Crystal City

Meeting Tonight to Discuss Art Along Crystal City Transitway

By ARLnow.com

A new bus transitway is coming to Crystal City and Potomac Yard, and planners are asking for the public’s help to decide what kind of art should be placed along the route.

To that end, a public forum will be held tonight at 6:30 at the the Aurora Hills Community Center at 735 18th Street S.

“An artist has been commissioned to create public art along the corridor,” a flyer advertising tonight’s meeting says. “Join us as we help the artist gain a greater understanding of the Crystal City and Potomac Yard communities so she can develop truly site-specific work that meets the goals of your community.”

Next week another public meeting is scheduled to discuss the transitway itself. That meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, June 27, also at the Aurora Hills Community Center.

The Crystal City/Potomac Yard Transit Improvements project will build dedicated bus lanes along Crystal Drive, S. Clark Street and S. Bell Street, often at the expense of on-street parking.

The transitway will eventually be expanded. There are plans for the route to extend south through Potomac Yard and down Jefferson Davis Highway to the Braddock Road Metro station. It will also be extended to the Pentagon City Metro station. The transitway will “set the stage” for a planned Crystal City/Potomac Yard streetcar, planners say.

Construction is expected to begin next year.

FroZenYo Coming Soon to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

A FroZenYo self-serve frozen yogurt shop is under construction in Crystal City.

The store will be replacing a closed Quizno’s Restaurant, next to the Chipotle at 2231 Crystal Drive. No word on when it will be opening, but building permits are now posted in the windows.

New FroZenYo locations are also planned for Rosslyn and Ballston. Late last year the company told TBD.com that all three Arlington locations would be opening in 2011.

Hat tip to “Atleeelmont”

Photos from the Air Force Cycling Classic

By ARLnow.com

The Air Force Cycling Classic was held in Clarendon and Crystal City over the weekend.

Dozens of professional and amateur cyclists competed in a series of circuit races around both urban corridors. Cyclingnews.com has the results from both the Clarendon Cup and the Crystal Cup men’s and women’s pro races.

Photos by ARLnow.com, 83(b), Brendan J. McMurrer, D.WHIT Photography, Tim Kelley

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Training Day — U.S. Navy Lt. Christine Flood, an Arlington native, trains Afghan National Army medics on basic nursing skills, infectious disease control and hospital trauma procedures at the Kandahar Regional Medical Hospital on June 5. [U.S. Army]

House Fire in Leeway-Overlee — A fire broke out in the back of a house on the 5500 block of 24th Street N. on Sunday afternoon, possibly due to a lightning strike. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze before it spread to other parts of the structure.

Streetcar Supporters Meet Tonight — The Northern Virginia Streetcar Coalition will meet tonight at Bangkok 54 (2919 Columbia Pike) to discuss “the development impacts of streetcar projects in the Washington-Metropolitan region,” including the Columbia Pike streetcar project. The discussion is being called “If you build it, they will come.” [Alexandria Times]

Crystal City BID Extended — The Crystal City Business Improvement District has been renewed. The BID, which sponsors events and performs other activities designed to boost the image of Crystal City while bringing more visitors to the neighborhood, was approaching the end of its original five-year sunset provision. The County Board voted to renew the BID in perpetuity, with a staff review in five years. The BID is funded by a tax surcharge on businesses within Crystal City. [Sun Gazette]

Military Man Becomes Priest — The Sun Gazette profiles Luke Dundon, one of the three new priests in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington. Dundon is a Bishop O’Connell and a Naval Academy graduate, as well as an avid marathoner. [Sun Gazette]

Military photo by Sgt. Richard Andrade

Road Closures Planned for Weekend Bike Races

By ARLnow.com

The Air Force Cycling Classic will bring exciting races and extensive road closures to Arlington over the weekend.

The nationally-recognized pro cycling event will kick off early in Clarendon on Saturday, then head to Crystal City on Sunday. Here’s the official schedule:

  • Saturday, June 11 (Clarendon)
    • 8:00 a.m. — Amateur races (for licensed riders)
    • 10:05 a.m. — Women’s Pro/Am race
    • 11:35 a.m. — Kids race
    • 12:00 p.m. — Clarendon Cup Pro/Am Invitational
  • Sunday, June 12 (Crystal City)
    • 7:30 a.m. — Crystal Ride (open to all, registration ends Friday)
    • 11:15 a.m. — Kids races
    • 11:35 a.m. — Crystal Cup Pro/Am Invitational
    • 1:25 p.m. — Women’s Pro/Am race
    • 2:30 p.m. — Amateur race (for licensed riders)

The races will result in a long list of road closures. See the list, after the jump.
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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Wakefield Groundbreaking Today — At 9:30 this morning Arlington Public Schools officials will hold a groundbreaking for the new, $116 million Wakefield High School. Construction on the school is expected to begin next month and wrap up by fall 2013.

Planetarium Group Nears Fundraising Goal — The Friends of Arlington’s Planetarium group has raised more than $350,000 to renovate the aging David M. Brown Planetarium, which supporters helped to save from being mothballed by the school system. The Friends were given the goal of raising $402,800 by June 30, but observers expect that the current haul — plus the haul from one final fundraiser — will be “close enough.” [Sun Gazette]

Crystal City Profiled — “Once considered an area to work but not play, Crystal City has blossomed into a hub of activity for residents and tourists. With roughly 11,000 residents, 5,600 hotel rooms and a number of tallish buildings, the community often has the feel of a bustling city,” says the D.C. Examiner. The paper’s profile of Crystal City credits part of its new-found bustle on the neighborhood’s burgeoning restaurant and bar scene. [Washington Examiner]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Report on BRAC Impacts — With the Base Realignment and Closure Act-mandated relocation of Defense Department offices delayed, BRAC’s impact on Arlington County will be eased considerably, according to a new report from real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle. The report presents the drain of DoD offices from Crystal City and the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor as a chance for building owners to update and redevelop. “If anything, we see this as an opportunity for Arlington County -as a whole – to reinvent itself somewhat, to update older inventory, and to cement its place as the leading submarket in the Metro D.C. area,” the report said. [Citybizlist]

Wakefield Groundbreaking Scheduled — The public is invited to attend a groundbreaking for the new Wakefield High School next week. The groundbreaking will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 9, outside the Aquatics Center. Construction of the new 380,000 square foot building is expected to begin next month, with students expected to start using the building in the fall of 2013. [Arlington Public Schools]

Leeway Overlee Community Day and Yard Sale — The 33rd annual Leeway Overlee Community Day and Yard sale will be held along the John Marshall/Ohio Street greenway from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. “About 100 local families and other vendors offer a wide range of items for sale, including plants, clothes, sports equipment, and furniture,” organizers say. [Craigslist]

Don Quixote Opening — Synetic Theater’s production of Don Quixote will have its opening night Saturday in Crystal City (1800 South Bell Street). The show starts at 8:00 p.m. The production runs through July 3.

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

‘Rock the Lot’ Fundraiser for Ryan Diviney

By ARLnow.com

Tortoise & Hare (567 23rd Street S.) in Crystal City will be hosting a “Rock the Lot” fundraiser with the D.C. chapter of the West Virginia University Alumni Association this weekend.

A quarter of the proceeds will go to the medical care of Ryan Diviney, the WVU student from Ashburn who was badly beaten outside a convenience store in 2009 and left in a persistent vegetative state.

Another 70 percent of the money raised will benefit the American Cancer Society. The rest will be donated to Arlington’s police and firefighters.

Tickets to the event are $25 at the door or $20 online. The fundraiser, which is taking place from 2:00 p.m. until closing time on Saturday, will feature a cornhole tournament and the music of The New Relics, Modern Thieves, Flow in the Dark, Down Wilson and Rise & Fall.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

“Discriminatory” Rolling Thunder Checkpoint? — The American Motorcyclist Association has a beef with Arlington County. The group says that Arlington police conducted a “motorcycle-only checkpoint” on Saturday during Rolling Thunder. Calling the practice “discriminatory,” the association has sent letters expressing “concern” to Gov. Bob McDonnell, Arlington Police Chief Doug Scott and Virginia legislative leaders. [Speed TV]

Mormon Singles Gather in Crystal City — Crystal City’s new 23rd Street Chapel is a place for young, single members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to gather. The chapel claims hundreds of single members, many of whom are specifically on the look-out for a wife or husband. The Washington area reportedly has one of the highest concentration of Mormons outside of Utah. [Washington Post]

Last Call for Crystal Ride Registration — Today is the last day to register for Crystal Ride, a non-competitive bike ride held on a 7.8 mile closed circuit around South Arlington during next weekend’s Air Force Cycling Challenge.

Crystal City to Host WABA’s ‘Bike Fest’

By ARLnow.com

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association will be holding Bike Fest, a “summer fundraiser and celebration,” in Crystal City next month.

Bike fest will feature food, drinks, desserts, carnival-style games, a silent auction, a raffle, sideshow performances, live music and dancing, bicycle art, palm readings, a photo booth and a bike building contest. The musical acts will include D.C.-based progressive acoustic act Second String Band and DJ Jennder.

The event is being held from 8:00 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, June 11 in the Crystal City Shops at 1750 (241 18th Street S.).

Tickets are $45 and are available online. Proceeds will benefit WABA’s bicycle advocacy, safety and education programs.

Renaissance Hotel Holds Grand Opening in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

The Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel (2800 S. Potomac Avenue) in Crystal City held a swank grand opening celebration last night.

The NYC-based musical duo of electric violinist Caitlin Moe and DJ Mia Moretti performed for a stylishly-attired crowd. Waiters and waitresses dressed as fashionable flight attendants served signature cocktails and international hors d’oeuvres, in keeping with the party’s “jet set” theme.

The 300-room Renaissance hotel and the attached, 325-room Residence Inn opened to the public in March. More photos, after the jump.

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