The county’s latest Dunkin’ Donuts opened Friday morning in Virginia Square.
And the donut-and-coffee shop made a splash this morning at 3701 Fairfax Drive with free prizes from a giveaway wheel, a balloon arch outside and appearances by mascots Cuppy and Sprinkles alongside cheerleaders for the Washington Capitals.
It is located on the first floor of the former DARPA headquarters and current FDIC office.
To mark the opening, guests could get a free classic donut with any drink purchase until 10 a.m. Friday. Then on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., patrons will receive a free medium hot or iced coffee, while children under 12 can decorate donuts. The giveaway wheel will once again be spinning, while an on-site DJ will provide music.
The cafe was already doing brisk business just before 8:30 a.m. when an ARLnow reporter stopped by. It is the 11th in the county, after one opened in April on N. Glebe Road.
A new permit was approved in July for indoor seating at Pio Pio
A tipster reported that work will be done on the building and parking lot
The Peruvian restaurant has been the source of fascination for some for months
It closed earlier this year for maintenance on its roof
A rarely-open restaurant near Clarendon could be set for some big changes.
Pio Pio at 3300 Wilson Blvd has been the source of fascinationfor months, with some calling the Peruvian restaurant’s unpredictable hours downright “mysterious.” Pio Pio closed earlier this year, reportedly for maintenance on its roof.
But a permit approved in late July by the county indicates that someone has filed to open a new restaurant with indoor seating in the space.
There are no other concrete details available about the future of the eatery, but a tipster said it would be a kabob restaurant.
“They are fixing up the building and parking lot,” said the anonymous tipster.
As of Friday morning when an ARLnow reporter visited, no work appeared to have been done, with tables and chairs still sitting in the vacant restaurant.
Casual Adventure will be open until at least Christmas, after it signed a new short-term lease on its Virginia Square building.
Owner Eric Stern said he and his staff requested the extension from property owner 1404 Hancock Street Investment LLC, a company registered to local custom home builder BCN Homes.
The pair then agreed on the extension, in part, Stern said, because new development in the area is taking a “little bit longer than originally anticipated.”
“We’ve had a great business relationship, and we were able to extend at least for the time being,” he said. “Then we’ll figure things out from there.”
The long-time outdoor retailer had been set to close its 3451 Washington Blvd location this spring after 61 years in business. It first announced its closure in April and subsequently held an “End of an Era Sale” with large discounts.
Stern said the influx of customers and outpouring of sadness at the store’s closing showed there is still “an obvious need or want for us in this space.”
“The general support from the public has been overwhelming in a positive way,” he said. “I certainly appreciate everybody who’s come in and shared their stories of the trips they’ve taken over the years, the products they’ve bought from us over the years and the photos they’ve had from their trips.”
Casual Adventure is currently holding a summer clearance sale with merchandise marked down as much as 70 percent. Stern said fall items will start arriving shortly.
Kirkwood Road and Washington Blvd aerial site plan
The area could get a new apartment building, YMCA and affordable housing
The proposal would replace, among others, the shuttered Sport and Health
American Legion Post 139
The site is near the old Ball family burial ground
The YMCA could grow into a 1,000-square-foot facility
Arlington YMCA
The Planning Commission could examine the plans as early as September
Plans for the redevelopment of a seven-acre site in Virginia Square — which include a new apartment building, YMCA facility and affordable housing — are slated to come before the Arlington Planning Commission this fall.
The plans, for several properties around the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Kirkwood Road, could result in a new six-story apartment building; a rebuilt, 100,000 square foot YMCA building; and a 161-home affordable housing project. The plans call for retaining American Legion Post 139 on the property.
On its property — the largest parcel on the site — the YMCA says it “intends to redevelop its site to allow for an expanded, world class, modern athletic and community YMCA facility as part of a mixed use project which would also allow for new residential uses on, or adjacent to, the Property.”
Within the site is the Ball family burial ground, designated as a local historic district in 1978 and the resting place of several family members. Given the desire to study the site, individual site plans and construction are still years away from coming to fruition.
The county and its Long Range Planning Committee has spent several months discussing land use planning for the parcel and the area as a whole, in advance of a site plan process.
The committee met on July 25 to discuss the latest round of suggestions for land use. Anthony Fusarelli, principal planner in the county’s Department of Community, Planning, Housing and Development, said in an email “it was suggested” that be the final meeting on the topic, and that the study be advanced to the full Planning Commission.
Ahead of that Planning Commission meeting, which could be as early as September, Fusarelli said an updated study document will be released for community review, incorporating the feedback of LRPC members and the public.
At the meeting of the LRPC last month, county staff presented various options for the site’s land use, while taking into account how buildings’ heights decrease as they get further from a Metro station.
Among those options, staff presented two that would create a so-called “Special District,” which would help coordinate development in the area and set clear guidelines for projects. The area would be designated as the Washington/Kirkwood Coordinated Mixed-Use Development District.
And in terms of density, staff has several options left on the table, including several that would allow for varying types of housing, which they said reflected local residents’ desire to have a transition between the dense Metro corridor and the neighborhood.
Staff also provided an option that would not change any land uses on the site, which they said would allow some development, including a hotel by right that would not require Arlington County Board approval. But they said only “limited improvements” could be made to the YMCA under that plan.
The local chapter of KidicalMass, a national organization centered around casual community bike rides for families, will take a trip to Carvel Ice Cream this Sunday (July 30).
The organization kicks off its third annual “Kidically Summer 3.0” series of bike rides with a journey to Carvel in Virginia Square. The ride begins at 4:45 p.m. at Hayes Park (1516 N. Lincoln Street), where kids and families can cool off in its sprayground prior to the ride.
From there, cyclists will ride through the Virginia Square, Ashton Heights and Lyon Park neighborhoods on a course just over three miles long. The ride will end with ice cream at the Carvel store in Virginia Square.
According to the event description, “The route is pretty short, and as flat as they come in Arlington.” There will be stop lights at all of the major intersections and the group will travel back together from Carvel.
KidicalMass describes their bike rides as slow, short and easy with each ride no longer than four miles and going at speeds of typically six miles per hour. The group has previously hosted similar events for Father’s Day, as well as a “Junior Park Ranger Ride” along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
The group typically hosts one bike ride a month and all events are posted on its website.
(Updated at 10:20 p.m.) A person was struck by a train at the Virginia Square Metro station Thursday night.
The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. Initial reports suggest the person who was struck is still on the tracks and has died.
Police and firefighters are on the scene. Metro Transit Police say an adult male was on the tracks “intentionally” and was struck and killed. One witness said the deceased individual “jumped in front of… a Silver Line train headed into the city.”
Metro’s Orange and Silver lines are suspended between East Falls Church and Clarendon. Shuttles are being dispatched to the stations. Metro riders should expect delays on both lines.
Virginia Sq: MTPD o/s due to adult male stuck by train. Individual intentionally entered track bed. This is a fatality. Service suspended.
— Metro Transit Police (@MetroTransitPD) July 14, 2017
Blue Line: Expect delays in both directions due to congestion from delayed Orange & Silver Line trains.
A Dunkin’ Donuts location is coming to Virginia Square, right across the street from the Metro station and a Starbucks.
The restaurant is coming to 3701 Fairfax Drive, the former DARPA headquarters and current FDIC office.
Interior construction appears to be underway inside. No word on when the donut-and-coffee shop is expected to open.
There are existing Dunkin’ locations in Courthouse, Ballston and along Lee Highway, among other Arlington outposts. A new Dunkin’ Donuts opened last month on N. Glebe Road near Route 50.
The Montana State Society’s annual Testicle Festival is returning to Virginia Square next week.
Featuring unlimited rocky mountain oysters, Crown Royal and beer (usually Budweiser), the event takes place at the American Legion post at 3445 Washington Blvd. This year, the “Testy Fest” is scheduled from 6-11 p.m. on Saturday, June 3.
Tickets for the event are $25 online or $30 at the door. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older.
As usual, organizers have used the choice of cuisine to take liberties with their write-up about the event. From the event page:
You’d be NUTS to miss this! The Montana State Society would like to invite you to have a ball (literally!) at the 13th annual D.C. Testy Fest – “The Original Sack Lunch” – to be held from 6:00PM – 11:00PM on Saturday June 3rd, 2017 at the Arlington American Legion.
Last year over 600 people flocked to the event to enjoy live music provided by the Wil Gravatt Band and graze on all-you-can-eat Rocky Mountain Oysters! Thirsty? Wash them down with a limitless supply of Crown Royal (A.K.A liquid courage) & beer – all for the bargain price of $25 bucks!
Our Rocky Mountain Oysters are prepared by legendary chef Frank McGraw, and shipped fresh from the Rock Creek Lodge in Western Montana. Not your ‘bag’? Don’t worry baby! We will have food trucks there selling delicious grub. Get there early, the first guests will also get a T-Shirt to forever memorialize the event.
Update at 6:45 p.m. — The fire department has cleared the scene and all lanes of Fairfax Drive are back open.
The Arlington County Fire Department is investigating a hazmat incident at George Mason University’s law school in Virginia Square.
The incident happened on the third floor of the law school building, at 3301 Fairfax Drive, and involves a suspicious envelope containing a “powdery substance,” according to fire department spokesman Lt. Jeff Crooke. One person who opened the envelope is being evaluated but is not believed be suffering any medical issues at this time.
Police have blocked the westbound lanes of Fairfax Drive due to the emergency response.
The law school was recently renamed the Antonin Scalia Law School, after the late Supreme Court justice.
The new spring collection is in, and heavily discounted
Everything in the store is on sale as its contents are liquidated
Gear for Scouts is still on sale at Casual Adventure
Casual Adventure now has an Amazon online store, and is looking for a new space
Owner Eric Stern said the store will close when all merchandise is gone
Long-time Virginia Square outdoor retailer Casual Adventure is still open, but will close once its spring stock has sold out.
The 61-year-old store at 3451 Washington Blvd announced its closure last month. After the announcement, the retailer kicked off its “End of an Era Sale,” featuring up to 50 percent off any remaining outdoor, tactical and sporting goods in stock.
Store owner Eric Stern said Casual Adventure has received two final deliveries of spring merchandise, which is being sold at reduced prices. Once everything is sold, the store will close, he said.
“We’ve definitely got a good selection, and we’re just blowing it out at this point,” he told ARLnow.com.
Stern said there is still no firm closing date, and there is significant “wiggle room” on when it needs to vacate the premises. Stern said he is looking to host regular Andrew Towne on Memorial Day weekend for a talk on his latest attempt to summit Mount Everest, and said Casual Adventure will continue supporting various community projects.
“It’s nice as we transition out of here that we can take care of our customers,” he said.
The Washington Business Journal reported that the store’s new owner is 1404 Hancock Street Investment LLC, a company registered to local custom home builder BCN Homes. As yet, no building or demolition permit applications have been filed with the county.
Casual Adventure already has an online store set up through Amazon, and Stern said it is actively looking for a new location for its store, but that there is “no rush.”
Police responded to an armed robbery at a Virginia Square store Saturday night.
Two masked men reportedly entered a store on the 3400 block of Washington Blvd a little after 9 p.m., showed a firearm and demanded money and other items. Police did not specify which store was robbed, but that block is home to a 7-Eleven.
The suspects fled on foot with their loot. Their descriptions are in the full report from ACPD below.
ARMED ROBBERY, 2017-04080244, 3400 block of Washington Boulevard. At approximately 9:07 p.m. on April 8, officers responded to the report of a robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined two masked male subjects, one brandishing a firearm, entered a store and demanded cash and items of value. The suspects fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash and items of value. The first suspect is described as a light skinned black male, approximately 6’0″ tall. He was wearing a black jacket, gloves, and a black mask. The second suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’8″-5’9″ tall. He was wearing a black winter jacket, gloves, and a black mask. The investigation is ongoing.
