Author: Mavis Chan

Event this week in Rosslyn to recognize ‘red hot’ startups in the D.C. area

By Mavis Chan

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1515 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn. 

Dozens of technology startups from the D.C. region are set to participate in a networking event for “Red Hot Companies” on Wednesday (July 20).

This is the seventh year that DCA Live, an events company, is holding “Red Hot Companies,” recognizing fast-growing startups. It is set to be held at the rooftop of Sands Capital Management, at 1000 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn.

Among the 41 participating startups, a number of them are based in Arlington, such as the fitness software company SweatWorks from Ballston, the marketing company for Amazon businesses Amify and the wireless communications company Federated Wireless, according to the event’s webpage.

DCA Live has planned a short program to congratulate the startups in attendance and to thank the co-hosts of the event, then participants are set to network among themselves.

“I have found that almost nobody really wants a program at all, people just want to talk to each other,” Doug Anderson, DCA Live founder, said.

Other organizations and companies co-hosting the event include Arlington Economic Development, Marymount University, the accounting firm KPMG and various venture capital firms. ARLnow is the event’s media partner.

DCA Live chose to host the event in Arlington because Rosslyn is convenient to the “main centers of business life in the region,” including downtown D.C., Tysons and Bethesda. Moreover, the tall buildings in Rosslyn provide a “great setting” for events, Anderson said.

“You just get a great view of D.C. and all the iconic monuments,” he said.

A previous DCA Live ‘Red Hot Companies’ event (courtesy of Doug Anderson)

DCA Live chose the companies based on nominations from the technology community. Some of the companies selected this year are older, like the energy management company GridPoint which was founded in 2003, while others have only a few years under their belts, such as ShiftMed, an app developed in 2019.

Although DCA Live did not give out specific guidelines to nominate companies for the event, it hoped to look for startups that have shown “significant growth, momentum, energy, innovation, new products, new capital, new employees,” Anderson said.

“We really also try to collectively promote the region and celebrate the tech ecosystem here,” he added.

The local startup community as a whole generally caters to other businesses or the government and only a few of them target individual consumers, Anderson noted.

“The one common thing around D.C. high growth companies is they’re solving big problems, whether it’s cybersecurity, whether it’s education, energy, healthcare, health IT,” he said. “They’re not doing [consumer] apps, they’re not doing consumer websites. We’re just not known for that around here.”

County Board approves traffic light, street updates at S. Glebe Road intersection

By Mavis Chan
The intersection between S. Glebe Road and S. Arlington Ridge Road (via Google Maps)

Upgraded traffic lights, roads and bus stops are expected at the intersection of S. Glebe Road and S. Arlington Ridge Road.

The Arlington County Board approved awarding a $1.6 million contract to the D.C. firm Fort Myer Construction Corporation for the project during its meeting on Saturday (July 16).

As part of a larger county program to upgrade “outdated” traffic lights, this project will change the span wire currently holding the traffic signals at the intersection to mast arms.

Other upgrades to be carried out include constructing curb ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, adding high-visibility crosswalks and renovating bus stops at that location.

Currently, the intersection near the Four Mile Run Trail and the Alexandria border has narrow sidewalks, long pedestrian crossings and outdated bus stops. The project aims to “improve pedestrian safety and accessibility at the intersection,” according to the report.

The contract approved by the Board includes at 15% contingency on top of the construction firm’s $1.4 million bid, which came in lower than the county engineer’s construction cost estimate. Funding for this project was included in the adopted Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2022 to 2024.

The project is expected to be completed by fall of next year, according to the county’s Traffic Signal Upgrade Project website.

Arlington jail updated protocols in response to inmate’s death, document shows

By Mavis Chan
Darryl Becton’s aunt, Ramona Pugh, left, and sister Monique Ford, right (staff photo)

The Arlington County Detention Facility has implemented several measures in response to the death of an inmate in 2020.

The jail has hired a quality assurance manager, planned to buy a new medical tracking device and has updated health check protocols, according to a document that summarizes corrective measures it has taken.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by Darryl Becton’s family alleges that medical staff at the Arlington lockup did not treat and properly monitor Becton’s drug withdrawal symptoms or high blood pressure, despite being aware of his condition and the risks associated with it.

The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office took a number of preventive measures following the death. One was a special directive to instruct staff to place all inmates self-reporting or expecting to experience withdrawals in the Medical Unit of the jail, according to the summary document obtained by ARLnow.

The office also hired a quality assurance manager in April, whose job is to oversee all contractors providing medical, food, phone and other services to people held in custody. Cristen Bowers is currently the manager, according to a press release.

The jail cut ties with its medical provider Corizon in October 2021 and signed a new contract with Mediko that was finalized in February.

Other actions taken include directing staff to check the vitals of those going through withdrawals every four hours instead of eight. The office is also planning to buy a medical device system that will “track heart rates and alert workstations” if an inmate’s heart rate is abnormal. The office plans to have the purchase funded in during the current fiscal year, which runs through next July.

These actions led Virginia’s Jail Review Committee, part of the Board of Local and Regional Jails, to conclude that “no further measures are necessary” and close its investigation into the Arlington jail last month. Its investigation has found evidence suggesting the Arlington jail had broken state regulations in Becton’s death, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

However, not all of the jail’s remedial actions were made public. Two policies made in the immediate aftermath of Becton’s death are redacted in the summary obtained by ARLnow, with the Sheriff’s Office stating disclosure “would jeopardize the safety or security” of law enforcement officers, the public and buildings.

The Times-Dispatch requested documents from the board related to the investigation and the corrected action plans but release of the action plans were denied, and other documents provided were redacted, according to the Times-Dispatch. The board’s executive director told the paper it wanted to “protect the ‘privacy’ of people who die in jails, and their families.”

In response, Becton’s family, who is suing the sheriff and Corizon, along with individual Sheriff’s Office and Corizon employees, called for the board to release the details of its decisions and the jail’s corrective action plan, according to a statement from NAACP’s Arlington branch.

By not publishing its suggestions for improvement with the public or “the larger jailed and incarceration community,” the board is “not allowing transparency in the process,” Becton family’s attorney Mark Krudys told ARLnow.

He says the family did not know about the content of the board’s investigation or the jail’s action plan.

The Becton family’s lawsuit has now moved to U.S. District Court upon a request from Sheriff Elizabeth Arthur and a deputy who was also sued, according to a docket report. In October 2021, a Corizon nurse was charged with falsifying patient records by the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office. The criminal case is still ongoing.

Despite the corrective actions, another Arlington jail inmate died in custody this past February. Of the seven people to have died in custody at the jail over the past seven years, six have been Black, according to the NAACP.

County Board to consider turf field with underground garage at The Heights despite concerns

By Mavis Chan
A rendering the proposed garage with a turf field above next to The Heights building (via Arlington County)

The County Board is set to consider construction of an underground garage topped with a turf field at The Heights building in Rosslyn.

The Heights, at 1601 Wilson Blvd, is the home of two public schools: the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program.

After issues with the original project design for the garage, revisions to the plan ultimately have eased concerns, and county staff recommends the revised use permit be approved at the Arlington County Board meeting this Saturday (July 16), according to a Board report.

But the county’s Planning Commission still isn’t on board with the new plan.

The Arlington Public Schools proposal calls for 61 parking spaces in the underground garage, with a lighted, rectangular, synthetic turf field above. The field is part of an agreement between APS and the county to construct outdoor athletic facilities at the school, according to the Board report.

The previous proposal, submitted to the Board in May, had several issues, mostly concerning the adjacent 18th Street N., which runs parallel to Wilson Blvd. Under the previous design, the street would have been narrowed by eight feet, removing its southern on-street parking lane which could “cause significant operational issues for APS buses,” according to the report.

APS also originally proposed garage access to private vehicles for pickups and drop-offs during school opening and closing each day. The report stated that would pose “a significant operational and safety challenge.”

Additionally, the original proposal would build the turf field to provide access to the first floor of The Heights on the same level. However, that would diminish public and student access and visibility along other sides of the field.

To address those problems, APS would maintain the width of 18th Street N. and keep the parking lane next to H-B Woodlawn, constructing a 5-foot wide, 18-inch tall planter with a seat wall along the length of the garage facade, as well as adding trees on the curbs near the garage and relocating streetlights.

Despite the changes, the Planning Commission still urged the County Board to deny the permit. The commission unanimously agreed that the new proposal failed to conform to the West Rosslyn Area Plan, the Rosslyn Sector Plan and the Arlington County Comprehensive Plan, according to its report.

Specifically, the proposed elevation of the turf field is in conflict with the area plan’s goal of avoiding above-ground or ground level parking, while blocking some pedestrians from viewing The Heights building, which the commission called “a public-facing jewel for both Arlington, the greater D.C. area, and the Commonwealth.”

Although the Transportation Commission voted to recommend approval for the new proposal, it still had doubts about the increased height of the field’s impact on pedestrians on 18th Street N., as well as the plan to build 30 new employee parking spaces when school staff can park at an existing, nearby parking garage instead, according to the commission’s report.

View of The Heights building in Rosslyn, past what could soon be the site of a new parking garage and turf field (via Google Maps)

Photo (below) via Google Maps

County Board to consider renovation contract for ‘courtroom of the future’

By Mavis Chan
The exterior of the Arlington County Justice Center, where the General District Court is located (via Google Maps)

A contract that’s part of a $1.9 million project to renovate “the courtroom of the future” is set to go before the Arlington County Board.

The Board plans to vote on Saturday (July 16) on an $890,000 construction contract to upgrade Arlington General District Court Courtroom 10B with technology updates and layout improvements. If approved, the contract will go to Michigan-based construction company Sorensen Gross.

Arlington courtrooms haven’t had a major renovation since 1994, according to a report to the County Board.

“Significant technology development has introduced new forms of evidence, including recordings from police body-worn cameras and smartphone cameras,” the report says. “Additional courtroom technology is needed to show this evidence to only the required participants. This technology prototype will address these issues and provide a more flexible setting for future expansion/modification to the system.”

The construction project is set to include renovations such as raising the floor to make routing cables easier, new video monitors and sound systems that coordinate microphones and integrate translation capabilities. By adding a new “technology backbone,” the county aims to give “more direct control of multimedia presentations,” according to the report.

The spectator area, jury box and witness stand are also set for changes, according to a Q&A document with prospective vendors. The changes will comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and improve the layout for judges, witnesses and clerks, according to the report.

The total budget for the project is around $1.9 million, which was included in the county’s adopted fiscal year 2022-2024 Capital Improvement Plan. In addition to the construction contract, the total cost reflects around $370,000 in design and administrative costs and $250,000 in contingency costs.

Construction is currently expected to start in early August and should be mostly complete by July of next year, according to the Q&A document.

Photo via Google Maps

Latin American festival coming to Rosslyn next month

By Mavis Chan
A poster for the ¡Viva Cultura! Festival (courtesy of Centro de Apoyo Familiar)

A festival to showcase Latin American music, folk dance, art and food is coming to Rosslyn next month.

The ¡Viva Cultura! Festival is scheduled for Saturday, August 13, at Gateway Park (1300 Langston Blvd), which is a five-minute walk from the Rosslyn Metro station. The event is set to begin at 10 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Centro de Apoyo Familiar is organizing the family-friendly event and plans to provide live music, dance performances, exhibitions and food, according to the festival’s website. Folk dance groups representing countries like Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico are expected to perform their traditional dances in traditional costumes as well.

As for the exhibition, Centro de Apoyo Familiar plans to have artisans from the Caribbean as well as Central and South America offering handcrafted items. Exhibitors include a Colombian handmade jewelry store and organizations like the League of United Latin American Citizens. The deadline for becoming an exhibitor is Sunday, July 31, according to the online registration form.

An art exhibition for Latino artists in Arlington is also set. However, registration for it has yet to open, according to the event’s website.

The event will feature a number of activities catered to kids, including face painting, clowns, musical chairs and other games, according to the website. Food trucks selling cuisines from different countries are also expected. Registration for food vendors is still open.

CAF is a nonprofit working in D.C., Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia to provide housing counseling to low-income Latino and immigrant families, according to its website.

Clarendon park to be renamed 11th Street Park

By Mavis Chan
11th Street Park (via Google Maps)

A park in Clarendon is getting a new name that has in neighbor support what it lacks in creativity.

After months of feedback, Arlington is set to name the park on the corner of 11th Street N. and N. Danville Street “11th Street Park.”

The County Board is set to vote on the name change during its meeting this Saturday (July 16).

The park, which is near The Crossing Clarendon retail center, was originally called 11th Street North and North Danville Street Park. But the county decided to rename it after a renovation project approved in 2021, according to a report to the County Board.

The Department of Parks and Recreation started a public engagement period in March, asking residents to vote on and suggest new names for the park. The county and the Clarendon Courthouse Civic Association narrowed down possible names to a handful, including 11th Street Park, Danville Park, Wayside Green Park and Nguyen Ngoc Bich Park.

Out of 164 responses to the public engagement survey, 11th Street Park received the most votes, followed by Danville Park, according to the Parks and Recreation document. Community and government organizations — namely the Park and Recreation Commission, the Arlington Neighborhoods Advisory Committee and the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board — all voted for the proposed name change.

This proposed new name “reflects the degree to which this park is the bedrock within our urban community,” CCCA President David Creek said in a letter. He added that 11th Street Park “won by many votes” in the two public voting events carried out by the CCCA and the Department of Parks and Recreation, respectively.

The name Nguyen Ngoc Bich Park would have honored a local resident who died six years ago, who “advocated for… refugee and immigrant needs throughout his life and worked to share Vietnamese culture with the Arlington community in numerous ways.” He is likely to get a historical marker in his honor instead.

A design plan for 11th Street Park’s renovation (via Arlington County)

The park is set to get a new name because of the renovation project, which is set to begin this summer. New furnishings, park signage and path lighting are set to be added, according to previous ARLnow reporting. Additionally, the gravel walkways are set to be replaced with concrete. If the County Board approves the name change, a park entrance sign will be added, which is estimated to cost $5,300.

Photo via Google Maps

New Ethiopian cafe on the Pike to hold grand opening this weekend

By Mavis Chan
The interior of Meda Coffee & Kitchen (courtesy of Meda Coffee & Kitchen)

Ethiopian cafe Meda Coffee & Kitchen has opened on Columbia Pike.

Visitors to the new restaurant, at 5037 Columbia Pike, can dine on traditional Ethiopian fare during its grand opening weekend, set to begin this Friday (July 15).

The cafe, which opened late last month, is open every day at 9 a.m., serving coffee, tea and espresso drinks, in addition to specialty food and baked goods.

A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m., during which several guests are set to speak. The cafe plans to play music and serve the traditional Ethiopian dish kitfo, a signature offering of the cafe that is made with beef, chili powder and sometimes with cottage cheese and collard green. It will also serve a vegetarian option.

During the event, owner Yohannes Getachew said he plans to serve the dish in a cone made of banana leaves, a way of serving typically for holidays like Meskel, a Christian holiday that is usually celebrated in late September in Ethiopia.

A flyer advertising the grand opening (courtesy of Meda Coffee & Kitchen)

The Columbia Pike Partnership helped set up the ribbon cutting ceremony, invite guest speakers and promote the event, Getachew said.

The cafe is the second Ethiopian restaurant Getachew has run. He used to co-own a similar restaurant in Alexandria, ZeMeda Market and Restaurant.

He chose Arlington as the new location for his cafe because of his familiarity with the place.

“I know Arlington, I used to work here,” Getachew said, adding he loves the environment and the people in the county.

The Pike has several new restaurants and gathering spots on the way, including a new empanada restaurant and “Nightbird Restaurant and Lounge” in the former P. Brennan’s Irish Pub space.

New empanada restaurant coming to Columbia Pike

By Mavis Chan
A new empanada restaurant appears to be coming to Columbia Pike (courtesy of FrenchyB)

An empanada eatery appears to be setting up shop on Columbia Pike.

The location at 2602-B Columbia Pike, next to the Domino’s and a laundromat, has a sign with the name Mpanadas.

As of late last week the windows were covered and a sign advertising the space as available for lease was in a heap on the ground nearby.

Although it is unclear who the business owner is, a permit application for 2602 Columbia Pike was submitted in June for a tenant buildout, according to the county’s permit search website.

The storefront used to house Boost Mobile, which has moved to 4103 Columbia Pike.

“It would appear that the space formerly occupied by a cell service store is being converted to a restaurant/carryout under the name Mpanada, which one would assume will be a Peruvian restaurant specializing in empanadas,” Amy McWilliams, deputy director of local business booster and community group Columbia Pike Partnership, tells ARLnow.

The retail manager for the storefront is KLNB, a real estate firm managing properties in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The store is 724 square feet in size, according to a KLNB leasing brochure. Representatives from KLNB did not have further information on the business.

Hat tip to “FrenchyB”

Blerdcon, celebrating Black nerd culture, returns to Arlington today

By Mavis Chan
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A celebration of anime, gaming, comic, sci-fi and popular culture for people of all background is back at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Crystal City starting today (Friday).

The convention, BlerDCon, is being held at 2799 Richmond Highway and is set to run through Sunday. Its first event kicked off at 10 a.m. this morning.

All participants need to be vaccinated and masked while indoors, according to the convention’s website.

The theme for the convention this year is “Homecomin’.” BlerDCon expects that 3,000-4,000 participants — many in costume — will be joining, according to its website.

A weekend pass for the convention costs $65 and is still open for purchase. Registration for Friday and Saturday is open between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., while the hours will end at 5 p.m. on the last day of the convention.

Apart from celebrating Blerd — Black nerd — culture, the convention this year also celebrates its “connection with LGBTQ, the disabled, POCs and the international community,” according to its website.

The inclusive convention, which was also held in Crystal City last year, has already attracted some unintentional attention given current fears about gun violence and the propensity for some cosplaying attendees to also carry fake weapons.

Police were called to the McDonald’s along Route 1 around 12:45 p.m. today for a report, relayed via Alexandria’s 911 dispatch center, about a man seen crossing the road near the restaurant with a large gun, according to scanner traffic.

An Arlington officer, recognizing that the convention was taking place nearby, quickly radioed that the sighting might be related to BlerDCon. There were no reports of anyone being stopped by police, but there was some confusion on the ACPD dispatch channel about what exactly BlerDCon was.

“Black nerds,” an officer responded. “It’s like Comic-Con.”

During the weekend convention, different events are set to be held, including RPG games, comedy shows, cosplay contests and different panels. The first three panels of the convention are on topics such as representation in comics and a Kpop dance challenge, according to a tweet.

Comedian Orlando Jones is set to the convention’s celebrity guest.

BlerDCon is not the only subculture convention that regularly comes to Crystal City. Earlier this year the “furry” convention Fur the More was again held at the Hyatt Regency.

Arlington soccer teams to compete in national tournaments

By Mavis Chan
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Two local boys soccer teams have qualified to compete at national tournaments.

The 2005 Boys Red team is set to participate in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship from July 19-24 in Orlando, Florida, according to a news release from the Arlington Soccer Association.

Another team from the association, the 2006 Boys Academy team, is set to participate in the quarterfinals of the Elite Clubs National League National Playoffs. The tournament is scheduled between July 15-18 outside of St. Louis.

The 2005 Boys Red team gained its qualification by winning 2-0 over FC Bucks Dominion from Pennsylvania in the U.S. Youth Soccer U17 Eastern Regional Championship in Charleston, West Virginia on June 29. The team is made up of students from different schools who are below of the age of 17.

“Arlington Soccer Association 05B Red (VA) put forth a dominant showing at the Eastern Regional Championships,” said a press release from U.S. Youth Soccer. “Going 6-0-0 in the span of seven days, they demonstrated extreme toughness and grit, highlighted by a 2-0 win over Council Rock United FC Bucks DOMINION 2005 Boys (PA-E) in the final. Arlington scored 17 goals and only gave up one goal.”

This is the first time the 2005 Boys Red players have gone to the USYS National Championship, its coach Matt Badiee said. In preparation for the finals, Badiee is planning on organizing a few more additional practices on top of the usual practices the team has. The team currently practices at least three times a week.

He is focused on making his team more consistent on the tactical side, such as being able to “finish their chances when they are in their attacking third” as well as “reading the game” based on their opponents’ actions, said Badiee.

The 2006 Boys Academy Team advanced to the quarterfinals in the ECNL National Playoffs by defeating Marin FC of California by 4-0 on June 30. Most of the players on the team are between 15 and 16 years old, its coach Oscar Feliu said.

This team is not set to change its practice schedule significantly before the national tournament. Instead, Feliu planned to add “some fun” during the team’s practices to help the players feel less nervous. He added that he would focus on “[cleaning] up a few tactical details” and the team “recovering physically [or] mentally these next few days.”

“Our hope is that we can be ourselves on the field, that we play together as a team, embrace the competitive challenge and play in a way that regardless of the final result we have no regrets when we step off the field,” Feliu said.

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