News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Walking in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Mosque Parking Mess Discussed — “The mosque has hired personnel to augment volunteers helping those attending services to find legal parking close by. But the efforts apparently are not enough, as the Green Valley neighborhood is faced with congestion issues during Friday prayer services and the Islamic faith’s holiday periods. One proposal floated over the past few weeks was to provide off-site parking and a shuttle service.” [Gazette Leader]

Firefighters Endorse Challenger for Prosecutor — “Today, the Arlington Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, Local 2800 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, endorsed Josh Katcher for Commonwealth’s Attorney of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church.” [Twitter]

Chamber Alarmed by Court Ruling — “The Chamber is extremely concerned that any municipal and county ordinances approved in virtual public hearings before July 2021 now face legal uncertainty. The Arlington Chamber formed a coalition with other local and regional chambers of commerce and business organizations to express our shared concern to Governor Youngkin and to General Assembly leaders urging them to act to contain the consequences of these rules.” [Arlington Chamber of Commerce, PDF]

New YHS Basketball Coach — “There probably won’t be much transition  time or learning curve needed for the new head boys varsity basketball coach who was announced April 25 at Yorktown High School. Joe Keimig, 36, was hired by the Patriots and brings plenty of experience as a head coach.” [Gazette Leader]

‘Human Library’ Event This Weekend — “Each of us has a story to tell. Why not share that story at the library? Arlington County’s Central Library is hosting a Human Library event on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Human Library aims to create a safe space for dialogue where topics are discussed openly between those who wish to share and those who wish to listen and respectfully engage. Difficult questions are expected, appreciated and answered.” [WUSA 9]

More Offices, Jobs Coming to Ballston — “Jamestown, a design-focused real estate investment and management firm, today announced a wave of new office leasing at Ballston Exchange, a mixed-use retail, dining, and office development in Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood. The three deals, which total nearly 30,000 square feet, will add to the dynamic workplace environment at the property and bring new career opportunities to the neighborhood.” [Press Release]

Detroit-Style Pizzeria Opening Near Arlington — “Jet’s Pizza, a fast-growing purveyor of Detroit-style pies, will open its first Greater Washington location a couple blocks from Potomac Yard in Alexandria. The Sterling Heights, Michigan-based company has inked a lease to replace the shuttered Auburn Cleaners at 6 E. Glebe Road, the company confirmed to the Washington Business Journal. The future store is listed on the Jet’s Pizza website, minus the address, and is expected to open later this year. A specific opening date is not yet available.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Thursday — Cloudy with periods of sun and a chance of light rain. Mild. High of 67 and low of 49. Sunrise at 6:15 am and sunset at 7:56 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Apr 26, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 13370 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Apr 26, 2023.

  1. BREAKING: Climate protesters block GW Parkway
  2. Bagel bummer: Bruegger’s bids Ballston bye-bye
  3. The Arlington Festival of the Arts returns to Clarendon this weekend, with road closures
  4. Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☔ Thursday’s forecast

Cloudy with periods of sun and a chance of light rain. Mild. High of 67 and low of 49. Sunrise at 6:15 am and sunset at 7:56 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Haiku of the Day

Lost in starlit skies
Universe whispers secrets
Timeless cosmic dreams

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Sponsored

Listing of the Day: 1404 N Herndon Street

By ARLnow.com

Address: 1404 N Herndon Street
Neighborhood: Lyon Village
Type: 4 BR, 4 (+1 half) BA single-family detached – 3991 sq. ft.
Listed: $2,575,000

Noteworthy: Stunning Lyon Village Modern Masterpiece.

Stunning modern masterpiece designed and renovated in 2016 by acclaimed Moser Architects, seamlessly blending cutting-edge design with refined comfort. Nestled in sought-after Lyon Village, this home offers a light-filled, open layout that exudes sophistication and warmth. Every detail reflects the vision of the current owner, a talented interior designer who curated the interiors with an elevated sense of style. Upon entry, soaring ceilings, white oak flooring, and Italian lighting by Artemide set the tone for contemporary elegance. The striking dining room features Schumacher wallpaper, custom cabinetry, and Scandinavian lighting by Louis Poulsen, while a stylish home office with built-ins complements the design. Along the hall, a custom mural by NYC’s Calico Wallpaper leads to the mudroom and powder room, accented by Kelly Wearstler Visual Comfort lighting and Scalamandre wallcoverings. The open-concept living area, wrapped in walls of windows, centers around state-of-the-art kitchen by Jack Rosen Custom Kitchens with Canadian Elmwood cabinetry, Dekton countertops, walk-in pantry, butler’s pantry with beverage center, and custom banquette upholstered in Christopher Farr Cloth. Upstairs, the primary suite includes two custom-designed walk-in closets and a luxurious spa-inspired bath with an oversized shower and bench seating. Three additional bedrooms, two full baths—one showcasing a Scandinavian light fixture by &Tradition—and a convenient laundry room complete the upper level. The lower level includes a recreation room with 9-foot ceilings, guest suite, full bath, second laundry, and garage access. Outside, professional landscaping and a private flagstone patio provide a serene retreat just two blocks from Clarendon Metro, shops, and dining.

https://listings.blueskyemedia.com/videos/0199cef4-7c51-7244-a953-e84ce3580c1c

Listed by:
Sheri Grant – TTR Sotheby’s International Realty
[email protected]
(703) 405-1016

Around Town

Makers Union appears to be coming to Amazon HQ2

By Matt Blitz
A look around Metropolitan Park and Amazon HQ2 in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

It appears another new restaurant is coming to Amazon HQ2.

Makers Union has applied for a Virginia ABC permit for a location inside Amazon’s second headquarters at 510 14th Street S. in Pentagon City.

The pub is owned by the local restaurant group Thompson Hospitality, which also operates Matchbox, Big Buns Damn Good Burgers, Wiseguy Pizza, and a number of other local restaurant concepts.

This would be the second location of Makers Union, the first location of which is in Reston. The menu consists of gastropub-styled lunch with more upscale choices for dinner.

ARLnow has reached out to Thompson Hospitality to confirm the opening and other details but has yet to hear back as of publication. Eater reported last year that the company was “in talks with Amazon to put some of its restaurants into HQ2.”

Reston-based Thompson Hospitality launched three decades ago with the purchase of several Bob’s Big Boys. It has since become a nearly billion-dollar company, with most of its restaurants still in the D.C. area. The group has recently added locations in Florida and Ohio, with more expansion potentially on the way.

Locally, it recently opened a couple of new restaurants in McLean.

Over the last year, Amazon has announced a slew of new businesses and restaurants that are coming to the first phase of the company’s second headquarters, dubbed Metropolitan Park.

Many of them are local, including Peruvian Brothers, Good Company Doughnuts, Conde’s Bike Shop, Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream and Taqueria Xochi.

Amazon’s Metropolitan Park office complex is on track to open this summer along with many of the businesses. However, the second phase of the company’s massive Pentagon City presence is currently on “pause.”

Events

The Arlington Festival of the Arts returns to Clarendon this weekend, with road closures

By Matt Blitz
Arlington Festival Of The Arts crowd shot from 2016 (Courtesy Howard Alan Events)

The Arlington Festival of the Arts is back this weekend in Clarendon, bringing with it a number of road closures.

The annual, free outdoor local arts festival is set to take place this Saturday and Sunday, running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The event will occupy about three blocks in Clarendon, running along Washington Blvd from Clarendon Blvd to 10th Street N.

Arlington Festival of the Arts 2023 map (image via Howard Alan Events)

The festival will be a bit smaller this year in terms of street space, the festival director Elaine Laurent told ARLnow.

In previous years, the festival also took over a portion of N. Highland Street, including space in front of Trader Joe’s. That’s not happening this year, Laurent said, noting that overall attendance last year was somewhat lower compared to before the pandemic.

Part of N. Highland Street will still be closed to motor vehicle traffic, though.

The 9th edition of the festival will feature more than one hundred artists “selected by an independent panel of expert judges,” a press release says. Over a fifth of the artists at the festival this year are from around Northern Virginia, Laurent said.

To accommodate the festival, the Arlington County Police Department has announced a number of road closures that will be in effect for most of the weekend.

The following roads will be closed from about 3 a.m. on Saturday through 8 p.m. on Sunday:

  • Westbound Washington Blvd from 10th Street N. to Clarendon Blvd
  • The left lane of eastbound Washington Blvd, from Clarendon Blvd to N. Garfield Street (the right lane will be open to motor vehicle traffic)
  • N. Highland Street, from Clarendon Blvd to Washington Boulevard
  • 11th Street N., from N. Garfield Street to N. Highland Street

Local traffic will be able to access the parking garage for 3100 Clarendon Boulevard from 11th Street N.

Road closures for Arlington Festival of the Arts (image via ACPD)

Additional closures may be implemented “at police discretion in the interest of public safety,” says the traffic alert.

ACPD is encouraging festival goers to use the Metro. Residents should expect to see an “increased police presence” in the area over the weekend, the police department said.

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