Rosslyn

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Clerk Hires Fmr. School Board Member — “Former School Board member Nancy Van Doren in February started work as one of a number of deputy clerks under Clerk of the Court Paul Ferguson, with her bailiwick the land-records division and its staff of five… that led to speculation that Ferguson – who served on the County Board before being elected clerk in 2007 – might be preparing for a departure when his current term expires at the end of 2023. That’s not the plan, Ferguson told the Sun Gazette.” [Sun Gazette]

Bomb Threat in Rosslyn — “The police activity in Rosslyn [Sunday] was due to a phone threat received by a tenant at 1100 Wilson Blvd, police tell ARLnow. The office building is home to Politico, UVA grad programs, TV station WJLA and others. The ‘all clear’ [was] given, after the building was evacuated.” [Twitter]

Last Month’s Real Estate Stats — “Based on just 352 closed sales in Arlington County, the median price was $650,000, down 4% from last April, according to Long & Foster Real Estate. The number of homes for sale in Arlington County was up 76% from a year ago, but as evidence of the fast pace at which homes are selling, the number of new listings coming on the market outpaced total inventory. Sellers in Arlington County got an average of 101.5% of their list price.” [WTOP]

Woman Arrested for Striking Officer — “The female suspect was allegedly inside the business opening merchandise, refusing to leave and threatened staff about having a weapon. The arriving officer located the suspect who was uncooperative, refused to follow commands and claimed to have a firearm in her pocket. While taking her into custody, the suspect resisted arrest and struck the officer multiple times.” [ACPD]

Reflecting on ER Chief’s Pandemic Posts — “Social media was a lifeline for many throughout the #pandemic. In March 2020, VHC’s Dr. Mike Silverman, Chair of the Emergency Department, began using @Facebook as a way to keep our community informed about what was happening behind the scenes in local hospitals.” [Virginia Hospital Center/Twitter]

Aging Home’s Future in Doubt — “The quaint 1889 Queen Anne-style home a couple of hundred yards from the East Falls Church Metro may soon meet the wrecking ball. What for decades has been called the Fellows-McGrath House (6404 Washington Blvd.) was sold by owner Pam Jones this February for $1,088,295. The purchaser, Manassas-based FNM Investments LLC, led Jones to suspect her cherished home of 17 years — a one time bed and breakfast known as Memory House — will be torn down.” [Falls Church News-Press]

New Pizza Option Appears to Be Coming to Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

It appears that Rosslyn is getting a new fast-casual dining option.

A permit application was filed yesterday for a new &pizza location in the Central Place development at 1800 N. Lynn Street.

It was not immediately clear which storefront the pizzeria would occupy, though the former Little Beet space at the corner of N. Lynn Street and 19th Street N. seems to be a likely candidate. The New York-based vegetarian restaurant chain closed its Rosslyn location last year after about three years in business.

The new &pizza will have competition from Wiseguy Pizza, which is just across Lynn Street.

There are two existing &pizza locations in Arlington, in Ballston and at Reagan National Airport. Just across the Arlington border are a pair of &pizza locations in Alexandria: in Potomac Yard and in a just-opened storefront at the Bradlee Shopping Center near Fairlington.

Hat tip to Chris Slatt

La La Land, Other Films on Tap for Return of Rosslyn Outdoor Movies

By ARLnow.com

Rosslyn’s annual outdoor movie series is back after a pandemic hiatus.

As usual, the movies will be held at Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway) on Friday nights. This year’s abbreviated Rosslyn Cinema series is not a total return to normal, however: registration is required and viewing parties will be distanced from one another.

This year’s movie lineup, which kicks off next Friday with the 2016 musical La La Land and also includes the locally-filmed Wonder Woman 1984, is below.

  • Friday, June 4 – La La Land
  • Friday, June 11 – Monsters Inc.
  • Friday, June 18 – Wonder Woman 1984
  • Friday, June 25 – Cool Runnings

The Rosslyn Business Improvement District is, as before, sponsoring the film series. Registration for the first movie is set to open tomorrow (Wednesday).

More from the BID’s website:

Rosslyn Cinema is back this summer with a full line up of your favorite movies to enjoy outdoors from the lawn in Gateway Park, Fridays in June. Attendees must register in advance of each showing via Eventbrite and check-in will begin at 7:15 p.m., with movies starting at sundown (approximately 8 p.m. in June). Space is limited, and reservations will open the Wednesday before each movie showing, so be sure to sign up for the BID’s newsletter for weekly reminders.

Seating will be sectioned off based on group size to allow for physical distancing between guests, and groups are limited to a maximum of six people. Please register for a spot based on your accurate group size, and include the names of all members of your party. At check-in, you will be assigned a section number and directed toward your seats.

Higher Logic in Rosslyn Acquires Canadian Software Company

By Jo DeVoe

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1812 N. Moore Street in Rosslyn.

Online community builder Higher Logic recently announced its acquisition of Vanilla, a Canadian cloud-based community software company.

Headquartered in Rosslyn at 1919 N. Lynn Street, Higher Logic creates online forums for companies, nonprofits and member-based organizations. By acquiring Vanilla — which helps brands engage customers and increase their loyalty while reducing costs — the company said it will be able to serve more customers than any other community solution of its kind.

“At a time when human connection is more important than ever, Higher Logic will expand its offering to customers across new markets and geographies,” the company said in a press release. “Together, Higher Logic and Vanilla will give its customers more choices with purpose-built community engagement solutions that meet the needs of their use case, industry and users.”

Higher Logic CEO Kevin Boyce said he was impressed by how Vanilla served customers including technology company Oracle and electronics company Acer. He said it mirrors Higher Logic’s success with health tech company Change Healthcare and network security company Juniper Networks.

“Our scale, profitability, and accelerating growth will allow us to increase our investment in both the association and corporate markets and continue to build industry-leading engagement solutions that connect people, knowledge, and ideas,” Boyce said in a press release. “We are excited to welcome the Vanilla team into the Higher Logic family.”

Vanilla is the sixth company that Higher Logic has acquired since its founding in 2007. Last year, it acquired Customer Imperative, a South Carolina-based startup that builds conversations between businesses and customers, following up on an acquisition spree of four companies in 2017.

“Higher Logic has a proven track record in building community engagement and facilitating meaningful connections for organizations,” Vanilla CEO Luc Vezina said in a statement. “With more interactions happening digitally, community has become mission-critical for almost every organization. We are thrilled to be joining forces with Higher Logic to create the pre-eminent online community solution.”

The company said it brought on a number of Vanilla employees, giving Higher Logic a total global headcount of 400.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our leaders made decisions that ensured we could run the business without having to furlough or lay off our employees,” Chief People Officer Joanna Luth told ARLnow. “Because of our commitment to our employees, we were focused on putting their needs first. We have continued to grow over the past year and have been actively hiring across all areas of the business.”

Higher Logic helps associations grow while retaining their customers and members. Today, it also serves more than 3,000 clients and has expanded into the corporate business-to-business market. Outside of its headquarters at Waterview Tower in Rosslyn, the company has offices in Portland; Saratoga Springs, New York; Australia and Canada.

Company board member Bob Nye, who is a partner at JMI Equity, said in a press release that Higher Logic has quadrupled its recurring revenue to more than $80 million in the last four years.

“The collective digital engagement expertise positions Higher Logic’s employees and customers well for growth and shared success in this new world,” he said.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New County Infrastructure Plan Proposed — “County Manager Mark Schwartz has proposed a $1.25 billion three-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that focuses on meeting Arlington’s existing commitments, increasing infrastructure maintenance, and beginning investments in long-term plans and programs. The three-year proposal follows a one-year CIP that was adopted last summer as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The County anticipates returning to a traditional 10-year plan next year for FY 2023 – FY 2032.” [Arlington County]

Rosslyn Developer Dies from Covid — “Marvin Weissberg, a herald of Northern Virginia development whose portfolio of early projects still mark Rosslyn’s modern skyline, has died. He was 94. The founder of Weissberg Investment Corp. passed away Monday at his home in Annapolis of complications from Covid-19.” [Washington Business Journal]

Marine Corps Marathon Returning — “Good news for runners: the Marine Corps Marathon will take place in-person this year after it was held virtually in 2020 due to Covid. The 26.2-mile race follows a course through DC and Arlington, and typically sees more than 20,000 participants. This year, the marathon and accompanying races and events will be held over the weekend of October 29 through 31.” [Washingtonian]

New Gold’s Gym Opening in Rosslyn — “Rosslyn’s newly constructed Gold’s Gym officially opens for members [today], May 20. Located inside Rosslyn City Center (1700 N. Moore St.), this space is nearly 40,000 SF of brand new equipment and modern facilities!” [Rosslyn BID/Instagram]

Cemetery Flyover Planned Today — “Four Air Force T-38 Talon jets are scheduled to fly over the National Capital Region at 1:50 p.m. The formation is part of a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery for retired Air Force Col. George Benoit.” [Patch]

This Year’s Bond Referendums — “Arlington voters will be asked to approve a modest package of bond referendums in November, if County Board members accede to a request made May 18 by County Manager Mark Schwartz. The proposal calls for a bond package of $62.5 million (not counting an expected school-bond request) that would fund Metro, paving, courthouse renovations and Neighborhood Conservation projects.” [Sun Gazette]

New Steakhouse Coming to Former Ben’s Chili Bowl Space

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A new steakhouse with an inspiring backstory is coming to Rosslyn.

Guerra Steakhouse is set to open this summer at 1725 Wilson Blvd, the former home to Ben’s Chili Bowl, which closed last year. The menu is still in the works, but is likely to include a variety of steak cuts, burgers and sides, in addition to seafood, soups, salads and vegetarian dishes.

The restaurant has applied for permits to offer beer, wine and mixed drinks.

The steakhouse is being opened by a local family and is named after their father and grandfather, a farmer who immigrated to the United States and worked hard to provide a better life for his family.

“The name ‘Guerra’ is my grandfather’s last name. He was a farmer back in my country of origin, Guatemala, and his favorite celebration meal was steak,” Jackelin Barrera tells ARLnow. “He migrated to the United States to be able to raise his children and his grandkids. He worked in jobs such as in carpentry, plumbing and landscaping… his dream was never to become someone big but to give his family the resources to become big.”

“With his hands cracked and in pain from all the hard work he would come back home and cook for us,” Barrera continued. “My grandfather unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago due to brain cancer but his name will forever live on at Guerra Steakhouse.”

Barrera said via email that the restaurant’s mission is “to serve delicious affordable steak cuts, serve delightful wine pairings and offer the best services possible to ensure people in the Arlington community are not just going out to eat but to have an experience.”

“I have been a server for many years and my family consists of cooks,” Barrera added. “My family has come together to be able to make this happen for all of us. None of us are professionally trained, but we have a passion for good food and for serving others.”

The family aims to open Guerra Steakhouse on July 4, said Barrera.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Man Sentenced for Drunken Gunfire — “The Weedsport [New York] man arrested for publicly firing a gun in the Washington area days before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack was sentenced April 28 in Arlington County Circuit Court. Moses Geri, 39, was sentenced to two years in prison, with one year and eight months suspended… His sentence was issued days after the court rejected a previous plea agreement that would have made all 12 months of Geri’s probation unsupervised.” [The Citizen]

VHC Now a Level II Trauma Center — “Virginia Hospital Center (VHC), a community-based hospital providing medical services to the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 75 years, is proud to announce that it has received a Level II Trauma Center designation from the Commonwealth of Virginia, filling a critical community need.” [Press Release]

County Hosting Virtual ‘Healing’ Conference — “The Child and Family Services Division (CFSD) announces Building Healing Communities: Conversations on Mental Health, Resilience, and Equity… The free, four-day virtual community conference — offered with simultaneous Spanish translation throughout — kicks off on Thursday, May 20 at 6 p.m.” [Arlington County]

New Apartment Tower Now Leasing — “Leasing has begun at Aubrey, the first of three high-rise residential buildings at the Highlands, a mixed-use development in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Arlington, Va. Under development by Penzance, the 23-story-tall Aubrey building at 1788 N. Pierce St. includes 331 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Evo, the second apartment tower, is anticipated to begin leasing this summer. The third tower is the Pierce condominium, which is selling now.” [Washington Post]

Big Motorcycle Rally Back On — “Things are coming together for a major Memorial Day weekend motorcycle rally. It now has an official starting area and it looks like more bikers could be coming. ‘At the very last minute, the mayor came through for us,’ said Joe Chenelly, executive director of AMVETS. The veterans service organization is arranging the ‘Rolling to Remember’ event, which is the successor to ‘Rolling Thunder.'” [WTOP]

Boston’s Northeastern University Plans Southern Expansion into Rosslyn

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Looking to be closer to the government and defense fields, Boston-based Northeastern University is eyeing some space in Rosslyn.

The university is looking to convert the 14th floor of Arlington Tower (1300 17th Street N.) into a teaching space for graduate-level classes and a research space that will house The Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security.

Matthew Weinstein, a land use attorney with McGuireWoods who represents Northeastern University, said in a letter that the university “seeks to establish an operation at the property as a central location for mission-driven programs including defense-based programs, benefitting from close proximity to government customers.”

Arlington County’s Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development has determined the research use still classifies as office use, according to a letter included in a staff report. To use the other half of the 14th floor, totaling 8,500 square feet, for teaching, NU needs the approval from the County Board.

The County Board is scheduled to review the school’s request during its regular meeting this Saturday.

Currently, the 18-story, 411,679-square-foot Arlington Tower is zoned for commercial uses, not including higher education, according to the staff report. But converting the space will only involve minor interior renovations, according to the county.

“No objections from the community nor staff have been expressed,” the report said. “As the proposed conversion is not located on the ground floor, it does not remove any retail spaces nor have any impact on the exterior appearance of the building.

The report added that the offshoot of Northeastern will bring “new visitors to the Rosslyn area during off-peak hours, potentially creating new customers for Rosslyn-based business.”

Most of the classes will be held Monday through Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and early afternoon, according to the county.

The 14th floor of Arlington Tower was most recently home to former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign office, which was temporarily shut down last summer due to a coronavirus outbreak. Trump previously bragged that the lease on the office space “was a steal.”

Image via Google Maps

Pedestrian Walkway Coming to Sidewalk-Less Side of Rosslyn Street

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A lot happens on N. Oak Street between Clarendon Blvd and 17th Street N. in Rosslyn.

To the east is an office building where the internet was invented. It now serves as an annex for the State Department. To the west is a very busy, standalone Starbucks.

What the block lacks, at least on the west side, is a sidewalk.

A new project set to kick off next week aims to rectify the lack of a pedestrian walkway, with a makeshift path along the road. More from an Arlington County transportation update:

During the week of May 10, weather permitting, the County will create a pedestrian pathway along the west side of North Oak Street between Clarendon Boulevard and 17th Street North.

Currently, there is no sidewalk on the west side of Oak Street. After receiving a request from the community, County staff conducted a traffic investigation for this location and determined that adding a pedestrian treatment would help improve safety and access.

The pedestrian pathway will be installed by adding a barrier between the travel lane and the curb. This will slightly narrow the southbound lane, but access for vehicles, including the driveway to the coffee shop, will be retained.

What to expect during this work:

  • Once installation begins on the pathway, we anticipate completion within 1 week.
  • The installation will be done during work hours, generally 8 am to 2 pm, Monday through Friday.
  • During installation, there may be some impacts to the southbound travel lane on North Oak Street.

Photos (1) via Arlington County, (2) via Google Maps

Developer Stanley Westreich’s Legacy Casts Large Shadow in Rosslyn

By Matt Blitz
1/12

The legacy of Stanley Westreich, the developer who built modern Rosslyn from the ground up, will always cast a large shadow in the neighborhood he helped establish, his son tells ARLnow.

Westreich died at the age of 84 last month at his home in San Diego. For decades, however, he lived in the D.C. area and had an outsized influence on the growth of Rosslyn.

His son, Anthony Westreich, remembers his father for being more than just a well-known developer.

“I think the adjectives that best describe my father are fair, honest, transparent, tough and kind,” Westreich told ARLnow in an email interview. “Everyone, whether it was contractors, brokers or lawyers, wanted to transact with my father. They always knew what they were getting from him.”

Beginning in the 1960s, his company Westfield Realty developed ten buildings in Rosslyn. Perhaps none were more iconic than the former USA Today/Gannett buildings at 1000 and 1100 Wilson Blvd, also known as the Rosslyn Twin Towers. When built in 1981, they were the tallest buildings in the D.C. metro area. Current occupants include WJLA-TV and Politico.

Part of what Westreich’s big bet on Rosslyn work was seeing an opportunity to the leverage its proximity to the District and its relative underdevelopment.

“He saw an opportunity to convert [an] excessive and unused parking structure into office space for government tenants,” Anthony writes. “He knew that unlike many of the great cities of the world, Washington, D.C. did not have development on both sides of its river.”

A native New Yorker, Westreich served in the Coast Guard and graduated from New York University law school. He moved to Rosslyn in 1959, said Anthony, with his family owning an interest in Rosslyn’s only federal housing project.

“In 1959, the only development in Rosslyn was that FHA project,” wrote Anthony. “Unfortunately, that investment was losing money as the project was ill-conceived.”

Westreich bought a big chunk of land and began to build office buildings, turning Rosslyn into a thriving commuter community.

“That vision [was] an immediate financial success for our family and provided my father with a long-term vision for Rosslyn,” wrote Anthony.

Those early but pivotal developments include 1400 Key Blvd — the parking garage of which was where Mark “Deep Throat” Felt met up with Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward to expose the Watergate scandal — as well as 1501 Wilson Blvd, 1515 Wilson Blvd, and 1815 N. Fort Myer Drive.

In 2005, Westreich sold his 2.5 million square foot Rosslyn portfolio to Beacon Capital Partners for nearly $1 billion. A year earlier, Anthony followed in his father’s footsteps when he established New York-based Monday Properties, which built a property portfolio that made it Rosslyn’s preeminent property owner.

The building on N. Fort Myer Drive was torn down more than a decade ago and the site is now home to 1812 N. Moore Street, Nestlé’s U.S. headquarters.

“Interestingly 1812 sits on the exact same site as the first building my father developed in 1961,” wrote Anthony, who himself made a big bet on Rosslyn by building 1812 N. Moore Street — then the tallest office building in the area — “on spec” without any signed tenants.

After years of vacancy, the bet finally paid off in 2017 with Nestlé’s announcement.

(more…)

ACFD Gives Monumental Assist to Flag Atop Iwo Jima Memorial

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Arlington County firefighters answer the call when someone is in need of help in Arlington. This weekend they provided an assist to a group of legendary Rosslyn area residents cast in bronze.

Friday’s windstorm tangled the flag atop the Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima memorial. To help fix it, the fire department at neary Fort Myer requested the assistance of ACFD and its extra-long ladder truck.

“Captain Shawn Pendo, officer in charge of Tower 104, was called on Sunday morning by the Fort Myer Fire Department requesting assistance to fix the flag at the Marine Corps Memorial in Rosslyn,” fire department spokesman Taylor Blunt tells ARLnow. “Captain Pendo quickly rounded up his crew for the special mission.”

“Once they arrived, Firefighter Kristin Pardiny positioned the bucket for her crew to disentangle and inspect the flag’s halyard,” Blunt continued. “The operation was done in under 30 minutes with no damage found.”

It’s not the first time ACFD has been called upon for such a task. But it’s never routine and always an honor, Blunt said.

“Captain Pendo recalled only one other time that Tower 104 was requested to assist with the flag,” said Blunt. “[Pendo] and his crew were honored to fix our nation’s colors at such a hallowed landmark.”

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