construction

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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Paving Update — Now that the section of Wilson Blvd near Whitlow’s is paved with smooth blacktop, workers are focusing on Washington Blvd. As of Sunday afternoon, one lane between North Highland Street and Pershing Drive was torn up, awaiting fresh asphalt. TBD reports that the repaving of Washington Blvd will stretch into next week.

Flames Seen From Plane Engine — The Associated Press reports that flames were seen coming from the engine of a US Airways plane landing at Reagan National Airport. The captain of the flight from Charlotte, N.C. declared an emergency but landed without incident. No flames were seen after it landed.

‘Old Guard’ Returns from Iraq — Soldiers from the Fort Myer-based Old Guard arrived back home Saturday night after serving one year in Iraq. More than 120 soldiers from the historic regiment, best known for its ceremonial duties at Arlington National Ceremony and the White House, provided security at an Iraqi prison. More from WUSA9.

Students Return to Marymount U — The familiar sight of parents helping their children move into the dorms returned to Marymount University over the weekend. The school’s incoming class includes a record 440 freshman and a record 335 transfer students. More from the Sun Gazette.

Flickr pool photo by Afagen.

New Name For Whitlow’s New Rooftop Deck

By ARLnow.com

Whitlow’s plans to open its new rooftop deck at some point next month, but it will be opening with a different name than originally announced.

Instead of “Fu Bar” — a military reference that also hinted at an envisioned Asian influence — the deck above Whitlow’s on Wilson will now be called… drumroll, please… Wilson’s on Whitlow’s.

Get it?

A few ARLnow.com readers called the Fu Bar name “lame.” (We liked it, actually.) What does everybody think about “Wilson’s on Whitlow’s?”

Photo by Monika & Tim

Nightly Closures of Custis Trail This Week

By ARLnow.com

Late night joggers and cyclists beware. From Arlington County spokesperson Susan Kalish:

“[The] Custis Trail under I-66  (between Westover and Bon Air Parks) will be closed from 9pm to 5am from Monday, August 23 to Thursday, August 26 so that a protective framework can be installed to protect users during the upcoming widening of the vehicular bridge.”

Ballston Beaver Pond Spared From I-66 Widening Impacts

By ARLnow.com

An oasis of wetlands and wildlife, tucked between the office towers of Ballston and the traffic of I-66, is safe from highway construction impacts, the county’s Department of Environmental Services says.

The Ballston Beaver Pond, as it’s called, was initially designed to collect stormwater runoff from I-66. But that started to change in the 1990s when beavers moved in and dammed up the drainage system, creating a pond and wetlands to form. The Beaver Pond is now a habitat frequented by muskrat, geese, ducks, heron, egrets, redwing blackbirds, fish, turtles and the occasional beaver.

The Beaver Pond is located next to a bike trail that connects Ballston and the Custis Trail, just north of the ramp from Fairfax Drive to I-66.

Residents of the nearby Waycroft Woodlawn neighborhood have become fond of the pond and became worried when a bulldozer arrived in the area as part of the I-66 widening project. But not to fear says Aileen Winquist, of the county’s Environmental Management Bureau.

“The Beaver Pond is not in danger from the current I-66 spot improvement project and widening of westbound I-66,” Winquist said in an email.

Winquist noted that the design work on a planned restoration of the Beaver Pond will begin this fall. The restoration will clean up trash and sediment from the pond and provide better water quality treatment. There will be several public meetings held to educate residents about the project.

Although the Beaver Pond will be largely unaffected by the I-66 widening, a VDOT-owned stormwater retention pond across the street will be impacted. Construction is planned for the facility, but details about the exact nature of the work were not immediately available.

More photos after the jump.

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More on Mad Rose Tavern

By ARLnow.com

We’re learning more about the mysterious Mad Rose Tavern, coming soon to 3100 Clarendon Boulevard.

Mad Rose will be “an American style restaurant and bar with about 150 indoor seats, two bars, great food, and great times,” according to a new Facebook page.

The owners hope to open the restaurant “sometime this fall.” They also hope to open an outdoor patio at some point this spring. It promises to be “one of the largest patios in all of Arlington,” according to the page.

Mad Rose is opening on the ground floor of a Clarendon office building that houses SoBe Bar & Bistro, Mister Days Sports Rock Cafe, Pacers Running Store and offices of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

An demolition permit for 4,000 square feet of interior space has been posted in the window of the future restaurant.

Rough Ride on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Between on-going utility relocation work and construction on several large-scale developments, Columbia Pike has lately been riddled with construction bottlenecks and rough sections of road.

That’s to be expected. But one area of the Pike is particularly hazardous for drivers at the moment.

The asphalt on two patched-up sections of road between South Barton Street and South Wayne Street has begun to sink, causing a violent jolt for motorists traveling at speed. Some drivers who spot the big bumps early suddenly hit the brakes, presenting the risk of a rear-end collision.

The ruts — one in the far eastbound lane and one in the far westbound lane — are located across from the under-construction Adams Square development.

We’ve posted video of one of the ruts after the jump.

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You Wanted To Know: What’s Up With Torn-Up Brick Sidewalks?

By ARLnow.com

 

You might have noticed them around town: brick sidewalks torn up by utility work or some other sort of construction project. You’ll see a small pile of bricks (or “pavers”) by a street lamp and patches of asphalt where the bricks were removed.

We were recently asked whose repsonsibility it is to put the bricks back by a reader who was unhappy with the fact that the brick sidewalk in front of the Hyde Park Harris Teeter had been torn up more more than a month (it has since been fixed).

Here’s the response we got from county spokesperson Karen Acar:

Maintenance responsibilities for sidewalks throughout the County can be a complicated issue.

In residential areas it’s pretty simple. In nearly all instances the County owns and maintains the sidewalks – except for driveway aprons, which are the responsibility of the property owner.

Commercial areas are more complex. Many of the commercial roadways, including Glebe Road, Lee Hwy, Columbia Pike, Fairfax Drive, and most of Washington Blvd, are owned by VDOT. In most cases, VDOT would be responsible for maintaining the sidewalks, but not always.

In many areas along VDOT roadways that have been improved beyond standard concrete sidewalks (for example, pavers or more complex paving or streetscape patterns), VDOT has transferred maintenance responsibility to a third party – oftentimes the County – as a condition of approving the non-standard treatment.

Another factor (whether on VDOT or county roads) is the presence of county-issued site plans or other site development approvals. Many commercial developments throughout the County include conditions which require the associated developer or building owner to maintain the sidewalk adjacent to and in front of their site. Many of the sidewalks in commercial areas are not on public right-of-way, but are instead on private land which has been encumbered with an easement to allow public sidewalks and utilities as part of the site development.

In nearly all cases where sidewalk disruption is the result of some utility maintenance or other work, the party that conducted the maintenance or work would be held responsible for restoring the area. The County should be able to track who is responsible for the work by checking various permit systems (building, right-of-way, etc.).

Permanent repairs are often completed the same day as the work, but in other instances, repairs could require two weeks or longer – particularly if the sidewalk disruption is related to a large-scale repair or maintenance program.

Currently, fiber optics are being installed around Arlington County, including Columbia Pike, under a permit from Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Once the contractor has completed installation, it is responsible for repairing the sidewalk.

To reports problems with a sidewalk, follow this link or call 703-228-6570.

Hyde Park photo courtesy Marsh Lucas.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Heat It Up — Mother nature will attempt another run at triple digit temperatures today. The predicted high is 98 degrees. A Code Orange air quality alert has been issued for the region.

Mail Carrier Charged With Stealing Mail — An U.S. Postal Service employee at the Arlington Main Post Office has been charged with stealing mail. Alva Jackson is accused of swiping envelopes she thought might contain gift cards. Jackson, who worked as an Arlington mail carrier, was caught with 134 stolen pieces of mail in her house, according to charging documents. More from the Washington Examiner.

Cherrydale Condo Complex Back on Track — Construction of the Bromptons at Cherrydale condos (3800 Lee Highway) is expected to be completed by January 2011, a relief for neighbors who from 2006 to 2009 had to stare at the building’s half-finished facade. Construction stalled in 2006 when Arlington County determined the construction was of such poor quality that it temporarily shut down the project. More from TBD.

New Office Building Coming to Virginia Square — After seven years of development limbo, it appears that the Arlington Funeral Home in Virginia Square will finally be redeveloped. Plans to turn the site into a luxury condo building fell through in 2008 when the company that owned it at the time filed for bankruptcy. Now, the property has been sold to a local firm that plans to turn it into an office building. The company plans to include ground-floor retail, a public park and a public theater in the development, which will make it eligible for bonus density from the county. More from the Washington Business Journal.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Crystal City Hyatt Closes for Renovations

By ARLnow.com

It’s not very often that a hotel completely closes its doors, especially during the summer tourist season, but the Hyatt in Crystal City has done just that to allow for major renovations to the front of the hotel.

A reconstruction of the front entrance, the hotel lobby, and the parking garage entrance is underway. For major construction, it’s taking place at a speedy pace — the hotel is scheduled to reopen on Friday, we’re told.

Work is also being done to the front of an office building across the street. For a while, the sidewalks on either side of the road were closed to allow for the simultaneous construction projects. That created a dangerous situation for pedestrians at the time, but the sidewalk in front of the office building has since reopened.

Thanks to Doug Wendt for the tip and the photos.

Mystery Construction Project Near Ray’s Hell Burger

By ARLnow.com

This morning a reader asked about a “bizarre” construction project happening at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Quinn Street, near Ray’s Hell Burger.

We dutifully checked it out and yes, it was pretty weird. First of all, you don’t typically see that much construction debris sitting out in the open near a main thoroughfare. When we arrived workers were busy laying brick next to the building and doing some sort of metal work inside. We asked the workers what was being built — and got no response.

We checked with the county zoning records system to see if any building permits had been issued for the address — and couldn’t find any (Update: Per the discussion in the comments section, it looks like a building permit was applied for last year and approved this year). We would have asked a zoning employee about it, but for about two hours no one in the office has answered the phone.

The building was previously a service station. Does anybody know what it’s going to be once this work is completed?

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