Green Valley

Owner says New District Brewery is kicked, plans to close for good at the end of the month

By Matt Blitz
New District Brewing in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

It appears the tap has run dry for New District Brewing, with the local brewery planning to close for good at the end of the month.

On Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved the purchase of two buildings on S. Four Mile Run Drive in Green Valley. The land will be used to expand nearby Jennie Dean Park.

New District Brewing had also bid to purchase the buildings, so that it could relocate, but the seller went with the county’s offer of $2 million. With that, New District Brewing co-owner Mike Katrivanos tells ARLnow that he has run out of options.

“This was my last shot,” he said, confirming that New District will permanently shut down operations at the end of May.

ARLnow first reported late last year an indoor dog park had come to terms to lease the building that New District Brewery was in. In January, New District confirmed that they had been unable to come to terms with its landlord to stay at 2709 S. Oakland Street. The brewery has been there since 2016, but a rent hike and other related disagreements had led to the indoor dog park getting the lease.

While Katrivanos was disappointed, he also expressed hope that the brewery would be able to purchase a 4,000 to 6,000-square-foot commercial property in Arlington.

More recently, Katrivanos said he has tried to buy three separate properties in the county over the last decade but none of them panned out.

The last shot were the buildings at 3520 and 3522 S. Four Mile Run Drive, located only a few blocks from New District’s current location. With the county purchasing those buildings, Katrivanos said he’s done looking and is making the final decision to close for good.

“We thought we had this other property lined up for purchase and that we’d be able to make a smooth transition, but that is now not the case. I just don’t know if I can go through another Arlington lease, to be honest with you. They are not favorable for long-term business,” he said.

The plan is to hold a going-away party on Saturday (May 20) with the last day of operations set for Sunday, May 28.

“We are going to be serving to the very end,” Katrivanos said.

New District also plans to honor its commitments to serve beer at the Columbia Pike Blues Festival in June and at the Arlington County Fair in August.

As an Arlington native, Katrivanos said it disappoints him greatly that he was “willingness to invest” in the community but it feels like that willingness was not reciprocated.

“It’s a mixture of emotion,” he said. “Being priced out of the area and not being able to find a permanent home for the business, it’s a very, very sad day.”

He has been thinking about what comes next but also needs more time to come to grips with the fact that this is the end for New District.

“It’s just too soon to think on all of that,” he said. “Just shutting down, getting all of this [brewery] gear out of here, and turning [the space] over… it’s just been a lot.”

County plans to buy dog-boarding facility in Green Valley for park expansion, boxing out brewery

By Jo DeVoe
1/6

Arlington is poised to buy two warehouses used by a dog-boarding facility in order to expand Jennie Dean Park.

On Saturday, the Arlington County Board is set to approve an agreement to buy the properties housing The Board Hound, at 3520 and 3522 S. Four Mile Run Drive in the Green Valley neighborhood, for $2 million.

The decision leaves New District Brewery to lick its wounds.

Co-owner Mike Katrivanos told ARLnow the brewery bid on the property as a “last shot” to staying open after its nearby 2709 S. Oakland Street location closes at the end of this month, due to a rent hike and lease disagreement. An indoor dog park and bar is set to take the brewery’s place.

Arlington County says it has been eyeing the Board Hound property since it adopted a master plan for Green Valley and Shirlington, dubbed Four Mile Run Valley, in 2018. The plan “identified for inclusion in the full buildout of Jennie Dean Park,” per a county report.

So when a real estate agent for The Board Hound, which operated in the area for some 10 years, asked the county if it was interested, the county pounced on the opportunity.

“The current owner has… has decided to close this location to consolidate its business at the main location in Alexandria on South Peyton Street,” the county says.

Arlington County says buying these properties helps to meet the goals of the 2019 Public Spaces Master Plan.

The plan calls for the addition of at least 30 acres of new public space over the next 10 years “to help address the challenge of meeting public spaces needs for a growing community.”

For park users, it may have a side benefit of reducing dog barking, which some have found to be a nuisance.

One Planning Commissioner at the start of this year referenced his experience at Jennie Dean Park in a conversation about how Arlington County should use zoning to regulate nuisances, such as dog barking, rather than entire businesses.

“I thought of Jennie Dean Park as I enjoyed it the other day with my children and the incessant barking that was continual and constant, and thought, those poor general neighbors across the street are enduring the constant barking of dogs but it’s next to an industrial zone,” said Stephen Hughes.

Industry is part of the area’s identity, as evidenced by several auto body shops, warehouses and Inner Ear Studios, which moved out of the neighborhood last year after the county bought the building it called home for decades.

Industrial use is also central to planning documents envisioning Green Valley as an “arts and industry district.”

Exactly what that will look like, however, depends on who is asked. The Green Valley Civic Association has previously said it takes a broader view of arts and industry than the county.

“From furniture-making to metal-working, from technological innovation to maker-spaces, from recording studios to culinary arts, in Green Valley we view the arts broadly,” civic association Vice-Chair Robin Stombler previously said.

As those uses materialize, the county continues its work to expand Jennie Dean Park.

In 2018, the County purchased the warehouse property located at 3514 S. Four Mile Run Drive and later demolished the building. WETA uses the property for parking.

On January 13, 2021, the County purchased 3620 27th St. S., which WETA is leasing for up to five years, or until January 2026. The public radio station will be able to move out of the building once new studios open at its renovated headquarters in Shirlington.

The county says it “could later vacate a significant portion of South 27th Street between the warehouse properties and the WETA property for incorporation into Jennie Dean Park.”

Workplace dispute leads to stabbing at Arlington hotel

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A 25-year-old man is in jail after he allegedly stabbed a former coworker at a local hotel over the weekend.

The stabbing happened around 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hotel Pentagon, on the 2400 block of S. Glebe Road, near I-395. According to initial reports, a former employee stabbed the hotel manager at least twice, including in the back.

Police arrived and reportedly took the suspect, who was still on scene, into custody at Taser-point.

“The known suspect entered an office inside a business and allegedly physically assaulted Victim One with a knife,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “Victim Two attempted to intervene during which he sustained minor injuries.”

“Victim One sustained serious, non-life threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital,” the report continues. “Officers located the suspect on scene, took him into custody and transported him to an area hospital for further evaluation. The investigation revealed the suspect had previously called Victim One and made threatening statements.”

The suspect is facing several charges, including Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Assault and Battery and Threatening Language via Phone, according to ACPD.

Hotelier floats idea of turning Green Valley hotels into apartments and townhouses

By Jo DeVoe
1/7

The owner of a hotel in Green Valley is signaling interest in building apartments.

Capital Second Investments, which owns Hotel Pentagon at 2480 S. Glebe Road near I-395, has filed a conceptual site plan application envisioning a 467-unit apartment building and 36 townhouses. Some entities take this step before filing a formal site plan application to get early feedback on the feasibility of their proposal.

The concept from Capital Second Investments situates the housing on a site that currently houses the Hotel Pentagon — which used to be a Best Western, and consists of a standalone structure and a trio of long, two-story buildings — as well as the Comfort Inn Pentagon City, a single tower next door.

Both hotels are listed at 2480 S. Glebe Road, which is at the corner of 24th Road S. and S. Glebe Road, surrounded by I-395, the Lomax AME Zion Church, some auto body shops and two apartment complexes.

Capital Second Investments proposes to fill the 467-unit building with:

  • 99 “junior 1-bedroom” units, which are studios with a small space that can be separated off
  • 191 1-bedroom units
  • 59 1-bedroom units with dens
  • 118 2-bedroom units
  • 608 underground parking spaces
  • A pool and an amenity deck

Across a tree-lined path from the complex would be two rows of stacked townhomes, with a typical floor area of 2,425 square feet, and parking.

Renderings for an apartment building to replace the Comfort Inn 2480 S. Glebe Road in Pentagon City (via Arlington County)

Conceptual site plan applications are preliminary by nature — a step some take before submitting a formal site plan application, which would be reviewed by staff and Arlington County’s various citizen committees.

“This application, and its administrative review process, is intended to provide guidance to prospective applicants in the preparation of land use development applications,” the application says.

Prior to becoming the Hotel Pentagon, the Best Western on S. Glebe Road was the scene of prostitution-related run-ins with law enforcement. In one publicized case, a man who forced a 16-year-old girl into prostitution at the motel later pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor.

Arlington Public Library hosting Black History Month events, including talk with award-winning author

By Matt Blitz
Author Michael Twitty (photo courtesy of Arlington Public Library)

Arlington Public Library is putting on a number of events over the next several weeks to commemorate and celebrate Black History Month.

Highlights include a talk with a James Beard award winner, a documentary screening about one of Arlington’s most famous musicians, and a presentation about the historic Green Valley Pharmacy.

February marks Black History Month which, as the library’s website notes, has origins that date back more than a century ago. In honor of the month, the Arlington Public Library is hosting several programs “to celebrate Black culture and stories.”

Unlike the previous few years, the majority of the events will be in-person this year.

This week at Central Library, James Beard award-winning author Michael W. Twitty will discuss his book “KosherSoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew.”

Based in D.C., Twitty has earned recognition for his cooking, writing, and fusing of two culinary histories. There will be an audience question and answer session and a book signing after the discussion.

The talk on Thursday, Feb. 16 is being held in person inside the auditorium at Central Library and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. It will also be live-streamed and a recording will be available on the county’s YouTube page for 30 days after the event.

On Sunday, Feb. 19, the library is partnering with local PBS station WETA and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington for a screening of the new documentary about musician Roberta Flack. It will take place at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on Columbia Pike starting at 7 p.m.

Flack grew up in Green Valley and went to Hoffman-Boston High School. She’s famed for singing a number of number-one hits, including “Killing Me Softly.”

American Masters: Roberta Flack features “exclusive access to Flack’s archives of film, performances, interviews, home movies, photos, hit songs and unreleased music,” the library’s website reads. “The film documents how Flack’s musical virtuosity was inseparable from her lifelong commitment to civil rights.”

The screening is free but registration is required. There will be free popcorn courtesy of WETA.

Later in the month, Green Valley Civic Association Portia Clark will give a “special presentation” about the Green Valley Pharmacy at the Shirlington Branch Library. The local landmark was owned by Doc Muse for decades, where he dispensed medicine to the Black community.

“The longest-operating African American pharmacy in Arlington County and likely the first African-American-owned pharmacy in the county, the Green Valley Pharmacy has helped shape and define the local community for over 60 years,” reads the event listing.

The property was designed as a local landmark in 2013 and a historic marker was placed in front in 2014.

Doc Muse died in 2017 and the property was transferred to his daughter. The building has remained vacant ever since, though a kabob restaurant is still expected to move in at some point.

Clark’s presentation will take place on Thursday, Feb. 23 and registration is required.

Several other Black History Month events both online and in person at Central Library, including a kid-aimed production highlighting Black American heroes this Wednesday, a discussion of the 1930s project of interviewing formerly enslaved Virginians, and a family-friendly “musical experience.”

The kabob restaurant replacing Green Valley Pharmacy could finally be open by this summer

By Matt Blitz
Green Valley Pharmacy (staff photo by Matt Blitz)

It appears that the new restaurant coming to the former Green Valley Pharmacy could finally be ready to open by this summer.

Over the last several months, the county has reviewed and approved a number of plans related to the proposed renovations at the historic building. Another sign of progress: recent meetings with the community that had in the past pushed back on some of those proposals.

Construction could begin within weeks on the property, which has sat mostly untouched for the better part of six years, we’re told.

The county, the building owner, the restaurant tenant, and the Green Valley Civic Association have all signaled to ARLnow that they are ready to move forward to redeveloping the local landmark into a kabob restaurant.

“We do still have concerns with parking, ingress, and egress,” Green Valley Civic Association president Portia Clark told ARLnow via email. “[But] the community is not holding up this project.”

The restaurant project was first reported in September 2021 and came with the blessing of Jessie Al-Amin, the daughter of former pharmacy owner Doc Muse.

Muse was a graduate of the Howard University School of Pharmacy and opened Green Valley Pharmacy in 1952 as Arlington’s only pharmacy and lunch counter to serve the county’s Black community during the Jim Crow era.

The business at 2415 Shirlington Road was designated by the county as a local historic landmark in 2013, with a historic marker placed there in 2014.

Al-Amin inherited the building from Muse when he died in 2017. The pharmacy at 2415 Shirlington Road closed shortly after his death.

In August 2019, Al-Amin made a deal with local business owner Nasir Ahmad for him to rent the building and open a new business. Ahmad owns restaurants in Sterling and Fredericksburg and told ARLnow he previously owned a fried chicken eatery in Green Valley close to twenty years ago, where John Robinson, Jr. Town Square is now.

Since it is protected as a local historic district, any proposed exterior alterations had to be approved by the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board’s (HALRB) design review process.

In October of last year, the HALRB approved proposed hardscaping and parking modifications. Last month, the board issued a Certificate of Appropriateness allowing for exterior alterations.

“For the time being, the HALRB process is complete, unless there are future changes needed to their approved certificates OR if additional exterior alterations are proposed (signage, outdoor seating, etc.),” Historic Preservation Program coordinator Cynthia Liccese-Torres told ARLnow.

Even if the HALRB needed to review external signage, Liccese-Torres said, the restaurant could still open without signage being finalized.

The only hang-up now, at least on the county side, is for the Dept. of Environmental Services (DES) to approve the building permit. A county spokesperson said that a review is currently taking place, though said that they could not provide a timeline for when it might be completed.

Ahmad told ARLnow he believes he’ll hear back from the county within the next few days, noting that even if plans needed to be altered that shouldn’t delay the project that much.

From there, construction would likely take three to four months. That could put an expected completion date sometime in the late spring or early summer.

As previously reported, the restaurant is set to serve chicken, rice, kabobs, burgers, and pizza. While “Halal Spot” was thought to be the restaurant’s name, Ahmad said they have yet to make a final decision on that.

Clark said that whatever the name might be, the community is ready for it to be redeveloped.

“They need to do something because the building is now just an eyesore,” she said. “The window coverings look awful.”

Trash and illegal parking have also become problems, locals tell ARLnow, which has added to the downtrodden look of the property.

But “slow and steady” progress seems to be happening and those involved are looking forward to finally opening a new community-serving business.

“I’ve always wanted to make sure [the redevelopment] represented my father’s legacy,” Al-Amin said. “It will be nice when it’s done.”

DEVELOPING: Person shot, Bob & Edith’s on Columbia Pike damaged after night of gunfire

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) One person was seriously injured and Bob & Edith’s Diner was damaged after two incidents of gunfire in Arlington last night.

The first shooting happened in the Green Valley neighborhood, near the intersection of 22nd Street S. and S. Kenmore Street, shortly after 11 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing 5-6 gunshots in the area, exchanged between two vehicles, per scanner traffic.

Shortly thereafter, gunfire was reported along the 2300 block of Columbia Pike and apparent bullet holes were found in the windows of Bob & Edith’s Diner. No one at the diner was hurt, according to police.

Then, at 11:20 p.m., an officer reported to dispatch that a person who was shot had arrived at Virginia Hospital Center in a car with numerous bullet holes. The driver of the vehicle was detained for questioning, per scanner traffic.

Police said the gunshot victim was treated for “serious injuries.” The Fairfax County police helicopter was called in to help search for the suspects but nothing was found, according to Arlington County police.

In a press release issued later this morning, police said that the victim is in stable condition, confirmed that the two shootings are linked, and asked for tips.

The preliminary investigation indicates the victim was stopped at the traffic light at 22nd Street S. and S. Kenmore Street when the suspect discharged multiple rounds at the victim’s vehicle from a black sedan. Following the shooting, the victim drove away from the scene but the suspect followed and discharged additional rounds towards the victim’s vehicle at Columbia Pike and S. Wayne Street. The victim was then able to leave the scene and seek medical assistance at a hospital.

Responding officers processed both scenes, collected evidence, spoke with witnesses and conducted an aerial search with the assistance of a police helicopter. Residents are asked to review their home surveillance for any video that may assist the ongoing investigation. Additionally, anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

This was not the week’s first outburst of gunfire. Shots were fired overnight Sunday into Monday in the Green Valley and Arlington Mills neighborhoods, but no injuries have been reported from those incidents.

There were at least three shootings in Green Valley last year:

  • A man shot and seriously injured near the Lucky Seven Food Mart on July 6, 2022
  • A man shot by police after he allegedly walked around the neighborhood firing gunshots at random on Oct. 14, 2022
  • A man shot and seriously injured after an apparent dispute, resulting in the arrest of a 40-year-old Arlington resident, on Nov. 27, 2022

Crime report: ACPD investigating gunfire in two neighborhoods, ACFD arrests arson suspect

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)

Arlington County police are investigating two separate incidents of gunfire overnight.

The first happened in the Green Valley neighborhood, where shots were fired shortly after 10:30 p.m. and police found a possible blood trail, according to scanner traffic.

The second happened just before 2 a.m. in the Arlington Mill neighborhood. Two buildings were struck by bullets and a witness reported seeing three “heavily armed” men flee the scene.

In both incidents, a police helicopter was called in from a nearby law enforcement agency but was unable to locate the suspects.

More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

SHOTS FIRED, 2023-01290277, 2400 block of S. Lowell Street. At approximately 10:41 p.m. on January 29, police were on a separate call for service in the area when they heard possible shots fired. During the course of the investigation, officers recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired. A search of the area by officers and a police helicopter yielded negative results. No injuries or property damage have been reported at this time. Witnesses reported a dark-colored sedan leaving the area at a high rate of speed. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

SHOTS FIRED, 2023-01300020, 800 block of S. Harrison Street. At approximately 1:52 a.m. on January 30, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. During the course of the investigation, officers recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired in the area and located property damage to two residences. A search of the area was conducted, with the assistance of a police helicopter, which yielded negative results. A witness reported seeing approximately three unknown male suspects flee the scene in a sedan. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.

Also today, the Arlington County Fire Department announced that fire marshals have arrested a 33-year-old Arlington man, after a balcony fire at an apartment building along Arlington’s western end of Columbia Pike.

More from an ACFD press release:

At 6:57 a.m. on Jan. 27, the Arlington County Fire Department was dispatched to the 5500 block of Columbia Pike for a reported structure fire. Crews found a small fire on the balcony that was quickly extinguished. During the course of the investigation, the Fire Marshals recovered evidence indicating the fire had been intentionally set. The suspect, a resident of the building, was taken into custody at the scene without incident.

Hat tip to Alan Henney

Plaza’s public peeing problem prompts possible portable provision, permanent potty planning process

By Jo DeVoe
1/8

The area around the John Robinson, Jr. Town Square has a public urination problem.

The square used to be a grassy area with trees, until it was closed off for the construction of the neighborhood hub. With nowhere else to go, people began relieving themselves on the sidewalk along 24th Street S., we’re told.

Formerly Nauck Town Square, before it was renamed after a long-time Green Valley civic leader, the new park opened this spring. Since then, more neighbors have encountered the issue while enjoying the square or participating in community programming there.

“We have our neighbors saying, ‘I’ve had to walk my kid around urine as it’s flowing,’ or ‘It is on sidewalks,'” Sarah Kirwin said. “[People are] peeing on a person’s house, regularly. They’re peeing against The Shelton [an apartment building]. I see it all the time. Kids see it.”

Kirwin says the people who have nowhere to go also would like a restroom and have encouraged her to advocate for one.

“I do talk to the people who are peeing,” she said. “We all agree that that’s a need. This is something on which we are unified.”

This is not the first time a problem like this has cropped up at a county park. In 2014, such a situation spawned the memorable ARLnow headline, “Peeing and Pooping in Penrose Park Peeves Parents.”

Kirwin asked the Arlington County Board to do something about the latest lacking lavatory during the public comment period of last Saturday’s Board meeting. County Manager Mark Schwartz and County Board member Takis Karantonis both said the Dept. of Parks and Recreation is aware of the problem and working on solutions.

A staff member from DPR “has been out talking to members of the community about a location for a portable restroom,” Schwartz said. “We had some other ideas for a permanent facility that will take a lot longer to realize… We’re aware of the problem and know it needs to be resolved.”

While the department has not received any formal complaints about public urination, staff will attend the February meeting of the Green Valley Civic Association to “discuss potential options for a portable restroom and to gain consensus on the next steps,” DPR later told ARLnow.

“A short-term solution would include the installation of a portable restroom,” DPR spokeswoman Martha Holland says. “A possible long-term solution would be the installation of a permanent restroom facility. This would be part of the county’s Capital Improvement Plan process.”

While there is currently no funding allocated for a permanent restroom, it could be included in future budget processes if there is “community interest and available funding,” she said.

Holland said there’s no bathroom currently because “there was no consensus on the need for a permanent restroom” during the park’s planning process.

(more…)

SCOOP: New District Brewing in Green Valley on tap to close in May, looking for new location

By Matt Blitz
New District Brewing in Green Valley (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington’s only production brewery is set to close in late spring, but its owners remain hopeful about moving to a new location.

New District Brewing Co. in Green Valley is closing at the end of May, co-owner Mike Katrivanos confirmed to ARLnow. Memorial Day weekend is currently scheduled to be the brewery’s last days of operation at 2709 S. Oakland Street.

“Arlington’s first production brewery in one hundred years” was unable to renew its lease due to a rent increase and the landlord wanting them to lease the whole building, a large industrial space near Four Mile Run and the Shirlington Dog Park.

“It would have been more than two and a half times the current rent that we pay,” said Katrivanos. “Plus, an all-new build-out for the unrenovated portion of the building that we didn’t have when we initially moved in.”

Despite the brewery being profitable, those extra expenses are not tenable for New District, Katrivanos said.

“We are being priced out,” he said.

Even during rough times, New District — which opened in early 2016 — has had a consistent community presence in Arlington. That includes a beer garden at the county fair, a stand at the Columbia Pike Blues Festival, and organizing the Valley Fest, an arts and music festival in Green Valley.

The community stepped up for the brewery last year, helping it to purchase its own canning line. But then last month, an indoor dog park and bar announced it was coming to 2709 S. Oakland Street with an opening planned for August 2023. This led to some confusion since that was the same address as the well-known, local brewery, which had not yet announced its own closure.

Katrivanos clarified that this was simply a gap in communication and timing, noting that new tenant locked down its own lease before New District was informed about what was happening.

Now, with a few weeks to digest the news, the brewery is looking to the future and remains hopeful that this simply will result in a move as opposed to full-on closure.

Katrivanos said he no longer wants to rent and is looking to buy a commercial property in Arlington, where he spent much of his childhood. It’s something he’s “made no secret” about wanting to do since the brewery first opened seven years ago.

A number of years ago, New District put in an offer to buy the old WETA building on 27th Street S., not far from the brewery’s current location. But that building and land ended up being sold to the county and demolished for the expansion of Jennie Dean Park.

More recently, there was an offer to buy a building on Columbia Pike, Katrivanos said, taking advantage of code changes approved last year allowing breweries to move in. But that also didn’t pan out.

Nonetheless, Katrivanos is still optimistic they’ll find a new home for New District in Arlington and is seeking a 4,000 to 6,000-square-foot commercial property priced around $1.5 million.

If a new home isn’t secured by end of the May, a tough decision may be on tap for New District.

“Either, we’re going to have to relocate out of Arlington or, something even worse, like probably shut down,” Katrivanos said.

For the moment, though, the brewery is focused on celebrating its seventh anniversary on Thursday, January 12. There are going to be limited bottle releases, half-price growler fills, and music throughout the weekend.

With the end of May in the not-too-distant future, Katrivanos is focused on finding a way to keep New District in Arlington.

“We’ll see how the fortunes of fate treat us,” he said.

Demolition day looms for former Inner Ear Studios space

By Jo DeVoe
1/11

Demolition could start on the former Inner Ear Studios building next year.

On Saturday, the Arlington County Board is set to review a contract to demolish the nearly 70-year-old warehouse and building at 2700 S. Nelson and 2701 S. Oakland streets in Green Valley, near Shirlington. The demolition will make way for a flexible open space for arts programming.

“The building is in a deteriorated condition, has exceeded its service life, and is cost prohibitive to repurpose, repair and maintain,” according to a county report. “Therefore, demolition was recommended.”

Work could take about 180 days and construction could be completed by the summer, per the report. Electrical outlets and hydrants would be installed as part of the project.

Arlington County plans to outfit the lot with a large event space, a small performance area, a temporary public arts space, a makerspace and seating. It will incorporate objects saved from the former epicenter of the D.C. punk scene.

“Several items of significance were salvaged from the Inner Ear Studio that occupied the warehouse prior to the County,” the report says. “Arlington County Cultural Affairs and Public Art are involving the community in shaping the future use of the site and incorporating the salvaged items for a flexible, open space that will be established after demolition.”

Arlington acquired the property in late 2021 in a bid to create an arts and industry district in Green Valley and make the arts more accessible in south Arlington.

The building is adjacent to the Arlington Food Assistance Center and the Arlington Cultural Affairs building, where an outpost of Arlington Independent Media is now located, and across from Jennie Dean Park.

Inner Ear Studios has remained active since moving out of its long-time home, with recording space now located in the basement of owner Don Zientara’s Arlington house.

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