The decision comes after the Arlington County Fair Board deliberated a change of scenery for the event for more than a year. Thomas Jefferson’s fields and community center space at 3501 2nd Street S. has been home to the fair for 45 years.
After hearing that a majority of folks did not support relocating the fair, and taking a closer look at the fair board’s preferred alternate location — Long Bridge Park — board members decided Thomas Jefferson is the best location.
“The 2022 Arlington County Fair will be held at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Park (TJ),” said Laura Barragan, a Department of Parks and Recreation special events manager and spokeswoman. “Contributing factors for the site selection include that the community has enjoyed the fair at TJ for 45 years [and] 60% of the nearly 1,600 respondents of the site location public engagement preferred keeping the Fair at TJ.”
She added that “further review of the Long Bridge Park location indicated that it would not be able to accommodate the number and variety of rides the County Fair Board desires.”
Barragan directed further questions to the fair board, which was not immediately available to comment on the decision and whether it will remain at TJ beyond 2022.
In addition to Long Bridge, Arlington County considered multiple sites — including Virginia Highlands Park near Crystal City and Quincy Park near Ballston — but the board only expressed interest in Long Bridge.
One reason we’re told the fair board mulled the move was that fixing damage to the grass fields, which become muddy and rutted in the rain, is a problem for the county. The community center’s suburban location, meanwhile, is fairly central, but lacks Metro accessibility and has limited parking.
After County Board approval in September, a project is currently underway to replace the upper field at the TJ site with artificial turf. The field is expected to remain closed until mid-2022, but should reopen in time for the fair’s return.
Metroway buses for the Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway (Photo via Arlington County)
A decade ago, when Arlington County was in the midst of planning the Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway for the future Metroway bus rapid transit line, the Route 1 corridor looked a lot different.
Development was still ongoing in the corridor, which encompasses Pentagon City and Crystal City, and Amazon was still years away from selecting the area for its HQ2.
There were just over 17,000 residents in the corridor and nearly three quarters of them lived in rental units, according to 2010 county census data. By 2020, that number had risen by about 15% to 20,000 residents. Renters now occupy 91% of the housing stock, according to county data.
Arlington’s section of the Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway opened in 2016 with the Pentagon City extension aiming for a 2023 opening.
A station for the Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway in 2018 (via Arlington County)
While there have been plenty of bumps along the road, including the continued delay of the Potomac Yard Metro station and low ridership during the pandemic, at least one transportation advocate praises the county for looking ahead.
“To do this later, after the development happens, would have been 20 times harder. 100 times harder,” Chris Slatt, Arlington Transportation Commission chair and founder of Sustainable Mobility for Arlington, told ARLnow. “I really give Arlington a lot of credit.”
In terms of Potomac Yard, Slatt made the point that this was an extremely rare opportunity where urban and transportation planners had the ability to start anew and could try out their best laid plans without dealing with already existing infrastructure.
“Potomac Yard was this kind of special opportunity that we don’t have very often,” said Slatt. “I’m sure there are a lot of other places in Northern Virginia where we can say we’re basically a new neighborhood from scratch.”
Local officials agree, which is why the Metroway is such an exciting project for them.
“For mass transit planners… it is a lot easier to design the infrastructure when you’re starting from scratch rather than trying to retrofit it into a pre-existing system, particularly if you want dedicated [transit] lanes,” said Eric Randall, principal transportation engineer with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG).
Plus, he noted, it’s easier for residents to get in the “frame of mind” to use the mass transit option if it is there initially, as opposed to needing to break their previous habits.
Uncommon Luncheonette in Clarendon is planning to open early next year (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Uncommon Luncheonette in Clarendon is planning to open early next year (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
Uncommon Luncheonette in Clarendon is planning to open early next year (staff photo by Matt Blitz)
A new Clarendon restaurant promises to provide an uncommon dining experience, its owner promises.
“Uncommon Luncheonette” at 1028 N. Garfield Street is planning for a February 2022 opening, owner Joon Yang tells ARLnow.
While a menu and further details are not yet being provided, Yang assured ARLnow that the concept will be one that “no has done before in Clarendon or, even, Arlington.”
Yang is the co-owner of the upscale barbeque restaurant Epic Smokehouse in Pentagon City, which opened in 2012, and the McLean steakhouse American Prime.
Uncommon Luncheonette will be moving into the space formerly occupied by Riverside Hot Pot, which closed in October 2020 and was noted for sending food on a conveyor belt to customers. Prior to that, fast casual Bowl’d was in that location on N. Garfield Street which is around the corner from the always-busy Clarendon Trader Joe’s.
Just last week, Uncommon Luncheonette applied for a permit to serve wine, beer and cocktails. A construction permit was issued for the space in September.
Restaurants on the 1800 block of N. Moore Street (via Google Maps)
An opportunistic thief stole a car that was left parked and unlocked, with the key in the ignition, near the Rosslyn Metro station last night, police say.
It happened around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, on the 1800 block of N. Moore Street. The crime was initially reported as a carjacking, and a description of the vehicle was broadcast to other local police departments, but officers later determined that the car was simply driven off and not taken forcibly.
The driver of the car was reportedly inside a restaurant — the block includes a McDonald’s, Bethesda Bagels, Nando’s Peri-Peri, and Happy Eatery (recently renamed after formerly being called Happy Endings Eatery) — when the theft occurred.
More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
GRAND LARCENY AUTO, 2021-12010223, 1800 block of N. Moore Street. At approximately 9:43 p.m. on December 1, police were dispatched to the report of a stolen vehicle. The investigation determined that at approximately 9:40 p.m., the victim parked his vehicle and left it unlocked with the key in the ignition and entered a restaurant. While inside, a witness observed the suspect enter the vehicle and drive away. The vehicle is described as a 2003 Silver Toyota Matrix XR with Maryland license plate 1DB6405. There is no suspect description. The investigation is ongoing.
People walking near the Amazon HQ2 site in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Woman Struck, Killed on GW Parkway — “A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle on the George Washington Parkway near the Key Bridge early Saturday morning, according to police. Shortly before 3 a.m., U.S. Park Police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the southbound lanes of the GW Parkway south of the Key Bridge.” [WTOP, Patch]
Beyer Blasts ‘Anti-Vax Shutdown Plot’ — “Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents the largest number of federal employees of any member of the U.S. House, today issued the following statement on Republicans’ publicly stated plan to shut down the government in an attempt to block the Administration’s Covid vaccination measures: ‘Republicans’ plan to shut down the government on purpose to sabotage our pandemic response is extraordinarily cynical and dangerous.'” [Rep. Don Beyer]
Arlington Firefighters Get to the Choppa –– “Recently 2 members from the ACFD had the unique opportunity to participate in a rope rescue course with regional law enforcement partners. Come take a ride with one of our members on their flight over the region, just don’t look down if you are afraid of heights.” [Twitter]
It’s Thursday — Following overnight showers, today will be relatively warm. There will be increasing clouds, with a high near 66. Southwest wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Sunrise at 7:09 a.m. and sunset at 4:46 p.m. Tomorrow will be sunny, with a high near 62. [Weather.gov]
ARLnow has received reports of cars entering the Transitway’s bus lanes, often even driving the wrong direction in the lanes, which parallel Crystal Drive for about a mile. It seems to mostly stem from confusion over the roadway configuration.
Mark Stack lives in the Concord Crystal City apartments, directly across from a Transitway bus station at 27th Street S. and Crystal Drive. From the high-rise building he can see cars in the lanes that are intended only for Metroway buses.
“Just today, [there was] one car on the wrong side of the road and two other vehicles traveling down the bus lane,” he told ARLnow. “It’s a daily, hourly occurrence. It’s not like once or twice. It happens pretty often.”
Walking in his neighborhood, Stack has also seen cars entering the lanes near the bus stops located 33rd Street S. and 26th Street S. along Crystal Drive. He’s fearful that drivers going the wrong direction will hit buses head-on or kids bicycling, which he also sees often in the lanes (which, technically, is also not allowed).
“I’m just surprised there’s never been any accidents,” Stack said. “It’s a miracle.”
ARLnow also checked out several of the intersections and Transitway bus stops that Stack spoke about. While no unauthorized vehicles were observed in the lanes at the time, it’s evident confusion could be possible, particularly at night.
There are right and left turn lanes leading directly into the bus lanes, as well as dark red markings that may not be clearly visible at night. There are, however, “do not enter” signs and medians that do prevent mingling of traffic.
Darren Buck, a member of Arlington County’s Transportation Commission, also has seen unauthorized cars going into the dedicated bus lanes. While the danger does concern him, he additionally worries that drivers are intentionally entering them to bypass traffic
“If that’s the case, the success of the Transitway is at risk,” he says, since one of the major selling points of rapid bus transit is that it removes buses from car traffic. “[There] probably needs to be a broader conversation about enforcement in bus-exclusive facilities.”
The county acknowledges that unauthorized vehicles using the bus lanes, intentionally or not, is an ongoing issue that dates back to the Transitway’s opening.
“[Arlington Department of Environmental Services] staff have been made aware of issues with operations on the Crystal City – Potomac Yard Transitway, specifically regarding private vehicles using and misusing the dedicated transit lanes in 2016,” DES spokesperson Nathan Graham wrote in an email to ARLnow. He noted that they have received reports of this happening recently.
In response, transportation staff earlier this year applied red pavement markings to highlight the bus-only lanes at several of the Transitway segments, Graham said, including at 27th Street S. and Potomac Avenue, 33rd Street S. and Crystal Drive, and 26th Street S. and Crystal Drive.
“Moving forward, we will enhance this practice of clearly denoting entry points for bus-only lanes and at areas where there are reports of driver confusion with additional paint and signage, as appropriate,” wrote Graham. “We will also reach out to our colleagues at ACPD to review options for enforcement at these locations.”
All of these are issues that the county will keep in mind as the build-out for the extension to Pentagon City begins next year.
A Connecticut man has been jailed after police say he stole items from two cars and then tried to run from officers.
The arrest happened early Monday morning in the Columbia Forest neighborhood, near Columbia Pike.
Officers initially responded after a man said his car was moved and a man was rummaging through it. The man brandished the gun as the car’s owner approached, according to police.
The suspect allegedly led arriving officers on a brief foot chase before being taken into custody.
WEAPONS VIOLATION, 2021-11290031, S. Frederick Street at 10th Street S. At approximately 3:19 a.m. on November 29, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim had left his parked vehicle running and upon returning, discovered it had been stolen. The victim canvased the area of S. Frederick Street and 10th Street S. and located his vehicle parked and the male suspect rummaging through it. As the victim approached the vehicle, the suspect turned and allegedly brandished a handgun before fleeing the scene on foot. Arriving officers canvased the area and observed the suspect walking in the 900 block of S. Columbus Street. As officers attempted to speak with the suspect, he ran and a brief foot pursuit was initiated before he was taken into custody without incident. During the course of the investigation, a handgun, items belonging to the victim and items from a separate larceny from auto in the 5000 block of 10th Street S. were recovered. [The suspect], 21, of Norwich, Ct., was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny Auto, Brandishing a Firearm, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Larceny from Auto (x2), Vehicle Trespassing (x2). He was held on no bond.
Jerome Bracey hangs an ornament on the tree in the plaza at Westpost, also known as Pentagon Row (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Carbeque on I-395 — A car was engulfed in flames on I-395 near Shirlington Circle last night. Southbound and HOV lanes were blocked as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. Most lanes reopened by 8:30 p.m. [Twitter, Twitter]
YHS Runner Advances to National Meet — “Yorktown High School’s Owen McArdle has qualified to run in a national-championship race. By virtue of finishing fifth in 15:05.49 at the Eastbay South Regional boys championship high-school cross country meet, the senior earned a spot in Eastbay’s boys national meet Dec. 11 in San Diego. The top 10 finishers in region meets earn a berth to race in the nationals. The winning time at the South Region meet was 15:00.31.” [Sun Gazette]
Arlington Records More Opioid Deaths — ” In an already deadly year for overdoses, Arlington County recorded at least two more opioid-related fatalities since the Thanksgiving holiday. Out of the 149 overdoses in the county (as of Nov. 26), 26 of them were deadly, according to the Arlington County opioid incident data. The 2021 numbers have surpassed the total for 2020.” [WUSA 9]
D.C. Area Home Prices Keep Rising — “The median price of single-family homes in the Washington region posted a double-digit year-over-year increase in the third quarter, but its bump up was below that of the nation as a whole. With a median sales price of $548,600 across the D.C. metro region, the area’s single-family home price rose 11.5 percent from the same July-August-September period in 2020, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s December — The first day of December (today) will be warmer than the last days of November. The kickoff of meteorological winter will be mostly sunny, with a high near 52. Sunrise at 7:08 a.m. and sunset at 4:46 p.m. There is a chance of rain between 8 p.m. tonight and 8 a.m. Thursday. Otherwise, Thursday will be partly sunny, with a high near 61, and a southwest wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. [Weather.gov]
Arlington County police are investigating gunshots that were fired in the Westover neighborhood Monday morning.
In a crime report today, ACPD said that residents in the area heard gunshots around 5 a.m. Monday. Bullet holes were later found in the door of a home on the 1100 block of N. Kensington Street, one block from Westover Park.
No one was hurt.
More from the crime report:
MISSILE INTO OCCUPIED DWELLING (late), 2021-11290074, 1100 block of N. Kensington Street. At approximately 9:51 a.m. on November 29, police were dispatched to the late report of suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival, officers located damage to the door of a residential building and recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired into it. The investigation determined that residents heard gunshots at approximately 5:00 a.m. No injuries were reported and there is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.
W&OD Trail crossing near the intersection of S. George Mason Drive and S. Four Mile Run Drive (via Google Maps)
(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) A pedestrian was struck and seriously injured by a driver who then fled the scene last night.
The crash happened near the intersection of S. George Mason Drive and Four Mile Run Drive, just before 8:30 p.m. The road was closed while police investigated.
The W&OD Trail crosses just north of the busy intersection, next to a service road that’s also labeled as S. Four Mile Run Drive.
“At 8:25 p.m. on November 29, police were dispatched to a crash with injuries involving a pedestrian at S. Four Mile Run Dr. and S. George Mason Drive,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, officers located the pedestrian, an adult male, in the roadway. He was transported to an area hospital and remains hospitalized in critical condition.”
“During the preliminary investigation, officers did not locate any witnesses to the crash and there is no description of the striking vehicle,” Savage continued. “The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation. Anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact ACPD’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).”
At 8:25 p.m., police were dispatched to a crash with injuries involving a pedestrian. The pedestrian was transported to an area hospital with critical injuries. The driver of the striking vehicle did not remain on scene. Expect continued police presence in the area. https://t.co/yaPNMtVHV9
(Updatedat at 1:40 p.m.) The Thanksgiving weekend was not much of a holiday for Arlington County police.
In two separate incidents in Rosslyn and Pentagon City, on Thursday and Friday respectively, drunk men allegedly bit and assaulted ACPD officers.
The first incident, just before noon on Thanksgiving, took place on the 1500 block of Wilson Blvd, the same block as the Target store. An intoxicated man who was making threats inside an unspecified business was taken into custody and proceeded to kick and try bite officers, according to police. He also declined to identify himself and police still do not know his name.
On Friday night, police faced off with another intoxicated man, this time in the area of the Pentagon City mall. The 26-year-old Maryland resident allegedly bit and spat at officers after being taken into custody for refusing to leave a closed business.
ASSAULT & BATTERY ON POLICE, 2021-11250093, 1500 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 11:51 a.m. on November 25, an officer on patrol was flagged down by employees of a business for the report of a suspect allegedly making threats. A lookout was broadcast, and, while en route to the call, another officer observed the suspect nearby and detained the visibly intoxicated individual. Employees of the business declined prosecution for the threats and wished to have him banned from the premises; however, the suspect was placed under arrest for being drunk in public. When officers attempted to search the suspect incident to arrest, he actively resisted, kicking an officer and their patrol vehicle. The suspect then attempted to bite an officer multiple times as he wrapped his legs around them and continued to actively resist. Officers attempted to continue to search the suspect on the ground, and he continued to resist by kicking and flailing, striking an officer and causing a laceration. The suspect refused to identify himself and attempts to determine his identity were unsuccessful. John Doe was arrested and charged with Assault and Battery on Law Enforcement (x2), Obstruction of Justice, and Drunk in Public, and held on no bond.
ASSAULT & BATTERY ON POLICE, 2021-11260168, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 10:16 p.m. on November 26, police were dispatched to assist with the removal of an intoxicated individual inside a closed business. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the individual and attempted to have him leave the property. The individual was uncooperative and as the officers attempted to place him into custody, he ran and fell a short distance away. Once in custody, the individual continued to act disorderly and spat at the officers. While being transported to an area hospital for medical clearance prior to booking, he bit an officer’s finger. Upon arrival at booking, he refused to exit the transport vehicle and had to be carried inside. [The suspect], 26, of Landover, MD, was arrested and charged with Assault on Police (x2), Obstruction, Drunk in Public and served with an outstanding warrant out of Fairfax County, VA.
Separately, police said in a crime report today that an intoxicated suspect arrested in Crystal City on Monday evening kicked officers.
ASSAULT & BATTERY, 2021-11290183, 3500 block of S. Ball Street. At approximately 5:00 p.m. on November 29, police were dispatched to the report of a dispute. Upon arrival inside the residential building, officers made contact with the male suspect and attempted to detain him but he began acting disorderly and actively resisted arrest. A brief struggle ensued, during which the suspect was taken into custody; however, he continued to act disorderly and kicked one of the officers. The investigation determined that the female victim was with the suspect when she heard him allegedly make threats to harm her while on the phone with another individual. During the course of the investigation, the suspect provided officers what was later determined to be a false identity. [The suspect], 28, of Forestville, Md., was arrested and charged with Drunk in Public, Threatening Language Over a Phone, Obstruction of Justice, Assault & Battery on Police, and Identity Theft.
