The aftermath of a fire at the Ballston IHOP restaurant.
(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) Firefighters extinguished a blaze at the Ballston IHOP restaurant early this morning (Wednesday).
The fire started around 2 a.m. at the eatery, located at 935 N. Stafford Street. No one was hurt as a result of the blaze, which crews were able to put out within half an hour of arriving on scene.
The fire marshal’s office is still investigating what started the fire, but smoke initially was seen coming from the roof of the restaurant.
The restaurant was closed as of 3 p.m. today and fire department investigators were still on scene. No one answered IHOP’s phone line Wednesday morning.
Photos from the scene at the 900blk of N. Stafford St. Fire has been located by crews and is currently being extinguished. Fairfax Drive is shut down at N. Stafford St. Stay clear of the area. pic.twitter.com/uaMCzxYcrD
Fire has been extinguished. Units are checking the restaurant and attic for hotspots. No injuries to civilians or firefighters. Units are remaining on scene for clean up. pic.twitter.com/bC86XzDzA5
A new upscale barbershop is on the way for Ballston next year.
Scott Parker, the co-founder of a bevy of businesses throughout Arlington, announced in a Facebook post yesterday (Monday) that he plans to help open “Bearded Goat Barber” in early 2019. He said he hopes the Bearded Goat will be a “premier barbershop specializing in tailored haircuts, hot lather shaves and sculpted beard trims.”
Parker subsequently told ARLnow that the barbershop will be located at 4201 Wilson Blvd, as part of the Ballston Exchange development, the former home of the National Science Foundation.
“We’re really excited to be among all the awesome new tenants that are coming into that project like Shake Shack, Cava, and Philz Coffee, among others,” Parker said.
Parker himself has previously focused primarily on the restaurant business, backing bars like A-Town in Ballston, the G.O.A.T. and Don Tito in Clarendon and Barley Mac in Rosslyn. He’s also recently helped start a new boxing gym, Bash Boxing, with locations set for Rosslyn and Ballston.
But Parker said that he plans to team up with a pair of barbers, Eric Renfro and Jon Dodson, on this latest venture. They previously worked at the Hendricks Barbershop, another high-end barber that opened in Clarendon in 2016.
“Jon and Eric decided to start their own shop, and asked me to be a part of it,” Parker said. “They’re super talented guys with almost 20 years of combined experience in barbering. For them it was a chance to finally realize their dream, and, for me, a great opportunity to work with two very passionate, accomplished people.”
A rendering showing the location of Ballston Quarter’s outdoor plaza (via Arlington County)
A rendering of media screens proposed for Ballston Quarter’s plaza (via Arlington County)
Ballston Quarter is now set to feature a full complement of restaurants with outdoor patios in the new development’s plaza, despite some reticence from Arlington planning staff.
The newly renovated Ballston Common mall now has the county’s go-ahead to welcome six restaurants with outdoor seating areas to its west plaza, along Wilson Blvd, after the County Board unanimously approved some permit changes at a meeting last Tuesday (Sept. 25).
The following restaurants will now be able to welcome outdoor diners to the plaza:
The decision to allow the full range of patios, however, ran counter to the recommendation of county staff. They raised concerns that one set of outdoor seating, located to the left of plaza when seen from Wilson Blvd, would be particularly disruptive to people walking through the development.
“It’s essentially a further privatization of the public space in the public plaza,” Adam Watson, a staffer in the county’s planning division, told the Board. “It obstructs public access and circulation.”
Evan Pritchard, an attorney for Ballston Quarter developer Forest City, argued that the full range of outdoor seating is a “key ingredient of the plaza area” and dismissed concerns that it would somehow impede the flow of pedestrians through the development.
“Most people heading to Ballston Quarter will never encounter the plaza unless they want to,” Pritchard said, pointing out that most visitors will access the development either via a pedestrian bridge connecting to the area’s Metro station or through the mall’s entrances on Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road.
The plaza itself is designed for outdoor events, and will connect to the development’s new “food hall,” Pritchard added.
Board members were persuaded by that line of thinking, with John Vihstadt observing that “the plaza is a destination, not a conduit.”
“A destination is most attractive when it’s busy and energized, not empty and desolate,” Vihstadt said.
County staff compared Ballston Quarter’s plaza to Rosslyn’s Central Place, just across from the area’s Metro station, which is a heavily trafficked open space between several large skyscrapers. But Board member Erik Gutshall didn’t view that as an apt comparison, arguing that the plaza is “not a streetscape where we’re trying to manage competing needs” as it won’t sit on Wilson Blvd itself.
“I have confidence that Forest City will be able to manage this place to everyone’s benefit,” Gutshall said.
The Board also laid the groundwork for approving another change to the plaza sought by the developer: the addition of two large LED “media screens” above the plaza.
Forest City initially planned to withdraw its request for a permit for the screens, after Pritchard discovered that they might be a bit too far off the ground to meet the county’s zoning rules. Instead, the Board pushed off consideration of the matter until December, giving members time to tweak the ordinance and allow the new screens to move forward.
Ballston Quarter is currently slated to open in late October, after a brief delay, though Forest City expects its restaurants and retailers to open on a rolling basis over the coming months.
Arlington Holds Disaster Drill for Cyclists — “On Saturday BikeArlington and the Office of Emergency Management held the county’s first Disaster Relief Trial, modeled after such events in Oregon, Washington, and California… 70 registered families, teams, and individual bikers traveled throughout Arlington, stopping at four checkpoints and completing eight challenges.” [Local DVM]
Marymount Launches Internship Fund — “Marymount University has announced plans to financially support students who intern at non-profit organizations that do not have the resources to pay them. The new ‘Sister Majella Berg Internship Fund’ is a way to solidify partnerships between the university and local safety-net organizations, new Marymount University president Irma Becerra said.” [InsideNova]
AT&T Donates $30K to Local Nonprofit — “Bridges to Independence announced today a new contribution from AT&T. A private, nonprofit organization, Bridges is dedicated to serving families experiencing homelessness in the City of Alexandria and Arlington County, VA. AT&T’s support will directly benefit Bridges’ mission by expanding the organization’s Youth Development Program which serves children experiencing homelessness.” [Press Release]
Ballston Apartment Building Sold — “The Chevy Chase Land Company… announced today the $90 million acquisition of 672 Flats, a 173-Unit Class A apartment building in the heart of Ballston.” [Press Release]
A bar encouraging patrons to grab a glass of wine and a paintbrush could soon be on the way for Ballston’s biggest new development.
A new Muse Paintbar location seems set to be included in Ballston Quarter, according to new county permit applications. The bar’s listed address is on the first floor of 4238 Wilson Blvd, just down the block from the CVS pharmacy.
Spokespeople for both Muse and Ballston Quarter’s developer, Forest City, did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
Muse dubs itself as “the premier paint and wine experience” on its website, offering events and private parties to help people learn how to paint while sipping on their adult beverage of choice. The chain has several locations around Northern Virginia, including ones in Falls Church, Woodbridge and Gainesville.
Yet the bar’s opening could be a ways off — Muse only applied for a permit at the site on Wednesday (Sept. 26), with several rounds of review by county inspectors still on tap. The bar also has yet to apply for a permit to serve alcohol at the location, state records show.
Ballston Quarter itself is set to open to patrons by the end of October, though Forest City has long said that the restaurants and businesses inside the new-look Ballston Common mall will open on a rolling basis over the next few months.
It was the biggest sandwich-related news to hit the D.C. area since Wawa announced it’s coming to town: on Friday we learned that Taylor Gourmet was closing and preparing to file for bankruptcy liquidation.
Washingtonian first reported the news of the submarine sandwich shop — or, in Philly-inspired Taylor Gourmet parlance, hoagie shop — going under, prompting a wave of social media-expressed shock. The final hoagies were served over the weekend.
Today, Taylor’s Ballston location at 4000 Wilson Blvd was dark, with a hand-written sign saying simply “close.” Bags of bread sat on a table near the door. Phones for the D.C.-based chain’s other two Arlington locations, in Crystal City and at Reagan National Airport, went unanswered.
The only bit of good news to come out of the closures: CAVA and numerous other restaurants said they would be seeking to hire Taylor’s now-jobless employees.
Pentagon Declares War on Scooters — “The Pentagon hates your little scooters, too. In fact, DoD would like you and your ride-sharing company to know that if you leave your rental scooters or shared-bicycles anywhere on Pentagon property, they will be impounded, right quick.” [Defense One]
ACPD Ticketing Bike Lane Blockers — Arlington County police have been ticketing delivery truck drivers who block protected bike lanes — including the new bike lanes on N. Quincy Street in Ballston — as part of an “enforcement and education” effort. [Twitter]
Ballston Farmers Market to Extend Season — “Arlington County Board members on Sept. 22 are expected to vote to permit the Ballston Farmers’ Market to operate through the end of November each year, an extension of one month from earlier years.” [InsideNova]
Stuck Window Washer Rescues Self — A large fire department response to a report of a window washer trapped outside the sixth floor of a high-rise building in Rosslyn turned out to be for naught; the worker was able to “self-extricate” before the technical rescue team arrived. [Twitter]
Reminder: Free ART Bus Rides Today — “In celebration of ART’s 20th Anniversary, we’re letting everyone ride ART for free on Thursday, September 20! It’s our way of saying thank you to our loyal customers for riding ART and also an invitation for those who have never been on ART to give it a try.” [Arlington Transit]
Ballston Quarter’s Wilson Blvd entrance under construction
Ballston Quarter construction from Wilson Blvd
Ballston Quarter’s residential and office space.
Courtesy photo
Ballston Quarter rendering (courtesy photo)
The developer behind Ballston Quarter is now promising a grand opening late next month, a minor departure from the September date originally targeted for the revamped Ballston Common Mall to begin welcoming customers once more.
Forest City is now targeting Oct. 25 for the development to open its doors “barring any unforeseen delays,” Forest City Regional Director of Marketing Jill Fredrick told ARLnow, via a PR rep. The bevy of restaurants and retailers set to call Ballston Quarter home won’t open all at once, but on a “rolling basis” over the next nine months, Fredrick added.
The overhauled mall has been in the works for years now, as Forest City has sought to refresh the aging structure with a mix of retail, office and residential space. But the exact timetable for its completion has been difficult to pin down, with the developer reporting some construction delays to county officials over the past few months.
“You’ve got to look at the magnitude of this project — it only slipped a month,” said Ballston Business Improvement District CEO Tina Leone. “Of course, we would’ve loved to have had a huge grand opening, but at least they’re opening.”
Leone and county leaders alike view the development as a critical one as Ballston continues to become an ever-more-urban section of Arlington — as she puts it, it will help transform Wilson Blvd into a “truly a retail street” and the neighborhood as a whole into “an 18-hour community.”
Yet the massive amount of construction required for the project, running in tandem with a host of other major Ballston developments, has snarled traffic in the area and forced visitors to the businesses that have remained open in the mall to wind through a confusing maze of scaffolding and tarps. Accordingly, Leone is quite anxious to see things start to wrap up on the site.
“There will be a critical mass of things starting to open in the fall, and then by the spring, end of the second quarter, it’s going to be up and rolling,” Leone said.
By the Oct. 25 opening, Fredrick expects that the mall’s “public areas will be fully open and accessible to the public, including vertical transportation elements like the escalators and elevators.” Leone says that will include clear ground-floor entrances along both Wilson and N. Glebe Road, as well as some big improvements to the mall’s parking garage.
“The elevator banks are going to match up with the floors in Ballston Quarter, instead of having to go up and down the stairs, and there will be more escalators,” Leone said. “It’s going to be more open, so you can actually see where you’re going and where the parking garage is. The connectivity is going to be much better. It couldn’t have gotten much worse, right?”
She added that sidewalks along Wilson will also be wider for people walking to the mall by the time it opens, which will help the development accommodate outdoor seating for a variety of its restaurants. The County Board is set to give the go-ahead for the new patios to open next week, when it could grant permits to establishments including Compass Coffee, South Block, Ted’s Bulletin, True Food Kitchen, Union Kitchen and Bartaco.
Leone also noted that the CVS pharmacy, which has remained open during the construction, will be accessible from both the Glebe and Wilson sides of the mall. And for fast food fans, she fully expects that the reopened Chick-fil-A will start serving customers by the time development opens.
Inside the mall itself, Leone hopes that the “wayfinding is going to be very, very clear” to help shoppers navigate the new space. Fredrick says construction will be ongoing even after the development opens, but she expects it will be “limited to the interior of tenants’ space and will not interfere with overall public access.”
Crucially, Leone says the new “plaza” at the center of the development should be open by the time fall rolls around, and she hopes to start working with Forest City to schedule activities and events in the space through the winter and spring.
One feature the area will be missing, however, is are the “large media screens” the developer originally proposed for the plaza. Attorney Evan Pritchard says the developer had hoped installing two LED screens there would “be an interactive and fun element to help activate the plaza,” but has since determined that they might not be allowed under county zoning rules.
Forest City is asking the Board to drop its request for the screens at its meeting Saturday (Sept. 22), though Pritchard expects to pursue a change to the county’s zoning ordinance to allow them in the future.
“We hope to have Board support on that,” he said.
With or without the screens, Leone hopes the plaza will be a natural “entrance into the market area,” a 25,000-square-foot food court home to 18 restaurants. She expects that will open by November, as will Punch Bowl Social, a bar offering a bevy of games and entertainment options.
As for the rest of the offerings at Ballston Quarter, Leone hopes to see everything open by spring 2019. But half the battle will be the mall finalizing tenants for its remaining open space — Fredrick said three quarters of the development is already leased, with “additional deals in the works.”
“It’s just a matter of getting everyone into their spaces,” Leone said.
Another Chase Branch Coming to Arlington — Following its purchase of the former Walgreens in Clarendon, JPMorgan Chase is now planning a second bank branch in Arlington. The new branch will reportedly be located at the northwest corner of N. Randolph Street and Wilson Boulevard in Ballston. [Washington Business Journal]
Preservationists Eye Local Log Cabin — “A retired florist, Cal Marcey is worried over possible destruction of one of Arlington’s remaining log cabins, to which his ancestors have ties. A new owner has purchased the early-19th century Birchwood cabin at N. Wakefield and 26th sts., and the plans — renovation versus teardown — are unclear.” [Falls Church News-Press]
Record Round for Arlington Startup — “Arlington safety and security startup LiveSafe Inc. has raised $11.1 million in fresh funding, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. It’s the company’s largest round so far and puts its total funding at about $25 million, according to a review of previous SEC filings. LiveSafe did not respond to requests for comment.” [Washington Business Journal]
Business Group Wants Better Bus Service — “A group of chief executives from the greater Washington region says deficiencies in bus service are holding back growth in the region. The region’s bus network possesses valuable assets, including more than 3,800 buses and a growing system of limited-stop service and bus rapid transit lines, but the region hasn’t fully leveraged the potential of the network to help solve its transportation challenges.” [Washington Post, Greater Greater Washington]
TechSpace provides elegant, private office space environments that allow businesses to create their own cultures and identities while leveraging communal experiences to enhance the well-being of employees.
“Our goal has always been to provide this type of office space solution to companies with multiple employees from any industry,” said Vic Memenas, CEO at TechSpace. “Our spaces are populated with companies from tech, media, finance, healthcare, fashion, government and run the gamut from start-ups to local & regional firms to national, enterprise corporate users. Businesses come to TechSpace for ease of use, flexibility and a great customer experience, which is inherent to our TechSpace DNA.”
When building out new campuses, the goal is to never design and deliver “cookie-cutter” spaces. TechSpace feels differentiation is important in order to capture the local goodness of each location and geographic region.
This started by providing great space aimed at solving the real estate leasing problem for small businesses but has evolved by adding specific design nuances, whether they be uniquely sized offices and suites along with an increased focus on certain types of amenities that augment the experience for each user.
“Having more open and collaborative designs blended with a focus on hospitality and flexible workspace configurations, combined with shorter terms, increased flexibility and the simplification of burdensome leases better align with today’s market demands,” said Memenas.
Each TechSpace location is unique unto itself with a distinct design, but every location provides companies their own branded and dedicated space, a technology platform that delivers secure user connectivity for maximum productivity all delivered by TechSpace team members focused on providing the best service to our customers.
Memenas said, “Our D.C. location is a great example of this as our spaces there are designed for companies seeking privacy and security — which are critical components for companies who do business in this market.” View a 360 degree tour of the campus.
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.
(Updated at 2:10p.m.)Republik Coffee Bar was founded out of frustration.
Elan Irving, director of operations for Republik Coffee Bar, said when the founders of the coffee bar were looking a premium coffee options in the area, they were underwhelmed.
“We were looking for a place to enjoy premium coffee served in an inviting environment staffed by friendly baristas with a pleasant ambiance,” said Irving. “Surprisingly, there are very few places that embody all of these qualities, so we decided to provide such space for like minded coffee lovers.”
Irving said the largest challenge that faced the burgeoning company initially was finding a price balance.
“One of the challenges is to keep prices low without sacrificing on the quality of the product as well as keeping a staff of highly qualified baristas,” said Irving. “We were always in pursuit of better coffee, better brewing methods, and very competitive prices. We don’t believe in charging $5 for a six-ounce cappuccino.”
Since launching, Republik Coffee Bar has started an aggressive expansion campaign. Less than one year since its Ballston location opened, Republik has started a second franchise coffee bar in McLean. In six months, Republik plans to open two more locations inside D.C. and eventually another in Fairfax.
“If you are afraid of taking calculated risks, you shouldn’t be in business of investing in new businesses,” said Irving. “This is also true in our business. We are very confident in our concept and very happy to see the response we received in Ballston. This has encouraged us to expand into other locations.”
For now, Republik Coffee Bar is local, but the chain has much larger ambitions if the continued regional launches go well.
“Our short term goals are establish our brand into a very respectable local brand in the D.C. metro area,” Irving said. “If we are successful in achieving this, we will continue to expand regionally and then one day, nationally.”
