Columbia Pike

Pike Blues Fest, prostate cancer run/walk are happening this weekend

By ARLnow.com
Crowds at the 2019 Columbia Pike Blues Festival (courtesy of the Columbia Pike Partnership)

The annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival is this Saturday and will result in some road closures.

From our previous article:

The annual summer music festival is set to take place on June 17 this year and will span several Columbia Pike blocks. It will feature a collection of performances, local food, beer, and family-friendly activities, as it usually does.

This year’s headliner is Judith Hill, a singer and songwriter featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “20 Feet from Stardom.” She’s performed and worked with John Legend, Josh Groban, Prince, and Michael Jackson and has self-produced several of her own albums.

Also playing at the festival are Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers, local blues guitarist Bobby Thompson, Gayle Harrod Band, and Spice Cake Blues.

A number of local restaurants will be providing food and drinks, including New District Brewing.

Arlington County police will be on scene, helping with road closures and traffic control.

From an ACPD press release:

The 2023 Columbia Pike Blues Festival will take place on Saturday, June 17, and will begin at approximately 1:00 p.m. The following roadways will be closed from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. in order to accommodate the event:

  • S. Walter Reed Drive, from 9th Street S. to Columbia Pike
    Southbound Walter Reed Drive, from 7th Street S. to 9th Street S. – local traffic only and handicapped drop-off for the event.
  • 9th Street S., from S. Highland Street to S. Walter Reed Drive
  • 9th Road S., from S. Garfield Street to S. Walter Reed Drive.

Another sizable event, the 2023 Zero Prostate Cancer 5k Run/Walk, is planned on Saturday and will result in morning road closures in Pentagon City.

From ACPD:

The 2023 Zero Prostate Cancer 5k Run/Walk will take place on Saturday, June 17. The following roadways will be closed in order to accommodate the event:

From approximately 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

  • S. Joyce Street, between 15th Street S. and Army Navy Drive

From approximately 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

  • Army Navy Drive, between S. Joyce Street and 25th Street S.

Race attendees and spectators are encouraged to use public or other forms of multimodal transportation, as street parking around the event will be limited. Paid parking is available in the garage at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City for those choosing to drive.

“The public should expect to see an increased police presence in the area, and motorists are urged to follow law enforcement direction, be mindful of closures, and remain alert for increased pedestrian traffic,” the police department said of the events. “Motorists should be on the lookout for temporary ‘No Parking’ signs. Illegally parked vehicles may be ticketed or towed. If your vehicle is towed from a public street, call the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222.”

Arlington Career Center project approved despite some resident concerns

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

On Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved plans to redevelop the Arlington Career Center on Columbia Pike.

Arlington Public Schools will be building a new 5-story Career Center building at 816 S. Walter Reed Drive to house students in vocational courses, such as veterinary sciences. Also set to be built: a standalone 4-story parking garage.

Plans to update the building have gone through many iterations over the years and were most recently reprised last February in a process fraught with concerns.

In the end, four of the five Board members voted in favor of the $180 million project, with Takis Karantonis dissenting. The new facility will have capacity for up to 1,619 students.

The vote came after they heard, and in some cases echoed, concerns from representatives of civic associations and citizen commissions, as well as neighbors. Before Saturday, the Planning Commission was also divided, voting 5-4 two weeks ago with the chair abstaining after a weighty pause.

Board members who greenlit the project justified their decision using variations on the saying “the perfect is the enemy of the good.”

“The cost of the pursuit of a delay and the pursuit of a more perfect project are so high and the project brought before us — though not perfect — when delivered in its full vision… is going to be indeed a spectacular addition to an area that I think of as my broader neighborhood,” Board member Katie Cristol said. “And, more importantly, a home befitting of the incredible education happening within it.”

Some of the neighbors who spoke say they support the idea of the project and say they are not seeking perfection at all.

“The current APS plans, while ambitious, cut corners in ways that are unacceptable to the community and contrary to the our shared vision of a safe and equitable Arlington,” a coalition of leaders of civic associations along Columbia Pike said in a letter.

Top concerns from neighbors included the future of open space on the site and the environmental commitments of the proposed building. There were calls for sidewalks, undergrounded utilities and fencing that match those at other schools in Arlington, as well as a more forward-thinking solution to parking than a stand-alone, above-ground garage.

Former Arlington County Planning Commissioner Stephen Hughes said in a letter to the Board that the county should have deferred approving the use permit until APS addressed these issues.

“The Career Center site deserves to be the ‘Jewel of the Pike’; however, any claim of that today is disingenuous at best,” he wrote. “APS has failed for over a decade to address facility planning in a comprehensive way and besides the inclusion of the existing facilities on the [General Land Use Plan], we have no planning guidance to rely on with APS facilities.”

APS and the School Board intend to retrofit the current Career Center for the Montessori program now housed in the former Patrick Henry Elementary School. This building, in turn, would be torn down and turned into a green space.

Some people wanted these commitments included in the use permit that went before the County Board on Saturday. Otherwise, they say, no legal document binds APS to executing this vision and — absent funding and a plan — the Pike will lose a baseball diamond, basketball court and open green space with no commitments to recover them.

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Columbia Pike’s Mpanadas finally getting a grand opening later this month

By Matt Blitz
New restaurant Mpanadas on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Mpanadas on Columbia Pike finally appears to be opening.

The small “South American-inspired cafe” at 2602 Columbia Pike is planning a soft opening for Thursday, June 15 and a grand opening that weekend, a restaurant spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow. The opening date is also listed on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

In addition, a “very special guest” will be in attendance. If posted images are any clue, that special guest may be of the animal variety. The restaurant’s logo features a llama eating an empanada.

The restaurant has been a bit of a mystery ever since new signage and brown paper covering the windows appeared on the 724-square-foot storefront last summer.

It was in July 2022 when ARLnow first reported that the Peruvian carry-out was making the move into the former home of a Boost Mobile. However, since then, details have been scarce.

Over the past 11 months, we have received a number of emails from hungry neighbors wondering when the eatery next to Domino’s might open. Now, the answer appears to be just in a matter of weeks.

A few other answers were also provided to ARLnow by Gabriela Rojas, the restaurant’s “brand designer” and the owner’s niece. Mpanadas is owned by Marcelo Herbas, with several of his family members also helping. This is his first restaurant; he previously owned a number of mobile phone stores on Columbia Pike.

The menu will have Bolivian and South American influences, with a focus on empanadas. Rojas said that there will be a variety of flavors, making it more them more “spin offs”of traditional empanadas. The full menu and website should be live in the next couple of days, said Rojas.

Mpanadas will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

It’s taken almost a full year to open the eatery due to permitting “struggles,” Rojas said, echoing the challenges of numerous other recently-opened restaurants.

Gas leak prompts partial closure of Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
Gas leak and closure along Columbia Pike

The westbound lanes of Columbia Pike are closed near Penrose Square due to a gas leak.

It appears that a construction crew working in the roadway struck a gas line. Police, firefighters and Washington Gas crews have responded to the scene.

As a result, westbound traffic is being diverted onto S. Barton Street, according to scanner traffic. One lane of eastbound traffic remains open.

It is not immediately clear how long the closure will last.

Arlington has seen a spate of gas line ruptures recently, mostly due to construction activity. S. Walter Reed Drive was completely blocked for a period of time on May 19 and two separate road closures for gas leaks, in Westover and Halls Hill, were reported on May 30.

Redevelopment plans for Columbia Pike strip mall stall after grocery tenant pulls out

By Jo DeVoe
1/9

An apartment redevelopment proposed for a strip mall on Columbia Pike is stalled for the foreseeable future after the anchor tenant — a grocery store — fell through.

But some of the existing tenants, including the restaurant Atilla’s, have already moved out. And now, the Fillmore Gardens shopping center on the 2600 block of the Pike, which includes a still-operating CVS, is attracting graffiti artists and other signs of blight, according to neighbors.

Penrose Civic Association President Alex Sakes says the development was “slated to become a new crown jewel” but is now “an unbelievable embarrassment.”

“The never ending graffiti and garbage is truly appalling and gets worse by the day,” he said. “My residents and I don’t just work here or drive past this site — we live here. We take great pride in our neighborhood and are happy to step up to help beautify this site once again. I’m not here to point fingers or place blame, but the condition of this site cannot and will not continue to perpetuate.”

The Arlington County Board approved the plans to build a a 247-unit apartment complex with a ground-floor grocery store, rumored to be an Amazon Fresh, in March of 2022. Some tenants have already moved out, anticipating the project starting in late 2022 or early 2023.

Progress halted in late December, however, when the grocery store tenant told the developer it would not be moving in. Without a major tenant guaranteed for the space, the developer — Insight Property Group — could not borrow the money it needed to proceed with the project, Insight’s Sarah Davidson told the Penrose Civic Association earlier this month.

She confirmed that an unnamed retailer pulled out of the space with ARLnow, adding that “economic conditions will determine a revised project timeline.”

The grocery tenant, Davidson said in the civic association meeting, told Insight “they were pulling out of a significant number of pipeline deals, of which this was one.”

That sounds quite similar to what is happening with Amazon Fresh: across the country, proposed locations of the tech company’s grocery store are falling through, with at least one ending in a lawsuit against Amazon.

For Sakes, watching the shopping center struggle is a “worst-case scenario” for “once a thriving hub for diverse, Black and Brown-owned small businesses, including Atilla’s, Salsa Room, Legend Kicks, and more.”

Graffiti keeps popping up. Some drawings found on Monday were apparently scrubbed off only for markings to return today (Tuesday). Davidson says they’re trying to stay on top of it.

“The property owners are committed to keeping the property in clean and presentable condition,” she said.

Insight is also trying to crowdsource ideas for how to fill the storefronts for the next few years, until redevelopment plans can be revived.

“We would love to offer pop-up space for some of the local artist communities, provide space for activities that might be supplementary to CPP’s initiatives, and business incubators as well as find ways to activate some of our parking areas,” Davidson said. “Currently, we feel fortunate to have CVS and Burrito Bros who remain as tenants of the Center.”

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The new Columbia Pike restaurant replacing P. Brennan’s is planning to open next month

By Matt Blitz
2910 Kitchen & Bar is set to open in P. Brennan’s old home on Columbia Pike (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) A new restaurant is finally planning to open next month in the former P. Brennan’s space on Columbia Pike.

The family-owned eatery is set to be called 2910 Kitchen & Bar, taking its name from its Columbia Pike address. It was initially going to be named Stella, but the owners decided to change the name recently.

The plan is to open sometime in June, executive chef Rob Szydlowski told ARLnow, as construction continues on the expansive space.

The restaurant will serve “American fusion” cuisine, Szydlowski said, meaning the menu will consist of classics like steak and pasta as well as some “fun” dishes.

“This is going to be a scratch kitchen, so everything’s going to be made in-house,” he said. “We’ll have a seasonal menu… and rotating desserts.”

It will be open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch with a full menu debuting closer to opening.

P. Brennan’s closed back in 2017 and the storefront has remained vacant since, with the former Irish bar’s signage still up to this day.

From the outside, the new restaurant will look similar to the old one. Szydlowski said, however, that the interior is being completely gutted and redone.

“We’ve really made some fairly dramatic changes inside,” he said, including revamping the staircase, redoing the bar, and adding chandeliers.

It will all provide some “really cool photo opportunities for guests,” Szydlowski said.

There’s going to be an upstairs VIP area, contrasted by a “more casual” feel downstairs, we’re told.

“We wanted to do a fast-casual concept there where people can come in and have both sides of it,” Szydlowski said. “You don’t need to worry about a dress code, but if you want to get a little fancy you can. We just want to provide some really good food in a great environment.”

There will also be live music and patio seating, provided that the proper permits can be obtained

ARLnow reported in April 2022 that a “mysterious new restaurant” was moving into the long-vacant storefront next door to Rebellion on the Pike and across the street from the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse.

In September 2022, we reported that the wife-husband team of Griselda Giselle Fernandez and Raheel “Ray” Khan was behind the new restaurant. They also own two other restaurants in the region, including Heat Lounge on Lee Highway in Fairfax.

Earlier this year, they brought on Szydlowski as their executive chef. He has helped with more than 50 restaurant openings over his career, including several Well-Hung Vineyard restaurants in southern Virginia.

Despite some name changes and an initially over-aggressive opening timeline, the new restaurant at 2910 Columbia Pike is finally taking shape as it nears an opening.

“It is always a challenge when people see a [well-known] space and want to know what’s going in there. I think the bar is set pretty high for us, but I like that. I think we are more than capable,” Szydlowski said.

Pike office building could be torn down this summer and turned into parking lot

By Jo DeVoe
3108 Columbia Pike (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) Arlington County is gearing up to raze a three-story office building on Columbia Pike this summer and turn it into a parking lot.

To get started, the Arlington County Board needs to kick off public hearings to consider the land-use changes needed for the new use. It is slated to do so on Saturday.

“These subject approvals will facilitate the final steps needed to demolish the existing building and construct the proposed interim surface parking improvements, including the review of construction plans and issuance of permits,” according to a county report.

Parking is a temporary use for the site, which the county bought last year for $7.55 million.

“Arlington County acquired the office building at 3108 Columbia Pike in March 2022, after it was identified as a potential site for a future Columbia Pike branch library and for potential co-location of County Board priorities, such as affordable housing,” the county report said.

The adopted 2023-32 Capital Improvement Plan, however, “anticipates completion of a new Columbia Pike branch library no sooner than 2028 at the earliest, thus presenting opportunities for a temporary use on the site in the interim,” it continued.

The county already determined it cannot save the office building and repurpose it.

“While the site is developed with a vacant, three-story office building, through due diligence completed prior to acquisition, the County determined the building is not fit for re-use and should be demolished,” the report said.

If the hearings are authorized on Saturday and the Board approves and the project, which could happen next month, the Dept. of Environmental Services will demolish the building this summer.

Doing so will expand the number of parking spaces from 63 to 92, per the report, fewer than originally anticipated. The county expected to add 58 spaces for a total of 121, according to a county document from last year.

For now, DES intends to lease the parking to Arlington Public Schools.

“The County has identified an expanded surface parking lot as a recommended interim use, which could support parking needs for the Career Center Campus during its redevelopment project, or accommodate other public parking needs before future redevelopment of the site,” the report said.

The Arlington School Board approved designs for the new, $182.42 million campus last October. Most of the funds were included in the 2022 School Bond referendum, according to an APS webpage.

“The project will now transition into the Use Permit phase and the new Arlington Career Center will be completed in December 2025,” the webpage says.

A letter included in the use permit APS filed for the Career Center in February said the site will accommodate 1,619 students. The site will also fit 775 Montessori Public School of Arlington students for a total of 2,394 students, per another document in the filings.

Students expected in the future Career Campus site (via Arlington County)

Police: Man bashes car with brick in robbery attempt

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A 41-year-old man is in jail after police say he used a brick in an early morning robbery attempt.

The incident happened around 2 a.m. in Crystal City. Police say the man stood in front of a car, demanded cash from those inside, then bashed the car with the brick “multiple times” before the victims were able to flee.

Police responded and took a suspect into custody.

From today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 2023-05070025, 1600 block of Crystal Drive. At approximately 2:02 a.m. on May 7, police were dispatched to the report of a destruction of property. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were inside their vehicle attempting to leave the area when the male suspect allegedly approached, stood in front of the vehicle while holding a brick, and demanded money. The suspect struck the vehicle multiple times with the brick before the victims were able to leave the area. No injuries were reported. Responding officers canvassed the area, located the suspect, and took him into custody without incident. [The suspect], 41, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Destruction of Property, Attempted Robbery, and Abduction. He was held without bond.

Also in today’s crime report: another incident of teens running after an alleged vehicle-related crime.

This incident happened around 9:30 p.m. in Pentagon City, and involved five juvenile male suspects fleeing on foot before all being apprehended, according to ACPD.

ATTEMPTED GRAND LARCENY AUTO (Significant), 2023-05060271, 1400 block of S. Joyce Street. At approximately 9:24 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a vehicle tampering. Upon arrival, an officer observed approximately five juvenile suspects allegedly tampering with two vehicles, one of which had a smashed rear window. The officer attempted to make contact with the suspects, during which they fled the scene on foot. Officers initiated foot pursuits, located the five juvenile male suspects and took them into custody. Two suspects sustained minor injuries and were treated by medics. Petitions are pending for the juvenile suspects.

Additionally, there were two separate incidents of alleged gun brandishings, both along Columbia Pike over the weekend. One involved an implied gun and the other a BB gun, according to police.

BRANDISHING, 2023-05060148, 900 block of S. Dinwiddie Street. At approximately 12:29 p.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect approached the two victims, allegedly physically assaulted Victim One and made threatening statements implying he had a firearm before leaving the scene. The victim reported minor injuries and did not require medical attention on scene. During the course of the investigation, the suspect returned to the area and was taken into custody without incident. [The suspect], 25, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Brandishing and Assault and Battery. He was held without bond.

BRANDISHING, 2023-05070094, 4800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 12:13 p.m. on May 7, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect on scene and took him into custody without incident. The investigation determined the suspect approached the known victim, told him to leave the area and when the victim refused, the suspect allegedly brandished a firearm. Officers recovered a BB gun on scene. No injuries were reported. [The suspect], 44, of No Fixed Address, was arrested and charged with Brandishing and Disorderly Conduct. He was held without bond.

ACPD delivers lunch after Uber Eats driver involved in crash

By ARLnow.com
File photo

(Updated at 11:10 a.m.) An Arlington police officer went above and beyond the call of duty earlier today, after a crash involving a food delivery driver.

The crash happened around 12:30 p.m. at the busy intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road. Initially it was reported to be a hit and run, but the second vehicle was then found in a parking lot a couple of blocks away.

According to scanner traffic, one of the vehicles involved belonged to an Uber Eats driver, with a warm order from sub chain Jersey Mike’s awaiting delivery to an address nearby, along S. Glebe Road.

The officer radioed dispatch that he would be completing the task himself and, at 12:45 p.m., reported a successful food delivery — presumably to a somewhat surprised recipient.

“Lunch has been delivered,” the officer said.

Arlington County police confirmed the incident Friday morning.

“At approximately 12:33 p.m. yesterday, officers were dispatched to Columbia Pike at S. Glebe Road for the report of a hit and run,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “The incident was determined to be a minor crash and both drivers were located near the scene. As officers were assisting the drivers with paperwork, it was determined one of the drivers was in the process of making a food delivery. The delivery address was determined to be nearby and the officer delivered the food.”

Hat tip to Alan Henney

Outdoor movie nights are returning to Columbia Pike this summer

By Matt Blitz
Columbia Pike Movie Nights is back at Penrose Square and Arlington Mill (photo courtesy of Columbia Pike Partnership)

Summer movie nights are coming back to Penrose Square and Arlington Mill for a 12th year.

Columbia Pike Movie Nights is a free outdoor summer movie series taking place on Friday nights at the Arlington Mill Community Center Outdoor Plaza (909 S. Dinwiddie Street) and Saturday nights at Penrose Square Outdoor Plaza (2503 9th Road S.).

It’s scheduled to begin July 7 and run for 8 weeks through August 26. The movies will begin at sunset, generally between 8 and 8:30 p.m.

The series is organized by the Columbia Pike Partnership. It returned to the outdoor plazas last year after being drive-in only in 2020 and 2021.

Movies set to be shown are a mix of old and new classics intended to be relatively family-friendly, including Back to the Future, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Top Gun: Maverick, and Till.

The full schedule for each location is below:

Arlington Mill 

  • July 7 — Spirit Untamed
  • July 14 — Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
  • July 21 — Dog
  • July 28 — Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank
  • August 4 — Lady and the Tramp
  • August 11 — Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • August 18 — Lightyear
  • August 25 — The Goonies

Penrose Square

  • July 8 — Cave Rescue
  • July 15 — Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope
  • July 22 — Back to the Future
  • July 29 — A Man Called Otto
  • August 5 — Till
  • August 12 — Top Gun: Maverick
  • August 19 — The Woman King
  • August 26 — Jurassic World Dominion

The movies will be shown in English with Spanish subtitles. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs. Leashed pets are welcome, organizers note, and alcohol is not permitted at either site.

Free parking will be available, though bus and bike travel is encouraged. There will be restroom access inside of Arlington Mill Community Center and at the businesses around Penrose Square.

In case of inclement weather, check the event’s webpage and social media channels for updates. Information will be “typically posted at 3:30 p.m. on the day of each screening.”

Virtual indoor golf complex Par Citi is aiming to tee off soon on Columbia Pike

By Matt Blitz
1/5

(Updated at 11:40 a.m.) A new virtual indoor golf facility on Columbia Pike hopes to open by the end of the month.

The independently-owned Par Citi plans to open in the old LoanMax building at 3102 Columbia Pike “within the next few weeks,” managing partner Kristian Hara told ARLnow. That likely means tee time will be in the back end of May.

Construction is essentially complete with the business just waiting on receiving the certificate of occupancy from the county, he said.

The golf-centric complex will feature “state of the art simulators” inside of individual bays, similar to Five Iron Golf in D.C., per Hara. There will also be a cafe and bar with a Virginia ABC permit pending.

While it will technically be two floors, the basement level will be closed off per county instructions and the putting green in the original plans had to be axed, Hara said.

ARLnow first reported that Par Citi was aiming to putt on the Pike back in September. While a building once occupied by a car title lending company may seem like a odd place for indoor golf simulators, Columbia Pike provides a great opportunity because of the “potential of the neighborhood with the new condos [and] apartments being built,” Hara said.

A block away from Par Citi, construction on the Westmont development continues and could be wrapped up within the next several months. It will feature 250 apartments and a Five Guys returning near the spot of its first ever location.

Another block down, the Bank of America at 3401 Columbia Pike will be redeveloped and replaced with a residential development.

Hara said availability of space also played a big part in the decision to bring Par Citi to Columbia Pike, as opposed to another Arlington neighborhood like Ballston or Clarendon.

Prior to Par Citi and LoanMax, 3102 Columbia Pike was home to a family-owned furniture and appliance store that was a bit of a community-gathering place in the 1950s and 1960s. Owner Sol Cohen used to keep the store open late on Friday nights so that neighbors could watch boxing.

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