Crystal City

Goat Found on Crystal City Median

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) An unusual occurrence prompted a call to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington on Saturday. Passersby spotted a goat tied up on a median in Crystal City.

A caller informed AWLA that a goat was tied up on a median at the intersection of S. Eads Street and Army Navy Drive. The goat was still there when AWLA representatives arrived on the scene. Workers rescued the goat and took it to the AWLA shelter in Shirlington.

Shortly after the animal was picked up, the owner called and retrieved the goat from the shelter. Although AWLA does not disclose information about the owners of reclaimed animals, it notes the goat was a college mascot.

No charges have been brought forth because it’s unclear exactly who left the goat tied up on the median.

County Board to Consider Private-Public Streetcar Partnership

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board is considering options for having a private company design, build and run all or part of its planned streetcar system.

Earlier this month, the Board held a work session with officials from other North American transit agencies who spoke of their experience with public-private partnerships for light rail systems. By and large, said Board member and leading streetcar supporter Chris Zimmerman, those experiences were positive.

A public-private partnership “can save time and money,” he told ARLnow.com. “We’re very seriously looking at the options.”

At the Nov. 15 work session, transit officials from Ottawa  Denver, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City discussed both the positives and the risks, challenges and things didn’t work with their private partnerships. Such a partnership involves a contract between the local government and a private entity, with the company agreeing to design, build, operate and sometimes even finance the project — to the government’s specifications — in exchange for set payments.

The benefit for the public is that the company handles all the logistics — engineering, procurement, construction, etc. — and often can get more done with less money. The private company also has more flexibility to innovate and to accomplish goals.

In exchange for a long-term (30+ year) contract for operating the light rail system, the company agrees to certain performance benchmarks.  The company and the government share some of the inherent risks in the project, instead of the government assuming all risk, like in a publicly-built system. In the end, the public retains ownership of the system.

“It’s pretty clear if you look around the world and increasingly around the county that things are moving that way,” Zimmerman said. He cited the experience of Vancouver, which was able to build a two-track light rail system through a public-private partnership for the same cost as it had budgeted to build a one-track system on its own.

Zimmerman said a public-private partnership is especially attractive for the county’s planned Crystal City streetcar, which will be funded using a TIF — tax increment financing, derived from gains in commercial real estate values in Crystal City.

“[Crystal City] might be very well poised for this kind of approach,” he said.

It’s possible that the Columbia Pike streetcar could be built using a public-private partnership, but it’s less likely since the county is seeking federal funds for the project and since it is further along in the process.

Zimmerman said the county hopes to have the Columbia Pike streetcar up and running sometime between 2017 and 2018, and the Crystal City streetcar operating between 2018 and 2019. The construction process for each will take about two years.

At its meeting Tuesday night, the County Board deferred consideration of a measure that would allow the county to pursue public-private partnerships under a 1995 Virginia law. The Board will take the matter back up at its December meeting, after Board members Libby Garvey and Walter Tejada expressed some reservations about the method by which the county will award such contracts.

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Wine, Beer Walks Returning to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City will be holding its popular indoor wine and beer walks again this winter.

The walks, now in their third year, combine light exercise (a one kilometer course through Crystal City’s underground shopping area) with moderate drinking (multiple wine/beer and snack stations are set up along the course).

The 1K wine walks will take place between 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 12 and 13. The 1K beer walks will take place between 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 26 and 27.

The walks will feature “dozens” of varieties of beer and wine, as provided by the Washington Wine Academy.

Registration for the wine walk is $43.50 and includes a t-shirt and 20 tasting tickets. Registration for the beer walk is $38.50 and also includes a t-shirt and 20 tasting tickets.

Tickets can be purchased online. The course begins at the section of the Crystal City Shops closest to 2200 Crystal Drive.

Photo courtesy Crystal City BID. Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

Developer In Negotiations to Bring Whole Foods to Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

 

Developer Vornado is in negotiations to bring a new Whole Foods grocery store to Pentagon City.

The store would located on the ground floor of Vornado’s planned Metropolitan Park apartment building at the corner of S. Eads Street and 12th Street. The building, currently in the Site Plan Review stage, will replace a dilapidated warehouse and is part of a larger effort to turn 12th Street into a mixed-use commercial corridor.

Vornado’s Metropolitan Park building will the fourth in the overall Metropolitan Park development. The development will also result in an extension of 12th Street between Eads Street and Fern Street. Vornado’s planned, 2 million square foot PenPlace office and hotel development will be located across the future 12th Street, which is now a pedestrian path.

Met Park 4-5, as the Vornado apartment building is being called in planning documents, is expected be up to 22 stories tall, with two connected towers, and will contain just shy of 699 apartments. A 37,000 square foot grocery store space on the ground floor is being incorporated into the building with the express purpose of attracting Whole Foods, though no lease or letter of intent has been signed yet, we’re told.

An official with the Crystal City Business Improvement District told us the organization is “thrilled” with the prospect of bringing Whole Foods to the area. Currently, Whole Foods’ only location is the perpetually-crowded Clarendon store at 2700 Wilson Boulevard.

Developers hope the building plan will go before the County Board at some point mid-2013. No word yet on how long construction would take.

Disclosure: Crystal City BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Black Lime Café to Open in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Update on 11/19/12 — The restaurant opened briefly but had to shut down due to a sprinkler problem, a PR rep said today (Monday).

“The restaurant was open for about 3 hours and then they encountered a sprinkler problem, forcing them to shut down. The fire department is still at Black Lime Café this morning fixing the issue; they hope to open again tomorrow morning,” we’re told.

Earlier: A new “quick casual” Mediterranean restaurant will be opening in Crystal City tomorrow (Friday).

Black Lime Café, located at 2450 Crystal Drive, will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The 2,300 square foot restaurant has seating for 80.

It’s the first of at least a dozen planned Black Lime Café locations in the D.C./Baltimore area, the company says. Named after a Mediterranean spice, Black Lime will offer a Chipotle-like counter service menu, allowing customers to build their own pita, salad bowl or kumpir (baked potato).

“Black Lime Café is a counter-service restaurant offering a build-your-own meal menu which includes authentic favorites such as falafel, black lime chicken and Shawarma marinade flank steak, all complete with homemade hummus,” the company said in a press release. “Black Lime Café also boasts an extensive catering menu for local business and private events.”

This weekend, the restaurant will be celebrating its opening by donating 100 percent of restaurant proceeds to the Armed Forces Foundation, which provides financial support to the families of injured veterans, according to the press release.

Black Lime Café isn’t the only new restaurant concept coming to Crystal City. Owners Paul Stratmeyer and David Levitt are planning to open a second restaurant next door to Black Lime Café. DelMarVa’s Taphouse, as the restaurant will be called, will offer a menu of traditional southern dishes and “local crafted beer and wine.”

DelMarVa’s Taphouse is expected to open in Crystal City in the summer of 2013, according to a PR rep.

Courtesy photo

Fashion Show, Charity Raffle for Gossip’s Anniversary

By Katie Pyzyk

Sometimes it seems like Arlington is a revolving door for small businesses and restaurants, but one store owner in Crystal City is bucking the trend and holding an anniversary party. Gossip (566 23rd Street S.) is holding its “5 Year Anniversary Festa and Fashion Show” tomorrow (November 10).

Owner Katherine Glorioso, who hails from Falls Church, had known for years that she wanted to open a boutique featuring Southern California fashions. She started off by selling a few items at Eastern Market. After four straight weeks of selling out halfway through the day, Glorioso’s parents pushed her to set up a brick and mortar establishment.

Glorioso originally thought her boutique would fit well in Georgetown, but she discovered that rent prices were too high. Her goal was to keep all pieces of merchandise below $100 each, which would make it difficult to pay Georgetown rents. Her father tipped her off to a potential space in Crystal City. Upon seeing the area her father had suggested, Glorioso had a flashback to being on 23rd Street when she was younger.

“I used to walk down the block my store is now on and thought, ‘One day I’ll have something on this block,'” said Glorioso.

She credits her father, an entrepreneur, for assisting her with opening the store.

“It was so much hard work, but it was the best decision I ever made. I feel very blessed,” Glorioso said. “I worked my butt off, I knew what I was doing and I had my wonderful father to help along the way. I was going to make it no matter what. There was no option of failure.”

Gossip began in a small 450 square foot space, then expanded last summer. In addition to clothing and accessories, the expansion allowed for adding vintage clothing, undergarments, shoes and children’s clothing. Glorioso continues keeping her eyes open for potential areas for expansion, because she would eventually like to open a store in North Arlington.

As part of tomorrow’s anniversary celebration, Gossip will run a sale from 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Customers who purchase at least $25 worth of merchandise will receive a free goodie bag with a surprise inside.

Additionally, there will be a fashion show across the street at Tortoise and Hare Bar and Grille (567 23rd Street S.) at 8:00 p.m. It will feature items from Gossip’s fall and winter collections. The event is free to attend and there will be complimentary appetizers. Raffle tickets will be sold at the fashion show for five gift bags filled with up to $100 in merchandise from Gossip. The raffle tickets are $2 each and all proceeds will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Community Forum Planned for Crystal City Streetcar

By ARLnow.com

Although plans for a streetcar line on Columbia Pike are making most of the headlines in Arlington, another county streetcar project is pushing forward with considerably less fanfare.

The Crystal City Streetcar Project would build a new streetcar line to run from the Pentagon City Metro station to Potomac Yard in Alexandria. Unlike the Pike streetcar project, which hopes to win federal funding, the funding for the Crystal City streetcar is more or less in place, and will come from a Crystal City tax increment financing area (TIF).

Arlington County is now planning to hold a public meeting to discuss the project. The forum will be held at the Crystal Park Condominium meeting room at 1805 Crystal Drive, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. next Tuesday, Nov. 13.

“As part of the Crystal City Streetcar Project, Arlington County is studying the environmental effects and developing conceptual engineering for a streetcar line connecting Pentagon City, Crystal City, and Potomac Yard,” the county said in a media advisory. “At the community forum, County representatives will introduce the project, describe the ongoing planning efforts, collect comments and answer questions. The public is encouraged to attend and learn about this new phase of transit.”

Those with questions or language interpretation requests can email [email protected].

Photos: Record-Setting Marine Corps Marathon

By ARLnow.com

Arlington hosted the 37th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, bringing tens of thousands of runners and spectators to the county.

The race kicked off just before 8:00 a.m. on Route 110, just before Memorial Bridge, and wound its way through Rosslyn, up Lee Highway, down the Spout Run Parkway, into the District (for about 16 of the 26.2 miles), through Crystal City and back to the Iwo Jima Memorial. A record 23,515 runners finished the race.

Photos from the race, below and above, were taken by ARLnow.com and by Flickr pool contributors Christaki, Sarahalow and Wolfkann. A press release with information on the top finishers and other details, after the jump.

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Car Drives Through Yard, Across Street, into Front of Building

By ARLnow.com

An elderly driver was involved in a bizarre accident near Crystal City this afternoon.

The accident happened around 4:00 p.m. on the 700 block of 23rd Street S. Witnesses say an elderly driver in a white sedan pulled out of a commercial driveway, slammed into the side of passing minivan, continued driving across the street and into the front yard of Linden Resources, then back across the street and into the front of a small office building.

The elderly male driver seemed shaken up by his car’s airbag but not seriously injured, witnesses said. He was transported via ambulance to a local hospital. No other injuries were reported.

The office building, which houses NATO offices among other tenants, did not suffer any significant, apparent damage. Linden Resources’ flower bed was torn up and its front walkway railing was knocked over.

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Road Closures, Events Planned for Marine Corps Marathon

By ARLnow.com

Preparations are underway in Rosslyn, Crystal City and elsewhere in Arlington for the 37th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 28.

The race will start at about 7:55 a.m. and the 26.2 mile course, which winds through Arlington and the District, will close at 3:00 p.m. During the marathon, Crystal City will be hosting an all-day family festival, complete with moon bounces, face painting, obstacle courses and live DJs. Rosslyn will be hosting the marathon’s finish festival, featuring live bands, a beer garden and free massages for runners.

The Arlington County Police Department is planning to close the following roads and highways to make way for the 30,000 runners expected to participate in the race.

  • 4:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Route 110 ramp from Washington Boulevard to Route 110
  • 4:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Marshall Drive from N. Meade Street to Route 110
  • 4:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Route 110 from I-66 to U.S. Highway 1
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. N. Meade Street from Marshall Drive to Lynn Street
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Wilson Boulevard from N. Nash Street to Route 110
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Lynn Street from N. Meade Street to Lee Highway
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Fort Myer Drive from N. Meade Street to Lee Highway
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. N. Moore Street from Wilson Boulevard to Lee Highway
  • 4:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. 19th Street N. from Lynn Street to N. Nash Street
  • 7:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. Lee Highway eastbound from Lynn Street to N. Kirkwood Street
  • 7:00 a.m. – 9:25 a.m. Spout Run Parkway from Lee Highway to GW Memorial Parkway
  • 7:30 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. GW Memorial Parkway from Spout Run to Key Bridge off ramp
  • 7:45 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Army Navy Drive from S. Eads Street to 12th Street S.
  • 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. 15th Street S. from Crystal Drive to Eads Street
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. 12th Street from Army Navy Drive to Crystal Drive
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Crystal Drive from 12th Street to 23rd Street
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Long Bridge Drive from 12th Street to N. Boundary Channel Drive
  • 7:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. N. Boundary Channel Drive from I-395 ramps to Washington Boulevard

Temporary parking restrictions will also be in place along the marathon route.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

‘Pepe’ Food Truck Makes Arlington Debut

By ARLnow.com

Pepe, a new-for-2012 food truck that has been making the rounds in D.C. for the past six months and Montgomery County for the past week, made its Virginia debut in Crystal City today outside Jaleo restaurant on Crystal Drive.

The truck, from Jaleo proprietor José Andrés, primarily serves flautas, a type of elongated sandwich that Andrés remembered fondly from growing up in Spain, where flautas are a popular street food.

“Chicago does hot dogs, Spain does flautas,” a member of the gathered crowd was heard saying as the truck served a steady stream of curious customers.

The level of culinary sophistication is markedly higher for Andrés’ offerings, however. Among sandwiches on the menu today were:

  • Butifarra ‘Burger’ — Spanish pork burger with alioli and brava sauce
  • Futbol Club Barcelona — thinly sliced chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, shallot mayonnaise
  • Escalivada – roasted eggplant, red peppers, sweet onions, spinach and mojo rojo
  • Spanish grilled cheese — with manchego, murcia, valdeon, membrillo and fresh goat cheese

In addition to the sandwiches, Pepe serves fresh gazpacho, chips and two signature drinks: a non-alcoholic “gin and tonic” with homemade tonic and juniper simple syrup, and a non-alcoholic sangria.

Sean Wheaton, the chef in charge of overseeing Pepe, acknowledged that it was a bit unusual for an established restaurant group — with locations in D.C., Las Vegas and Beverly Hills — to launch a food truck. But it was done with more than just business opportunity in mind. Wheaton says the truck will be used by Andrés’ World Central Kitchen organization to provide emergency food and drink in disaster zones across the country. For instance, after this summer’s derecho, the truck provided water at cooling stations in D.C.

There is only one Pepe truck and it will be splitting its time between D.C., Montgomery County and Arlington. Plans are also in the works to expand service to Alexandria, Wheaton said.

The truck is operates year-round and is open for lunch and dinner, six days a week. Its destinations are typically announced on Twitter and Facebook.

Next week, Wheaton said, the truck is planning to serve lunch in Arlington on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. It’s unclear where in Arlington the truck will be on Monday and Tuesday, but on Thursday it will be at Crystal City’s Food Truck Thursday. It may also come to Arlington in the evening, though those plans are not finalized.

Wheaton said the truck has been “very successful” in D.C. and he said he hopes it becomes a go-to destination in Arlington, as well, although he said it might take some experimentation and patience to figure out where and when to park the truck here.

“We’re just getting our feet wet in Arlington, figuring out where the demand is,” he said.

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