Lyon Park

Turkey Trot Race to Close Roads in Lyon Park Tomorrow

By Ethan Rothstein

Turkey Trot 5K logoThe annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K returns tomorrow at 8:00 a.m., and motorists hoping for an early Thanksgiving drive should avoid Lyon Park.

The race is organized by, and starts at, Christ Church of Arlington at 3020 N. Pershing Drive. The course takes runners west on Pershing Drive, turning around on 5th Street N. before heading back west on Pershing Drive. Runners will then turn left on N. Fillmore Street and right on 9th Street N. before turning on the southbound lanes of Washington Blvd.

The course goes along Washington Blvd until runners turn right at the intersection with Arlington Blvd. They will turn right on N. Bedford Street and continue until it turns into Brookside Drive and intersects again with Washington Blvd. Runners will turn off Washington on 3rd Street, turn right on Fillmore and end at the church on Pershing.

Roads are expected to close all morning in the area. There is no word from the Arlington County Police Department if the northbound lanes of Washington Blvd will be open to either one or both directions of traffic.

Michael Wardian, Arlington’s own champion distance runner, will both officiate and participate in the 5K, according to the race website.

More than 3,000 runners are expected to participate, and registration is full. Proceeds from the race will go to benefit the Arlington Food Assistance Center, Doorways for Women and Families and the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless.

Lyon Park Residents Divided Over Community Center Funding Plan

By Ethan Rothstein

More than 230 residents attended the Lyon Park Citizens Association meeting over the funding of the community center renovations (photo courtesy John Goldener)The Lyon Park Community Center is set to break ground on its million-dollar renovation next weekend, but the community is divided about plans to pay for the construction.

Last night, 265 Lyon Park residents attended a meeting of the Lyon Park Citizens Association — a record, according to LPCA President John Goldener — to vote on whether the community center should take out a $600,000 line of credit to help fund the renovation.

Put up as collateral for the bank: the park and community center itself.

After a spirited debate, 121 voted to let the Lyon Park Community Center Board of Governors take out the line of credit, with 114 voting to proceed with the renovations, funded only by donations. The LPCA has been fundraising for five years, according to treasurer Bill Anhut, but they have raised $450,000, far from the organization’s goal.

“It’s been apparent the costs were going to come in higher than we expected, and fundraising was lagging because the process was taking so long,” Anhut said. The LPCA has been discussing renovating the Lyon Park Community House, built in 1925, for more than a decade. “People were wondering if we were ever going to get to the point where we put the shovel in the ground.”

A group of residents has circulated a flyer in the last month asking residents to vote in the motion against taking out the line of credit. The flyer reads, in part:

“Repaying the loan will cost $680,000-$800,000, primarily from new donations, from YOU or else LYON PARK COULD BE LOST TO FORECLOSURE … the community center risks default and the bank could take over operations.”

Goldener said that scenario is “impossible.” In the deed to the park and community center — which is owned by the LPCA, meaning it’s owned by the residents of the neighborhood — it is stated that the property can only ever be a park and community center, Goldener said. Cardinal Bank, which approved the line of credit, knows that and has no intention of foreclosing.

Sketch of the planned Lyon Park community house renovationsEven if the LPCA can’t repay the loan, Anhut said, a few residents have volunteered to be guarantors on the loan, meaning if something changes with LPCA leadership and the association decides to stop making payments, the residents would step in to cover the expenses.

The only reason the bank asked for collateral, Anhut said, was to protect its investment and prevent the LPCA from getting more money from another bank.

“The bank proceeded with the loan and understands they can’t look to the property to satisfy any default,” Anhut said. “The bank knows that if they were to foreclose on this property, the deed has a stipulation that it will forever remain a park. It cannot be changed.”

The flyer passed out also suggests undergoing a more modest renovation with the cash on hand, asking “why can’t a sunroom be built in a second phase?”

Goldener dismissed the notion that the renovations are more than the facility needs.

“There’s a misperception that the cost of this is a gold-plated facility and it’s not,” he said. “The reason it’s expensive is because we have to do completely redo all the plumbing, electrical, ADA accessible entry, exits and handicapped bathrooms, and the kitchen’s a commercial kitchen, so all of the costs are essentially triple what they would be for a home renovation.”

Goldener said the community has run a number of financial models, and the LPCA anticipates “easily” paying back the sum of the loan, with interest, within 10 years. The citizens association will also continue to fundraise during the renovations, and the organization will only dip into the line of credit when it runs out of cash on hand, Anhut said. When the renovations are complete, donations and rental fees will combine to go toward paying back the credit.

Lyon Park is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovations on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 4:00 p.m. The community center is located at 414 N. Fillmore Street. The renovations are expected be complete by next summer

Photo courtesy John Goldener

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

USMC War Memorial with the Capitol and the Washington Monument in the background (Flickr pool photo by Ian Livingston)

Wizards Practice Facility in Arlington? — There’s a potential plan for a Washington Wizards basketball practice facility in Arlington, reports NBC4’s Mark Segraves. However, the more likely plan for the practice facility is for it to be built in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood. Wizards owner Ted Leonsis also owns the Washington Capitals, which has a practice facility at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston. [NBC Washington]

Arlington Warns of ‘Potential Severe Traffic’ — Arlington County is warning residents about “potential severe traffic” today due to the massive crowds expected for the Concert for Valor on the National Mall, along with Metrorail service changes and numerous road closures in D.C. that are in place for the Veterans Day event.

Cherrydale Abuzz Over Sound Check — The Cherrydale community email listserv was “going crazy with complaints about the sound check” for the Concert for Valor last night, a tipster tells ARLnow.com. We’re told the neighborhood could hear bass and feel vibrations from the sound check. “One person reported that the Arlington County police were getting so many calls they were telling people to call the D.C. police who then told people to call [U.S.] Park Police,” the tipster said.

Cost of Thanksgiving Dips in Va. — Virginia families will save about $5 per person this year on Thanksgiving dinner thanks to lower food prices, according to the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. [InsideNova]

Lyon Park ‘Sewer Justice’ Petition — A group called Arlingtonians for Sewer Justice — which represents 11 Lyon Park households that are being compelled to pay $10,000-20,000 for a new sewer connection because the county says it will no longer maintain a failing, private sewer line behind their homes — has created a new petition. The petition, which has so far gathered 95 supporters, calls for Arlington County to pay for the upkeep of privately owned sewer lines via a bond referendum. [Change.org]

Va. Square Eatery Up for ‘Restaurant of the Year’ — Water & Wall, which opened last year in the Virginia Square area, is a finalist for Eater.com’s D.C. Restaurant of the Year award. [Eater]

Flickr pool photo by Ian Livingston

Lyon Park Polling Place Quietly Moves to Garfield Park

By Ethan Rothstein
1/3

The polling place for the Lyon Park voting precinct has moved for the Nov. 4 election, from its normal location at the Lyon Park Community Center to the Garfield Park Apartments.

The community center closed temporarily for major renovations on Oct. 1, but voters in Arlington’s 15th voting precinct — generally, homes south of 10th Street N., east of N. Garfield Street and north and west of Arlington Blvd — have yet to be notified of their new voting center, at 925 N. Garfield Street.

Arlington County General Registrar Linda Lindberg told ARLnow.com today “we are in the process of mailing notices to voters,” and signs are posted at the community center. After they were notified of the community center’s long-term closure, the county struggled to find a suitable replacement.

“Because of a shortage of suitable facilities within the precinct, finding an alternative took a little longer than we would have preferred, but Garfield Park came through for us,” Lindberg said in an email. “Voting will remain there until the community center reopens.”

The Sun Gazette reported on Friday that a June 2015 primary — such as for County Board and Arlington’s General Assembly seats — would also likely have Garfield Park as its polling place before an expected switch back to the community center for next November.

Polling places are determined by local governments, Lindberg said, but because of the short notice before the election, the Electoral Board decided to make an “emergency” switch. The new polling place location must be approved by the County Board with a public hearing, the process for which will happen after the election.

Garfield Park is at the northwestern most corner of the voting precinct, several blocks from the community center, which is on the district’s western edge but more centrally located (it’s the location in yellow on the map in the above photo gallery). At least one resident is concerned about the last-minute change and how it affects voter accessibility.

“This change will certainly result in a much lower turnout for this precinct and prevent many elderly and disabled from voting,” Lyon Park resident Martin Lee told ARLnow.com in an email.

Lindberg said that, like all other polling places in the county, “there will be specific parking blocked off for voters who need accessible spaces.” Voters will enter the apartment building through the community room, and signs will be posted to direct them to the ballot box.

‘Boutique Luxury’ Apartments Set to Open in Lyon Park

By Ethan Rothstein
1/4

An apartment building that bills its units as “boutique luxury” apartments says it’s a month away from leasing,

The Hyde, at 3119 9th Road N., is an 18-unit “exquisite rental residence,” according to developer Clark Realty Capital, that is still under construction but is expected to begin taking tenants next month. The apartments range from one to three bedrooms averaging 1,400 square feet each. When construction began, the project was referred to as 9th Road Residences when construction began a year ago.

The apartment building includes 33 parking spaces and ” a dog wash facility, automated package delivery, on-site electric vehicle charging stations, and wifi-enabled Nest temperature programs” as amenities, according to a Clark spokesman.

The rents have not yet been determined, but Clark developer Michael Jiang said they will be comparable to “similar new product in the area,” by square foot. For comparison, a 1,003-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom in the new Beacon Clarendon building cost almost $3,500 a month, according to that building’s website.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Blood moon Wednesday morning (Flickr pool photo by Joseph Gruber)

Tallula, EatBar Closing — Tallula and EatBar, which first opened in 2004 in Lyon Park, will be closing on Sunday, Oct. 26. The restaurants’ owner says they were “unable to reach an agreement with the landlord on renewing Tallula’s lease.” [Eater, Facebook]

Civ Fed Skeptical of Housing Effort — The Arlington County Civic Federation’s revenues-and-expenditures committee released a scathing critique of the county government’s “Public Lands for Public Good” affordable housing effort. The committee’s report said Arlington “couldn’t, and shouldn’t, try to solve all the region’s problems on its own.” It also said that “the county appears to be placing greater weight on the desires of non-residents who wish to move to Arlington ahead of the needs and wishes of its own citizens.” [InsideNova, PDF]

E-CARE This Weekend — Arlington County will hold its biannual Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE) on Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event allows residents to “safely dispose of household hazardous materials, bikes, small metal items, shoes, clothing and other recyclable items.” [Arlington County]

Pop-Up Dinners in D.C. for Ballston Restaurant — Before it officially opens in Ballston early next year, Pepita — a new “Mexican cantina” from former Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella — will be holding a series of “pop-up dinners” to test its menu. The dinners will held starting Oct. 30 be at Isabella’s G Sandwich restaurant at 2201 14th Street NW in D.C. [Washington Post]

Former County Controversy, Now Hardly a Blip — In 2008, Arlington was roiled by a long political fight over accessory-dwelling units, or “granny flats.” The County Board was considering whether to allow homeowners to build ADUs, which often house elderly family members. The Arlington Civic Federation opposed it, with critics warning that ADUs could turn quiet neighborhoods into overcrowded slums. The County Board ended up voting to allow ADUs by permit, but set a limit of 28 approvals per year. Since then, “less than a dozen” have been built. [InsideNova]

Roosevelt Bridge Inspections — The District Department of Transportation is conducting inspection work on the Roosevelt Bridge today and tomorrow. Route 50 drivers can expect some short-term lane closures during non-rush hour periods while the inspections are performed. Work vehicles associated with the inspections will be parked along the GW Parkway.

Flickr pool photo by Joseph Gruber

Streets Market Opens in Lyon Park With Produce and Fresh Sushi

By Ethan Rothstein
1/12

Streets Market and Café, a new grocery store in Lyon Park, is now open.

The boutique grocery opened Friday at 2201 N. Pershing Dr. Though the store is small, “this is not a bodega,” said company vice president Campbell Burns.

The store carries beer, wine, toiletries, produce, sandwiches and sushi, which is made fresh every morning at the company’s D.C. outpost on 14th Street NW. (The Pershing Drive location is Streets Market’s second.)

“It’s a full-on Whole Foods in 3,000 square feet, minus the kitchen,” Burns said. “It’s all geared toward the surrounding community. We’re flexible. If consumers prefer a different brand or more variety of a product, we can adjust as needed.”

Burns said the company was thrilled to be in Arlington is already thinking about expanding.

“We’re excited about the market and the neighborhood,” he said. “We think our concept is going to be well-received.”

Second Westover Beer Garden Location Moves Closer to Opening

By Ethan Rothstein
1/3

The second location of the Westover Beer Garden, expected to open near Clarendon in March 2015, is beginning to take shape.

The establishment will be called the Sehkraft Beer Garden and Haus, a play on words of “sehkraft,” which is German for vision or eyesight, but pronounced “say craft,” owner Devin Hicks said. The brewpub, at 925 N. Garfield Street, expects have a 10-barrel system to brew beer in-house, five taps straight from the tanks to the bar, five taps for house-made kegged beers and collaborations with other breweries, and 30 “guest” beer taps.

“We’ll do growler fills, which should be a big hit,” Hicks told ARLnow.com this morning. “Right now we’re working on getting some of our beers to be distributed so we can send them to various bars and restaurants. It’s legal in Virginia, but Arlington zoning has deemed it to not be permissible within Arlington County. We’re looking into fixing that with our lawyers that helped us with the county in Westover.”

The head brewer for Sehkraft Brewing will be John Peters, who most recently was the lead brewer for Lost Rhino in Ashburn. Peters worked with Hicks for a collaboration beer — a triple IPA with 150 bitterness units and 10.1 percent alcohol by volume — in 2012. Hicks said he already is planning collaborations with established West Coast breweries Stone Brewing and Sierra Nevada.

In addition, head chef Jay Jenks, currently the head chef at Westover Beer Garden, will be in charge of Sehkraft’s kitchen. The 10,000-square foot space will have a butcher shop, a small market, and seating for 210 on the inside and 122 in the outdoor beer garden. Hicks said he will soon be applying for a live music permit, and is in the application process for ABC permits.

“This is desired and deserved for Arlingtonians,” Hicks said. “It’s going to be really exciting for everybody. We’re going to have great beers, a lot of guest brewers from notable brewers across the country… The importance of beer gardens in Europe is pretty huge. It’s always been a social gathering spot for drinking their local beers, and we want to bring an American version of that.”

New Boutique Grocery Store Coming to Pershing Drive

By Ethan Rothstein
1/3

A new grocery store is expected to open in Lyon Park on Pershing Drive within the next month or two.

A boutique grocery store called Streets Market is hoping to open by late June or early July on the ground floor of the new 2201 Pershing apartment complex, at the corner of Pershing and Route 50, according to company official Kathryn Lee. Streets Market just opened its first location, at 2400 14th Street NW in D.C., last month, but they have been undergoing construction for seven months, Lee said.

“We are a more of a healthy, natural store,” Lee told ARLnow.com this afternoon. “We have everything you would need with natural, plus organic, plus generic, instead of just health nut stuff. You won’t have to make another stop.”

The grocery store will be 3,300 square feet of space — about half the size of its D.C. location — and ground-level customer parking will be available at the 2201 Pershing building, Lee said. The grocery store was founded by owner Jimmy Na, who works as a wholesale distributor in Maryland.

“We have a lot of wholesale background, and now [Na] is venturing into retail,” Lee said. “He has a lot of insights into the market, new trends and customer’s needs.”

Streets Market is planning to have a grand opening celebration when it opens this summer. It will sell beer and wine along with its produce and grocery offerings.

Artisanal Pickle Makers Flourish in Lyon Park Basement

By Ethan Rothstein
1/9

There are barrels, buckets, plastic bags and containers all over the Lyon Park headquarters of No. 1 Sons, a company that sells fermented pickles, kimchi and other products at farmer’s markets and stores around the D.C. area.

No. 1 One Sons has occupied a tiny space underneath the 2720 Washington Blvd shopping center — which houses the new Mocha Cafe & Pastry — since 2012. That’s when No. 1 Sons was founded after owner Yi Wah Roberts, drinking with a friend, decided to make pickles on a whim. Later, he built the “factory” himself with a group of friends.

Roberts decided to ferment the pickles rather than soak them in vinegar, the common method for mass-produced pickles. The result was so good, Roberts said, that he decided to try selling them at a farmer’s market.

“I did it kind of on a lark,” Roberts told ARLnow.com yesterday. “People really liked it, so I rented a kitchen in Alexandria and started making them. When the winter rolled around, I decided I’d give [the company] a shot.”

By last summer, No. 1 Sons was in more than half a dozen farmer’s markets in the D.C. area and, Roberts said, they made a profit by the end of the year. He roped in his sister, Caitlin, to be co-owner and they’ve grown steadily since.

The company expanded its product line, and it now makes four different kinds of pickles — dill, half-sour, super sour and “Kicky Kosher” a spicy pickle that’s the company’s best-seller — as well as four types of sauerkraut, kimchi, “kale-chi,” fermented beets, onions, salsa verde and a ginger and cauliflower concoction called Ginger Giardiniera.

“The common thread of everything is fermentation,” Roberts said. “There are microbes everywhere, and they make things delicious.”

Roberts gets cucumbers and other produce from local farmers and this season will be selling his products at the Crystal City Tuesday markets and the Westover, Courthouse and Columbia Pike farmer’s markets on the weekends. No. 1 Sons is also selling pickles at the Clarendon Whole Foods and some “mom and pop” grocery stores in the area.

No. 1 Sons produces about five, roughly 2,000-pickle barrels per week, and its small space is bursting both in and out of the hand-built refrigeration system with bright blue barrels sealed with garbage bags.

Roberts has a small full-time team but hires lots of part-time help on the weekends — “and I’m always looking,” he adds . The former food-service industry worker said he likes “to keep quiet,” not seeking too much attention for his homemade pickle factory. He was characteristically understated when talking about niche company’s growth.

“We have a bunch of crappy minivans,” he said, looking over his fleet of a handful of beat-up vehicles. “I guess we’ve made it.”

Mocha Cafe & Pastry Opens in Lyon Park

By Ethan Rothstein
1/6

A new cafe is now open in Lyon Park, the only coffee shop in the mostly residential neighborhood.

Mocha Cafe & Pastry, at 2720 Washington Blvd, opened April 19, serving fresh baked goods from owner Minoo Taheri and her daughter, Fojan, as well as several types of cold and hot coffee drinks, including Turkish coffee — which Minoo Taheri said is one of her most popular items — and café glacé, a coffee, milk and ice cream drink.

Taheri’s full-time job is working for Fairfax County, but she said she would bake almost every day and bring the results into work. Eventually, she heard enough coworkers tell her to open a bakery that she decided to go through with it.

“I would bake because I was happy, but I would also bake because I was sad,” she said in her café yesterday afternoon. “It really comes from the soul for me.”

Mocha opens at  7:00 a.m. daily and closes at 9:00 p.m. It serves breakfast fare like bacon, egg and cheese croissants, and sandwiches like the Persian chicken salad — an homage to Taheri’s home country of Iran — and pesto turkey panini.

The community has already responded positively, Taheri said, and she even has a couple of customers who come in every day, use the free WiFi and drink Turkish coffee. Soon, her customers will be able to try her true specialty: eclairs. When she gets the proper fridge, she plans on serving eclairs stuffed with pistachios, caramel, mango and coffee flavors.

View More Stories