An on-street parking space in Rosslyn will become one of six pop-up parks in Arlington County tomorrow (Friday) as part of the worldwide PARK(ing) Day event.
The space at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Oak Street will be transformed into a “parklet,” a sidewalk extension installed in parking spaces that acts as a mini-park. A spokeswoman for the Rosslyn Business Improvement District said the site will be the location of the county’s first permanent “parklet” in spring next year.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors can stop by and have free bagels and coffee from Allspice Cafe, enjoy the outdoor seating and play games like corn hole and foosball in the afternoon. The Rosslyn BID is also offering free giveaways and discount cards for nearby restaurants.
Other “parklets” in Arlington will be found in the parking lot at 15th Street N. (Courthouse) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at 500 12th Street S. (Pentagon City), 2400 Wilson Blvd (Courthouse), 2900 Clarendon Blvd (Clarendon) and 1000 N. Taylor Street (Ballston) from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
More will spring up across the region, with 28 sites set for D.C. and at least seven for Alexandria. PARK(ing) Day began in San Francisco in 2005 when Rebar, an art and design studio in the city, turned a metered parking space into a temporary public park.
Photo No. 1 via Google Maps, photo No. 2 via Arlington County.
Earlier: A platoon of Arlington County Fire Department units are on scene at the Rosslyn Metro station for a report of a fire on the tracks.
Initial reports suggest that the fire is an arcing insulator somewhere between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom, and that trains are turning around to avoid it. No smoke has been reported in the Rosslyn station.
Metro riders should expect delays on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines. Police are closing N. Moore Street to traffic due to the fire response.
Silver Line: Trains operating between Wiehle & E Falls Church due to a track problem outside Foggy Bottom. Use Org/Blu Line to continue tri
The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business could expand into two upper floors of a Rosslyn office building.
Under plans before the Arlington County Board for its Saturday (September 16) meeting, building owner Monday Properties wants to convert existing office space at 1100 Wilson Blvd on the 30th and 31st floors to educational use. Just over 39,000 square feet of space would be converted.
“The renovated space will feature classrooms, multi-purpose spaces and supporting office space,” a staff report on the project reads. The report recommends the Board adopt the plans.
Per the application, the 30th floor would get three classrooms, a boardroom, a multi-purpose room, space for catering, conference rooms and break-out areas. The 31st floor would host two tiered classrooms — with auditorium-style seating for lectures, large discussions and the like — as well as a flat classroom and 12 case rooms for small meetings.
The report notes that the Darden School is the “anticipated tenant,” and that classes will be held at the site during off-peak hours and weekends to reduce strain on the building’s parking.
The school already hosts regional staff offices in the building, and provides executive MBA classes at 1000 Wilson Blvd and 1919 N. Lynn Street. It expanded into the D.C. area last year.
County staff said the nearby Radnor/Fort Myer Heights Civic Association president did not raise any objections to the plan, while the North Rosslyn Civic Association did not send any comments before the staff report was published. Staff from the Rosslyn Business Improvement District wrote in support of the proposal.
Disclosure: Monday Properties is an ARLnow.com advertiser. Photo via Google Maps.
Online retail behemoth Amazon just announced that it is searching for a place to build a second headquarters, and Arlington officials say the county is tossing its hat in the ring.
Amazon is looking to build its “HQ2” in North America, in a metropolitan area with a population over 1 million and room to build up to 8 million square feet of transit-accessible office space in a pedestrian-friendly setting. The new headquarters is expected to come with $5 billion worth of investment and will create up to 50,000 jobs, with an average salary north of $100,000.
Other requirements include being within 30 miles of a population center and no more than 45 minutes away from an international airport.
Arlington, officials say, could fit the bill — and the county is planning to respond to Amazon’s request for proposals.
“Yes, we will be pursuing the opportunity,” said Arlington Economic Development spokeswoman Cara O’Donnell, adding that it is “too early to say which specific locations would be under consideration.”
One potential option is Arlington’s Crystal City neighborhood, which has a burgeoning tech scene and an existing plan to build up to 9.7 million square feet of office space, partially through the demolition of aging, vacant office buildings. It is also transit and highway accessible, within walking distance of Reagan National Airport and much of its office space is owned by one company.
Another option is Arlington’s millennial-heavy Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, along the Orange Line. Rosslyn recently scored Nestle’s U.S. headquarters and Ballston has been active in trying to attract tech companies and fill soon-to-be-vacated office space.
O’Donnell declined to say what Arlington’s pitch to Amazon will be, but the transit accessibility and skilled, young professional workforce is likely to be a selling point. Economic incentives and tax breaks from the county and the state will also undoubtedly be involved — Amazon has stated that will be a determining factor.
Competition for the new headquarters will be intense, as the winning jurisdiction will be instantly transformed into a formidable technology center. In the Washington region alone, D.C., Loudoun County and Prince George’s County have already indicated that they will also be pursuing Amazon.
A march from Charlottesville to D.C. against the “toxic ideology of white supremacy in our nation” is set to reach Arlington County this afternoon (Wednesday) before heading onto its final leg.
The March to Confront White Supremacy was organized by local religious leaders and social justice advocates. It began in Charlottesville on August 28 , following the death of Heather Heyer while protesting a white supremacist rally in the city.
Marchers are set to arrive at Gateway Park (1300 Lee Highway) in Rosslyn at 3 p.m. today, then leave for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial for a 4 p.m. rally.
Arlington police said there are no planned road closures to accommodate the march, though ACPD and Virginia State Police will monitor it. Organizers said the march has attracted nearly 1,000 people for its final stages from Fairfax into D.C.
Since beginning in Charlottesville, organizers said they have overcome “inclement weather and threats to stop the march from state police,” on a route that took them 118 miles through “the largely white and rural Virginia countryside.” Today, the march is encountering rainy weather as it arrives at its destination.
In addition to countering the message of the white supremacists who rallied in Charlottesville, march organizers say they are calling “for the removal of President Trump and all other elected officials who embolden and support white supremacists and the end of white supremacist public policies.”
ADVISORY: #Cville2DC march will enter Arlington today. There are no planned road closures. @VSPPIO & ACPD will monitor for traffic impacts. https://t.co/UQo12LStzc
Arlington County Police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday.)
The robbery happened on the 1800 block of Key Blvd, in the Colonial Village neighborhood near Rosslyn. Police say a man with a gun and two others robbed a couple in a car of their belongings.
More from an ACPD crime report:
ROBBERY, 2017-09050034, 1800 block of Key Boulevard. At approximately 5:19 p.m. on September 5, officers responded to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that three male suspects approached a male and female victim at their parked vehicle. One male suspect brandished a firearm and demanded the victims’ personal belongings. The three male suspects then fled the scene on foot with the victims’ possessions. The victims were not injured. Officers canvassed the area with negative results. The male suspect that brandished the firearm is described as a 20-30 year old black male, 5’11-6′ tall, approximately 180-220 pounds with an average build, wearing a dark colored sweatshirt. The second male suspect is described as a 20-30 years old, approximately 5’11-6′ tall, weighing 180-220 pounds with an average build, wearing a dark colored sweatshirt with his face covered by the hood. There is no description of the third suspect. The investigation is ongoing.
The rest of this past week’s crime report highlights, after the jump.
A past performance at the Rosslyn Jazz Fest (via Rosslyn BID)
Merchandise at the Rosslyn Jazz Fest via Rosslyn BID
Several thousand people are expected to descend on Rosslyn’s Gateway Park on Saturday, September 9 for this year’s Rosslyn Jazz Fest.
The free event at the park at 1300 Lee Highway regularly draws more than 5,000 people for jazz music, local food trucks and a beer and wine garden from 1-7 p.m.
Food trucks Tacos Matadores, Rocklands BBQ, Mangia Tutti, Chix N Stix, Tapas Truck, Bon Bonni and Healthy Food Fool will be on site.
And for the second year, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District is partnering with neighborhood restaurants to offer discounts at to those attending this event. Customers must mention the code “Rosslyn Retail” at participating restaurants and receive 15 percent off their bill all day long.
Organizers said parking nearby will be limited. Public parking is available on N. Moore Street between 19th Street N. and Lee Highway for a $5 flat fee, while parking around Rosslyn will likely be limited too. Instead, organizers said they “strongly encourage” attendees to take Metro or bike to the festival, with the park a few blocks away from the Rosslyn Metro station.
Lost Dog Reunited With Owner — A dog that disappeared under mysterious circumstances is back at home this morning, her owner says, after the man who picked her up as she was wandering around North Arlington saw a sign with the dog’s photo and dialed the phone number on it. [Facebook]
County Lauded for Digital Prowess — Arlington has been named one of the “top 5 counties for digital government” by StateTech magazine. The county was lauded for “embracing open data and transparency” in decision making and citizen outreach. [StateTech]
Sewer Work At Westover Park — There will be some impacts along the Custis Trail starting today as a multi-day emergency sewer repair project gets underway at Westover Park. [Twitter, Twitter]
Death at Belvedere Condos — A man reportedly jumped to his death at the Belvedere Condominiums near Rosslyn on Friday. The complex’s pool and pool deck were closed Friday as police investigated the incident.
Priest Who Admitted KKK Past Still Venerated Confederacy — A priest in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington might not have been totally forthcoming when he admitted and renounced his KKK activity as a young man. Even after becoming a priest, in the early 2000s, Rev. William Aitcheson “was a ‘fervent advocate of the Confederacy’ who would joke about ‘Saint Robert E. Lee’ in homilies at the church,” one former student of his recalled. [Washington Post, Washington Post]
Nearby: Two Men Jump From Aqueduct Bridge — One man is dead and another in grave condition after both jumped from the Aqueduct Bridge in Georgetown, near the Key Bridge, into the Potomac River. A friend of the men said they were hanging out on the bridge when one decided to jump, then the other jumped in to save him. Boats and and a helicopter were used as part of the subsequent rescue operation. [NBC Washington]
18th Street N. is closed for the Wilson School rebuild
The sidewalk on that side of Wilson Blvd is also closed
Pedestrians are directed to cross onto the opposite side of Wilson Blvd
Ground is clear at 1601 Wilson Blvd for the new Wilson School
Work to rebuild the Wilson School in Rosslyn could cause some inconveniences for those in the area as crews closed a sidewalk and street near the project.
Due to construction at the school at 1601 Wilson Blvd, 18th Street N. is closed to non-construction traffic between N. Quinn Street and N. Oak Street for the entirety of the project.
And pedestrians walking along that side of Wilson Blvd near the soon-to-be-rebuilt Fire Station 210 and a 7-Eleven convenience store will need to cross over as the sidewalk outside the school is closed too.
Construction on the new $100 million building appears to be underway, with work expected to be done in fall 2019. It will house 775 students from the future H-B Woodlawn and Stratford programs.
A driver suffering some sort of medical emergency crashed his SUV into a utility pole and at least one other vehicle in Rosslyn this evening, according to scanner traffic.
The crash happened around 5 p.m. on the 1600 block of Fairfax Drive.
The man was transported to a local hospital via ambulance. His condition is unknown. The pole and the other vehicle appeared to suffer only minor damage.
Construction on a condo building at Key Blvd and N. Nash Street is ongoing
The project will add a six-story building and 63 units in Rosslyn
The Ten at Clarendon appears to be built out
The building on 10th Street N. will have 143 apartments
Ground is clear at 1601 Wilson Blvd for the new Wilson School
Crews were beginning to put in foundations for the new building
The site will host the H-B Woodlawn and Stratford programs
The building is expected to be completed in 2019
The Queens Court building at 1801 N. Quinn Street is still standing
A project approved this year would have replaced it with affordable housing in a 12-story building
The project is being carried out by the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
Crews clear ground on N. Rolfe Street for Gables Pointe 14 (file photo)
(Updated August 16, 10:40 a.m.) With the summer almost at an end, several construction projects in Rosslyn and Clarendon are moving along.
In Clarendon, despite a small fire in May that prompted a major response from the Arlington County Fire Department, the Ten at Clarendon apartment building is open for business on 10th Street N.
In Rosslyn, a new six-story condo building is starting to rise in place of an aging low-rise apartment complex. The project, now called “Key and Nash” in signs posted nearby, will add 63 units at the corner of Key Blvd and N. Nash Street.
The project by Reston-based developer NVR, Inc., the parent company of homebuilder Ryan Homes, looks to be well on the way to completion.
Close by, demolition of the former Wilson School is over, and now workers have cleared the ground to start to lay the foundations for the new building.
The new school at 1601 Wilson Blvd, which will house the H-B Woodlawn and Stratford programs, is scheduled to open in fall 2019 and house 775 students across both programs.
But less than a block away, there appears to have been little progress as of yet on the proposed redevelopment of the 39-unit Queens Court apartment complex at 1801 N. Quinn Street.
The County Board approved in February a project by the local nonprofit Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing to bring 249 committed affordable units in a 12-story building.
And in Radnor-Fort Myer Heights, work is continuing on two new residential buildings and a rebuilt substance-abuse recovery facility. Crews and a variety of heavy machinery are on site at the project, known as Gables Pointe 14, at 1307 N. Rolfe Street. The 370 apartments in two buildings, underground parking and an 8,000-square-foot shared park are set to be complete in 2020.
