Construction crews have moved into the Dominion Arms apartment building as major renovations begin.
The building at 333 S. Glebe Road in Arlington Heights is set for renovations inside according to permit applications filed with the county. This will include converting 2,400 square feet of retail space on the building’s first floor into amenity space for residents.
Six laundry or storage areas will be converted into residential units, while the sprinklers and fire alarms will get an upgrade and the building’s roof will be repaired. Several trees will also be removed.
To prepare for the project, which appears to have shuttered the entire building, first-floor businesses have moved out. That included the likes of a barber shop, dry cleaners and convenience store. The entire site has been fenced off by the construction crews.
Several readers had asked whether the building would be “razed,” but no demolition permits have been filed.
Some residents in Waverly Hills could experience water outages and traffic delays while crews carry out emergency water main repairs.
Crews from the county’s Department of Environmental Services are out on N. Glebe Road between 18th Street N. and 19th Street N. making the emergency repairs, near Glebe Elementary School.
In a tweet, DES staff said water service for 50-100 customers in the area will be affected, and that N. Glebe Road will be partially closed. Repairs are expected to be completed by 8 p.m. tonight (Tuesday).
Emergency water main repairs are in progress on N Glebe Rd b/w 19th St N and 18th St N. The water service for 50-100 customers may be impacted. The street is partially closed in this area and traffic will be diverted. Expected completion: 8pm. #vatraffic
Rendering of the new, proposed Berkeley Apartments
The Berkeley apartments
The Arlington County Board approved an additional loan Tuesday night to help redevelop an affordable housing complex near Four Mile Run.
The Board loaned $13.5 million from the county’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund to the Berkeley II project at 2900 S. Glebe Road to help with the cost of construction.
Approved in 2016, the project will redevelop the Berkeley Apartments into two new buildings, known as Berkeley I and Berkeley II.
The Board approved a $7.4 million loan for the Berkeley I building to nonprofit developer AHC, which owns the property, earlier this year from AHIF’s FY 2018 budget. This latest loan is from the FY 2019 budget.
When built, the buildings will have more than 250 committed affordable apartments. Currently, the Berkeley has 138 units, and Board member John Vihstadt said the redevelopment will be a “huge boost and a lift up to that community.”
Current tenants will be relocated during construction, with AHC required to adhere to a relocation plan approved last year. Tenants on the Berkeley I site received 120-day notices to vacate in July and August, and those on the Berkeley II site should receive their notices this fall.
“AHC’s goal is to find housing for all eligible Berkeley residents at either AHC sister communities in close proximity to The Berkeley or at other nearby rental properties,” county staff wrote in a report on the loan. “Any existing Berkeley resident who is in good standing and who meets the income qualifications will be given first priority to apply for an apartment in the new buildings.”
At the County Board meeting, AHC officials said they expect ground-breaking to begin in April on the new buildings.
A cement spill closed a lane and might have damaged a car on S. Glebe Road this afternoon.
The spill happened in the northbound lanes of Glebe just prior to the busy intersection with Columbia Pike. Traffic cameras showed a road crew hastily cleaning up the spill with shovels around 2:45 p.m., blocking the righthand lane.
As seen on the cameras, a white Mercedes Benz was stopped near the spill. Its driver called police to report damage to the car caused by the spill, according to scanner traffic.
The dealership at 2710 S. Glebe Road is being knocked down and rebuilt on the same plot of land. When an ARLnow reporter stopped by, much of the building had been demolished, except what used to be the front entrance. The building that housed the dealership used to be a seafood store.
Permitting applications filed with the county show a new one-story sales room will be built, as well as a four-story building for service and vehicle storage.
“The lot wasn’t being used to its fullest potential, so we’re expanding and adding space,” said Ethan Anderson, a spokesman for the company.
The dealership will stay open throughout the work, with employees’ offices housed in a temporary trailer nearby.
Anderson estimates the construction could take about a year to complete.
Police chased and then used a Taser to subdue a suspect who was firing a gun along S. Glebe Road early Friday morning.
That’s according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. Police say a 27-year-old Arlington man was seen firing the gun on the 2400 block of S. Glebe Road, just north of I-395, around 2:45 a.m.
He was tased and arrested after a foot pursuit, police say. More from the crime report:
DISCHARGE OF A FIREARM, 2017-10130034, 2400 block of S. Glebe Road. At approximately 2:45 a.m. on October 13, police were dispatched to the report of a male suspect discharging a firearm. An arriving officer observed the suspect discard the firearm and attempt to flee the area on foot. A foot pursuit was initiated and after the suspect disregarded officer commands, a Taser was deployed and the suspect was taken into custody. No injuries were reported from the discharge of the firearm. Keith Murphy, 27, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with felon in possession of a firearm and credit card theft. The investigation is ongoing.
“The reason for the shooting remains under investigation,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.com. “It is not believed the suspect was shooting at any particular person or location. This was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat.”
Police and medics are on scene of a three-vehicle crash on S. Glebe Road.
Initial reports suggest a car and a Jeep collided head-on and another car ran into a light pole at the intersection of S. Glebe Road and 12th Street, in front of the Post Office. Medics are evaluating vehicle occupants for injuries.
One southbound lane of Glebe is currently blocked just south of Columbia Pike, according to scanner traffic. Drivers should expect significant traffic impacts in the area.
The name refers to the year Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines
The Filipino restaurant is located at 900 N. Glebe Road
The eatery has capacity for 60 to sit outside
It is the successor to Applebee’s, which closed earlier this year
An entrance is located on 9th Street N.
The restaurant will serve Filipino comfort food
It has various Filipino staples like rice and noodle dishes as well as speciality entrees
Inside, there is space for 220 people
The artwork includes various references to the Philippines, its culture and its history
Bistro 1521 is open at 4 p.m. each day for dinner, with lunch and brunch to follow soon
The restaurant is on the first floor of the Virginia Tech Research Center
Just months after national chain Applebee’s closed in Ballston, its replacement, Filipino restaurant Bistro 1521, has opened its doors.
Located at 900 N. Glebe Road on the first floor of the the Virginia Tech Research Center and next door to the recently-opened Stageplate Bistro, the new spot occupies a large restaurant space, with seating capacity for 220 inside and 60 on the outside patio. It opened July 31.
The restaurant has a slew of Filipino staples, including soups, salads, rice and dishes with noodles and various meats. Bistro 1521 also has various grill and house specialty dishes including jumbo squid stuffed with tomatoes and onions; Cebu crab cakes and a “1521 Burger” with ground beef, longaniza (a Spanish sausage), atchara (pickle) and sweet potato fries.
Those behind the restaurant include Manny Tagle, bartender Jo-Jo Valenzuela and wife Christina Valenzuela, and general manager Solita Wakefield. Wakefield was previously a co-owner of Bistro 7107, a Filipino restaurant on 23rd Street S. in Crystal City, which recently closed. Jo-Jo Valenzuela said the dishes will be recognizable to those who love Filipino food.
“We want to be careful about calling our food authentic, because everyone’s mother cooks meals differently,” he said. “But we’re definitely traditional Filipino comfort food.”
The restaurant’s name refers to the year Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines, and the artwork on the wall includes references to the country’s flag and other part of its history.
Dinner service begins at 4 p.m. each day, with lunch and brunch services set to launch in the near future.
(Updated at 6:15 p.m.) Arlington County firefighters are on scene of a possible electrical fire at a commercial building along N. Glebe Road near Lee Highway.
Arriving units reported smoke coming from the building. As of 6:10 p.m. there was no active fire reported and some units were starting to leave the scene. As of 6:15 p.m., the northbound lanes of Glebe were being reopened.
All lanes of N. Glebe Road are currently closed between Lee Highway and 21st Street N., according to ACFD.
A crash involving a motorcyclist sent one person to the hospital and closed lanes on Glebe Road this morning.
The crash happened around 10 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Glebe near an on-ramp to Route 50. Initial reports suggest a driver in a silver Mercedes-Benz struck the motorcycle, sending its rider tumbling onto the street.
The rider reportedly suffered only minor injuries and was transported via ambulance to the hospital.
An Arlington County Fire Department hazmat crew witnessed the crash and was the first to call it in to dispatchers, according to scanner traffic.
The southbound lanes of Glebe were blocked immediately following the crash. As of 10:55 a.m. one lane remains blocked as the motorcycle is loaded onto a flatbed tow truck.
Arlington County firefighters helped to rescue a woman who fell down an embankment near Chain Bridge this afternoon.
The incident happened around 3 p.m. Initial reports suggest a 72-year-old woman fell 100-150 feet down an embankment along the Potomac Heritage Trail.
A fire department technical rescue team was dispatched to the scene, but rescuers were able to eventually walk the patient up the hill and to an ambulance, where she was evaluated for injuries, according to scanner traffic.
Police blocked the inbound lane of N. Glebe Road near the bridge during the rescue, due to a large number of fire department vehicles in the roadway.
