Silver Line

Morning Poll: Is the Silver Line More of a Threat or an Opportunity?

By ARLnow.com

Metro’s Silver Line is set to officially open on Saturday, with Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, and other notable officials on hand to watch the first train depart the Wiehle-Reston East station.

The launch of the Silver Line has economic ramifications for Arlington, though there’s some debate over whether those ramifications will be mostly good or mostly bad.

On the pessimistic side, rail transit in Reston and Tysons could enhance the desirability of those areas and present Arlington with stiff competition, especially in the commercial office market.

On the optimistic side, the fact that the Silver Line will run through Arlington on the way to D.C. could actually make the county’s Orange/Silver corridor even more desirable as an economic hub. The video above makes the case that Ballston in particular is well-positioned to benefit from the Silver Line.

Publicly and privately, officials with Arlington Economic Development say they expect Tysons to take many years to develop as a truly desirable urban area, with walkable and active streets and ample housing. Even then, they believe Arlington’s multi-decade head start on transit-oriented development, and its proximity to D.C., will give the county the competitive edge over Tysons.

On balance, do you think the Silver Line will help or hurt Arlington County?
 

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rowing crew in the Potomac (Flickr pool photo by Rob Cannon)

New Homeless Shelter to Open in March — Arlington County’s new year-round homeless services center is now expected to open in March. That means the existing emergency winter homeless shelter in Courthouse is likely to be open much of the winter. [InsideNova]

Competitors Agree on Sign Change — Competing commercial real estate companies have joined together in support of a proposal for Arlington to allow rooftop signs on two new Rosslyn office buildings, one already built and another set to be built if the signage is approved. Company officials say that Arlington’s reputation with the business community is at stake, especially at a time of increased competition with areas like Tysons Corner. [Washington Business Journal]

Silver Line Opening Date Set — The Silver Line is set to open to riders on July 26. A ride from Rosslyn to Tysons Corner will take about 22 minutes, while a ride from Rosslyn to Reston will take 34 minutes, according to Metro. [Reston Now, Twitter]

District Taco Expanding to Alexandria — District Taco, which started in Arlington as a tiny taco cart, has just signed a lease to open a new location at 701 S. Washington Street in Alexandria. When it opens, District Taco expects to reach a count of 200 employees. [Twitter]

Moran on Iraq Situation — Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) says of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and the current threat of invading Islamists in that country: “if you break it, you own it, and we broke it… we should have never gone into Iraq.” Moran said isolated air strikes might be warranted to help combat the jihadist militants. [WJLA]

Flickr pool photo by Rob Cannon

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

A Buick gets pushed down Columbia Pike

‘Most Clarendon Craigslist Ad Ever’ — Is this listing for rooms in a house in the Clarendon-Courthouse area, which starts out with the greeting “Whasup Craiglist,” the “most Clarendon Craigslist ad ever,” as our tipster puts it? According to the listing, two people are leaving the four-person house and the remaining residents “are looking for new members [to add] to our wolfpack.” [Craigslist, Twitter]

Arlington Is 2nd Most Affordable for Car Insurance — A website says Arlington has the second most-affordable car insurance in the country. The ranking is based on the average insurance rate for a Ford F-150 as a percentage of the county’s median income. [Nerd Wallet]

SpringFest in Shirlington Tomorrow — Campbell Avenue in Shirlington will be closed to traffic tomorrow (Saturday) for the first annual Mid-Atlantic SpringFest beer festival. It costs $30 for tickets to sample the festival’s brews, which are being provided by more than 45 breweries. [Capitol City Brewing]

Summer Opening Eyed for Silver Line — After a series of delays, Metro is hoping to open the first phase of the Silver Line at some point this summer. [Reston Now]

ACPD Participating in Prescription Drug Take-Back — From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday), Arlington County Police will participate in National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. Those who have expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs lying around can bring them to one of three Arlington fire stations to have the medication safely disposed of, no questions asked. [Arlington County]

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

"Evening commute" by wolfkann

Silver Line Predictions for Arlington — A new report indicates the Silver Line will transform Reston and Tysons Corner into transit-oriented cities, similar to what occurred along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor after the arrival of the Orange Line. “Our Man in Arlington” notes the Silver Line will increase competition for businesses in Arlington, but quotes the director of Arlington Economic Development, who believes the county can hold onto its businesses. Arlington is expected to experience other changes from the Silver Line, such as changes in frequency for Orange Line trains. [Reston Now, Falls Church News-Press]

Look at Proposed Metro Changes — Metro’s recently announced proposal for a downtown loop , which would include one Arlington “super station” at the Pentagon, is getting some more in-depth looks. Plus, Metro indicates the need for another new line Northern Virginia by 2040, due to anticipated significant crowding on the Silver and Orange Lines. [Washington Post, Greater Greater Washington]

Howze Gains Endorsements — The competition is heating up among the three Democratic candidates seeking the nomination to run for the County Board seat being vacated by Chris Zimmerman. Alan Howze has picked up endorsements from Del. Bob Brink (D) and School Board member Noah Simon. Howze had already secured endorsements from County Board member Jay Fisette and Treasurer Frank O’Leary. [Sun Gazette]

Flickr pool photo by wolfkann

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Mario's Pizza House (photo by Lawrence Cheng Photography)

USS Arlington Recovers NASA Capsule — The newly commissioned USS Arlington participated in test of NASA’s new Orion capsule. Crews from the ship successfully recovered a test version of the capsule and towed it back to the Arlington’s deck well, an important milestone before the capsule is used to return astronauts from space. [Universe Today]

Silver Line Travel Times — How long will it take to travel to Tysons Corner on the new Metro Silver Line, once it opens? Approximately 22 minutes from Rosslyn, or 10 minutes from East Falls Church, according to estimates. [Greater Greater Washington]

One-on-One Resume Help — Looking for a job? Need help with your resume? Advisors from the Arlington Employment Center will be helping residents create and edit resumes at Shirlington Branch Library (4200 Campbell Avenue) from 1:00 to 4:00 this afternoon. The service is free but registration is required. [Arlington Public Library]

Photo by Lawrence Cheng Photography

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Reagan National Airport (Flickr pool photo by J.D. Moore)

Board Ponders Affordable Housing on Pike — County Board members are still deciding how best to pay for the 6,200 units of affordable housing they have pledged to maintain on Columbia Pike. One option is to use Tax Increment Financing, using the growth of real estate values (through redevelopment on the Pike) to fund affordable housing. However, a majority of Board members remain skeptical of that plan. [Sun Gazette]

Silver Line Delayed — The initial opening of the Silver Line has been delayed by eight weeks to allow for additional safety and performance testing. It was previously expected that the first phase of the Metro line, which will run to Reston and Tysons Corner, would open in late December. [MWAA]

Free Milkshakes Today — To help local residents beat the heat, Z-Burger will be offering free milkshakes today from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. to all who come in to the restaurant and use the password “ZHeatwave.” [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by J.D. Moore

Metro to Hold ‘Open House’ For the Silver Line

By ARLnow.com

Silver LineThose wishing to learn more about Silver Line can do so at an open house in Arlington this weekend.

Metro is organizing the event in advance of the Silver Line’s expected completion and opening late this year. The public is invited to learn about changes to Orange and Blue Line service that will accompany the Silver Line’s opening, and to speak with and ask questions of Metro officials.

The open house is taking place at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel (1800 Jefferson Davis Highway) from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. this coming Saturday, March 16.

In addition to the informational portion of the event, there will be children’s activities, free snacks and and a raffle. The Arlington open house is one of three planned this week.

The Silver Line will at first run to Tysons Corner and Reston. A second phase of the project, which will take several more additional years to build, will connect with Dulles International Airport.

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Santa in front of No Place Like Home & Covet (5140 Wilson Blvd)

Silver Line Could Shift Economic Development — As Metro’s Silver Line nears completion, there’s speculation it could prompt an economic development competition between Arlington and Fairfax County. Fairfax officials are already crediting the new line with bringing in at least one new business — Intelsat, an international satellite system provider. Gerald Gordon, the head of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, said the transformation of Tysons Corner will put it on a level playing field with the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor as far as attracting businesses. [Sun Gazette]

Polar Bear Sports Registration — United Social Sports is expanding its typical offerings of “bar sports” — such as cornhole, shuffleboard and skeeball — to include Polar Bear soccer leagues this winter. The leagues are for die hard players who wish to continue playing outdoors throughout the winter on a soccer field at Long Bridge Park. Registration is available online for the league, which offers weekly games on Sundays or Tuesdays. Games start the week of January 13. [United Social Sports]

McDonnell Offers Budget Amendments — Governor Bob McDonnell appeared before Virginia’s General Assembly on Monday to pitch a series of both cuts and spending increases for the state’s two-year, $85 billion budget. The increases would ease the burden on cities and counties that have been dealing with substantial funding cuts in recent years, by about $45 million. McDonnell is still cautious due to Virginia’s potential to take a hit if Congress can’t come to an agreement to avoid the year-end fiscal cliff. [Associated Press]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Elliot Hosts Halloween Event in Clarendon — DC101’s Elliot in the Morning is hosting a Halloween Bash at Clarendon Ballroom on Friday night. [Clarendon Nights]

Arlington Seeks More Notable Trees — Arlington County is asking residents to help it identify more unusual, historic or special trees for its Notable Tree registry. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Biz Group Ponders Silver Line — Is the opening of the Silver Line to Tyson’s Corner a threat or an opportunity for businesses in Arlington? That’s what a group of local business owners discussed yesterday at a meeting organized by Leadership Arlington. [Washington Examiner]

More Swanson Students Riding Bikes to School — Bike ridership at Swanson Middle School is on the rise, according to the CommuterPageBlog. There are now nearly twice as many bikes parked outside the school as two years ago. [CommuterPageBlog]

New Salon Coming to Clarendon — A new salon called Smitten is coming to Clarendon. [Northern Virginia Magazine]