Ballston

Ballston’s Metro Station Set to Become Home to Colorful, Motion-Activated Public Art Project

By Alex Koma
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Ballston’s Metro station could soon see a colorful, motion-activated, LED light display as part of a new public art project.

Dubbed “Intersections,” the project is being backed by the Ballston Business Improvement District and is still many months away from completion.

But the BID is picking up steam on the effort, according to documents prepared for the County Board, and it’s designed to “create a dynamic, ever-changing feature that will turn an ordinary subway entrance into a place of surprise, wonder and delight.”

The BID is teaming up with a Dutch “design/art collective” to create the art installation, which will consist of spotlights projecting a variety of different colors onto the canopy stretching over the Metro station’s entrance.

The lights will also come equipped with a “a grid of sensors” to “pick up the activity of the people moving in and out of the Ballston station, making the pedestrians active participants in the work,” according to a description of “Intersections” on the BID’s website.

“Pedestrians have a direct influence, in that their presence under the canopy will effect the spawning of lines that travel over the canopy,” the design team wrote about the project, according to a county staff report. “Where these animated lines intersect one another, they will give life to ‘autonomous artifacts of light.’ Once these artifacts pass a threshold, they will form the basis of a more involved visual effect. Afterwards, the installation will reset to its initial state.”

The BID is funding the project with the help of a collection of Ballston businesses, and it’s one in a series of public art installations the group has commissioned over the years.

In a report to be reviewed by the Board at its meeting Saturday (Feb. 23), the BID says it has yet to receive Metro’s approval for the project, but it expects to win WMATA’s sign-off soon. Once that’s done, it’ll take about 15 months to fully design and construct the installation, likely to be completed sometime in fiscal year 2021.

The BID described these changes as part of its annual funding request to the Board. The business group is funded by a property tax in Ballston, and the BID is asking the Board to hold the tax rate steady this year to maintain its existing operations.

Board members agreed to a small rate hike last year to account for a dip in property values in the area, and the BID argues that it still needs the extra cash. The Board will begin its full round of budget deliberations in earnest Saturday, in what could be a challenging year.

Jewelry and Accessory Shop Fornash Set to Return to Ballston Quarter This Spring

By Alex Koma

The jewelry and accessory shop Fornash is now set to re-open in the Ballston Quarter development, after the mall’s redevelopment forced the store to move elsewhere years ago.

Signs posted at a Ballston Quarter storefront indicate that the shop is set to open sometime in spring 2019.

County permit records show that Fornash applied for building permits last spring. It will be located behind the CVS and Punch Bowl Social, in the outdoor section of the mall’s first level.

The store, founded by Stephanie Fornash Kennedy, got its start in Georgetown back in 2002. But Kennedy moved the shop to the old Ballston Common mall in 2012.

Fornash was forced to move out, however, in 2016 as developer Forest City began its extensive rehab work on the mall.

The store joins other businesses like Chick-fil-A, Curious Kids Toys and Refresh Therapeutic Massage in returning to Ballston Quarter now that shops are beginning to open in the development once more.

Fornash offers everything from bracelets, necklaces and earrings to gloves and handbags.

New Curb Extension Blocks Off Right-Turn Lane in Ballston, Prompting Headaches for Drivers

By Alex Koma
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Ballston’s bevy of construction projects has led to another headache for drivers near Wilson Blvd.

Workers recently wrapped up some work on sidewalks at the intersection of N. Randolph Street and Wilson Blvd, near a trio of large construction projects: Ballston Quarter, Ballston Exchange and Liberty Center. That included the installation of a new curb extension designed to make life a bit easier on pedestrians, who were previously a bit baffled by construction at the intersection.

But the downside of that sidewalk work is that the newly finished curb blocks off most of N. Randolph Street’s right-turn lane. The road frequently gets backed up, particularly during the evening rush hour, creating crowded conditions on the side street.

County officials say they’re aware of the problem and are hoping to fix it, but the wet weather has made that a bit of a challenge.

“The curb extension was constructed and [lane] re-striping usually follows,” Jessica Baxter, a spokeswoman for the county’s Department of Environmental Services, told ARLnow. “This is weather-dependent and requires that no moisture be on the pavement.”

Baxter says that work is now set to take place next Saturday (Feb. 23).

In the meantime, she said the developer managing the project has placed traffic cones in the lane to make it clear that drivers can’t use the lane.

“The right lane will go away while the next lane over will become either a thru lane or right turn lane,” Baxter said.

Plans to Add Temporary Hotel Rooms at Ballston, Columbia Pike Developments Move Ahead

By Alex Koma
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County officials are clearing the way for WhyHotel proceed with its plans to set up temporary hotel rooms in two Arlington apartment buildings: one in Ballston, the other along Columbia Pike.

The startup announced in December that it hopes to bring a total of 325 of its pop-up hotel rooms to the county this year, splitting them between the residential tower attached to the Ballston Quarter development and the “Centro Arlington” project, which is taking the place of the old Food Star grocery store off the Pike.

Since then, the company has been working to secure county approvals for its unusual business model. WhyHotel strikes deals with owners of large new residential buildings to rent out blocks of furnished apartments, helping property owners make some extra cash while they work to find more permanent tenants. The firm also brings along a full on-call staff to handle cleaning and other guest needs to each property, providing customers with a bit more than a simple hotel might offer.

The County Board approved the zoning changes necessary for the company to set up its Ballston Quarter rooms on Jan. 26, and the Planning Commission voted unanimously Wednesday night to recommend that the Board do the same for the Centro Arlington development.

WhyHotel expects to have 175 rooms ready in Ballston by April, with the remaining 150 on the Pike available sometime this summer or fall.

In both cases, the company will have the county’s permission to offer the temporary rooms for the next two years. But WhyHotel executives expect they’ll need much less than that, given the demand for new apartments in Arlington these days.

CEO Jason Fudin told the Planning Commission that the company’s first effort at “The Bartlett” complex in Pentagon City lasted just five months before the building was fully leased out.

“We leave pretty quickly when things go well in Arlington,” Fudin said.

Planning Commissioner Stephen Hughes says the company’s deference to long-term renters eased his mind in considering WhyHotel’s business model. He pointed out that “long-term leaseholders take precedence” in the company’s arrangements with Arlington property owners, which is why WhyHotel tends not to stick around for too long.

“Neighbors, of course, hope to have long-term neighbors,” Hughes said.

But that hesitancy doesn’t mean that county officials are opposed to the idea of short-term guests on the Pike. In fact, Hughes hopes WhyHotel’s stay in Centro Arlington spurs more conversations in the business community about the viability of other hotels in the area.

“The data will now be there for the bankers and investors to see whether a current, flat service parking lot may be a suitable hotel in the future,” Hughes said.

Workers Will Install Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge This Weekend, Prompting Road Closures

By Alex Koma
1/5

Workers are installing a new and improved pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd in Ballston this weekend, but that will mean some major road closures.

The new bridge is designed to connect the newly revamped Ballston Quarter with the neighborhood’s Metro station, with a link through the Ballston Exchange development at 4201 Wilson Blvd.

Ballston Quarter’s developer, Forest City, originally hoped to have the bridge ready in time for stores at the former Ballston Common mall to start opening up late last year. But the project ran into a few logistical delays, before ramping up in earnest in December.

Workers have been busily been assembling the bridge in Mosaic Park for the last few months, and they’ll now use a series of cranes to transport the 94-ton bridge to its permanent home over Wilson with road closures starting today (Friday).

County police say they’ll start by closing N. Quincy Street, between Wilson Boulevard and 5th Road N., in both directions at 2 p.m. today.

Then, starting at 7 p.m. tonight and running through noon Saturday, they’ll close the following:

  • Wilson Boulevard, between N. Oakland Street and N. Stuart Street
  • N. Randolph Street, between 9th Street N. and 5th Road N.
  • N. Quincy Street, between 9th Street N. and 5th Road N.
  • N. Pollard Street, between 9th Street N. and 6th Street N.
  • N. Piedmont Street, between Wilson Boulevard and 7th Street N.

Police say that people living along those roads will be able to enter and exit, but only at the direction of officers.

But the bulk of the work will happen from noon Saturday through 6 p.m. Sunday while the bridge is actually installed. That means Wilson Boulevard will be entirely closed between N. Randolph Street and N. Stuart Street.

Police are also encouraging drivers to use N. Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive as alternate routes to avoid Wilson Boulevard this weekend. Street parking in the area will also be restricted and drivers should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs.

Photo 1 via @btj, photo 4 via @ArlingtonDES

The Rise of Coworking in Today’s Workplace

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Since people have been working in offices, there have been trailblazers searching for different ways to structure the workplace.

Well, maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but it’s undoubtedly true that innovators are always looking for different ways to engage with their environments. Naturally, that extends to the work environment. Enter coworking, stage right!

In a nutshell, coworking is the practice of shared workspaces. Multiple unrelated companies work in the same building, often utilizing the operator’s administrative and amenity functions. In today’s modern and ever-changing office world, the fastest growing alternative to a traditional office space is a coworking space.

So, where do coworking spaces fit into the tradition of office spaces? The way people work and want to work has changed over the years with the increased capabilities of technology as well as the way people want to work. In order to attract top talent and younger demographics, many companies are ditching traditional spaces in favor of the more flexible coworking model.

The coworking industry has become a global phenomenon. Around 2008-2010, more operators joined the market, but in recent years the industry has just exploded. According to Emergent Research, over 1000 new coworking spaces opened in the second half of 2018 — almost half of which are located in the U.S.

TechSpace, one of the first operators in the coworking space industry, was established in 1997 and opened in the Ballston area in June 2018.

Typically, new or growing companies don’t have the funds (or the desire) to start in traditional spaces, but they also don’t know where their company will be in one year, let alone five. Two to five-year terms are standard minimums for traditional offices.

Most start-ups don’t want to tie up their capital with office leases — they like the flexibility of shorter terms provided by coworking spaces, as they can easily accommodate growth and change. However, large enterprise companies are now housing divisions of their companies at coworking spaces.

Coworking isn’t just for large companies or start-ups, though. What other uses can coworking spaces provide? Many coworking spaces, including TechSpace, provide on-demand conference rooms for members and non-members. For those who are working at home but need to meet clients in a professional environment, coworking spaces are ideal.

At TechSpace, you can book by the hour for a variety of size meeting spaces. TechSpace also offers virtual services, such as mailing addresses and business phone numbers, and call answering by a professional receptionist.

Many people ask what kinds of companies are best served by coworking spaces? The answer is many industries are actually well-suited to work in coworking spaces. Since opening in June 2018 at our newest Ballston location at 4075 Wilson Boulevard, we’ve experienced a rapid influx of businesses that have ties to the federal government, but also see a lot of growing tech companies. It’s interesting to note that despite the different sectors in which they operate, all businesses have become reliant on a superior technology infrastructure like the one TechSpace provides.

Our Ballston location has experienced rapid growth and has quickly leased up in less than one year. “This is a very obvious indicator that businesses in this market were starved for flexible, short-term office space,” said Brendan McGee, VP at TechSpace. “In addition to our rapid growth, it has been wonderful to see how warmly TechSpace has been embraced by local businesses in the Ballston community.

In our first year alone we’ve established great relationships with Taste of Arlington and ARLnow. It was also a great omen for us when on our Grand Opening night, the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup!” (We’re neighbors — their practice facility is just down the street)

So — is coworking the right path for your start-up or company? Learn more about why TechSpace’s coworking offices can be the right fit for your business!

Firefighters Extinguish Overnight Blaze at Home Near Ballston

By Alex Koma
1/3

Arlington firefighters extinguished a blaze at a home under construction in a neighborhood near Ballston early this morning.

First responders were called to the 4600 block of 13th Street N., in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood, around 1 a.m. today (Tuesday).

The fire broke out the basement of a two-story house that was currently being worked on, according to the county fire department’s Twitter account. The flames and smoke were so heavy that firefighters had to battle much of the inferno from outside the home.

No one was inside the home when the fire started and no injuries were reported. Fire marshals are still investigating what sparked the blaze.

Photo 1 via @ArlingtonVaFD Instagram, photos 2 and 3 via @ArlingtonVaFD Twitter

New Nail Salon On the Way for Ballston Quarter

By Alex Koma

A nail spa is now on the way for the Ballston Quarter development.

Allure Nails Spa will soon open its doors in the former Ballston Common mall, according to signs posted at the development and a listing on its website.

The salon will sit next to the mall’s Chick-fil-A, which opened late last year, on the development’s first level. It’s also located across from the Curious Kids toy store.

There’s no exact date listed for the shop’s opening just yet — like many of the other stores at the mall, it’s listed as “coming soon.”

Still, several shops in Ballston Quarter have begun opening to customers over the last few months, though much of the development remains a work in progress.

A newly revamped food court will open later this month, according to signs posted around the mall.

The nail spa is also set to open a location in Reston in the coming years, though that development has gone through a few changes recently.

Marymount Buys Ballston Apartment Building, Converting It to Housing for Students and Staff

By Alex Koma
1/6

Marymount University is buying a Ballston apartment complex adjacent to one of its other office buildings in the area, with plans to convert the space into upscale housing for its students and staff.

The university announced today (Friday) that it’s spending $95 million to acquire “The Rixey,” located at 1008 N. Glebe Road. The building opened in October 2017, with a total of 267 apartments in the 15-floor structure.

The Rixey is located right next to the university’s Ballston Center at 1000 N. Glebe Road, which is home to several of Marymount’s undergraduate and graduate programs (in addition to a cafeteria and a Starbucks). By buying up the apartment building, the university hopes to provide “apartment-style city living” for undergrad students in addition to its on-campus residence halls, and also offer “significant housing options to Marymount University’s veterans, families, graduate and international students,” according to a news release.

“This new acquisition further cements Marymount as an anchor of the Arlington community,” Marymount staff wrote. “This multimillion-dollar facility provides walking-distance access to Marymount graduate programs at Ballston Center, shuttles to Marymount campuses and Metro access, making the building an accessible living-learning community.”

Amenities at the building also include “an expansive fitness center with Peloton bikes and a yoga room, a bike repair station, a rooftop clubroom with views of D.C. and a lounge with cabanas and TVs,” the release said.

A spokeswoman for the university did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether anyone is currently renting an apartment in the building, or what might become of current renters following this acquisition.

The university added in the release that it managed the acquisition with a combination of state funds and private financing.

Marymount also maintains space at 4040 Fairfax Drive in Ballston, in addition to its main campus at 2807 N. Glebe Road.

Philz Coffee Opens Its Doors in Ballston

By Alex Koma

Philz Coffee has now opened its doors in Ballston, marking the chain’s first expansion into Virginia.

The coffee shop opened this week in the new Ballston Exchange development, located at 4121 Wilson Blvd.

Philz joins Cava and Shake Shack as another popular chain to open a location in the development, once known as “Stafford Place” before the National Science Foundation moved out of the neighborhood and kicked off a slew of changes to the two adjacent buildings on Wilson Blvd.

The coworking space Industrious also recently set up shop in the development.

Other stores on the way for Ballston Exchange include a We The Pizza, the new Bearded Goat barbershop and the health-food focused eatery Dirt.

Philz now boasts five locations across the D.C. metro area.

Dynamic Group Circuit Training Studio, F45, Opens in Ballston

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The fast-growing F45 chain of high-intensity circuit-training studios has arrived in Ballston, near Virginia Square.

F45’s concept of “personal training in a group format,” according to owner Zac Wall, has been proven around the world since its inception in Australia in 2012.

The “F” in F45 stands for “functional training,” while the “45” indicates how many minutes there are in a session. Instead of repetitive exercises that don’t reflect normal motion — think Olympic lifts — functional training puts you through a full-body workout that mimics real-world movements.

The result is not only increased strength and tone but also endurance, balance, posture and agility.

F45’s certified personal trainers are hired for their technical knowledge, but just as important are their abilities to motivate clients and keep up the dynamic pace on the gym floor.

And what a floor! Since the workouts change daily, Wall says there can be as few as nine workout stations — each with its own targeted exercise — and up to 27 stations in a given session.

One of F45’s most popular programs is the Eight Week Challenge that assigns three days to cardio fitness and three days to strength exercises. Saturday’s hour-long “hybrid sessions” ratchet up what Wall calls “the fun factor” by adding a DJ playing up-tempo music through a nightclub-style sound system.

As fun as it is, says Wall, “when you leave, you feel it everywhere in your body, but it’s an awesome feeling.”

Clients workout using battle ropes, weighted sleds, barbells, kettlebells, dead balls, rowing machines, TRX straps and others, all in the same 45 minutes.

For information about F45 in Arlington, visit our website. The studio is located at 3865 Wilson Blvd. Email us at [email protected] or call 703-829-5093.

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