Clarendon

The Long Goodbye for the Defense Intelligence Agency

By ARLnow.com

The Defense Intelligence Agency is leaving its Clarendon offices for a leafy, techie office park in Reston.

The Washington Business Journal reports that DIA plans to start moving employees to the new offices in 2012, and plans to complete the move by May 2013. DIA offices at the Pentagon will also be moved to Reston, WBJ reports.

DIA has been looking for a new lease for awhile now, but Arlington properties were reportedly not in the running.

The agency’s current offices are located at 3100 Clarendon Boulevard, above several Clarendon nightspots including SoBe Bar & Bistro, Mister Days Sports Rock Cafe and the future Mad Rose Tavern.

The squad of private security guards who keep a close watch on the building’s entrances will likely move with the DIA offices, which should make the area a bit more hospitable.

Flickr photo by wfyurasko

New Eatery: Ganges Grill and Ice Cream

By ARLnow.com

The Quiznos that used to quietly do business on the ground floor of the Reserve at Clarendon Center building (3000 North Washington Boulevard) is no more, replaced by a homegrown eatery: Ganges Grill and Ice Cream.

The store has a decent selection of sandwiches, salads and ice cream. A sign out front suggested there would be burgers — maybe they’re still working on that, because it wasn’t on the menu. There were, however, hot dogs.

Ganges just opened so some initial kinks are to be expected. But on a visit this afternoon there were actually a few too many issues for comfort.

The store lacked napkins. The lighted menu boxes on the back wall were still bare, displaying only fluorescent tubes. The paper menus were littered with barely-decipherable misspellings. The server behind the counter was friendly but spoke little English, resulting in an order getting messed up. The hot dog bun was freezer-burned. And the total charge was determined with a calculator Scotch-taped to the front of a new-looking cash register.

The biggest bright spot was the ice cream, which was pretty tasty.

It’s always good to see homegrown businesses run by hard-working entrepreneurs supplant chains, so let’s hope Ganges can get their act together soon.

More photos, after the jump.

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Meet the New Clarendon Grill

By ARLnow.com

As soon as next weekend, Clarendon Grill will reopen after nearly two months of renovations. Walking through the doors, the long-time C-Grill fans will see a space both familiar and completely different at the same time.

Nearly every surface in the bar has been changed, says owner Peter Pflug. From the long cast-in-place concrete bar to the large-tiled bathrooms to the new dance floor, what was once old and beat up and is now clean and new. That old Clarendon Grill musk, from 14 straight years of eating, drinking, smoking and dancing since the last renovation, has been replaced with the smell of fresh lacquer.

“We’re excited that people, given the state of the place before, will say ‘wow’ when they see us again,” Pflug said.

The biggest change is probably the bar. It’s now longer and more open, which should make it much easier to get a drink on crowded weekend nights. The bar also features “bump-outs” — areas that you can call ahead and reserve that are shaped in a way that make it easier to have a conversation with a group of friends.

The new Clarendon Grill has the same number of beer taps as before, but the taps themselves are new. There will be a new, simplified “gastropub-y” menu. The theme will change marginally from “construction” to “industrial,” with illumination provided by painted steel streetlights procured from a nearby used car lot. Clarendon Grill will remain “sporty” — with sports showed constantly on the new flat screen TVs — but it will not be a sports bar.

The back patio, which was redone six months ago, has not been changed. The focus on live music is unchanged, but bands may now start playing a bit later to encourage dinner business.

Where’s Cava?

By ARLnow.com

We believe the space above, the one with the big “retail space for lease” sign, is where Cava’s new Clarendon location is supposed to be. Yet the gas-lit entrance, on the ground floor of the Station Square development at 2900 Clarendon Boulevard, remains boarded up and there are no building permits to be found in the county’s public records system.

“Is Cava Restaurant still planning to come to the Station Square development?” a tipster asks. Does anybody know?

Fisette: “Hopefully We Can Work Something Out” With TJ’s

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette says he’s hopeful the board will take some sort of action to satisfy Trader Joe’s parking prerequisites for coming to Clarendon.

Residents at a Lyon Village Civic Association meeting last night were told that Trader Joe’s will only move to the area if Arlington County amends the Clarendon Center site plan to allow reserved parking spots in the building’s parking garage. The retailer is reportedly worried that there may not be enough parking for customers if all the garage’s spots are unrestricted, as the current site plan calls for.

Fisette says he can “fully appreciate the reason for their request.” He says county staff will study existing Trader Joe’s stores to determine parking requirements, and will also study the number of available parking spaces in the area near the Clarendon Center project.

“We’ll hopefully find a balance here… I’m hoping we find a way to get the ‘yes,’ whether it’s with the exact number of reserve spaces or some modification,” Fisette said. “They are a really desirable retailer… hopefully we can work something out.”

“We have goals of attracting grocery stores,” Fisette noted. “They’re an incredible amenity and asset for a neighborhood… Arlington residents have been chomping at the bit for a Trader Joe’s for ten years, so I’m excited about the possibility.”

Please go to our original Trader Joe’s post to discuss this story.

Clarendon Day Details Released

By ARLnow.com

“Dust off your brown flip flops and get ready for the 13th Annual Clarendon Day,” reads the official press release for Clarendon’s biggest block party (Remy would be proud).

The always-entertaining event, taking place from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, will feature “food, music, art, fitness classes, kids’ activities, health screenings and more.”

Among the more than 15 local restaurants that will be selling food at Clarendon Day are Whitlow’s, Hard Times Café, Rocklands BBQ, Screwtop Wine Bar, Northside Social, Bakeshop, Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall, and Kabob Bazaar.

To help work off the soon-to-be-consumed food, the day will start off with the Clarendon Day Run. The run will include a 10K, 5K and a Kid’s Dash. There will also be fitness classes, health screenings and free seated massages throughout the day.

The musical portion of the afternoon will be hosted by IOTA Club and Café. Bands on tap to perform include “tropical pop” group The Constituents, swing band King Teddy’s and rockabilly group Jumpin’ Jupiter.

Kids will have plenty to do, thanks to family-friendly performances at the Kinder Haus Kids’ Stage and the Kaiser Permanente Performance stage. Kids will also be able to take photos with a couple of mascots: the Washington Capitals’ Slapshot and DC United’s Talon.

Another Clarendon Day favorite is the shopping. More than 50 vendors will be selling their wares near the Clarendon Metro.

BREAKING NEWS — Break Out the Three Buck Chuck: Clarendon Trader Joe’s Close to a Reality

By ARLnow.com

It has been a persistent rumor, but now it’s close to coming true. Trader Joe’s is in the late stages of negotiations to come to a 10,000 square foot space in the nearly-completed Clarendon Center project, according to two people who attended a Lyon Village Civic Association meeting last night.

The store is nearly a done deal, we’re told, except for one big hurdle. Trader Joe’s has said it will only move to the space if Arlington County amends the Clarendon Center site plan to allow reserved parking spots in the building’s parking garage.

As the site plan stands right now, the garage will be open to anybody who wants to park there, whether they’re going to a Clarendon Center store or to a restaurant across the street. It’s a provision that the county desired, but Trader Joe’s fears that there won’t be enough parking left for its customers.

A site plan amendment is expected to be filed on Friday. The matter would likely go before the county board in November. (Update: See county board chairman Jay Fisette’s comments about Trader Joe’s here.)

The 10,000 square foot Clarendon Trader Joe’s would be of average size for the chain. It would be nearly 2,000 square feet smaller than the Alexandria Trader Joe’s.

At last night’s meeting, some Lyon Village residents expressed concern that parking for Trader Joe’s will spill over into nearby neighborhoods. Most residents, however, were supportive of the long-awaited grocery store, we’re told.

Also at the meeting, Clarendon Center’s developer revealed that each building is on track to open on schedule, before the end of the year. The south building is expected to deliver in November and the north building — future home of a number of new restaurants — is expected to deliver a month later, in December.

Hat tip to J.B.

Clarendon Center Construction Coming Along

By ARLnow.com

Construction crews seem to be making fast progress at the Clarendon Center properties. What were just hollow stacks of floors earlier this year now have bricks, windows and architectural accents.

The two structures — the regal-looking south building and the art deco-y north building — are expected to take on retail tenants as soon as December, and that seems very much possible given the pace of construction.

The concave ground floor space with the large windows and the high-ceilings in the south building (left) will be the new home of Circa, which now has a dedicated web site for the Clarendon location.

The ground floor space in the center of the photo of the north building (right) will be the home of Pete’s New Haven Apizza, which will have a considerable amount frontage on Clarendon Boulevard.  Tangy Sweet and Red Velvet Cupcakery will be in the corner space on the far left side of the photo.

Still no word on what may be coming to the big 10,000+ square foot space on the other side of the south building (not pictured). The current wishful thinking is that it may one day house a grocery store.

Work Nearly Complete on Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill

By ARLnow.com

All that’s left on the checklist for the new Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill (2424 Wilson Blvd) is a few finishing touches, then inspections, permits and a date for the grand opening. Construction has just about wrapped up on the upscale Courthouse-Clarendon dining destination, but owner Yogi Dumera has yet to nail down an official date for the opening.

“I want to make sure everything will be done right,” he said in a brief phone conversation yesterday.

Prodded for an approximate time frame, Dumera would only say that he’s hoping to open by the end of September. That may not allow much time to enjoy the rooftop, but don’t fear, the restaurant’s high-ceilinged indoor dining room will be open year-round.

While management awaits county inspections, the restaurant has been staffing up in anticipation of the launch. A recent Craigslist posting said Rooftop was looking for servers, bartenders and host staff.

In addition to serving dinner, the restaurant will also have a full lunch menu, the posting revealed. That should make it a welcome sit-down destination for the area’s power lunch crowd.

Wilson Blvd Power Station to Get New Facade

By ARLnow.com

Last year, Dominion upgraded the power substation at 3245 Wilson Boulevard to help provide additional power capacity to the ever-developing Clarendon area. As part of the upgrades, Dominion promised a new containment wall that would make the facility easier on the eyes. So far, though, it’s still just a fence.

That has some locals worried. One resident contacted us and pointed out that the Dominion web site lists the project as “complete.” Would the prominently-placed substation remain surrounded by the “ugly” chain link fence?

No, says Dominion spokesperson Le-Ha Anderson. The wall is coming.

“Dominion is working with Arlington County, community members and an art consultant to select a vendor to create the artwork for the façade around the… substation,” Anderson told ARLnow.com. “We expect to have a design proposal by late November – early December.”

Anderson said she expects the wall to be built by spring 2011.

In Arlington, They Even Give Cops Parking Tickets

By ARLnow.com

Everybody knows that parking enforcement is strict in Arlington. So strict, apparently, that even this Crown Vic with an Arlington Police vest inside got ticketed on Clarendon Boulevard, near the Whole Foods.

We’ve also heard of federal government vehicles getting ticketed.

Unanswered question: If it was indeed a police vehicle, will Arlington use tax dollars to pay the fine to themselves?

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