condos

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pothole Problem May Persist — County Manager Barbara Donnellan says the county is waiting for the beginning of spring to fix most of the potholes on local roads. Donnellan, speaking at Saturday’s county board meeting, said “it’s better” to fix the roads after the winter. Board member Walter Tejada acknowledged one resident’s complaints about potholes on his street, adding that Wilson Boulevard and Columbia Pike also have some particularly rough patches. [Sun Gazette]

Remy to be Guest Bartender at Fundraiser — Arlington rapper Remy will be the guest bartender tomorrow at a fundraiser for the Arlington Free Clinic. The fundraiser is being held at Velocity Five (2300 Clarendon Blvd) from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Remy’s sister, Lena, will help select the evening’s door prize winners. [Gregs List DC]

Myerton Apartments Becoming Condos — In 2007, developer JBG decided to scrap plans to market a new renovation project in Penrose as condominiums. Instead, with the economy on the ropes, it leased out the property as the Myerton Apartments. Now, the project’s 74 apartments are once again slated to be sold as condos. Two bedrooms will be priced just below $300,000. [Urban Turf]

President’s Day Schedule Set — Most county offices will be closed on Monday in observance of President’s Day. [Arlington County]

Fire at the Carlton Condos on Four Mile Run Drive

By ARLnow.com

Firefighters are on the scene of a fire on the second floor of the Carlton condominium at 4600 South Four Mile Run Drive.

Firefighters are reporting that there was a kitchen fire in one of the units. The blaze is now under control, we hear.

There was heavy smoke on the building’s second floor when firefighters arrived.

Update at 1:30 p.m. — So far, no injuries have been reported. The building is being ventilated. Police have shut down some streets in the area.

Update at 2:25 p.m. — There was possible water damage reported on the first floor, as a result of the effort to extinguish the fire. So far, however, the Red Cross has not been called, and it sounds like few, if any, families will be displaced.

Update at 2:30 p.m. — Four Mile Run Drive has reopened. Firefighters from Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County were all on the scene, since the building is near the border with each.

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Optimism for Arlington’s Economic Present and Future

By ARLnow.com

The current state of Arlington’s economy — recession and all — would make most other jurisdictions jealous, even during good years. And the county’s director of economic development sees even better times ahead.

“Arlington is still a highly attractive market,” Terry Holzheimer, the head of the county’s Arlington Economic Development (AED) office, told a gathering of developers, real estate brokers and business leaders this morning.

Citing a new AED study, Holzheimer said he expects job growth to continue (Arlington was the only local community with significant job growth from 2007 to 2009), residential and commercial rents to rise, and development to soldier on, eventually.

“Arlington is not built out by any stretch of the imagination… we have a lot more to build,” especially when the commercial lending markets clear out, Holzheimer said.

Holzheimer expects a lull in new construction over the next couple of years, since projects currently in the development pipeline have stalled due to a lack of financing. He does not expect the financing issues, which have been plaguing the entire economy, to be fixed this year.

Counting both residential and commercial development, 24 projects are currently under construction or beginning construction this year. 32 projects have been approved and are awaiting financing or site plan changes. 13 projects are in the review stage.

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