Lyon Park

Lyon Village Parking Restrictions In the Works?

By ARLnow.com

What started as a fight over planned parking restrictions on one Lyon Park street seems to be spreading.

Last week, residents of N. Danville Street and several other Lyon Village streets noticed county staff measuring street widths. Staff were reportedly checking to see if the streets were too narrow for trash trucks and fire trucks, as was the case with N. Edgewood Street in Lyon Park.

According to Lyon Village Citizens Association President H.K. Park, the county is considering restricting parking to one side of Danville and other neighborhood streets that county staffers have deemed too narrow. On Monday, the LVCA will meet to discuss the possible parking changes with county staff.

According to an email sent to residents, the meeting will address:

  • “The justification for this new policy–whether your street may be next and how the county will select which side.”
  • “The frequency of garbage truck and fire truck problems.”
  • “How this policy comports with policies that encourage fewer driveways and garages and more on-street parking.”
  • “Whether any accommodation will be made for handicapped, elderly, and parents with infants who need close access to cars.”
  • “Whether the ‘problem’ is caused primarily by construction, commuter, and other non-resident vehicles that might be regulated in some other way.”
  • “Possible unintended consequences of any such restrictions, such as making it easier for cars to cut through the neighborhood and travel at higher speeds.”

Representatives from several other civic associations have said they plan to attend the meeting “because they believe their neighborhoods are next,” according to Park.

Among those who will be in attendance is Natalie Roy, president of the Lyon Park Citizens Association.

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Lyon Park Shell Station Is Closed, But Not For Good

By ARLnow.com

Several people have emailed us and asked about the Shell station at 2835 Washington Boulevard in Lyon Park. Fences have been erected around the station and heavy equipment brought in to dig up the concrete around the pumps. That has led some to fear that another area gas station might have fallen victim to development.

Fear not, the station is merely upgrading.

County records show that the station is replacing three underground 10,000 gallon tanks. The construction crew is merely digging to reach the tanks.

Workers we talked to said the station will likely be closed for about a month.

Neighborhood Wants County to Delay Parking Restrictions

By ARLnow.com

The Lyon Park Citizens Association is asking the county board to defer plans to restrict parking on part of Edgewood Street “pending a review of current County parking policy.”

County staff notified residents that they intended to restrict parking to one side Edgewood Street between 1st Road and 2nd Road after finding that some fire trucks are too wide to fit down the narrow street with cars parked on both sides. As we reported after the Feb. 12 board meeting, members of the board seemed sympathetic to the association’s request that the restrictions to be put on hold until the county and neighbors could come to a mutually agreeable solution.

In a letter to County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman, LPCA President Natalie Roy makes it clear that the association views the parking question as an issue of county-wide importance. Roy says the group is worried about how the county plans to implement restrictions on other narrow streets.

“There are numerous streets similar to Edgewood in Arlington that are too narrow for a ladder truck – why single out Edgewood Street at this time?” she asks. “The parking policy should be reviewed immediately to arrive at a more objective, cohesive, defendable, and democratic approach to governing parking within the County.”

While acknowledging that Edgewood Street is indeed too narrow for a ladder truck to navigate, Roy suggested that the trucks may be less costly to change than the streets.

“To be clear, the LPCA is concerned about safety first,” Roy writes. “As opposed to re-engineering streets throughout the entire County, it might prove more cost-effective and less disruptive to explore acquisition of different emergency vehicle.”

See the full letter, after the jump.

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County Tries to Balance Safety With Parking in Lyon Park

By ARLnow.com



(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Arlington County wants to put residents on a car-free diet, but a spat over on-street parking in Lyon Park shows that residents with cars still have plenty of pull with the county board.

The county’s streets bureau, responding to a complaint from a trash collector, determined that a curvy, two-block stretch of North Edgewood Street is too narrow. With cars parked on either side, firefighters brought in to test the width did not have enough room to open the bins on either side of their fire engine.

Acting upon the results of the test, the streets bureau sent notice to residents that they were planning on restricting parking to one side of the street. But residents fought back and, this weekend, seemed to get some cover from the county board.

Lyon Park Civic Association President Natalie Roy spoke before the board and asked why the county has not found fault with the street’s width until now. She said that elderly residents whose houses lack driveways rely on street parking. Residents tried to create an alternative plan for dealing with the situation, she added, but that county staff made “Draconian” changes to it.

Most board members were sympathetic to the parking concerns.

“The fire truck can be a once in several year occurrence,” said County Board Vice Chair Mary Hynes. “I don’t want a solution for the once every five year event. I want solutions that make livability on this street reasonable.”

“If safety is such a priority, why do we wait until a complaint?” board member Jay Fisette asked, pointing out that there are plenty of other county streets that could potentially be considered too narrow.

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Red, Red Wine at EatBar

By Uriah Kiser

Wintertime temperatures for wine drinkers mean red wine, and EatBar will have plenty of it available Saturday.

The popular gastropub will present its Viva Le Rouge! Red, Red Wine tasting from 1 to 4 p.m., offering those who may be new to drinking wine to the most experienced wine drinkers the chance to try something new, and to buy their favorites at reduced prices.

“Over the years, we’ve learned people love to taste new things and they like to stock up for Valentine’s Day,” said EatBar spokeswoman Jennifer Eberline.

Nearly 20 wines will be offered during the tasting and the obvious catch for the Red, Red Wine Tasting: they’re all the same rougey color. (more…)

Lyon Park Business Owner Fires Back at Internet Critics

By ARLnow.com

The owner of the Eclectic Threads vintage clothing store in Lyon Park was apparently none-too-pleased with a few unflattering internet reviews of her business.

Yesterday “Tara S.” — presumably Eclectic Threads owner Tara Selario — went on the review site Yelp to respond to the store’s critics.

“Please go to Georgetown to complete your Halloween costume next year – let them deal with your complete lack of respect for other people’s property,” she said to someone who complained about “dour, snotty service” this past fall.

She had a more measured response to a gripe about the fact that many store transactions are cash-only.

“We do not accept credit cards under $100 because banking fees have gone up in the last few years but there is an atm across the street,” she wrote.

But to a woman who complained about a lack of parking, an abundance of “junk,” and a “growling” dog that inhabits the store during business hours, Tara S. had much sharper words.

The dog probably sensed your negative attitude – you’re clearly a nasty person . We’ve been in business for 10 years and we didn’t last this long selling over priced junk (obviously). There’s plenty of street parking for those capable of reading parking signs. We’ve never advertised our shop as an upscale boutique but it is very much a true vintage shop. Everything is sized and very well organized. There’s not a fur coat in our inventory that’s missing fur spots and just an fyi “divits” is spelled “divots” and it means “sod”.

The Yelp user community wasted no time in responding to Tara’s unapologetic retorts.

“If I went onto a business page and saw the owner making those kinds of comments, I would not step foot into her establishment,” one Yelper said today.

“Seeing the vicious attacks made on those who had negative comments makes me want to steer clear of this place,” said another. “Does she not know that if she wouldn’t have given a negative experience, there would be no negative comments? I’m not sure she understands what customer service is all about.”

Even with the negative reviews, Eclectic Threads (2647 North Pershing Drive) currently has an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars on Yelp thanks to a number of people who said they had a positive experience at the store.

The business has received considerable media attention over the past few years. Last year it was named the area’s best vintage boutique by Northern Virginia Magazine. It has also been featured in the Washington Post, the Arlington Connection, and on WTOP.

A phone call to Eclectic Threads for comment and confirmation of the postings went unanswered this afternoon. “Tara S.” was identified as the store’s owner on Yelp, which has its own owner verification process.

Photo via Yelp

Work Underway on Apartment Building, But What About the Trees?

By ARLnow.com

Construction is underway on the Garfield Park at Clarendon Village luxury apartment complex, at the corner of 10th Street and Washington Boulevard in Lyon Park.

Workers in heavy equipment have been busy laying large metal beams while clearing debris from the site, which used to house a CVS Pharmacy. But at least one neighbor is upset about one type of “debris” that’s awaiting removal.

Here’s an email we received this afternoon:

bozutto construction just bulldozed out trees on the property. how green is arlington, this is happening everywhere there is development and re-development. got news for arlington, you CAN’T be green without trees. you watch and see how many dead squirrels, raccoons and possums will be on the nearby streets today and tomorrow because of removing the trees.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Bayou Bakery Opens, Officially — “Come and get it,” the press release says — Bayou Bakery is “officially” open today, albeit with (unspecified) limited hours and a limited menu. The cafe/restaurant/bakery, in the old Camille’s space at 1515 North Courthouse Road, was unofficially open on Friday and Saturday.

Tejada Expresses Frustration Over Secure Communities Doublespeak — County board member Walter Tejada, who led the charge to opt out of the federal Secure Communities immigration initiative, is not happy about the mixed signals coming out of the Department of Homeland Security. At first the department signaled that localities could opt out of the program, only to later clarify that it was next to impossible to do so. “If that had been the case why didn’t they tell us in May?” Tejada asked. More from the Washington Post.

Lyon Park Has Extra Tulip Bulbs — The Lyon Park Citizens Association is trying to give away extra tulip bulbs to its neighbors. The community received the bulbs from the National Park Service’s Tulip Library and planted most of them earlier this month. The excess bulbs are now up for grabs. Tara-Leeway Heights is among the neighborhoods considering vying for a tulip donation.

Arlington Schools Get More iPads — Arlington Public Schools have received a $70,000 grant that will go toward the purchase of 120 new Apple iPads. The $499 devices will be shared by students at Barrett, Carlin Springs and Randolph elementary schools. The donation will supplement a state education grant of 70 iPads received by Arlington in September.

Flickr pool photo by Reid Kasprowicz

Lyon Park Community House Renovations May Get Tax Boost

By ARLnow.com

Plans to renovate the historic Lyon Park Community House, at least 15 years in the making, are coming close to fruition.

With architectural plans in place, neighborhood leaders are making a big fundraising push. They’re hoping that the upcoming tax season provides a bounty of tax-deductible stock donations and large corporate gifts.

As of October, the Lyon Park Citizens Association was about $430,000 away from their total fundraising goal of $550,000. In addition to large donations, the group is raising money by holding events like a recent gala dinner.

“We need the support of everyone in this tremendous community effort,” the association says on its web site.

No county money will be used for the renovation, since the house and the surrounding park are owned by the Citizen’s Association. However, the association expects to receive $17,500 from Ironwood Realty as a result of a condition set for the pending construction of the developer’s Garfield Park project.

The planned Community House renovations will add ADA-compliant bathrooms and a new kitchen to the 85-year-old structure. The building’s exterior will remain much the same, except for the addition of a sunroom facing the park.

Lary Mayer, the association’s vice president for development, says that if fundraising goals are met, the group hopes to break ground on the renovations next year.

Lee Center Demolition to Begin Soon

By ARLnow.com

The historic Lee Shopping Center near Route 50 and Pershing Drive is not long for this world.

The complex is being torn down to make way for a new mixed use development, and the demolition work is expected to begin at some point within the next month.

Construction crews will first salvage the shopping center’s limestone facade, for re-use in the new development. Then, the demolition will begin.

Utility work is expected to begin after that, and the actual construction of the building should start by the end of the winter, according to owner Equity Residential. The first tenants in the new complex are expected to move in by the summer of 2012.

Neighbors, including residents in the adjacent Equity-owned Sheffield Court apartment complex, are being told to expect construction hours between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Equity has promised to work with the contractor to make sure construction vehicles enter the site through Route 50 and not through neighborhood streets.

The 2201 North Pershing project, as it’s known, will consist of nearly 200 apartments and a block-long first floor retail space that will wrap around to Route 50 / Arlington Boulevard.

Equity says it hasn’t signed up any retail tenants yet, but that hasn’t stopped locals from not-so-quietly making their wish lists known.

“The underserved South of Courthouse, or SOCO, neighborhood, has high hopes for a coffee shop, ice cream store and a small upscale grocery as well as a much needed bank,” one Barton Street resident told us in an email.

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Dems Chow Down and Get Pumped Up at Chili Cook-off

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Democrats chowed down on homemade chili and talked up their slate of candidates at the party’s annual Labor Day Chili Cook-off.

A crowd that included county board members, school board members, state legislators, elected county officers and Democratic donors gathered outside the Lyon Park Community Center for the end-of-summer tradition, which also featured drinks, music and a moon bounce for the kids.

Guests of honor included the three local Democrats up for reelection this year: county board member Chris Zimmerman, school board member Sally Baird and congressman Jim Moran. Virginia House of Delegates minority leader Ward Armstrong was also on hand for the afternoon event.

The cook-off was largely an upbeat affair for the well-entrenched local party, though the gloomy national outlook for Democrats was on the minds of many.

“If the election was held next Tuesday, we would lose the majority in the House and the Senate,” Moran told the crowd, citing polling data.

“But the election isn’t being held next Tuesday,” Moran continued. “This will be a good election, we’re going to turn this around… let’s get it done.”

“This is really an exciting time to be a Democrat,” Zimmerman said during his brief remarks. “There is so much at stake across the entire country.”

Later, Zimmerman — who’s facing both a Republican and a Green Party opponent in November — said he isn’t taking anything for granted. Already, he has started knocking on doors, attending public events and holding fundraisers.

“Realistically, we have to work for this one,” he said, noting that there is no U.S. Senate or presidential race to mobilize Arlington’s Democratic base this year.

In his speech to the gathered Democratic faithful, Moran let on a bit about how he plans to run against his Republican opponent, Patrick Murray.

After voicing strong support for President Obama’s agenda, the ten-term congressman blasted Murray’s conservative stance on social issues.

Moran said Murray is on the wrong side of the “civil rights issues” of abortion, gay marriage and the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy.

Moran, Zimmerman and Baird and their respective opponents are all expected to participate in a debate sponsored by the Arlington County Civic Federation tonight. The debate will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Virginia Hospital Center Hazel Conference Center (1701 N George Mason Drive).

More photos from the cook-off and a list of winners of the various chili categories, after the jump.

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