The latest outpost for the acclaimed local New York-style pizza chain is on the ground floor of the Witmer, a new 26-story luxury apartment building at the corner of 12th Street S. and S. Hayes Street. It’s the second Wiseguy Pizza in Arlington; the first is in Rosslyn.
Owner Nuri Erol says the eatery “did a test opening last week for a few days” but would begin its soft opening week today (Tuesday). It will be open from noon-8:30 p.m., he said.
Wiseguy recently started offering online ordering and curbside pickup. While opening during a pandemic might not be ideal, the pizzeria’s long-term prospects look promising, given the 25,000 Amazon employees that will eventually be working two blocks away.
Police swarmed the Pentagon City area Saturday night after a Virginia State Police pursuit ended in the neighborhood.
“At 10:06 p.m., Virginia State Police attempted a traffic stop on a BMW traveling north on I-95 near Exit 158 in Prince William County. The traffic stop was for excessive speeding,” VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller tells ARLnow. “The vehicle refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The pursuit ended at South Hayes and South Fern Street in Arlington. The adult male driver and adult male passenger were taken into custody.”
Geller said two state police vehicles were struck during the chase but no troopers were injured.
“The suspect vehicle struck two state police vehicles during the course of the pursuit,” she said. “The patrol cars sustained minor damage. No state police personnel were injured. No other vehicles were struck.”
Those in the Pentagon City area described a large police response, including a helicopter overhead.
@ARLnowDOTcom tons of police activity and copter circling in pentagon city/crystal city by HQ2. Any idea what’s going on?
Arlington County Police are investigating an armed carjacking that occurred in Pentagon City over the weekend.
Officers were dispatched to a parking garage on the 1300 block of S. Eads Street, across the street from Amazon’s under-construction HQ2, around 10 p.m. Friday. A man told police that three suspects, one of whom was armed with a gun, approached him when he was in his car. The victim exited the car and the suspects drove off with it, according to ACPD.
A tipster tells ARLnow that the carjacking happened in an apartment building’s parking garage and that the garage door was broken at the time, allowing the suspects to enter the garage freely.
So far, no arrests have been announced.
More from an ACPD crime report:
CARJACKING, 2020-05150162, 1300 block of S. Eads Street. At approximately 10:00 p.m. on May 15, police were dispatched to the report of an armed carjacking. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was inside his parked vehicle in a garage when he was approached by two suspects, one of whom displayed a firearm and tapped on the window. A third suspect approached the scene in a vehicle, while the other two suspects rummaged through the victim’s vehicle and demanded the keys. The suspects entered the victim’s vehicle and fled prior to police arrival. Suspect One is described as a black male, age 15-20, 5’9″-5’11”, 140-160 lbs. Suspect Two is described as a black male, 15-20 years old. Suspect Three is described as a black male, 15-20 years old, driving a hatchback vehicle. The victim’s vehicle is a gray 2007 Toyota Avalon with Virginia license plate XFY3363. The investigation is ongoing.
The Amazon HQ2 construction site in Pentagon City (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
The Amazon HQ2 construction site in Pentagon City (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Overhead view of Amazon HQ2 construction site in Pentagon City (photo via Clark Construction)
The Amazon HQ2 construction site in Pentagon City (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
As promised last week, Clark Construction is wrapping up pile driving at the Amazon HQ2 site in Pentagon City today, two weeks ahead of schedule.
That’s good news for Amazon’s new neighbors. The noisy work drew protests from those sheltering at home in the apartment buildings around the S. Eads Street construction site, and TV news crews reporting on the complaints.
A spokesman for Clark, the general contractor building the first phase of Amazon’s permanent second headquarters, tells ARLnow that work is proceeding quickly.
“Clark is on track to complete pile driving operations later today, two weeks ahead of our initial projection,” said Marcel Goldstein. “Pile driving is by far the noisiest of all construction operations. Going forward, neighbors should expect to hear the typical noise of dump trucks and other construction equipment/activities occurring on site. We will continue to abide by Arlington County’s noise ordinance.”
The next round of work includes the excavation of nearly a half-million cubic yards of dirt, to make way for the 2.1 million square foot office-and-retail development.
“Crews will continue to advance mass excavation activities on site, which are anticipated to continue for the next 5 months,” the spokesman said. “Mass excavation entails removing 440,000 cubic yards of soil from the jobsite. The team has removed 75,000 cubic yards of soil to date, representing 17% of the total scope of work.”
“Clark remains focused on building a positive relationship and ongoing dialogue with project neighbors,” Goldstein continued. “Community members can contact us and get the latest construction information by visiting our website: metpark678.com.”
The project website says that construction crews are taking measures to stay safe and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. It also notes that while crews abide by a work schedule set by the county, there’s another noise source that nearby residents may hear at all hours: generators working to drain water from the deepening construction pit.
“The project team is working in compliance with Arlington County’s noise ordinance and operates within the County’s permitted work hours of 7 AM to 9 PM (Mon-Fri) and 9 AM to 9 PM (Sat, Sun, and Holidays),” the website says. “Construction crews continue to utilize generators on site to support dewatering operations, which are running 24 hours a day,” the website says.
Phase 1 of HQ2 is expected to be completed in 2023. A second phase of nearly the same size is planned for the nearby Pen Place site, on the other side of 12th Street S.
Amazon Orders Thousands of Meals from Freddie’s — “Amazon has hired Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant, which is widely known as an LGBT establishment, to prepare and deliver 10,000 meals in the month of May for front line healthcare workers and first responders in Arlington and nearby Alexandria who are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement released to the Washington Blade, Amazon said it was investing $200,000 to pay for the 10,000 meals.” [Washington Blade]
VRE Ridership Down 97% — “First, the good news, such as it is: Ridership on Virginia Railway Express stabilized in April as the public-health pandemic rolled on. The bad news: The ridership decline is now averaging 97% compared to normal times.” [InsideNova]
Meat Section Bare at Local Costco — A photo posted Wednesday evening shows the Pentagon City Costco store’s meat section picked clean, amid a worsening meat shortage in the U.S. [@dccelebrity/Twitter]
Arlington Getting Big Check via WMATA — “The Arlington County government can expect a check for $7.2 million at some point in the future from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, as federal COVID-19 relief funding makes its way among government agencies. The funding will be part of $110 million that WMATA plans to reimburse to its member localities, so they can support non-Metro local transit systems, such as Arlington’s ART buses.” [InsideNova]
Potential Amazon banana stand in Metropolitan Park (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Potential designs for Metropolitan Park, near Amazon’s HQ2 (via Arlington County)
Slides from Metropolitan Park presentation (via Arlington County)
Slides from Metropolitan Park presentation (via Arlington County)
(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) The well-known design firm working to reimagine Metropolitan Park in Pentagon City has revealed some of its initial design concepts.
James Corner Field Operations, the firm behind New York City’s High Line, presented the designs in a virtual public meeting last week, alongside representatives from Amazon — which is footing the bill for the design work and park renovations — and Arlington’s Dept. of Parks and Recreation.
The current park, nestled in the middle of a group of apartment building and Amazon’s future HQ2, is largely flat grassy spaces, alongside trees, roads, and sidewalks. Its primary users are the apartment residents and their dogs; Amazon is planning to use part of the park for construction staging.
With Amazon moving in in a few years, however, it’s set for some big upgrades.
“As Amazon has said from the outset we want our Arlington HQ to become a destination that will draw people in, meet the needs of the neighborhood and our employees, and help build a sense of community,” said Brooke Oberwetter, Head of Community Affairs for HQ2. “I’m excited about the design concepts that are being put forward for consideration… with your feedback and ideas we can make sure this amazing space is an asset for the entire neighborhood for years to come.”
There were two overall design themes presented: “social gardens” and “the forest walk.” Some of the potential park features include:
A central lawn could host 500-1,000 people for events like movie nights
A children’s garden near HQ2 daycare center
A fitness garden with exercise opportunities
A game lawn with lawn bowling, bocce and badminton
A dog run for both large and small dogs
A hammock garden
A play garden
A community garden and orchard table for outdoor dining among fruit trees
A cafe terrace and culinary garden with outdoor dining and restaurants in front of one of the HQ2 buildings
A main promenade, that’s more of a meandering path in the “forest” design
Several pieces of public art, some of which might be along a shady and meandering art walk
A large shade trellis that can be used for festivals, markets and a banana stand
A survey conducted as part of the design process found that the top five park uses requested by residents were “sit and lounge,” “enjoy nature,” “stroll and walk,” “attend events,” and “dine and drink.”
The designs call for the removal of on-street parking spaces and “redundant” sidewalks from the roads that run through the park, and the addition of new trees and vegetation. With that and an expansion of the park into part of the HQ2 property, the new Metropolitan Park would have more than 100,000 square feet of space, according to the presentation.
A petition calling for Amazon to halt construction on its $2.5 billion HQ2 project in Pentagon City due to noise has attracted a raft of local media coverage.
The Change.org petition, which as of noon Friday had just over 275 signatures, says the massive construction project should stop as long as a stay-at-home order is in effect in Virginia.
Under ordinary times, the work by Clark Construction in Arlington County to build Amazon HQ2 can be considered excessive, unreasonable and unsafe.
These are not ordinary times — we are all grappling with the severe shock to our daily lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as many are working from home, and many are with children juggling with competing demands. […]
In addition to the noise issues, there is neither oversight nor accountability in ensuring that Amazon and Clark Construction are maintaining public safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The petition attracted coverage from a number of local broadcast outlets this week. WJLA reported that it was started by a resident whose fourth floor apartment faces the construction site. WTOP and Fox 5 quoted County Board member Matt de Ferranti and chair Libby Garvey, who both expressed empathy for residents working at home amid the noise, but stopped short of promising action.
“Now that many people are home during the day, it is especially difficult for them to tolerate the noise and disruption of construction,” Garvey told Fox 5.
The primary noise generator thus far has been pile driving at the HQ2 site along S. Eads Street, for which contractor Clark Construction Group has offered residents of nearby highrises ear plugs.
Clark, meanwhile, said in a construction update that it “is taking every precaution to minimize the risk of infection on our jobsites… as part of our overall COVID-19 management plan.”
Amazon, which has seen its sales and stock soar during the coronavirus crisis, plans to eventually hire 25,000 employees for its second headquarters, and currently has more than 500 job listings in Arlington.
Police arrest suspect in Pentagon City (courtesy photo)
A man allegedly led police on a foot chase through part of Pentagon City around lunchtime Tuesday.
Arlington County Police say officers were dispatched to the 1200 block of S. Fern Street — the location of the Costco store, a Starbucks and other businesses — around 11:40 a.m. for a report of a theft. Store employees told arriving officers that a man had shoplifted and then threw rocks at employees who confronted him, shattering a store window in the process.
One of the arriving officers located the suspect, who took off running. He was stopped and arrested near the intersection of S. Hayes Street and 15th Street S., photos show.
The 46-year-old suspect faces petty larceny and destruction of property charges. He was released on bond.
More from today’s ACPD crime report:
LARCENY (Significant), 2020-04280057, 1200 block of S. Fern Street. At approximately 11:41 a.m. on April 28, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that store employees allegedly observed the suspect conceal merchandise before leaving without paying. When the employees confronted the suspect outside, he threw rocks at them and through a window of the business. An arriving officer observed the suspect who refused to comply with commands to stop and fled on foot. Following a foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident. Taoufik Ait Hamadi, 46, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Petit Larceny and Destruction of Property. He was released on bond.
Metropolitan Park next to the Amazon HQ2 site (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Proposed temporary construction staging site at Metropolitan Park (via Arlington County)
Proposed temporary construction staging site at Metropolitan Park (via Arlington County)
Construction activity at the Amazon HQ2 site as of April 20 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction activity at the Amazon HQ2 site as of April 20 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Construction activity at the Amazon HQ2 site as of April 20 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Amazon’s development arm wants to use a portion of the Pentagon City park next to its future HQ2 for construction of the new, permanent office campus.
Seattle-based Acorn Development is asking the Arlington County Board tonight for permission to use a sizable portion of Metropolitan Park — a patch of open space one block from Costco, used primarily by nearby apartment residents — as a staging ground for construction equipment.
“The proposed License Agreement between Acorn and the County will permit Acorn to use the County Easement Area for temporary off-site staging, parking and office trailers in conjunction with the construction,” a county staff report says. The company “will pay the County a License Fee of $10,000.00 per month… during the time the Use Permit is in effect.”
A number of trees are expected to be removed from the park as part of the project, for which Acorn will pay the county at least “$2,400 for every tree it destroys during the process,” according to the Washington Business Journal.
“Arlington would typically expect Amazon to replace each tree taken down at the park… during the staging process,” the Business Journal reported. “But since the trees likely can’t be replanted on site, Amazon would need to pay into the County’s Tree Canopy Fund — money used to maintain the county’s 755,000-tree stock.”
At its Saturday meeting, the County Board took up another Amazon proposal: to use the nearby PenPlace site, which eventually will be home to the second phase of the company’s permanent HQ2, as a temporary concrete batching plant.
A driver led Virginia State Police on a brief chase through part of Pentagon City and Crystal City Sunday evening.
The pursuit happened around 5:30 p.m., when a trooper tried to conduct a traffic stop on Army Navy Drive near the Pentagon City mall. The driver tried to speed off but a short time later crashed on the 200 block of 12th Street S. in Crystal City, according to VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller.
More from VSP:
At approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday (April 19), a Virginia State Police trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 900 block of Army Navy Drive. The vehicle refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The suspect vehicle’s driver lost control and crashed in the 200 block of 12th Street in Arlington County. The driver then attempted to flee the scene on foot, but was quickly apprehended without incident. The driver was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of a minor injury sustained in the crash. State police charged the driver with one felony count of eluding police.
The name of the suspect and the initial reason for the traffic stop was not immediately available.
Amazon may deliver a concrete plant to the Pentagon City neighborhood to help with the construction of its second headquarters.
Developer JBG Smith is working with the tech and online retail giant to build the two-phase, 4.2 million square foot complex along S. Eads Street. JBG is asking the Arlington County Board to approve a temporary concrete batching plant at the empty, adjacent Pen Place site on the 1100 block of S. Fern Street.
The Board is scheduled to consider the request at its meeting on Saturday.
Staff reports have not yet been posted online, but the county said in a preview of the Board meeting that making concrete on site for the huge project could be a better option than trucking it in from elsewhere.
The huge amount of concrete needed to build the Metropolitan Park buildings in Crystal City will be made just 600 feet from the project, if the Board approves a request by the developer to use the vacant Pen Place site owned by JBG Smith, at 1197-1199 S. Fern St. The proposal would be more efficient than trucking in concrete from off-site. The applicant will abide by the construction hours of the site plan: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends and holidays. The site will be subject to the County Noise Ordinance requirements.
