What To Do If Your Car Flooded — “If your car was one of the many trapped by floodwaters on or below street level Monday, you should resist the urge to start it up once the waters recede… The best option, Townsend said, is to tow the vehicle to a reputable mechanic who can certify whether there is any damage to the many electronic components in modern cars and trucks.” [Washington Post]

ACPD Helps Out Flooded Family — “After learning about an Arlington family whose apartment flooded during today’s storm, the Outreach Team activated and donated toys to the children! The family is receiving additional assistance and will soon move into a new unit.” [Twitter]

TSA Stops Man With Loaded Gun at DCA — “An Arlington, Virginia, resident was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration officers detected a loaded handgun in the man’s carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on Sunday, July 7. It was the 11th gun that TSA officers have detected at the airport so far this year.” [Press Release]

Injury Investigation in Clarendon — On Monday morning, before the flooding, numerous police and fire department units responded to a condominium building at 1021 N. Garfield Street in Clarendon for a report of a man injured under suspicious circumstances. “The male was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. No evidence of a crime was located during the investigation,” an Arlington County police spokeswoman told ARLnow. “Police continue to investigate how the subject sustained the injury.” [Twitter]

Arlington 11th Grader Wins at Chess Tourney — “Sam Schenck, an 11th-grader at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, defeated Langley High School 11th-grader Isaac Chiu in a dramatic last-round game to win the K-12 competition of the 2019 Arlington Scholastic Open chess competition, held June 8 at Yorktown High School.” [InsideNova]

Amazon Visits Gov. Northam — “Today we met with @GovernorVa for an update on the first phase of #HQ2 plans. We thank the Commonwealth for our continued partnership and for providing a business-friendly environment as we build the future together.” [Twitter]

Monday Readership Stats — On Monday, just over 71,000 people visited ARLnow, mostly to keep up to date about the flood emergency. That’s nearly a third of the population of Arlington. Thank you for reading and making us your go-to local news source, we’re proud to serve the community!


Update at 5:20 p.m. — In a new Facebook post, The Lot says it received its ABC permit at the last minute today and will serve beer tomorrow, on the Fourth of July. The beer garden says it will serve liquor starting tonight.

Update: We have received our ABC license at 5 pm!! (Third of July miracle!) We will serve liquor tonight, and beer and liquor tomorrow. Stand by for door opening time!

Update at 4:45 p.m. — The Lot did not, in fact, obtain a Virginia ABC permit necessary for serving beer, according to a new Facebook post. The beer garden will still open today and will serve tacos instead, with free tacos for the first 200 customers, they said on social media.

Good news and bad news. The good: Huge shout out to Arlington County for granting Health and Occupancy for the Lot to open!! The bad: ABC did not grant our license in time for an order to be placed before the Holiday. BUT!! We are are all here waiting to serve you all sooo we will still opening the Rebel Taco truck on the Lot, and the first 200 people to arrive tonight will get a free taco! Come eat and play in the sand…drinking will have to wait one more week, but hey, what’s one more week when we have waited 2 years.

Earlier: After years of planning and permit drama, The Lot beer garden near Clarendon says it is opening today “against all odds.”

According to an event page on Facebook, the beer garden at 3217 10th Street N. will be open “with a limited food and beverage menu” today at 5 p.m. It is also planning to be open starting at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow (July 4), at 5 p.m. on Friday, and at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

More from the event description:

Against all odds and contrary to popular belief, The Lot IS OPENING! A 22,000 square foot open-air beer garden and event space, the Lot features container bars, food trucks, and an adult SANDLot for all your bucket pong and corn hole needs.

Join us… July 3, weather-permitting, for a preview party with a limited food and beverage menu. We will continue the party straight through the weekend with soft openings on the 4th (11:30 am – close), 5th (5 pm – close), and 6th (11:30 am – close) of July.

Thank you to all our neighbors and friends who supported us through this tedious process and kept the faith.

Come eat, drink, and play at The Lot!

It’s unclear if The Lot was able to obtain all of the necessary permits needed to open. The Arlington County and Virginia ABC websites still list some permits as pending, though the information might be outdated or The Lot may have obtained temporary permits not reflected online.

A tipster tells ARLnow that opening preparations appear to be well underway, with less than two hours to go until opening.

“I also live within visual sight of The Lot and can see upwards of 10 workers making cosmetic improvements to the site as I write,” the tipster said just after 3 p.m. today.


Smart Settlements continues to be a rapidly growing entity in DMV real estate, opening its fourth office space in Clarendon.

Although it is a title company at its core, Smart has expanded its vision for the industry and its brand in the past several years by adding services like Smart Lending, Smart Development and Smart Consulting — all while still placing a strong focus on its agent development classes.

For the past few years, Smart has operated out of three main offices: Washington, D.C., Greenbelt and Fairfax.

Despite Clarendon being the company’s fourth office, founder and president of Smart Carlos Reyes said, “This is the first office that really speaks to the Smart brand.”

Guests will see an array of café-style seating upon entry and will be greeted by a stunning marble reception desk. The new office also features two large glass-enclosed conference rooms, a large kitchen area with a dining table and the main offices.

The new Clarendon office is set to open on July 1, and is located in the Clarendon Square building at:

3033 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 280
Arlington, Virginia 22201

Visit www.smartsettlements.com for more information about Smart’s services, upcoming events and resources.


Homeward Trails Animal Rescue and Market Common Clarendon are pairing up to help people meet their next feline friend.

Starting this Saturday (June 29), Market Common Clarendon (2800 Clarendon Blvd) will host “Kitten Parties” every Saturday and Sunday from noon until 2:00 p.m. until the end of July. The events aim to adopt kittens from the Homeward Trails shelter to loving families.

Summer is a difficult season for cat adoptions since many families travel and aren’t in a position to take care of an animal. Summer also happens to be “kitten season.” Executive Director of Homeward Trails Sue Bell said many newborns are stuck in overflowing shelters.

Bell encourages any cat lover to come and check out the event since there will be free giveaways, scavenger hunts, raffles and just a chance to play with some kittens. No adoption is necessary. 

Market Common Clarendon donated unleased space in the shopping center to the effort, and businesses like Sephora and Origins decided to also join the effort and will have adoptable kittens in their stores. 

The shelter currently houses roughly 150 kittens that are up for adoption this season. Adoption fees for cats are $125 for one animal or $200 for a pair. These fees go toward the first three vaccines, a complimentary visit to a number of D.C.-area VCA Veterinary Hospitals and a free 30-day pet insurance promotion. 

More information can be found on the Homeward Trails website.

Photo courtesy Homeward Trails


Oz restaurant, owned by “Real Housewives of Potomac” stars Ashley and Michael Darby, is closing after this weekend.

The Clarendon restaurant, which specializes in Australian cuisine and boozy brunches, first opened at 2950 Clarendon Blvd in 2015. Despite some televised internal turmoil, Michael Darby told ARLnow in 2017 that the couple turned things around with the hiring of a new chef, Northern Virginia native Brad Feickert.

In a statement today, Ashley and Michael said the imminent arrival of their first child (Michael has two adult children from a previous marriage) prompted the restaurant’s closure.

Michael and Ashley Darby announce, with regret, that they have decided to close Oz Restaurant and Bar. As you all know, both Michael and Ashley are involved in multiple businesses and are expecting a baby boy in the very near future.  They have decided that there was just not enough time to dedicate the right amount of time to raising their son and continuing to run the restaurant.

‘It has been four years since the restaurant opened and we have had the best employees anyone could ask for and we have made so many new friends who have patronized Oz.’ said Ashley.

‘I’m sad to see my little slice of Australia disappear but I have so many good memories of people enjoying the Australian experience at Oz. We are replacing one Aussie baby with a new one-half Aussie baby.’ said Michael.

Oz will serve its last meal this Sunday with an extended brunch. Please come in this weekend to say goodbye.


(Updated at 1:35 p.m.) Two-and-a-half years after the initial permits were filed, Stone Hot Pizza finally opened in Clarendon earlier this year.

Staff at the restaurant said they started cooking up the first pizzas in March, though a “now open” sign still adorns the front entrance.

The pizzeria advertises a lunch special of $7.99 for a one-topping pizza with an option to add a soda for 99 cents. It also offers paninis and other sandwiches for around $8.

Located at 3217 Washington Blvd, just off Clarendon’s main drag and next to Spirits of ’76, Stone Hot Pizza is open from 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.


Today is the summer solstice — pools are open, schools are out, the Fourth of July is around the corner — but the planned 22,000 square foot beer garden outside Clarendon is still shuttered.

“The Lot,” owned by local restaurant scene veteran Mike Bramson, was originally supposed to open in the summer of 2017. Then that got pushed back to the summer of 2018. Then spring of 2019. After some additional construction, Bramson told Eater he was anticipating an opening earlier this month.

Located at 3217 10th Street N., at the busy corner of 10th Street N. and Wilson Blvd, The Lot looks mostly complete from the outside. There are new trees, a fence, picnic bench seating, string lighting, a pergola and a pair of large signs. What there is not, yet, is any sign of life.

Bramson did not respond to requests for comment from ARLnow, but a review of Arlington County permitting activity shows that his efforts to get county permitting and zoning officials to allow him to build new bathrooms and a food prep area, and to open the beer garden, have all been rejected.

The issue seems to be existential for Bramson’s would-be business. In short, there does not appear to be a legal mechanism to allow a standalone, permanent beer garden in Arlington County.

The reason for the rejection of The Lot’s zoning applications to open as an outdoor cafe, county officials say and permitting records indicate, is that under Arlington County code an outdoor cafe must be an accessory use to a physical, indoor restaurant. Furthermore, an outdoor cafe can’t have more seating than the indoor restaurant.

The Lot has no indoor seating and was planning to serve food from food trucks.

“The building permit under review is for interior alterations to the existing building; to create restrooms (required by Inspections Services Division) and a food prep area (required by the Public Health Division) in order to use the outdoor café area and beverage trucks,” Gina Wimpey, spokeswoman for Arlington’s Dept. of Community Planning, Housing & Development, told ARLnow via email.

“Since they included the outdoor café space in the permit, Zoning cannot approve the café space in the absence of a restaurant with indoor seating (required by the Zoning Ordinance),” Wimpey added.

Luckily for The Lot, there does appear to be a possible workaround. It could figuratively latch itself to a nearby restaurant — Bramson’s Social Restaurant Group owns Pamplona and Bar Bao in Clarendon — and operate on a temporary basis.

“They can open the outdoor café as a short-term use associated with other restaurants within 2,000 feet, but it must have more indoor seats than the proposed outdoor café,” Wimpey said. “This has been discussed with the applicant and they’re working towards a solution. Until the Certificate of Occupancy for the short-term use is issued, the building permit cannot be issued.”

So why can The Stand, a Social Restaurant Group-owned food kiosk in Crystal City, continue serving without indoor seating? Because it technically isn’t considered an outdoor cafe under county code.

“1601 Crystal Drive [The Stand] currently has a Certificate of Occupancy for a food service kiosk and has had one in this location since at least the late-1990s,” Wimpey said.

Beer gardens have been blossoming around the D.C. area over the past few years — including in Arlington, next to bricks-and-mortar restaurants — and are a popular warm weather destination. But Wimpey said there is no movement in Arlington County’s policy-setting ranks to allow stand-alone beer gardens.

“There isn’t anything planned in the proposed 2019-2020 work program,” she said,.


A power outage planned for the 3000 block of Clarendon Blvd was canceled earlier this month, but it’s back on this weekend.

According to Binyam Gebreyes, operations specialist for Dominion Energy, the earlier planned outage didn’t occur because there were difficulties accessing the necessary equipment.

“We wish to notify you that to improve the reliability of electric service, it has become necessary to replace the switch and two transformers located in a vault at 3030 Clarendon Blvd,” Gebreyes said. “The outage was initially scheduled for June 1, however after numerous attempts to remove the concrete vault top, all efforts failed. The property management company in consultation with Dominion Energy suspended the outage until they can procure other means of removing the vault top.”

The outage is now planned to start at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday) and conclude on 10 a.m. on Sunday, June 23.

“We are expecting customers residing in the apartments to have electric service restored by 10 p.m. on Saturday,” Gebreyes said. “While we know this is an inconvenience to those residents and the impacted stores, we believe this planned outage is necessary to improve reliability and prevent an unplanned outage due to failing equipment.”

In addition to an apartment building, businesses on the block include Trader Joe’s, South Block, Members Cleaners, Massage Envy, Circa and Bracket Room. During the previous planned outage, Trader Joe’s said it would remain open while operating on generator power.

File photo


Police Nab Sex Assault Suspect — “Following a tip from a member of the public, the suspect has been identified as Wondimagegn Azemach, 19, of Riverdale, Maryland. He has been charged with Abduction with Intent to Defile and Sexual Battery.” [Arlington County]

Fire at Ambar in Clarendon — A small fire temporarily closed Ambar restaurant in Clarendon during prime brunching time on Saturday. [Twitter, Twitter]

Board Approves Va. Square Development — “The Arlington County Board today approved a plan to replace aging commercial buildings on the northwest corner of Washington Boulevard and Kirkwood Road, in the Ballston-Virginia Square neighborhood, with a seven-story apartment building that will include 16 affordable units and achieve LEED Silver energy efficiency.” [Arlington County]

GW Parkway Sinkhole Work Continues — “The repairs to a crumbling section of the George Washington Parkway between Turkey Run Park and the Capital Beltway are now expected to continue through most of the summer. The long-term repairs to a failed drainage inlet will keep at least one right lane on the parkway closed for 10 weeks once the contractor is ready for work, the National Park Service said Friday. Engineers have determined that a 60 year old brick drainage structure buried deep under the parkway needs to be replaced.” [WTOP, Press Release]

Fire Victim Identified — The person killed in an apartment fire in the Ashton Heights neighborhood last week “has been identified as Brian Green, 50, of Arlington. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.” [Arlington County]

Football Team Joins Arlington Chamber — “Welcome new member @Redskins! We are thrilled to have you as part of our membership at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.” [Twitter]

County Kicks Off Census Effort — Arlington County and its Complete Count Committee (CCC) are gearing up for the 2020 Census – working toward the goal of counting every Arlingtonian… It’s not too early to get acquainted with the Census and what to expect next year.” [Arlington County]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley


Ribbon Cutting for Revamped Rosslyn Safeway — “Safeway will unveil renovations to its Rosslyn store at 1525 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, VA, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 10 am on Friday, July 12.” [Press Release]

More on Real Estate Boom Forecast — “Real estate agents and local economists said inventories are so sparse that some popular Zip codes in Arlington and Alexandria show no homes for sale at all. They added that investors are pouring into the market, looking to turn homes into rental properties.” [Washington Post, InsideNova]

Acosta Signs Books in Clarendon — CNN correspondent Jim Acosta showed up to an sparsely-populated Barnes and Noble store in Clarendon for a “surprise signing” of his book “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America.” [Twitter]

Workers Vote for Strike at DCA — “On June 12, airline food workers who prepare, pack, and deliver food and beverages served onboard American Airlines flights departing from Reagan National Airport voted 100% to strike when released by the National Mediation Board.” [Press Release]

New Local Store at DCA — “The District of Columbia Department of Small & Local Business Development (DSLBD) and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) today celebrated the grand opening of the Made in DC retail pop-up at Reagan National Airport, providing a new national and international presence for local makers and small business owners.” [Press Release]

ARLnow’s Press Release Section — For the next week, we’re experimenting with posting press releases directly on a special section of our site. Let us know what you think. [ARLnow]

Photo by Vernon Miles


Polls Open for Democratic Primary — All Arlington voters can vote in today’s Democratic primary. Polls are open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. You can find your polling place and other information on the state elections website. [Twitter]

Politico Profiles Prosecutor Primary — “One sign that this era of agitated civic life is not merely a reflection of Donald Trump or Twitter is that the agitation has penetrated, of all places, into Arlington County, Virginia. In normal times, Arlington politics are polite and consensus-driven, almost proudly dull.” [Politico]

Clarendon Street Closed for Construction — “Through mid-August: North Edgewood Street closed between Clarendon and Wilson boulevards due to construction. Absolutely no impact on Whole Foods organic produce or imported cheese selection.” [Twitter]

Trade Group Moving to Ballston — “The Infectious Diseases Society of America announced today that it will be relocating its headquarters to 4040 Wilson Boulevard in the Ballston Quarter area of Arlington, Va., a hub of advanced research learning, technology and science in the Washington, D.C. metro area.  The Society has been at its current location at 1300 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington since 2006.” [PR Newswire]

How Glass Is Being Recycled — “Ever wonder where your glass goes? If you properly recycle it in Northern Virginia these days, it gets crushed into sand and turned into construction material… ABC7 recently took a trip to Fairfax County’s I-95 landfill in Lorton, where we found a glass graveyard and a big blue machine.” [WJLA]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick


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