to the County Board.

The site at Old Dominion Drive and 26th Street N. is only one of the possible 19 locations that fit the parameters set by the County Board. Under these guidelines, the new location had to improve response times in North Arlington, have at least an acre and a half of land, be county owned or have a willing seller, have access to an arterial road and not exist in a resource protected area. The total cost of acquiring the land and building the new four-bay station also had to be $12 million or less, according to Deputy County Manger Carol Mitten.

Throughout the process, the largest concern has been improving response times to homes in North Arlington, said Deputy County Manager James Schwartz, who previously served as the fire chief.

If the fire station is relocated a minute north to 26th Street N. and Old Dominion Drive, 3,000 more homes will be able to have a four to six minute response time from the fire department, police and emergency medical services, he said.

In most of the county, emergency services are able to get to people within four to six minutes, except in the far northern most part of Arlington, where times can be eight or 10 minutes, he said.

“A person that’s in cardiac arrest must receive basic life support, that’s CPR, in four to six minutes or there’s irreversible brain damage,” he said.

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Despite Funding Controversy, Lyon Park Community Center Set To Reopen This Fall

By Heather Mongilio
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The Lyon Park Community Center may be open by the end of October, despite some trouble securing a source of funding earlier this summer.

The renovations to the community center are set to wrap up on Oct. 31, but there is always the potential for construction delays, said Jeannette Wick, chair of the Lyon Park Community Center. Wick says she thinks residents will like what they see when the community center reopens.

“The building is absolutely beautiful,” she said.

The Lyon Park Citizen’s Association ran into some legal trouble after seven concerned citizens filed a petition in court against the group’s motion to get a line of credit with Cardinal Bank. Under the agreement with the bank, to get the $600,000 the association might need for renovations, the park was to be used as collateral.

A judge ruled in favor of the petition, saying that LPCA’s line of credit was improperly filed.

The legal problems are all resolved now, Wick said, adding that the association was able to secure a line of credit from First Virginia Community Bank without having to put the park up as collateral.

“They very quickly stepped up to the plates and helped us out,” Wick said.

LPCA is currently using money from fundraising to pay for the renovations, but “once we expend all of our available funds, we’ll have to draw on [the line of credit],” she said.

Fundraising for the community center has been “robust,” according to Wick, and LPCA raised approximately $85,000 for the park in a June fundraising push.

“We did very well with fundraising… people were very generous,” she said.

New South Arlington Group Urges County Board to Accept Housing Plan

By Heather Mongilio

A member of Mi Voz Cuenta at county government offices (Courtesy of Mi Voz Cuenta)

(Updated at 5:40 p.m.) A new group made up of South Arlington residents and teachers are asking the County Board to approve the Affordable Housing Master Plan at its meeting this Saturday, Sept. 19.

The plan calls for an additional 15,800 affordable housing units to be built by 2040, to bring the county’s percentage of affordable housing to 17.7 percent. The plan has caused a divide in South Arlington, with the new group, Mi Voz Cuenta asking for the County Board to approve the plan, while the group Coalition to Arlingtonians for Responsible Development (CARD) is continuing to ask the Board to ensure that affordable units will be spread throughout the county instead of clustering them around Columbia Pike.

Mi Voz Cuenta, which translates to My Voice Counts, is composed of South Arlington residents, many of whom are parents of children attending Arlington Public Schools, including Randolph, Barcroft, Campbell and Claremont Elementary Schools.

“For many of us, English is not our first language, and many of us were not born here. Nevertheless, we have made Arlington our home, and it has been a community which we have contributed to and enriched economically, culturally, and socially,” the group said in a letter to the County Board, which had more than 440 signatures.

Mi Voz Cuenta says it organized in response to another South Arlington group that has asked for affordable housing to be spread throughout the county and has connected low-income housing to poor school performances, an apparent reference to CARD.

“We know of communications you have received from our neighborhoods and know that they do not speak for us,” members of Mi Voz Cuenta said. “Our voices and our perspectives have not been adequately or correctly represented in these communications. In fact, we feel discriminated against. Most of us were not invited or ever made aware of the forums from which official messages claiming to represent our neighborhoods were sent. We would have liked to be included in these conversations since we are also part of the neighborhood.”

Mi Voz Cuenta is advocating for affordable housing in the neighborhoods near Columbia Pike, adding that the mixed-income neighborhoods have attracted diversity, and with it vibrancy, to the area, the group said. The group is also open to affordable housing throughout the county, said group spokeswoman Jessica Sarriot.

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Business Owner Starts Networking Group for Arlington’s Women Entrepreneurs

By Heather Mongilio

Members of Arlington Women Entrepreneurs (Courtesy of Karen Bates)

Karen Bate, founder of communication firm KB Concepts, was part of multiple entrepreneurial groups in Arlington, but none were just for women. So she decided to start her own organization, now called Arlington Women Entrepreneurs.

The group has quickly grown since it started in 2014, with the 100th member having just joined the group this week, Bate said.

“I just know all these amazing business owners,” she said.

Bate started the group with an event for women entrepreneurs, inviting her friends and people she worked with to come to her house and bring other business owners. She expected it to be a small gathering, but had a large group of people show up on her doorstep.

“They were so happy to have a place where they could share their experience as solo business owners,” Bate said.

From the first event at Bate’s house, Arlington Women Entrepreneurs became a group of women who meet monthly to network and talk about running businesses.

The group is capping itself at 100 members and does not accept more than five members in each industry to allow the meetings to be useful for each member, according to the group’s website.

There is already a waiting list, as there are at least five industries that have five members, Bate said.

“I have such an interesting group of women,” Bate said.

Members include a woman who does mobile veterinary calls, artists, boutique owners, graphic designers, restaurant owners, include the women behind Lebanese Taverna, Trade Routes, Two the Moon and Nicecream Factory.

Meetings take place in member homes or businesses and include time to socialize with each other and a speaker who talks about some aspect of owning a business.

AWE members at a meeting (Courtesy of Karen Bates)

Previous speakers have included Tara Palacios, the director of BizLaunch of Arlington Economic Development, Liz Nohra from Leadership Arlington and County Treasurer  Carla de la Pava.

Meetings give the women a chance to chat with one another, and most talk about being entrepreneurs and share their experiences, Bate said.

“They talk about a variety of things, but a lot of them talk passionately about their businesses,” she said.

At the meetings, the female business owners are also able to collaborate with each other on their businesses or find ways to give back to the community through various service projects, Bate said.

Helping each other is one thing that Bate has noticed about working with female business owners.

“I believe women owners are extremely generous about supporting one another,” she said.

Members brainstorm and collaborate with the other women in their industry, which helps the women come up with new ideas or solve challenges facing their businesses, according to AWE’s website.

Starting a new business can be challenging, Bate said, adding that she has found many women do it for the flexibility. Arlington County is very welcoming to new businesses, and some of the speakers at meeting are people involved with the county’s initiatives to help businesses, including the Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Arlington and Arlington Economic Development.

“I can’t say enough about how supportive Arlington is with starting new businesses,” she said.

Taking the leap and starting a business can be challenging, Bate said, adding that she had a lot of support from her family, who were also all entrepreneurs.

Working with women of AWE, Bate has noticed that many of the female business owners share similar traits, beyond wanting more flexibility with work, she said.

“Studies and anecdotal evidence reveal that many were not your traditional stellar students or over-achievers. A majority weren’t motivated by good grades or the approval of others, in school or in their early jobs and careers. Instead, they found what motivated them, followed their own path, and turned that inner need into a thriving business,” Bate said on her blog.

Crystal City BID to Host Outdoor Scary Movie Screenings

By Heather Mongilio

Outdoor movie in Crystal CityThe Crystal City Business Improvement District wants to scare the daylights of people this October by holding a series of nighttime scary movie screenings.

The BID and Charles E. Smith/Vornado will show a scary movie every Monday in October, starting with 1989 horror flick “Pet Semetary” on Oct. 5 at approximately 6:45 p.m.

“With most of the area’s summer film series wrapping up before the fall, we saw an opportunity to expand the fun,” Crystal City BID President Angela Fox said in a statement. “The cooler fall temperatures and earlier sunsets combined with Halloween make for the perfect opportunity for a scary experience.”

Movies will be shown in the courtyard on S. Bell Street between 18th Street S. and 20th Street S. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes to the screenings and can win a $20 to Schakolad Chocolate Factory (1750 Crystal Drive) by tweeting or Instagramming a photo with the hashtag #CrystalScream — a take on the name of the BID’s “Crystal Screen” summer movie series.

Each movie’s start will vary depending on sunset, between 6:15-6:45 p.m., but should before 8:30 p.m. The schedule is as follows:

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

Mixed-Income Housing Discussion on the Pike Tonight

By Heather Mongilio

Mixed income housing discussion flyer

The Alliance for Housing Solutions and Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization will hold a panel discussion tonight about the positive aspects and challenges of mixed-income housing in Arlington.

The event will run from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike). The discussion comes in the middle of “Affordable Housing Month” and days before the County Board will discuss the Affordable Housing Master Plan.

Panelists, including a banker, an Arlington County official and developers who have worked with mixed income housing sites, will talk about what mixed housing is and where it does and does not work, said AHS Executive Director Mary Rouleau.

“We’re sponsoring this to get some people on stage who have dealt with mixed-income housing developments,” Rouleau said.

The event is intended to be an informational discussion, she said, adding that panelists will be talking about the positives and complications with mixed income housing.

“From our [CPRO] side I would just say: that the focus of this event is to provide first hand information (and education) on what mixed-income housing development actually is and what are the economic pre-requisites for successfully developing mixed-income housing projects,” CPRO Executive Director Takis Karantonis said in an email.

Panelists include Paul Browne with Wesley Housing Development Corporation, John Welsh with AHC, Inc., Ed Delany with Capital One Bank and Steve Cover with Arlington County.

“The invited panelists are among the most knowledgeable professionals on this topic and will offer the audience a great opportunity to learn and discuss,” Karantonis said.

A question and answer session will follow the panel discussion, allowing attendees to ask question about the complications of mixed-income housing. Many Arlington residents have responded well to the idea of mixed-income housing, Rouleau said.

“It’s complicated and we are just trying to explain to the community that we can’t just wave a magic wand and have mixed incoming housing developments,” she said.

Mixed-income housing is one solution to bringing more affordable housing to the area, including Columbia Pike neighborhoods, Rouleau said. Under the Affordable Housing Plan, the county will add roughly 15,800 affordable housing units.

“You can look at mixed income housing in two ways,” Rouleau said. “One, you have a building. In that footprint, you have housing for people with mixed incomes.”

The other would be a neighborhood that has houses that are completely affordable and homes that are affordable to higher income families, she said.

Mixed-income housing is an important part of the vision for Columbia Pike, Karantonis said.

“The Pike should offer housing opportunities to all types of residents across all income levels. As a community we committed not to exclude any group of residents (either on the higher or lower end of the income scale), he said in an email. “It is a declared goal of the Columbia Pike Neighborhoods Plan to avoid the displacement of any of its current residents, and actually grow by attracting the most diverse population. The Pike revitalization project is in its essence a mixed-income corridor.”

Celtic Festival Returns to Shirlington

By Heather Mongilio

Beckett's Celtic Festival flyer (via Samuel Beckett's)

A bit of Ireland is coming to Campbell Avenue in Shirlington with the return of the annual Beckett’s Celtic Festival this Saturday, Sept. 19.

“The Beckett’s Celtic Festival is a celebration of Celtic food, drink and culture. It is an opportunity for the community to come together, enjoy themselves and take in the very best of Irish music, dance, food, drink and all around ‘craic,'” said Daniel Perranzas, a manger at festival host Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub (2800 S. Randolph Street).

The festival runs from noon to 7 p.m. and there will be about 20 vendors lining Campbell Avenue, selling beer and food. Samuel Beckett’s will have a vendor stand and will sell Irish delicacies like shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, corned beef reuben’s, Irish sausage rolls and bratwurst, Perranzas said.

Vendors will sell Irish draft beers, including Guinness, Smithwicks and Harp, along with Magner’s Cider and wine, he said.

There will also be live music and Irish dancing, both outside and inside the pub.

“The Celtic Festival was started three years ago as a way to connect with a community that has shown us such great warmth and hospitality and also to emphasize the deep connection that Irish heritage and culture holds within the many residents of this and every community,” Perranzas said. 

The Arlington County Police Department will close Campbell Avenue from S. Randolph Street to the parking garage at the Harris Teeter in Shirlington (4250 Campbell Ave.) from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday for the festival.

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