Courthouse

County Considers Further Reducing Parking Requirements for Developments Along R-B Corridor

By Alex Koma
1/2

Arlington officials could soon approve additional rollbacks to the number of parking spaces required for new apartment developments along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

Right now, the County Board is barred from allowing new developments along certain sections of the corridor if they don’t have at least one parking space for every unit planned for the new building. The Board is now considering removing that restriction, which would specifically impact properties zoned as “R-C” districts.

About 105 properties are currently zoned “R-C,” according to a staff report prepared for the County Board, and they’re generally located around the Ballston, Virginia Square and Courthouse Metro stations.

The Board approved similar reductions to parking minimums for apartment developments along the R-B corridor and in Crystal City and Pentagon City in fall 2017, in a bid to increase walkable and transit-accessible development, and staff suggested that this change would be a logical next step for the county.

“In general, the proposed amendment could potentially facilitate multifamily residential projects in the future and that the amendment would provide the County Board the same flexibility it has when considering modifications to minimum parking ratios in other Commercial/Mixed Use Districts on a case-by-case basis,” staff wrote in the report.

Those 2017 changes generally targeted properties in the immediate vicinity of Metro stations, and the newly targeted “R-C” districts are slightly different.

Staff describes the zones as a “transitional mixed-use zone between higher-density mixed-use areas and lower-density residential areas,” and the county’s zoning map shows that the affected properties tend to sit a block or two away from major arterial roads like Wilson Blvd or Fairfax Drive.

Allowing the Board to approve similarly reduced parking minimums on those areas as well would provide “consistency” with those previous changes, staff argue.

Officials have already relied on the tweaked parking requirements to allow smaller parking garages at developments around popular Metro stations on the R-B corridor. Other cities have even taken the more drastic step of banning parking minimums entirely.

The Board will consider this proposal for the first time at its meeting Saturday (March 16). Members are scheduled to set a Planning Commission hearing on the matter for April 8, then hold a public hearing and vote on April 23.

Help Us Toast Alex and Airey

By ARLnow.com

As you might have seen, our managing editor Alex Koma is decamping for the Washington Business Journal. On Tuesday, we’ll toast his accomplishments and you’re invited to join.

Alex’s goodbye party is being held Tuesday, March 12, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse. It will double as a welcome party for ARLnow’s new managing editor, Airey.

Readers are invited to join us in the front bar area of Four Courts — look for the ARLnow sign — for this informal event. (You’re on your own for drinks and food.)

See you then!

No Mardi Gras Celebrations Scheduled in Clarendon This Year, But Others Set Fat Tuesday Plans

By Alex Koma

Clarendon residents will go without any sort of local Mardi Gras celebration this year, but there are still plenty of ways to mark Fat Tuesday around Arlington.

The Clarendon Alliance, which normally puts on an annual parade and ball to celebrate the impending start of Lent, says it has no plans for the annual event this year.

The business booster group has gone through a bit of a transition recently, just tabbing a new executive director. Elizabeth Crocker is stepping in for Matt Husmann, the alliance’s longtime leader who retired from the post last year (and accepted a new position as the new manager of the Arlington County Fair).

Crocker urges residents to “stay tuned for information about new events and happenings, coming soon,” but apologized for not being able to put on the events this time around. The alliance even had trouble with Mardi Gras last year, cancelling the annual ball and “jester jaunt” in the face of stiff competition from events elsewhere in D.C.

However, Bayou Bakery will once again be offering its signature king cakes for sale on its website — the Courthouse eatery is also inviting Arlingtonians to a party at The Showroom on 14th Street in D.C.

According to StayArlington, the Heidelburg Pastry Shoppe on Lee Highway is also selling king cake, while Sugar Shack is offering up king cake donuts for a limited time.

The Chasin’ Tails Crawfish restaurant in East Falls Church (2200 N. Westmoreland Street) will also offer food and drink specials for Mardi Gras, including deals on raw oysters.

The Arlington Jaycees, an organization that organizes events for young people aiming for “personal and professional growth, community involvement and social engagement,” is also hosting a Mardi Gras happy hour at the G.O.A.T. in Clarendon.

File photo

Solidcore Pilates Studio Plans Expansion to Courthouse This Spring

By Alex Koma
1/2

A new Solidcore Pilates studio looks to be on the way for a Courthouse office building.

The company announced plans to expand to the neighborhood earlier this month. A recent Facebook post promises that the new location, Solidcore’s second in Arlington, will be open by April.

However, the company has so far been tight-lipped on where the studio will be located in Courthouse. The company’s website does not list an address for the new location, and a spokesperson did not respond to questions about the company’s plans.

But an eagle-eyed ARLnow reader recently spotted plans in the base of an office building at 2311 Wilson Blvd suggesting that the studio is bound for a ground-floor space there.

Though there are no signs up for the studio at the space just yet, county permit records do show a good bit of recent construction activity there.

The eight-story building set to welcome Solidcore replaced the hookah lounge and bar Adam’s Corner several years ago. A new Wells Fargo bank branch is bound for one ground-floor spot in the building, as is The Merit School, a daycare center.

Solidcore is based in D.C. and operates another studio in Ballston (with a new one on the way in Reston as well).

Each studio offers small group classes with core-focused workouts designed to “work your muscles to failure,” according to the company’s website.

Here’s Where You Can Pick Up Girl Scout Cookies Around Arlington

By Alex Koma

If you’ve got a hankering for samoas, thin mints and tagalongs these days, you’re in luck — it’s officially Girl Scout cookie season around Arlington.

Local troops have begun setting up booths around the county, with proceeds of the annual sale set to benefit the local Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital and fund a variety of trips and programs for kids around Arlington.

Booths are generally set up at Metro stations, grocery stores and other popular spots in the county.

Here’s a look at some of the main spots to get your cookie fix over the next few weeks:

  • Ace Hardware (2001 Clarendon Blvd): Saturday (March 2): 12-4 p.m. Sunday (March 3): 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Ballston Metro station (901 N. Stuart Street): Weekdays, 3:30-7 p.m., weekends 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street): Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays, 12:45-5 p.m.
  • Central Place Plaza Rosslyn (1800 N. Lynn Street): Thursdays and Fridays: 4-7:30 p.m.
  • Crystal City Metro station (1750 S. Clark Street): Weekdays, 3-7 p.m., weekends 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Courthouse Metro station (2100 Wilson Blvd): Weekdays, 3:30-7 p.m., weekends 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Deloitte Rosslyn (1919 North Lynn Street): Thursday (Feb. 28): 11:30-1 p.m.
  • East Falls Church Metro station (2000 Sycamore Street): Weekdays, 3:30-7 p.m.
  • Giant Food (2501 9th Road S.): Fridays: 4-8 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Giant Food (2901 S. Glebe Road): Fridays: 4-8 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Giant Food (3115 Lee Highway): Fridays: 4-8 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Giant Food (3450 Washington Blvd): Fridays: 4-8 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Market Common Clarendon (2800 Clarendon Blvd): Saturday (March 2): 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday (March 3): 1-5 p.m. March 9: 12-3 p.m.
  • Marymount University (2816 N. Dinwiddie Street): Wednesday (Feb. 27), 4:30-7:30 p.m.
  • MedStar Capitals Iceplex (627 N. Glebe Road): Saturday (March 2): 9:30-2 p.m. Sunday (March 3): 1-6 p.m.
  • Mt. Olive Baptist Church (1601 13th Road S.): Sundays: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
  • Pentagon City Metro station (1200 S. Hayes Street): Weekdays, 3:30-7 p.m., weekends 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Safeway (2500 Harrison Street): Fridays: 4-8 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Safeway (3717 Lee Highway): Fridays: 4-8 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Safeway (1525 Wilson Boulevard): Sundays: 1-6 p.m.
  • Safeway (5101 Wilson Boulevard): Fridays: 4-8 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Westover Market (5863 Washington Blvd.): Saturdays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Photo via Girl Scouts of the United States of America

New Coffee Bar Looks Bound for Lobby of Courthouse Office Building

By Alex Koma
1/2

A new coffee bar appears to be on the way for a Courthouse office building.

Workers have been setting up what looks to be a small shop offering espresso drinks and other breakfast options in the lobby of a building at 1310 N. Courthouse Road. The building sits near the county jail and courthouse, and not far from the county government center.

There are no signs posted at the location just yet, nor are there any permit applications pending for the space, according to county records.

However, an ARLnow reader says staff at the building are telling tenants that the space has been leased out to a business planning to offer both coffee drinks and breakfast sandwiches.

The lobby is already home to a “Fooda” pop-up stand, a company that works with local restaurants to temporarily offer a rotating menu of lunch options at office buildings.

The Gold’s Gym in the building could soon be on the move as well — its lease is set to expire there in March, though its staff is hoping to negotiate an extension.

Courthouse Fitness Center Relocates into Former ‘My Thrive Pilates’ Space

By Alex Koma
1/2

A Courthouse fitness and massage center is relocating into a larger space not far from its old home.

Arctic Integrative Health and Wellness Center is moving into a vacant office space at 1401 N. Adams Street, near the neighborhood’s Residence Inn and Fire Works Pizza, according to signs posted at the location.

The company, which offers personal training and other coaching services, was previously based at 2055 N. 15th Street, near the Courthouse Metro station.

The new space represents a bit of an expansion compared to the old location, and Arctic made the switch final on Sunday (Feb. 3), according to the company’s website.

The location was previously home to My Thrive Pilates, which closed after the company shuttered all of its locations, including studios in Falls Church and Shirlington, last spring.

Fire at Fire Works Pizza in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Fire Works Pizza in Courthouse is temporarily closed due to a fire Saturday afternoon.

The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. at the restaurant, near the corner of Clarendon Blvd and N. Adams Street, but the flames were mostly confined to the kitchen and the restaurant’s duct work and exhaust system, which extends to the roof.

Roads around the restaurant, which is located on the ground floor of a Residence Inn hotel, were closed for more than an hour as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire inside the duct work. Smoke could be seen coming from the roof as firefighters arrived.

Fire Works remained closed as firefighters packed up. A county health inspector and building inspector were called to the scene to evaluate the damage, though no serious damage could be seen through the restaurant’s windows.

No injuries were reported.

More from the Arlington County Fire Department:

Photo (top) courtesy @samerfarha

Jerry’s Subs and Pizza in Courthouse Appears to Have Closed

By Alex Koma
1/2

Jerry’s Subs and Pizza in Courthouse appears to have shut down.

The restaurant, located at 2041 15th Street N., was not open during normal business hours yesterday (Monday).

Workers also seem to have broken down the shop’s counter, and construction materials are strewn about the restaurant. The phone number listed for the location has been disconnected.

The lone Jerry’s location in Arlington, which sits directly across from the county courthouse and jail, previously closed for remodeling in September 2017. It reopened a few months later under new management, according to a series of Yelp reviewers.

Anyone looking to get a hold of the chain’s pizza or sandwiches won’t have to go too far, however.

Jerry’s also operates a pair of restaurants in Alexandria, and one in Reston as well, though that location recently closed due to a small fire.

New Wells Fargo Branch Set to Open in Courthouse Office Building

By Alex Koma
1/2

A new Wells Fargo bank is set to open soon in Courthouse.

Signs posted at a space at the base of an office building at 2319 Wilson Blvd advertise that the new branch is “coming soon.”

The location would be the bank’s ninth branch in Arlington, and second in Courthouse alone. Wells Fargo operates a branch just up the road from the new space, just near the county government center at 2200 Clarendon Blvd.

The lot at 2319 Wilson Blvd was once home to a variety of smaller businesses, including the hookah lounge and bar Adam’s Corner, but those were replaced by an eight-story office building.

The retail space in the base of the building has largely sat empty since then, but The Merit School is also planning to open a new daycare center in the building in the coming months.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Crash on Route 50 Causing Backups

By ARLnow.com
1/4

A crash at the intersection of N. Pershing Drive and Route 50 is causing significant backups.

The crash was reported around 5:45 p.m. As of 6 p.m., all westbound lanes of Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) were blocked and traffic was backing up past Courthouse.

So far there have been no reports of serious injuries.

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