Crystal City | ARLnow.com

Road Closures for Crystal City Twilighter 5K

Published July 26, 2013 at 2:30PM

The Crystal City Twilighter 5K race will result in a number of road closures Saturday night.

The race is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, and is billed as “the area’s favorite summer twilight race.” The race registration fee includes a free beverage at a post-race party for those 21 and over.

Today, the Arlington County Police announced the following road closures, to go into effect Saturday evening.

The following lane closures will be in effect between 6:30 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.:

Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 23rd Street and 20th Street.

Southbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 23rd Street and 20th Street.

A single southbound access lane from 20th Street to the parking garage entrance at 2100 Crystal Drive will be provided.

A single southbound exit lane will be provided at the 2200 Crystal Drive exit with access to 23rd Street.

Note, there will be parking and limited access restrictions in the horseshoe driveway at 2121 Crystal Drive starting at noon.

The following lane closures will be in effect between 8:00 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.:

All lanes of Crystal Drive between Route 1 and 23rd Street.

Northbound lanes of Crystal Drive between 20th Street and 15th Street.

One southbound lane of Crystal Drive between 20th Street and 15th Street. Western-most southbound lane between 15th and 20th Streets to remain open to provide parking garage access.

Northbound lanes of Potomac Avenue between Crystal Drive and the Potomac Yard movie theater.

One southbound lane of Potomac Avenue between 33rd Street and the Potomac Yard movie theater. Western-most southbound lane to remain open to provide parking garage access and circulation.

33rd Street between Potomac Avenue and Crystal Drive.

The following lane closures will be in effect between 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.:

Horseshoe driveway at 2345 Crystal Drive – access to the horseshoe driveway at 2345 Crystal Drive will be accessible until approximately 8:30 p.m. and is scheduled to reopen by 9:00 p.m. at the latest.

Numerous parking garages will also be impacted by the closures.

Photo courtesy Crystal City BID, an ARLnow.com advertiser

Arlington Transportation Projects Approved For Funding

By Ethan Rothstein

Published July 25, 2013 at 11:00AM

Four Arlington transportation projects were approved for funding in Fiscal Year 2014 last night by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

The authority approved funding for the Columbia Pike Multimodal Improvement Project, the Crystal City Multimodal Center, four additional ART buses and improvements to the Boundary Channel Drive/I-395 interchange; a total of $18.835 million.

In addition, the NVTA approved $5 million for the design of WMATA traction power improvements on the Orange Line, and $7 million for 10 new buses on Virginia Metrobus routes.

The package approved was the first to be directly allocated funding from the controversial transportation bill, HB 2313, passed by the General Assembly in the spring. About $270 million is estimated to come to Northern Virginia in funding this fiscal year, $190 million of which was available to be allocated by the NVTA.

The other $80 million will be distributed directly to localities. Arlington is projected to receive $11 million in direct funding, which it expects to direct to its Transportation Capital Fund.

The NVTA voted unanimously to approve $116 million in pay-as-you-go funding and more than $93 million in bond funding, pending a bond validation. Of Arlington’s approved projects, only $4.3 million for the Boundary Channel Drive/I-395 interchange will go through the bond process.

The state began collecting funds for the projects July 1 when a series of tax increases and other funding measures took effect. Over the next six years, HB 2313 is expected to raise more than $1.5 billion total for the region and close to $200 million for Arlington alone.

Other projects that were approved for funding that could have an impact for Arlington residents include $838,000 to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission for the study of transit alternatives on the Route 7 corridor between King Street and Tysons Corner and five new DASH buses in Alexandria.

Two projects that impact Arlington — a $4 million VRE Crystal City platform extension and $5 million for upgrades to interlocking and platform girders at the Reagan National Airport Metro stop — were denied funding by unanimous vote.

One project that did not come up in the discussion was the Columbia Pike Streetcar project. Critics of the streetcar were calling the lack of funding another loss for the controversial project, but Arlington officials did not submit it for consideration.

Bar Louie Coming to Crystal City

By Katie Pyzyk

Published July 15, 2013 at 3:05PM | Updated July 15, 2013 at 5:13PM

It appears the Crystal City space formerly occupied by Memphis Barbeque will be getting a new tenant.

A recently-filed permit application says that Bar Louie is planning to open at 320 23rd Street S. The Texas-based bar/restaurant chain has more than 40 locations across the country, including two nearby locations: next to the Gallery Place Metro station in D.C., and in the Rockville Town Square development in Maryland.

Bar Louie also has restaurants in Miami, Tampa, Chicago, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. It describes itself as “an eclectic urban bar made famous for our signature martinis, cocktails and dynamic beer selection.”

Memphis Barbeque, which opened in December 2011, suddenly closed in January. Its phone number was disconnected around that time and its website has been taken down, despite indications it may reopen.

So far, no word on when Bar Louie is expected to open.

Update at 5:15 p.m. — A Bar Louie spokeswoman denies that a final location has been chosen for the restaurant.

“We are continuing to review locations in Arlington, Va.,” said Bar Louie marketing manager Amanda Utter. “At the present time nothing has been finalized.”

Police Chase Ends in Crystal City Wreck

By ARLnow.com

Published July 12, 2013 at 11:25PM | Updated July 13, 2013 at 11:00AM

A police chase that started in D.C. ended with a wreck at a busy Crystal City intersection.

U.S. Park Police had chased the car from D.C. to Crystal City when, just before 8:30 p.m., it was broadsided by a Jeep at the intersection of Jefferson Davis Highway and 23rd Street S. The fleeing vehicle slammed into a gas pump at the Exxon station at the southwest corner of the intersection. Three men ran from the car, with one dropping a gun on the ground in the process.

The wreck caused a fuel spill but did not cause a fire. An occupant of the Jeep was transported to George Washington University Hospital with serious injuries, according to Arlington County Fire Department Battalion Chief Daniel Fitch.

While the suspects were fleeing, Fitch said, a U.S. Park Police offer was involved in a separate crash at Jefferson Davis Highway and 20th Street. The officer was injured and transported to Virginia Hospital Center.

A third accident, possibly caused by a driver distracted by the subsequent police search for the suspects, occurred at 25th Street and S. Fern Street. No injuries were reported in that crash.

According to NBC 4, two of the three suspects have been apprehended, while one remains at large. A police helicopter was brought in to help search for the suspects.

Pedestrian Struck By County Vehicle Remains Hospitalized

By Ethan Rothstein

Published July 12, 2013 at 10:30AM | Updated July 12, 2013 at 10:49AM

The pedestrian who was struck by a county employee in a pickup truck in Crystal City last week remains in the hospital with serious leg and back injuries.

The victim, a Marine Corps Veteran, was struck by a Ford F-350 driven by Linwood Knight, a lift operator for the Department of Environmental Services, police said. According to county Director of Human Resources Marcy Foster, Knight is still employed by the county. The county does not disclose disciplinary action.

Knight was charged at the scene with failure to yield to a pedestrian, Arlington County Police Department spokesman Lt. Mike Watson said. The investigation has concluded and no other charges are pending.

“Unless it’s a death or a serious injury, we don’t call for a criminal investigation,” Watson said.

The victim’s attorney, Bruce Deming, declined to comment on what his client’s next legal steps will be, but he is gathering information in the course of his own investigation. He said the victim’s first name is Carmen, but couldn’t reveal her last name.

Deming posted twice in the comments section of the original article on ARLnow.com requesting those claiming they were at the scene when the accident occurred contact him. He said the last name Cole, which was posted in the comments section, is incorrect.

“She has a terrific attitude and she’s fighting hard,” Deming said, confirming Friday morning that she was still hospitalized. “She’s suffered very significant injuries.”

TRAFFIC ALERT: Intersection Closed in Crystal City Due to Gas Line Break

By ARLnow.com

Published July 8, 2013 at 3:35PM | Updated July 8, 2013 at 4:50PM

Update at 4:45 p.m. — Firefighters report that the gas has been shut off. Police are attempting to open up a lane of traffic through the intersection.

Earlier: A gas line break may snarl the drive home for some Crystal City commuters.

The four-way intersection of Long Bridge Drive, Crystal Drive, Clark Street and 12th Street S. is currently closed to traffic while Washington Gas crews try to shut the gas off. Police and firefighters are on the scene, and streets leading to the intersection have been closed to through traffic.

“Expect major residual delays and avoid this area if possible, as repairs are expected to last several hours,” the county said in an Arlington Alert email.

The leak is in a large 8-inch gas line and there’s a strong odor of natural gas in the area around it. The break is causing gas to loudly bubble up through standing rainwater in the middle of the intersection.

Road construction crews were seen working on the intersection and on parts of Long Bridge Drive earlier this morning.

Arlington Projects to Receive Funding Under New Transportation Bill

By Ethan Rothstein

Published July 5, 2013 at 11:30AM

Four transportation projects in Arlington are first in line for funding from the new Virginia transportation bill that went into effect on Monday.

The Columbia Pike Multimodal Improvement Project, the purchase of four additional ART buses, the Crystal City Multimodal Center, and Boundary Channel Drive- I-395 interchange improvements — which include construction of two roundabouts as well as safety and aesthetic improvements — are under consideration by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to receive funding under the bill, HB2313.

In Fiscal Year 2014, the NVTA is expected to have $190 million to spend, and the authority is considering 32 projects across the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Arlington’s four projects on the list that cost a combined $18.835 million.

County Board member Chris Zimmerman is Arlington’s representative on the NVTA, which is responsible for allocating 70 percent of the expected $1.6 billion in funds the region will receive from HB2313. The remaining 30 percent will be given directly to the localities.

The proposed list, culled by the Project Implementation working group that Zimmerman chairs, costs a total of $186.99 million. The NVTA has indicated in its recent meetings that it will decide to allocate significantly less than that because the $190 million is a projection and no actual revenues have been raised. Even if all four Arlington projects make the final cut, however, the money Arlington is expected to raise will be less than it receives in regional funding, Zimmerman said.

Arlington’s return on investment “is meant to [even out] over time,” Zimmerman clarified when reached by phone earlier this week. “I think all four projects for Arlington are strong regional projects.”

The statute dictates that each locality must receive approximately equal benefit to what it puts in, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a dollar in and a dollar out, said Regional Transportation Planning Coordinator Jennifer Fioretti, who has worked closely with Zimmerman for the NVTA.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 5, 2013 at 9:00AM

Beauty Pageant in Crystal City — The annual Miss United States beauty pageant is taking place at Synetic Theater in Crystal City today and tomorrow (Saturday). Single women between the ages of 20 and 29 come from 55 states and U.S. territories to compete in the pageant. [Miss United States]

Marymount Launching Baseball Program — Arlington’s Marymount University is launching a baseball program, with a team composed largely of freshmen from Northern Virginia high schools. The team will play at Bishop O’Connell High School’s baseball field. [Washington Post]

County Still Reviewing Streetcar Finance Options — Arlington County officials are still trying to decide on their preferred funding mechanism for the Columbia Pike streetcar project. The streetcar could be built and in operation as early as 2017. [Sun Gazette]

Yelp Details ‘Yuppie’ Concentration in Clarendon — The business review site Yelp has published a map that shows the concentration of certain words in reviews. In the D.C. area, the word “yuppie” has the highest concentration in Clarendon. It also shows up to a lesser degree in Ballston, Courthouse and the Columbia Pike town center area. [Yelp]

Flickr pool photo by Ddimick

County Vehicle Strikes Pedestrian in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published July 3, 2013 at 4:20PM | Updated July 12, 2013 at 9:53AM

(Updated on 7/12/13) An Arlington County pickup truck struck a pedestrian in Crystal City this afternoon.

The county-owned Ford F-350 struck a female pedestrian on 12th Street between Army Navy Drive and Long Bridge Drive, according to scanner traffic. The woman was found under the truck and suffered non-life threatening injuries, including a leg and back injury.

The victim was transported to a local hospital. A police investigator took photos of the scene to document the incident. Firefighters were later called to the scene to wash blood from the pavement.

It’s unclear which county agency the truck belongs to. An Arlington County Police spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Letter to the Editor: Crystal City Restaurant Should Change Its Name

By ARLnow.com

Published July 1, 2013 at 3:30PM

Should Crystal City Restaurant (422 23rd Street S.), the long-time Arlington gentlemen’s club, change its name to something that makes its adult entertainment focus more explicit?

That’s what one resident told ARLnow.com in a letter to the editor. “John Henry” — not his real name — says that he has seen unsuspecting families walk into the establishment, which features semi-nude dancers.

“The embarrassed looks I’ve seen from parents quickly ushering out their young children bring tears to my eyes,” he wrote. “There should be some requirement or warning sign on the door of the club or a doorman that warns those entering that it is a sexually-oriented business… certainly not a generic ‘Crystal City Restaurant.'”

(A longer excerpt of the letter can be found below, after the jump.)

William Bayne, Jr., the owner of Crystal City Restaurant, says the establishment’s name is as old as Crystal City itself and won’t be changed.

Bayne says he has taken steps to make sure the nature of the business is clear to those walking in the door, including a sign on the door that contains the words “gentlemen’s club” and “must be 21 to enter,” but he can only go so far before the county or nearby businesses would object.

“Obviously we don’t want people coming in that are underage… [and] we don’t want people coming in here that don’t know what it is,” he said. But “the county is not going to let us put pictures of women outside.”

Bayne says that he’s willing to put a sign up saying “gentlemen’s club” or “live entertainment” in larger letters outside, if there seems to be a call from the community for it.

“I would have no problem in doing that,” he said, adding that he’s not aware of any other formal complaints about the restaurant’s name. The restaurant does serve a full lunch and dinner menu.

Bayne, a life-long Arlington resident who has three children in Arlington Public Schools, says Crystal City Restaurant first opened at The Arlington Luncheon in 1941. Back then, it was just a normal restaurant.

His father, William Bayne, Sr., purchased the restaurant in 1963 and then renamed it Crystal City Restaurant around 1970, when the neighborhood was first dubbed Crystal City. A relatively short time thereafter, Bayne Sr. added topless dancing to bring in more customers.

The name of the restaurant “wasn’t changed to disguise anything,” Baynes said. “It’s the name of the place.”

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Weekend Crime: Alcohol-Related Incidents in Clarendon, Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published July 1, 2013 at 1:55PM

Intoxicated bar- and pool-goers kept police busy over the weekend.

On Saturday, Arlington County police made 13 alcohol-related arrests in Clarendon during the All-American Bar Crawl, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Among the arrests were two for assault on a police officer and one for a man who attempted, unsuccessfully, to throw a chair through the front window of a business.

Sternbeck said calls for police in Clarendon were “steady” throughout the evening, up until about midnight. “Multiple” fights were reported during that time.

On Sunday, meanwhile, police were called to a pool on the 1600 block of S. Eads Street — at the Crystal Towers apartment complex — for an intoxicated man who allegedly exposed himself.

The 29-year-old Arlington resident exposed himself to about 25 people, including children, while sitting in a chair poolside, Sternbeck said. A lifeguard asked the man to leave, and police arrested him for indecent exposure at his apartment.