Author: Mariah Joyce

County Buying House to Expand Lang Street Community Garden

By Mariah Joyce

Arl Comm Garden For the second time in a year, Arlington County is planning to expand one of its seven community gardens.

The County Board yesterday unanimously approved the purchase of a house at 2822 S. Arlington Ridge Road, a .22 acre property adjacent to the Lang Street Community Garden, for $699,000.

The house is described as a “modest, colonial-style home built three-quarters of a century ago,” which was determined to not be historic.

The County plans to tear down the house and use the land to expand the garden, which is currently 1.2 acres and includes 70 garden plots. The expansion will enable the addition of 45 half-size plots.

Arlington has seven community gardens comprising about 300 individual plots. As of now, the wait list for one of these plots has close to 500 names on it.

Photo via arlingtonva.us

Food Truck Zoning Pilot Will Launch in Rosslyn Next Month

By Mariah Joyce

Food Truck Zones (Copy)(Updated Aug. 7 at 11:30 a.m.) Arlington County will implement a new food truck zoning pilot program in Rosslyn starting Aug. 17.

The six-month pilot program may prove to be an answer to the ongoing conflict between food trucks and restaurants about where the trucks choose to park.

Restaurant owners in the county’s Metro corridors have claimed that the food trucks’ practice of parking in front of their restaurants has seriously impacted their business, and a group of restaurant owners in Courthouse recently even formed a coalition to lobby for food truck parking restrictions.

The Arlington Economic Development office spearheaded the project in consultation with the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, local restaurants, food trucks, residents and other stakeholders. For now, the pilot will be limited to Rosslyn, with the possibility of extending the project to other areas of the county once its success has been evaluated.

The pilot will set aside 19 parking spaces in Rosslyn for food trucks, for four hours during the day. Between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m on weekdays, only food trucks will be allowed to park in these spaces. Currently, food trucks are not permitted to stay in a parking space for more than two hours, and some have said that they struggle to set up and do business within that time frame, especially given the competition for such prime parking.

The reserved parking spaces are spread among four zones in Rosslyn, which were decided by AED: on 19th Street below Lynn Street, along Wilson Blvd above N. Kent Street, at the intersection of N. Nash Street and Wilson Blvd and on N. Pierce Street along Wilson Blvd. Notably, there is no reserved food truck parking on N. Lynn Street, Rosslyn’s main drag, which is where most food trucks currently park.

BID President Mary-Claire Burick says she hopes these reserved parking zones with extended time limits will give the trucks increased flexibility, but emphasized that trucks will still be free to park in other spaces.

“This is not a limiting project,” said Burick.”This is to expand and make it easier for them to be successful in these other areas.”

At the County Board meeting on Saturday, July 18, AED’s Jill Griffin told the Board that the success of the project would be evaluated over time, but the outcome is likely to be clear within three months of the pilot’s launch.

“We think we’ll be seeing if it works or doesn’t work very quickly,” said Griffin.

The BID will also be involved in evaluating the pilot. Burick said they were very interested in incorporating feedback, and while reports from the food trucks would be their “first barometer” as to the project’s success, BID members also planned to reach out and hear feedback from consumers.

“We’ll be out and we’ll be listening, and we’ll be incorporating that feedback with the County,” said Burick.

Burick said the BID has plans in the works for a week of kick-off celebrations once the pilot launches, including musical performances, contests and other promotions.

Photo courtesy Rosslyn BID

Mezeh Mediterranean Grill Opens in Crystal City

By Mariah Joyce
1/7

Mezeh, an assembly-line-style Mediterranean lunch and dinner joint, has opened a restaurant in Crystal City at 2450 Crystal Drive.

Mezeh replaces a similar restaurant in the space: Black Lime, which closed last year.

The restaurant officially opened for business on June 29, and is now in its fourth week. Director of Marketing Patrick Mika said that lines were out the door on opening day, and in the three weeks since then “business has been really good.”

Mika believes Mezeh distinguishes itself from similar businesses like Roti and Cava because of its emphasis on offering a wide variety of Mediterranean cuisine and its use of fresh, local produce.

“We really feel that if a customer comes in one time, they’ll taste the difference and keep coming back,” said Mika.

The restaurant has had locations in Annapolis and Wheaton for the past two years, but both are located in mall food courts. The Crystal City Mezeh is the first stand-alone restaurant, and can seat about 60 people.

Mezeh is open daily from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Outdoor Concerts Tonight in Pentagon City, Shirlington, Rosslyn

By Mariah Joyce

Lloyd Dobler EffectArlington County has enjoyed near-perfect weather today, with blue skies, plenty of sun and a high of only 82. What better way to celebrate the end of a beautiful summer day than to attend one of three outdoor concerts taking place this evening?

Summer concert series Rock at the Row kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. in Pentagon Row’s plaza area (1101 S. Joyce Street) with Bon Jovi cover band Slippery When Wet. The concert series also includes a VIP section with craft beers and food samples.

Residents less enamored of Bon Jovi can head over to Rosslyn for its “Throwback Thursday” concert in Freedom Park (1101 Wilson Blvd). Tonight’s concert features Baltimore-based cover band Sly 45. It’s the last scheduled Throwback Thursday concert until September.

Also tonight, the Village at Shirlington (2700 S. Quincy Street) will hold its weekly Shirlala music festival, which started in June. Playing from 6:30-8:30 p.m. will be alternative rock band Lloyd Dobler Effect. In addition to the live music, there will be $5 wine tasting courtesy of local cheese and wine bar Cheesetique.

All three concert series are free and open to the public. Rock at the Row’s lineup was announced earlier this summer. Shirlala’s remaining performances are below.

Photo via lloyddoblereffect.com

Library’s Educational Video Service Now Available at Home

By Mariah Joyce

Lynda[dot]comArlington Public Library’s Lynda.com educational video service is now available to any resident with a library card and an internet connection.

The library has subscribed to Lynda.com, a website that offers almost 130,000 educational videos on topics ranging from marketing to graphic design to economics, for the past several years. However, until four months ago, the service was only accessible from a physical library location.

Library spokesman Peter Golkin says that has now changed.

“The Lynda videos can now be accessed anywhere there’s an internet connection — that’s made these much more useful and much more popular,” said Golkin. All library patrons need to do to access the service remotely is sign in with their library card and PIN number, according to the library website.

Golkin said the library had been trying to convince Lynda.com to allow remote access to the service for some time, and expressed excitement that the requests had finally come to fruition.

“It’s like grad school in a box,” said Golkin. “That’s what libraries are for — they’re shared public resources.”

South Block Juices and Smoothies Come to East Falls Church

By Mariah Joyce
1/11

East Falls Church residents can now grab an energizing cold-pressed juice before heading off to work in the morning, following the opening of a new South Block Juice Company store at 2121 N Westmoreland Street.

The micro juicery’s factory and test kitchen had been located in the neighborhood since last summer, according to company owner Amir Mostafavi. When the cafe next door to his factory closed down, Mostafavi took the opportunity to expand.

The East Falls Church store will be able to seat 30 people inside and up to 15 outside, significantly more than either of South Block’s other locations, on 11th Street N. in Clarendon and at George Washington University. Mostafavi hopes this extra space will allow the store to expand its repertoire to include fundraisers, neighborhood events and maybe even some tours of the factory next door.

A grand opening celebration is planned for this Saturday (July 18) from 9-11 a.m. If the lure of a brand new micro juicery isn’t enough, the store will be offering free half pints of juice and $25 gift cards to the first 25 people to come out.

(Smoothies start at $6, a six-pack of cold pressed juice is $55 online and a three-day juice cleanse is $150 online.)

Although business is booming now, Mostafavi says his juices weren’t always so popular. He opened his first smoothie and health food shop at GW in 2004, when he was three years out of college, but the store just didn’t kick off the way he expected it to. It wasn’t until 2011, when Mostafavi opened his Clarendon location and bought his first cold pressed juicer, that things finally began to take off.

“I took a big risk when I changed to all cold press because no one in this area had heard of it — we tried to educate them on why it was better. It was a risk, but I really thought it was a better product,” said Mostafavi. “At first, people would say, no, I don’t want bottled juice, I want fresh juice, but we tried to educate them on why it was better and better for you. Six months later, that’s all anybody wanted.”

Mostafavi says he believes South Block has been successful partially because it is such a small company.

“I try to have things that people want, that are good for you, and I try to have it before anybody else and do it better than anybody else. I think that’s a benefit of being a smaller company — the bigger corporations catch on a little bit late, and they cut corners to cut cost, and it just isn’t the same quality product.”

In addition to their juices and smoothies, the East Falls Church store has trendy products like nitrogen-infused cold-brew coffee. Mostafavi tries to keep South Block ahead of the curve by paying attention to the products being introduced in California and New York, and then bringing those products to the D.C. area.

“I try to continue to evolve the products and the menu,” said Mostafavi. “I think that’s one thing that’s made South Block successful.”

Mostafavi says the business is still expanding, with plans for future stores in both Vienna and Georgetown.

ACPD Event to Offer VIN Etching, Distracted Driving Obstacle Course

By Mariah Joyce

Arlington police carThe Arlington County Police Department’s Third District Team will be holding a “Safety & Community Awareness” event next week.

Sgt Damon Washington, who first proposed the free event, said it was part of the department’s effort “to be more proactive and reach out to the community.”

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday, July 18, at Kenmore Middle School (200 S Carlin Springs Road), residents will have access to services such as bike registration and free Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etching for their cars to help prevent theft.

The schedule includes several games, among them a distracted driving golf cart track where participants attempt to navigate the course with “drunk goggles” to simulate varying levels of intoxication and common distractions such as cell phones.

Additionally, ACPD officers have organized “15 Minutes Behind the Badge,” an interactive simulation in which participants will receive a crash course in police training, be outfitted in faux-gear and be dispatched to a staged call in the area.

There will also be a K-9 demonstration, child safety seat checks and, for the younger set of safety-inclined residents, a moon bounce.

Rocklands and Wegmans are providing free food and drink for attendees.

Washington says that more that 75 officers are expected to be in attendance, including some from other police departments.

Coming Soon: Eighth Annual Twilight Race in Crystal City

By Mariah Joyce

Start of 2011 Crystal City Twilighter 5K (courtesy Crystal City BID)Crystal City’s upcoming, eighth annual Twilighter 5K will give runners the opportunity to pound the pavement in the cooler hours of a summer evening.

The race is scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 25. The relatively flat course will start and finish at 2121 Crystal Drive, between 20th and 23rd Streets.

The opportunity for a twilight run isn’t the event’s only selling point: there will also be a post-race party with deals on drinks and food at several local establishments, as well as cash prizes for the course’s top finishers.

Pacers, the run organizer, is billing the race as a great way for high school cross country runners or teams to get energized for the upcoming season. Runners can sign up online; registration is $40 for adults and $20 for high school students.

The run is sponsored by the Crystal City Business Improvement District, an ARLnow.com advertiser, and Vornado/Charles E Smith.

Photo via Crystal City BID

Barrett Elementary Starts Program to Promote Summer Reading

By Mariah Joyce
1/4

Parents and teachers at Barrett Elementary have started a weekly outdoor library to encourage kids to keep reading during their vacation.

The program, Barret Book Blast, was created by the Family and Community Engagement committee at Barrett Elementary as a way to combat the seemingly inevitable “summer slide” in reading comprehension.

The outdoor library can be found every Friday from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. outside of the Gates of Ballston Community Center (4108 4th Street N.). At the weekly event, which is run by Barrett Elementary teachers on an entirely volunteer basis, neighborhood kids can check out up to three books or listen to a librarian from Arlington Public Library read some stories.

Barrett Elementary teacher Emily Sonenshine estimates that on June 19, the program’s second week, almost 65 children came by to check out books and visit their teachers. Sonenshine added that attendance at the weekly checkout hour has been consistently on the rise.

This Friday will mark the program’s fourth week. Sonenshine says the events are scheduled to continue through the summer, ending Aug. 28.

The books for the outdoor library were supplied by donations from Books for America and Donors Choose, as well as neighborhood donations.

Photos courtesy Emily Sonenshine and Jen Flores

Clarendon Consignment Store Plans to Move to Larger Space

By Mariah Joyce
1/8

“Designer consignment” clothing store Current Boutique plans to relocate their Clarendon shop to a larger space.

The business is moving a mere half a block, from 2529 Wilson Blvd to 2601 Wilson Blvd (near the corner of Wilson and N. Daniel Street). However, according to realtor Bill Buck, the move will more than double the boutique’s square footage.

Clarendon store manager Krista Cash said the decision to move came when owners and employees realized Current Boutique had outgrown its space.

Current Boutique has signed the lease for the new storefront, but renovations are still in progress. Buck estimates the business will move to their new location within the next couple of months.

Current Boutique has three other stores in the D.C. Metro area, in Old Town Alexandria (1009 King Street), Bethesda (7220 Wisconsin Avenue) and Logan Circle (1809 14th Street, NW).

Free Barre Classes in Rosslyn Rescheduled

By Mariah Joyce

Barre in the Park cropped (Copy)The remaining Barre in the Park classes in Rosslyn have been rescheduled from Wednesday to Thursday evenings, starting this week.

Barre in the Park, which is in its second season, is a series of free outdoor classes offered weekly in Rosslyn’s Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway) by exercise studio Lava Barre, in partnership with the Rosslyn Business Improvement District.

(Barre is a type of trendy exercise class that combines elements of ballet with yoga and Pilates.)

Lava Barre is offering this free series in part to promote their new studio in Rosslyn (1528 Clarendon Blvd), which opened this summer. The Rosslyn studio replaced a Lava Barre studio previously located in Clarendon.

The series started in May and is slated to continue into the early fall. Although the classes are free, registration is required. According to Lava Barre, all registered participants need to bring is themselves, a towel or mat and some water.

Absent cancellation due to inclement weather, the remaining Barre in the Park classes will be offered Thursday evenings in Gateway Park from 6-7 p.m. Should a class be cancelled due to weather, the BID says a notification will be sent to those registered for the class via email.

Currently, classes are planned to continue from now until the end of September.

Photo courtesy Lava Barre

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