Crystal City

Crystal City Changes Have Businesses Seeing Dollar Signs

By ARLnow.com

If the sea of suits at the Bisnow “A Whole New Crystal City” conference at the Crystal Gateway Marriott was any indication, local businesses are quite interested in the neighborhood’s future.

With the newly-passed Crystal City Sector Plan calling for more housing, more offices and more ground-level retail, money-making opportunities abound. And for the representatives of non-profits in the audience, the dollars flowing into Crystal City also present cultural opportunities.

On Tuesday the board has approved the financing mechanism for $207 million in infrastructure improvements around Crystal City, raising the green flag for major private investments.

Speaking at the conference, the head of Crystal City’s biggest private property owner said he has two new projects in the planning stages. Mitchell Shear, president of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, said that the company is planning two mixed-use developments to replace two BRAC-impacted office buildings.

The plans would likely call for the demolition of the existing buildings. One such building was thought to be 223 23rd Street, which housed the G-40 street art exhibit earlier this year.

Shear also brought up the possibility of making Crystal City more “green” by implementing a district energy system (centralized heating and cooling plants serving numerous buildings). District energy, he said, would be consistent with the county government’s energy goals, as stated in the current draft of the county’s community energy plan.

Despite all the changes planned for the neighborhood, officials said that some things would not change.

Crystal City Business Improvement District President Angela Fox told that audience that the famous Crystal City Underground (or, in the preferred local parlance, “interior walkways”) will be a part of the “new” Crystal City. She said local residents have expressed a desire to keep the walkways — which provide shopping options in addition to a means to get from place to place comfortably in bad weather.

Last Crystal City Freshfarm Market of the Season Today

By ARLnow.com

Despite the fact that the weather is still fairly warm, today’s Crystal City Freshfarm Market will be the last of the season.

Held from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Crystal Drive, the market features about 20 local farmers and producers who bring together seasonal fruits and vegetables, farm-raised eggs, all-natural meats, cheeses, artisan soaps, and more.

Also at the market today: the Sweetflow Mobile frozen yogurt truck.

Buffalo Wild Wings May Open in December

By ARLnow.com

The new Buffalo Wild Wings in Crystal City may open as soon as December, a source tells ARLnow.com.

The restaurant, which specializes in “wings, beer and sports,” is being built in an empty ground-level space near the corner of 23rd Street and Crystal Drive, across from Jaleo.

It will be the sixth “BW3” in the area, one of two that are near a Metro station (in addition to the Rockville location), and the closest to D.C. proper.

Should the restaurant not be able to open in December, we’re told the company will likely push the opening back to February.

Opening Date Set for Crystal City Chick-Fil-A

By ARLnow.com

The new Chick-Fil-A in Crystal City will open its doors on Thursday, Nov. 18, a PR rep for the Georgia-based company told ARLnow.com this afternoon.

The eagerly-anticipated restaurant will be located between the Corner Bakery Cafe and the Neramitra Thai restaurant on the 2200 block of Crystal Drive.

A groundbreaking ceremony featuring a company executive and the famous Chick-Fil-A cow was held in July.

The 3,683 square-foot restaurant will seat up to 81 people. It’s owned by a franchisee and mother of four, Natalie Yang, who is moving from Georgia to run the restaurant.

Police Investigate Critical Motorcycle Accident In Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

A motorcyclist is in critical condition after an accident in Crystal City last night.

Police say the motorcycle apparently struck a curb then hit a tree on the 2900 block of Crystal Drive just after midnight. The motorcyclist, an adult male, was taken to a local hospital and remains in critical condition, police said.

Although there’s no indication that any other vehicles were involved in the accident, police are asking anyone with information to contact Det. Philip Muvaney at 703-228-4239.

This is the second serious accident involving a motorcyclist in Arlington in the past five days.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Spending Outpaces Revenue Gains — An improving economy will bring in more tax and fee revenue for the county next year, but those gains will be outpaced by projected increases in county spending. More from the Sun Gazette.

Plane Crash Survivor Back at Work in Arlington — Former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe, who survived the Alaska plane crash that killed Sen. Ted Stevens, returned to work yesterday. O’Keefe is the CEO of Arlington-based EADS North America. More from Reuters.

Rosslyn Metro Escalator Makes Musical Noises — The Ode Street Tribune has a recording of a veritable chorus of mechanical noises emanating from an escalator at the Rosslyn Metro station.

Road Tattoo in Crystal City — Earlier, we reported that a road in Crystal City would be “tattooed” by artist Steed Taylor. Now, the deed is done. “Crystal City adds roadway tramp-stamp,” reads the headline on We Love DC.

Flickr pool photo by Ian Livingston

Roberto Donna May Be Cooking for His Freedom

By ARLnow.com

Acclaimed chef and convicted tax cheat Roberto Donna just opened a new DC restaurant that he hopes will return him to his former James Beard Award-winning glory. If it doesn’t, he could be going to jail.

Donna pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement this summer, after pocketing about $140,000 in meals taxes paid by customers at his now-defunct Bebo Trattoria restaurant in Crystal City. He received a five-year suspended sentence contingent on the repayment of back taxes. But Arlington County Treasurer Frank O’Leary is not happy the $500 per month repayment schedule that state prosecutors set for the $148,000 in taxes and penalties Donna currently owes the county.

“I am far from satisfied with this pace since, should it continue, we will not receive our last payment until September 2036,” O’Leary said. “In all likelihood, I will not be Treasurer at that point, but you can never tell.”

Should Donna’s financial problems continue — according to a recent Washington Post article, he was nearly $40,000 behind on his mortgage and owed at least $70,000 on credit cards — the chef may be unable to meet his repayments. And should that happen, O’Leary is poised to ask the Commonwealth’s Attorney to send him to jail.

Arlington County authorities, however, apparently are not the only ones after Donna. O’Leary said he believes that Virginia’s tax enforcers and the IRS are close to prosecuting Donna for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of unpaid sales and employment taxes. He’s also being sued by former employees.

“As far as I can tell, the only organization in the United States of America that’s not after Roberto Donna is the Girl Scouts of America,” O’Leary quipped.

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Crystal City Gets Outdoor Wi-Fi

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 9:35 a.m.) Imagine taking your laptop to the Crystal City water park and getting work down while enjoying a crisp fall day. If not for the rain, you could be doing just that.

Crystal City is just finishing up an expansion and upgrade to its free public Wi-Fi network, which is available in many of the neighborhood’s public spaces.

The service is available under the SSID “Crystal City Beta.” See a map of the hotspots here.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Shirlington Oktoberfest Draws a Crowd — Lines that nearly stretched around the block didn’t deter thousands from enjoying a sunny afternoon of beer samples, German food and oompah music. See more photos here and here.

Savannah Wants Michael Brown Back — Now that Michael Brown has “resigned” as Arlington’s county manager, editorial writers are beckoning him back to his former job as city manager of Savannah, Ga. However, Savannah’s city council doesn’t seem too enthusiastic about his potential return.

Possible Measles Exposure at DCA — In an abundance of caution, Arlington’s health department is warning anybody who was in Reagan National Airport’s Terminal C from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 23 that they may have come in contact with an individual who had the measles.

Arena Stage’s Crystal City Era Coming to a Close — Say goodbye to Arena Stage, which is leaving the Crystal City Underground for a newly-renovated, $135 million theater just across the river in southwest DC. But the Crystal City theater won’t be dark for long. Synetic Theater is moving in. More from Connection Newspapers.

Photo courtesy Jason Peschau

Board Passes Sweeping Plan to Redevelop Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Just before the unanimous vote that would approve a sweeping plan to redevelop Crystal City, county board chairman Jay Fisette paused for reflection. Looking back at the four and a half year process of crafting the plan, Fisette remarked that it “an amazing moment and a startling success.”

Then, with five “ayes,” the board set in motion a 40-year development process that will transform the dated, hodgepodge apartments and office buildings in Crystal City into a gleaming, high-density, pedestrian-friendly urban district.

Initially conceived as a response to Crystal City’s impending loss of thousands of jobs as a result of BRAC, the Crystal City Sector Plan is meant to ensure a bright future for the oft-maligned but economically-crucial neighborhood. On numerous occasions last night, speakers pointed out that Crystal City currently produces the lion’s share of commercial tax revenues for Arlington County.

Among other alterations, the plan calls for the creation of a streetcar line, significant changes to the street grid, and an additional 15 million square feet of mixed use development through 2050.

Although some speakers compared last night’s vote to the 1970s-era growth plan that laid the groundwork for the now-vibrant Rosslyn-Ballston Metro corridor, others spoke of the hardships the Crystal City plan might inflict on surrounding neighborhoods.

Too much density, not enough open space and an increase in traffic through neighborhood streets were the most-repeated charges. Others complained that the plan did not provide enough of a transition from high-rise development to the single-family neighborhood.

Largely, those complaints were addressed by the final version of the plan, which included a traffic monitoring mechanism, a citizen advisory board, and a mandate to study ways to smooth the transition at the edge of development. The Aurora Highlands Civic Association unsuccessfully argued for a delay in the vote so those last-minute changes could be further reviewed by residents.

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Crystal City Development Plan Faces Vote Tonight

By ARLnow.com

The Aurora Highlands Civic Association is asking the Arlington County board to delay a scheduled vote on a sweeping, 40-year development plan for Crystal City, to allow more time for resident review.

The board is scheduled to vote on the Crystal City Sector Plan at its 6:30 p.m. meeting tonight. But Aurora Highlands urban planning committee chairman Ted Saks says the county was unable to deliver an updated version of the plan to the association’s emergency meeting last night, prompting the call for a delay.

Saks says a meeting with County Manager Michael Brown two weeks ago has produced positive changes, including pledges of a traffic monitoring plan, a citizen advisory board, and a study of ways to smooth the transition from the high-density development that will surround Route 1 and the single-family home neighborhood to the west.

However, since the county could not deliver a final version of the plan that includes those changes, the association is requesting more time for resident review.

It’s unclear whether the board will grant the request.

The Crystal City Sector Plan has been in the works for years, and includes such changes as a new entrance to the Crystal City Metro station, a streetcar line to run along Crystal Drive, dense mixed-use development with ground-floor retail, and changes to the street grid that could result in existing apartment buildings being torn down or significantly modified.

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