real estate

Major Office Development Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Next month the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association will discuss a planned office development on one of the last parcels of available high density real estate in the area.

The parcel is the block between Highland Street, Garfield Street, Washington Boulevard and 11th Street. It’s currently home to the T.A. Sullivan & Son cemetery monument business, Eleventh Street Lounge, Potomac Crossfit and a car dealership. All will be torn down to make way for a new ten-story office building with ground level retail space, according to a business owner, who did not want to be identified.

Penzance, a District-based developer, has land purchase contracts in place and hopes to start construction in either 2012 or 2013, according to the business owner.

Representatives from the development company are scheduled to discuss their plans on Wed., April 13, between 7:45 and 8:30 p.m., at a meeting of the Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association. The meeting is being held at the Navy League building at 2300 Wilson Boulevard. Among the planned topics are the building footprint and its height, density and architecture.

Randy Realtor Charged With Unlawful Entry

By ARLnow.com

A real estate agent has been arrested after Arlington County police say he solicited the services of a prostitute inside a vacant, for-sale home.

Springfield, Va. resident Dennis [REDACTED], 55, was charged with unlawful entry and solicitation of prostitution after being apprehended on the 3700 block of South 2nd Street on Friday, March 11. Cops say they were tipped off when someone called to report a suspicious vehicle next to the home.

“Police were alerted when people saw a car in the driveway that did not belong there,” said police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.

Nosal said that [REDACTED] was not the “listing agent” on the home, but had access via a key box on the door.

[REDACTED] has 24 years of real estate experience and is noted for his “award winning service,” according to a profile on the Coldwell Banker web site. He was held on a $5,000 bond.

The arrest was listed in this week’s Arlington County crime report.

You Can Own History, But It’s a Fixer-Upper

By ARLnow.com

The Harry W. Gray House in Arlington View is on the National Register of Historic Places for its unique architecture and its significance to local African American history. And now it’s for sale for a mere $291,000.

The house was built in 1881 by Harry Gray, a bricklayer and a former slave in the Arlington household of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Despite the fact that the house stood alone on a 10 acre piece of farmland at the time, Gray built it in the Italianate style of fashionable townhouses he had seen in the District. The architecture was a statement about how far freed slaves had come since the Emancipation Proclamation.

“The dwelling represents the monumental shift from slaves to freedmen for African Americans in the years following the Civil War,” a National Park Service document states. The house sits at present-day 1005 South Quinn Street, near Columbia Pike and adjacent to what was once a thriving Freedman’s Village.

The house remains a sturdy structure, its longevity a testament to Gray’s workmanship. Its yard is fairly well-kept, and the brick exterior itself doesn’t look much older than other houses in the area . However, the interior needs some work thanks in part to what we’re told is water damage under a second-floor wooden deck and some outdated fixtures (wood stove, anyone?).

That’s not to imply that the interior is from the 19th century. Indeed, the house was largely gutted and renovated in 1979 after being sold by Gray’s descendants.

“There’s really nothing of significance left” inside, according to county historic preservation planner Rebeccah Ballo.

The home is a foreclosure. The bank took possession of the house late last year, county property records show. Also hurting the value of the home is the fact that the owner won’t have much latitude to make changes to the exterior.

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Arlington’s Top 10 Government and Private Employers

By ARLnow.com

Things are looking pretty good for Arlington, economy-wise — at least according to a presentation this morning by Arlington Economic Development Director Terry Holzheimer.

Unemployment and office vacancies are low. Real estate prices and hotel occupancy rates are on the rise. And a number of new construction projects are underway. Holzheimer said he expects the local unemployment rate to continue declining in 2011 while the impact from BRAC is mitigated by a robust demand for office space.

Holzheimer noted that between 2008 and 2010, Arlington saw a net employment increase while Alexandria and Fairfax saw a net employment decline.

Today’s presentation included a list of the top public and private employers in Arlington. The total number employees in Arlington in 2011 is noted below in parenthesis.

Given the current talk in Congress of significant federal budget cuts, Arlington’s large number of government employees may be of some concern.

Private Employers

  1. Deloitte (3,490)
  2. Lockheed Martin (2,668)
  3. Virginia Hospital Center (2,042)
  4. Marriott International (1,600)
  5. Booz Allen Hamilton (1,370)
  6. SRA International (1,359)
  7. CACI (1,251)
  8. US Airways (1,300)
  9. SAIC (1,281)
  10. Corporate Executive Board (986)

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Dr. Dremo’s Still Looking for a New Location

By ARLnow.com

Some may call it quixotic, but the quest to bring back Dr. Dremo’s Taphouse is still going strong.

Former Dremo’s owner Andrew Stewart says he has gotten tantalizingly close to securing a new location for the former Arlington landmark, but to no avail. In previous interviews Stewart said he would like Dremo’s to remain in the Courthouse or Clarendon area, but the cost has been prohibitive.

“We have come close a couple of time,” Stewart wrote in an email. “The large companies that lease these spaces don’t take a mom-and-pop, like us, seriously.”

The search, Stewart says, is “ongoing.” Even if the bar can’t find a new home, however, one part of its history may return.

“[I’ve] been considering starting a brewing company with all of the old (award winning) Bardo recipes,” Stewart said, referring to Dremo’s predecessor Bardo Rodeo. In its heyday, Bardo was as “the largest brewpub on the east coast.”

Dr. Dremo’s closed in January 2008 (the photo above is from its last night) and was razed to make way for a condo complex that was never built, thanks to the downturn in the economy. Construction at the site is reportedly set to get underway this year.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington’s Highway Bottlenecks — An annual report on traffic congestion is out and Arlington has claimed two of the three worst traffic bottlenecks in the region. Westbound I-66 in Arlington, northbound I-395 in Arlington ranked and eastbound I-66 in Fairfax County rounded out the top three spots. [Washington Post]

Colony House Sells to Developer — The Colony House furniture store on Lee Highway has been sold to Bethesda-based developer B.F. Saul for $5.6 million. The company, which developed the Clarendon Center project, says it hasn’t decided what to do with the site yet. In January, we reported that Colony House’s owner is hoping to find a new Arlington location for the store. [Washington Business Journal]

Columbia Pike Giant to Open This Summer — A 60,000 square foot Giant supermarket will be opening in the Penrose Square development on Columbia Pike at some point this summer, according to a store spokesperson. [TBD]

Video of President Obama’s Wakefield Visit — President Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a jovial visit to an AP U.S. History class at Wakefield High School yesterday. During an informal question-and-answer session, students asked the leaders about “schools in Australia, the recent flooding, Australian rule football, and even Vegemite.” President Obama also led students in a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” for their teacher, Northern Virginia Teacher of the Year Colette Fraley. [The White House Blog]

New Additions to Hillside Park — There’s a new sculpture in Rosslyn’s Hillside Park. Also, some plantings have been added. [Ode Street Tribune]

Flickr pool photo by Damiec

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Holiday Closures — Most federal and Arlington County government offices are closed in observance of Washington’s Birthday — better known as President’s Day. ART is operating on a holiday schedule and Metro is operating on a modified schedule with on-going closures on the Blue and Orange Lines.

Real Estate Prices Up — Arlington real estate continues its upward trend. The median sales price in Arlington rose by 7.5 percent, according to Arlington Real Estate News.

Restaurant Coming to Siena Park? — Taqueria Poblano is in talks to open a location on the ground floor of the Siena Park apartment building on Columbia Pike. [Pike Wire]

Book Club Devoted to Intellectual Adventures — A group of students and their parents have formed a book club devoted to topics from space to the classics, with expert speakers for each book selection. [Washington Post]

Boeing To Build Large Office Complex in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Boeing will be building a 419,000 square foot office project at the very north end of Crystal City, near the future Long Bridge Park, according to commercial real estate information firm CoStar Group.

According to a site plan submitted to the county, the project will consist of three buildings, each between four and six stories high, built on a 4.7 acre parcel of land along Old Jefferson Davis Highway. The office project is expected to replace a number of dilapidated structures, including the Clark Street Playhouse and the abandoned Crystal City Motel.

(The site is shown to the left, during a rain storm last year.)

Building heights are being kept relatively low, likely due to the fact that the site is along the landing path to Reagan National Airport. Boeing will consolidate its existing Rosslyn and Crystal City offices in the new complex, once it’s complete.

The project is being undertaken by Monument Realty, which has struggled in the wake of the global recession. CoStar reports that construction is expected to begin by the end of this year.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Clarendon Office Building Sells for D.C. Prices — The 200,000 square foot office building at 3101 Wilson Boulevard, located across the street from the Clarendon Metro station, has sold for a whopping $112.6 million.”Pricing was on par with building trades in Downtown DC,” reports GlobeSt.com. The building is home to a TD Bank and Georgetown’s continuing studies programs. [GlobeSt.com]

County Issues Bonds for Projects — Arlington County has sold $11.9 million in bonds at a relatively low 4.18 percent interest rate. The bonds will fund the last phase of Fire Station 3 in Cherrydale, a new park in Buckingham Village and initial construction of the Arlington Mill Community Center. Although a direct comparison is difficult, in July Arlington sold $73 million in bonds at an interest rate of 2.70 percent. [Arlington County]

Midsummer’s Night Dream Starts in Crystal City Next Week — It may be mid-winter, but Synetic Theater’s word-less production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream will start on Tuesday in Crystal City. [Shirlington Village Blog]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin H

Metro Halal Cart Gets Evicted from Rosslyn Street Corner

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:20 p.m.) For more than two years, the Metro Halal cart was a familiar sight at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Lynn Street, near the WJLA building in Rosslyn.

But now, after threats of being sued or arrested, Metro Halal owner Mohammad Khan has been forced to move the cart to a less trafficked, less familiar section of North Lynn Street. As a result, Khan says, his family and his business are suffering.

“It has affected my business very much,” said Khan, who also owns La’Jawab Kabob House on Lee Highway, where the cart’s food is prepared. “Today I lost money… In this bad economy, my business is destroyed by them.”

The “them” Khan is referring to is Monday Properties, which owns the 1100 Wilson Boulevard office tower. The company’s law firm has been sending cease and desist letters to Khan since May, ordering him to “stop trespassing” on the sidewalk. According to the letters, Monday Properties’ land ownership extends all the way to the curbs on Lynn and Wilson.

Although Khan reviewed the letters, he insists various county officials later told him that he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Thus, when he received another letter in November, saying in bold-faced type that “you must immediately and permanently cease trespassing on the property,” Khan kept on serving hearty $5.99 meals to local office workers.

That was until Thursday, when, according to Khan, a police officer said he would be arrested if he did not move to a new spot.

“I was almost crying, because I knew it would take me another six months or one year to get my customers back,” Khan said. “I did not have time to tell my customers.”

Khan said he used to be able to sell between $300 and $600 worth of food in a given day, thanks in part to the convenient and familiar location. In his new location, he says, sales are down to $250 per day.

“That does not cover my expense,” Khan said. “And what about my family, my kids, my mortgage, my car payments?”

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Property Values Rebound in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Overall property values increased 6.3 percent during Arlington’s latest round of real estate assessments, which will be mailed to homeowners and released on the internet later today.

The increase is expected to bring in an addition $30 million in tax revenue for the county, which should help to offset this year’s estimated $25 million budget gap. The county budget office was originally expecting an approximately 1 percent increase in property values.

“It certainly… makes it easier for us to balance the budget,” said Michelle Cowan, Director of the Dept. of Management and Finance, who added that stepped-up commercial lending and property sales helped to drive the increase. “We consider ourselves very fortunate.”

However, Cowan cautioned that continued expenditure pressures — like rising health care, benefit and retirement costs — could still make the upcoming budget process challenging. She also said that other county revenue sources, like sales taxes, are unlikely to post significant increases.

The rise in property values is primarily due to strength in Arlington commercial real estate sector. Commercial assessments were up 12 percent, led by a 22 percent increase in hotel assessments and a 15 percent increase in office assessments. Apartment assessments were up between 8 and 9 percent, Cowan said.

Residential assessments, including single family homes, condos and townhouses, increased 1.4 percent this year. The average home in Arlington is now worth $510,200, up from $503,200 last year. The average property tax bill will now be $4,888, up $67 compared to last year.

Homeowners can appeal their assessments here.

Overall assessments were down 7.2 percent in 2010. Residential values were down 3.25 percent last year and commercial values declined 12.7 percent. County budget personnel say this year’s increase will put property values in the county “close to break-even” compared to two years ago.

County Manager Barbara Donnellan will present her proposed budget to the county board in February. The board will then hold public hearings in March, followed by budget adoption in April.

No word yet on how rising property tax revenues may affect Donnellan’s initial pledge to bolster this year’s budget with spending cuts and revenue increases.

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