Author: Matt Blitz

Pickleball fight escalates as opponents distribute flyer accusing players of bullying children

By Matt Blitz
Pickleball being played outside at Walter Reed Community Center (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

(Updated on 2/14/23) The fight over the new pickleball courts coming to Walter Reed Community Center appears to have escalated.

In a flyer that’s now being disseminated around the neighborhood, opponents are leveling accusations of “bullying of our children by pickleball players,” “public urination on playground and sensory garden,” and causing “excessive continuous noise from dawn to 10 p.m. every day.”

If more pickleball courts are added, it will even be more of a “public nuisance” the flyer says. It does not go into greater detail about the accusations.

“Arlington County is giving away our rights to Walter Reed Community Center (WRCC) to build a dedicated Pickleball Cluster,” it reads. “Current issues will get worse with conversion of 3 tennis to 9 pickleball courts.”

Anti-pickleball flyer distributed to residents who live near the Walter Reed Community Center (photo courtesy anonymous)

The flyer also lists “large crowds,” “parking issues,” and “tennis and basketball hijacked” as problems. It asks residents to fill out a Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation survey, attend upcoming Columbia Heights Civic Association meetings, and be at this week’s public meeting to make their concerns known.

In November, Arlington residents approved a countywide bond referendum that included spending $2 million to add more pickleball courts in the county including at Walter Reed Community Center.

The plan is to convert the current outdoor tennis courts to pickleball courts by adding netting, pavement, lighting, signage, fencing, and “sound reduction measures.”

The basketball court, which currently is stripped for pickleball, will be converted back to its original use.

The project’s completion is still at least two years away. Feedback through online surveys and community meetings will be gathered throughout 2023, per a recently-published county timeline. Construction could begin in the spring of 2024 with early 2025 as the current goal for it to be completed.

A group that is calling itself the “Walter Reed Neighborhood Group” is behind the flyers, ARLnow has learned. It’s a core group of about 10 to 15 nearby residents who have handed out about 600 flyers around the neighborhood, we’re told.

The group is not trying to start an “all-out war” on pickleball, a number of neighbors said in a conversation earlier today. They are disputing the process that resulted in the decision to build a cluster of courts near their homes.

“The county has… created the situation and they’re putting pickleballers against local residents,” neighbor Armand Ciccarelli told ARLnow.

He and the others in the group said that the court score assessment process DPR used to determine that Walter Reed was the best option for the cluster of courts was “flawed.” Walter Reed Community Center beat out several other options by a single point, per the county-produced chart.

“Arlington is ramping up [the building of courts] and throwing them in South Arlington,” Ciccarelli said. “The county is ignoring us.”

The construction of nine new pickleball courts won’t simply attract county residents, neighbors said, but players from across the region.

“By having a large cluster here, we are attracting pickleballers from all over the place,” Jacquelyn, a group member and a pickleball player herself, said. “This will no longer be a community center for the community, it will become pickleball central for the entire DMV area. And our little neighborhood can’t handle that.”

Of course, not everyone agrees with the group and its assessment of the ills of pickleball.

As the sport has rapidly gained popularity — more than 36 million people played pickleball between August 2021 and August 2022, according to a new report — players have been lobbying localities like Arlington for more courts.

Ciccarelli did acknowledge that the anti-pickleball flyers could be interpreted as inflammatory, but that was a deliberate choice to get more attention. He said that “99%” of locals the group has talked to do not have “any awareness of this project.”

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Arlington Public Library hosting Black History Month events, including talk with award-winning author

By Matt Blitz
Author Michael Twitty (photo courtesy of Arlington Public Library)

Arlington Public Library is putting on a number of events over the next several weeks to commemorate and celebrate Black History Month.

Highlights include a talk with a James Beard award winner, a documentary screening about one of Arlington’s most famous musicians, and a presentation about the historic Green Valley Pharmacy.

February marks Black History Month which, as the library’s website notes, has origins that date back more than a century ago. In honor of the month, the Arlington Public Library is hosting several programs “to celebrate Black culture and stories.”

Unlike the previous few years, the majority of the events will be in-person this year.

This week at Central Library, James Beard award-winning author Michael W. Twitty will discuss his book “KosherSoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew.”

Based in D.C., Twitty has earned recognition for his cooking, writing, and fusing of two culinary histories. There will be an audience question and answer session and a book signing after the discussion.

The talk on Thursday, Feb. 16 is being held in person inside the auditorium at Central Library and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. It will also be live-streamed and a recording will be available on the county’s YouTube page for 30 days after the event.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, the library is partnering with local PBS station WETA and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington for a screening of the new documentary about musician Roberta Flack. It will take place at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike starting at 7 p.m.

Flack grew up in Green Valley and went to Hoffman-Boston High School. She’s famed for singing a number of number-one hits, including “Killing Me Softly.”

American Masters: Roberta Flack features “exclusive access to Flack’s archives of film, performances, interviews, home movies, photos, hit songs and unreleased music,” the library’s website reads. “The film documents how Flack’s musical virtuosity was inseparable from her lifelong commitment to civil rights.”

The screening is free but registration is required. There will be free popcorn courtesy of WETA.

Later in the month, Green Valley Civic Association Portia Clark will give a “special presentation” about the Green Valley Pharmacy at the Shirlington Branch Library. The local landmark was owned by Doc Muse for decades, where he dispensed medicine to the Black community.

“The longest-operating African American pharmacy in Arlington County and likely the first African-American-owned pharmacy in the county, the Green Valley Pharmacy has helped shape and define the local community for over 60 years,” reads the event listing.

The property was designed as a local landmark in 2013 and a historic marker was placed in front in 2014.

Doc Muse died in 2017 and the property was transferred to his daughter. The building has remained vacant ever since, though a kabob restaurant is still expected to move in at some point.

Clark’s presentation will take place on Thursday, Feb. 23 and registration is required.

Several other Black History Month events both online and in person at Central Library, including a kid-aimed production highlighting Black American heroes this Wednesday, a discussion of the 1930s project of interviewing formerly enslaved Virginians, and a family-friendly “musical experience.”

The kabob restaurant replacing Green Valley Pharmacy could finally be open by this summer

By Matt Blitz
Green Valley Pharmacy (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

It appears that the new restaurant coming to the former Green Valley Pharmacy could finally be ready to open by this summer.

Over the last several months, the county has reviewed and approved a number of plans related to the proposed renovations at the historic building. Another sign of progress: recent meetings with the community that had in the past pushed back on some of those proposals.

Construction could begin within weeks on the property, which has sat mostly untouched for the better part of six years, we’re told.

The county, the building owner, the restaurant tenant, and the Green Valley Civic Association have all signaled to ARLnow that they are ready to move forward to redeveloping the local landmark into a kabob restaurant.

“We do still have concerns with parking, ingress, and egress,” Green Valley Civic Association president Portia Clark told ARLnow via email. “[But] the community is not holding up this project.”

The restaurant project was first reported in September 2021 and came with the blessing of Jessie Al-Amin, the daughter of former pharmacy owner Doc Muse.

Muse was a graduate of the Howard University School of Pharmacy and opened Green Valley Pharmacy in 1952 as Arlington’s only pharmacy and lunch counter to serve the county’s Black community during the Jim Crow era.

The business at 2415 Shirlington Road was designated by the county as a local historic landmark in 2013, with a historic marker placed there in 2014.

Al-Amin inherited the building from Muse when he died in 2017. The pharmacy at 2415 Shirlington Road closed shortly after his death.

In August 2019, Al-Amin made a deal with local business owner Nasir Ahmad for him to rent the building and open a new business. Ahmad owns restaurants in Sterling and Fredericksburg and told ARLnow he previously owned a fried chicken eatery in Green Valley close to twenty years ago, where John Robinson, Jr. Town Square is now.

Since it is protected as a local historic district, any proposed exterior alterations had to be approved by the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board’s (HALRB) design review process.

In October of last year, the HALRB approved proposed hardscaping and parking modifications. Last month, the board issued a Certificate of Appropriateness allowing for exterior alterations.

“For the time being, the HALRB process is complete, unless there are future changes needed to their approved certificates OR if additional exterior alterations are proposed (signage, outdoor seating, etc.),” Historic Preservation Program coordinator Cynthia Liccese-Torres told ARLnow.

Even if the HALRB needed to review external signage, Liccese-Torres said, the restaurant could still open without signage being finalized.

The only hang-up now, at least on the county side, is for the Dept. of Environmental Services (DES) to approve the building permit. A county spokesperson said that a review is currently taking place, though said that they could not provide a timeline for when it might be completed.

Ahmad told ARLnow he believes he’ll hear back from the county within the next few days, noting that even if plans needed to be altered that shouldn’t delay the project that much.

From there, construction would likely take three to four months. That could put an expected completion date sometime in the late spring or early summer.

As previously reported, the restaurant is set to serve chicken, rice, kabobs, burgers, and pizza. While “Halal Spot” was thought to be the restaurant’s name, Ahmad said they have yet to make a final decision on that.

Clark said that whatever the name might be, the community is ready for it to be redeveloped.

“They need to do something because the building is now just an eyesore,” she said. “The window coverings look awful.”

Trash and illegal parking have also become problems, locals tell ARLnow, which has added to the downtrodden look of the property.

But “slow and steady” progress seems to be happening and those involved are looking forward to finally opening a new community-serving business.

“I’ve always wanted to make sure [the redevelopment] represented my father’s legacy,” Al-Amin said. “It will be nice when it’s done.”

Firearm-sniffing expert K9 Loki joins the police force

By Matt Blitz
1/4

Arlington County police have gotten a new best friend, one that’s specifically trained to sniff out firearms.

Earlier this week, the Arlington County Police Department announced they’ve welcomed K9 Loki to the force.

Loki is a nearly two-year-old canine who recently completed his training with handler Corporal Jon Stanley to become the department’s first firearm detection dog. Part of Loki’s training was to learn and get used to the odor associated with firearms.

He joins eight other ACPD “dog teams,” consisting of a canine and a handler.

Loki is currently assigned to the midnight patrol shift, replacing K9 Duke who retired in September after eight years on the force.

“Our main function is to assist the patrol section with K9 support in any case where K9 Loki’s skills may be useful,” Stanley told ARLnow. “First and foremost, our K9s are resourceful in locating evidence. As the department’s first firearm detection dog, K9 Loki will also be used in certain cases to locate firearms and shell casings.”

When he’s not on call for evidence detection, Loki will be exercising, training, and assisting Stanley with patrolling the county’s trails and parks.

Loki had to go through months-long training before hitting the streets, much like any human police recruit needs to do. That includes obedience training as well as other skills he’ll need while on the force.

“As the school progresses, we also introduce and hone all the skills K9 Loki will need to be a successful patrol dog, including evidence searches, suspect tracking, building searches, and criminal apprehension,” Stanley said.

Loki also attended a specialized three-work course specifically focused on firearm detection.

When Loki is not working, he’s home with Stanley and his mentor Duke, the grizzled retired K9 veteran that Loki replaced on the force. It’s been a bit of adjustment, though, for the young canine.

“Prior to being selected by me, K9 Loki spent his life living in a kennel and was not experienced living in a family home environment,” Stanley said. “For the first two weeks, K9 Loki lived in a kennel in my home and was taken out often for rapport building, walks, grooming, and some pre-training in my yard.”

Soon, Loki and Stanley bonded and, within a few weeks, he was allowed to roam the house unsupervised and was being introduced to the humans in the house. On his off days, Loki is like the rest of us and just enjoys his downtime.

“During our days off, K9 Loki is taken on numerous walks around the neighborhood, follows me around the house, naps, and plays in the yard,” said Stanley. “He also enjoys playing with my son and being a typical younger brother to K9 Duke with his playful and youthful energy.”

Arlington County police use canines for a variety of tasks, including patrolling, detecting explosives, and sniffing out narcotics.

Captain Cookie & the Milkman opens today in Courthouse

By Matt Blitz
1/3

Captain Cookie & the Milkman is soaring into Courthouse today, opening its new location on Clarendon Blvd.

A ribbon-cutting is set for 10 a.m. at 2600 Clarendon Blvd for the first Arlington location of the D.C.-based cookie shop. It’s moving into a 700-square-foot space that was formerly a GNC. There will be indoor and outdoor seating.

At the grand opening there’s set to be a wheel where locals can spin to win free t-shirts, cookies, ice cream, and other Captain Cookie merchandise.

Ten percent of sales on opening day will be donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC), per a social media post, which also noted that Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz and Arlington Chamber of Commerce president Kate Bates are expected to be in attendance at the ribbon cutting.

Captain Cookie’s new location was first announced a year ago. Started as a food truck by a husband and wife team in 2012, the couple opened its brick-and-mortar location in D.C. three years later. They have since opened two other shops, but this one will be the first outside of the District.

The menu features eight types of cookies, milk from South Mountain Creamery, scoops of ice cream from Ice Cream Jubilee, ice cream cookies, shakes and floats. Captain Cookie also delivers.

Co-owner Kirk Francis told the Washington City Paper last year that he noticed customers from Arlington were coming to the Foggy Bottom shop since they were outside of that store’s delivery radius.

Sorry heartthrobs, Courthouse’s Taco Bell Cantina will likely not be open for Valentine’s Day

By Matt Blitz
A crew putting up signage above the entrance of the new Taco Bell Cantina in Courthouse in December (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

It appears as if Courthouse’s newest date night spot won’t be open for Valentine’s Day.

The opening for the hotly anticipated Taco Bell Cantina at 2039 Wilson Blvd has been pushed back again. A company spokesperson told ARLnow that “we are hoping to be open within the next three to four weeks.”

Meaning, if that timeline is accurate, chalupas won’t likely be served until late February or early March.

As was the case in December when ARLnow last reported that the fast food eatery was delayed, it seems the electric system is to be blamed, with crews set to stop by this week to hopefully fix the issues.

And locals are getting hungry.

In an ARLnow poll conducted last month, Courthouse’s Taco Bell Cantina garnered the second-most votes for the new restaurant that readers are most looking forward to.

The biggest difference between a regular Taco Bell and a Taco Bell Cantina is the latter serves alcoholic beverages. The Courthouse location will also have a walk-up window, allowing for faster service.

The walk-up window and location in Courthouse — next to the post office and several doors down from the Ireland’s Four Courts where restoration work is underway — appears to be an effort to serve a late-night crowd coming from bars and nearby apartment buildings.

The space at 2039 Wilson Blvd was previously home to Guarapo Lounge, a popular Peruvian bar and after-work staple. It closed in 2016 and there has not been a tenant in that space since.

The Courthouse restaurant isn’t the only new Taco Bell Cantina opening in the region soon. Last week, it was announced that another Cantina location was opening in D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood.

If a few weeks is too long to wait for a Gordita, there are also Taco Bell Cantinas on King Street in Old Town Alexandria and in Columbia Heights in D.C., as well as a regular standard-issue Taco Bell on Langston Blvd.

Loyal Companion no more as both Arlington pet stores set to shutter later this month

By Matt Blitz
Loyal Companion is closing all local stores, including this one at the Mosaic District (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Both Loyal Companion pet stores in Arlington are closing within a few weeks.

Parent company Independent Pet Partners announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week and is planning to shutter all of its stores outside of Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois by the end of the month.

That includes Loyal Companion locations in Clarendon at 2509 Franklin Road and in the Lee Harrison Shopping Center at 2501 N. Harrison Street. All Fairfax County and Alexandria stores are closing as well.

The plan is for the stores to be shuttered by Tuesday, Feb. 28, per the website, but “final days of business may vary by location.”

An employee at the Clarendon location confirmed that Feb. 28 will be the final day for that location, but there was no answer at the Lee Harrison store.

The company published the following letter to customers.

To our Loyal Companion community,

With a heavy heart, we want to inform you that we’ve made the tough decision to close our Loyal Companion stores.  We have loved serving the community and supporting you on your pet wellness journey. ​

Our stores will be open through the end of February.  We will be offering liquidation discounts and we encourage you to take advantage of these great offers to get all the supplies you need.

While it’s hard to say goodbye, it’s easy to say thank you. Thank you for being part of our family. Thank you for caring about pet wellness. And thank you for supporting your local community. ​

We’ve enjoyed all the hugs and belly rubs along the way. ​

Grooming services and self-wash stations will likely be stopped in the middle of the month, the website notes.

It’s not immediately clear what liquidation sales and discounts will be available at the Arlington locations, with an employee declining to provide more information.

In 2017, Kriser’s Natural Pet Store opened at Lee Harrison Shopping Center. Less than two years later, both Arlington locations were rebranded as “Loyal Companion.”

Amid a busy month, Arlington’s Black Heritage Museum continues search for a permanent home

By Matt Blitz
The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) It’s set to be a busy month at the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington as it continues to look for a permanent home.

The museum is participating in a number of Black History Month programs while preparing to put up new exhibits, museum director Scott Taylor told ARLnow.

This past weekend, the museum partnered with the Columbia Pike Partnership and the Embassy of Switzerland on a program focused on the importance of museums in the community.

On Sunday (Feb. 5), families and staff from Tuckahoe Elementary School visited the museum. Plus, Taylor monitored a panel last night for the local PBS station WETA discussing the production of last year’s documentary series “Making Black America.”

Coming up on Sunday, Feb. 19, the museum is again partnering with WETA as well as the Arlington Public Library for a screening of the documentary American Masters: Roberta Flack at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike.

Flack is known for several number-one hits including “Killing Me Softly” and grew up in Green Valley.

All of these events and programs have kept Taylor so busy that he hasn’t had a chance to put up any new exhibits, but that’s hopefully changing this week.

The museum is planning to set out a display featuring items from what was once Hoffman-Boston High School, Arlington’s only high school for Black students at a time when the county’s schools were segregated.

“We have some sixty-plus-year-old yearbooks that people see and feel and look at,” Taylor said.

There will also be a “few new things” from Fire Station 8, including several firemen hats and boots. Located in Halls Hill, it was Arlington’s only fire station staffed with Black firefighters. A state-of-the-art station is replacing the old one and is expected to be completed later this year.

Later this month, Taylor plans to put up an exhibit about Camp Casey featuring a gun from the era as well.

All of this comes as the museum continues its search for a permanent home. In September, it moved into a new space with the Columbia Pike Partnership on the first floor of the Ethiopian Community Development Council building at 3045B Columbia Pike.

While Taylor appreciates the temporary home, it is small and the museum is often unable to do everything it wants to do.

“Arlington needs this and, most people who come through, want [us] to expand,” he said. “I have things that I can’t even put up because we don’t have enough space.”

The museum is not close to finding its own home, Taylor said, noting money is the main obstacle.

“The rent in Arlington is just crazy. These new buildings want $10,000 a month,” he said.

At their grand re-opening in September, Taylor said he had a conversation with several County Board members about possibly moving into the building across the street if it ends up getting redeveloped by the county into a library.

But that remains only a possibility and somewhat far in the future.

The Black Heritage Museum is a “big asset” to the county, he said, one that he says needs to be cherished and given assistance to.

“This history is not being taught in schools. We bring voices to unsung heroes,” Taylor said. “This history belongs to Arlington.”

The blown up Little Free Library in Arlington Forest was mysteriously rebuilt last week

By Matt Blitz
The new Little Free Library in Arlington Forest (photo courtesy of Sharon Beth Bronheim)

(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) The exploded Little Free Library in Arlington Forest was mysteriously rebuilt last week, much to the delight of the owners.

It was a cold, overcast, slightly snowy Wednesday morning last week when Sharon Beth Bronheim left her Arlington Forest home to do a quick errand. As it had since November when an unknown assailant blew up the Little Free Library that was once there. As a temporary measure, a plastic box filled with books sat on the wood platform in front of the house.

When Sharon Beth returned only about an hour later, at around 11 a.m., she was met with an unexpected sight.

“When I came back, it was sunny and there was a [new] Little Free Library installed,” she told ARLnow.

Neither Sharon Beth nor her husband Jeremy Bronheim were involved in rebuilding the library nor do they know the identity of the person who did it, replacing the plastic box. They did catch a glimpse of the person from their security camera but not enough to “make out who it was.”

The structure is “incredibly well-crafted,” Sharon Beth noted, with wooden shingles, solid wood on the back, and painted a delightful robin egg blue color.

“We have gratitude for whoever did this. If they want to reach out and tell us it was them, we’d love to thank them,” Jeremy said. “If they don’t, that’s okay too.”

That day, the couple added a few books of their own to the new library. By Friday morning, two days later, the library was brimming with books.

It’s a testament to the community and neighborhood that something like this could happen, they said — that a Little Free Library can get destroyed only for it to come back better than it ever was.

“The community has really embraced that location as being a Little Free Library location.”

In November, a still-unknown suspect or suspects blew up the library at the 100 block of N. Columbus Street, near the intersection with the Arlington Blvd service road. It’s believed the same people set off another small explosion that night at the nearby Lubber Run amphitheater as well.

The FBI, ATF, Virginia State Police, and Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) all were involved in the investigation.

However, several months later, no arrests have been made as of yet.

“There are no updates to provide on this,” ACFD spokesperson Capt. Nate Hiner told ARLnow. “This is still an ongoing investigation. The ATF and FBI are not involved, the Arlington County Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Office is handling the case.”

Sharon Beth said she’d be “more comfortable” if a suspect had been caught, but understands investigations of this nature can take time. She is thankful there have been no incidents since then and that there’s a new, beautifully bright Little Free Library, anonymously built and donated by an apparently book-loving local.

Additionally, Sharon Beth’s father is currently working on a “children’s book annex” that will sit next to the library and hold picture books.

Sharon Beth and Jeremy expect to hold a “grand re-opening” celebration for the library in the spring, when the weather is warmer and the annex is completed. In the meantime, they’ll admire the handiwork, watch books cycle in and out of it, and allow the mysterious builder the chance to come forward. Or not.

“We’re just completely amazed at whoever it was that did this and greatly appreciate it,” Sharon Beth said.

Gallery Market & Cafe on N. Oak Street in Rosslyn seems closed

By Matt Blitz
1/5

A well-regarded corner market in Rosslyn appears to be closed.

When ARLnow stopped by Gallery Market & Cafe at 1800 N. Oak Street earlier this week, the lights were off, chairs were stacked, and the majority of the equipment was cleared out. The phone number is disconnected as well.

It’s not immediately clear when the convenience store, deli, and dry cleaner might have closed at the corner of N. Oak Street and Key Blvd, though a tipster said it happened at the beginning of the year.

ARLnow has reached out to both the property owner and business owner but we have yet to hear back definitive word about the status of the market as of publication.

There are other Gallery Markets & Cafes in Rockville and in D.C., but they are not associated with the Rosslyn location per an employee at the Rockville store.

The small business had been open for more than a decade at least, per Yelp reviews, most of which have been positive.

“Amazing sandwiches and the nicest owners. Love coming here to support local,” reads one from this past March. “Staff is always courteous about making substitutions (: try the club combo!”

Elsewhere in Rosslyn, a newer, higher end twist on the traditional corner market opened earlier this month nearby. Foxtrot, which describes itself as a “boutique” market, cafe, and convenience store, opened its doors at 1771 N. Pierce Street. It’s about a two-block walk from Gallery Market & Cafe.

Hat tip to Matt Sinisca

Locals asked to opine on new pickleball courts coming to Walter Reed Community Center

By Matt Blitz
Pickleball being played outside at Walter Reed Community Center (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

Local residents can now weigh in on the “future of pickleball” at the Walter Reed Community Center.

A survey was sent out earlier this week by the Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation (DPR) asking the community to provide input and feedback about the new outdoor pickleball courts coming to the community center at 2909 16th Street S., south of Columbia Pike.

The dedicated courts will replace the tennis courts that are currently there.

The survey asks a series of questions, some with multiple choice answers and some with a text box, including the survey taker’s “current relationship” with the community center, how often they use the pickleball courts already there, and when they typically play.

There’s also a question that addresses the noise coming from the courts, a prickly topic that has led to threats of legal action.

“Noise is a concern associated with pickleball play,” reads the question. “The County is committed to incorporating sound reduction measures as part of this project. What are some creative ideas to consider?”

Locals have through Tuesday, February 28 to provide the county with their thoughts.

Residents voted in November, as part of the bond referendum, to spend $2 million to convert and update existing tennis courts into pickleball courts across the county, including at Walter Reed.

The plan is to convert the current tennis court area into nine dedicated pickleball courts by adding pavement, netting, lighting, fencing, and other needed equipment. There will also be seating, shade, signage, landscaping, ADA-accessible walkways, and “sound reduction measures.” As part of the project, the basketball court will also be converted back to its original use.

This online survey is actually the “start” of the engagement process for the project, DPR spokesperson Martha Holland told ARLnow in an email.

“The County wants to hear from all stakeholders to create a project that serves the pickleball community while fitting into the community context,” she wrote. “The online feedback form is the first step to gather input to inform concept designs. The County hopes to learn and gain insights on a wide range of issues from uses and user experience, as well as considerations, designs, and demographics – to ensure we’re hearing from as many community members as possible.”

Community meetings are set to be held throughout this year to discuss the project, per a recently published timeline on the county’s website. The first is planned for Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at Walter Reed, Holland said.

There are expected to be additional community meetings and online surveys throughout the year, with several currently scheduled for the spring and summer.

“It is important to make sure that as many people as possible are aware of this project and have a chance to provide input throughout,” Holland said.

With all of this community engagement, construction of the pickleball courts is being pushed back.

Construction is not expected to start for more than a year from now, in spring 2024, per the timeline. Completion is estimated for early 2025, a full two years from now.

In recent years, pickleball has become a hot-button issue in Arlington. The sport soared in popularity during the pandemic, with the county adding more courts to meet demand.

As courts increased, though, so did complaints from some locals about the noise.

When a pickleball hits a paddle, it can often produce a loud pop sound that has become infamously known as “pickleball pop.” This has led DPR to close certain public courts that are situated near homes. At least one court was eventually reopened.

Then, late last year, two citizen groups threatened legal action against the county.

This included a number of neighbors who live across the street from Walter Reed with one resident saying the noise already coming from the courts was “excessive” and “intrusive.” That resident told ARLnow at the time they did not support the plan to build even more outdoor courts.

“It sounds really comical, but when you live across the street from an endless stream of just popping, it’s not funny,” they said.

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