Virginia Square

BREAKING NEWS — Police Investigate Possible Meth Lab in Va. Square

By ARLnow.com

Update on 8/28/12 at 1:00 p.m. — Police confirm they have arrested two men in connection with the suspected meth lab.

Update at 1:05 a.m. — Residents of the second and fourth floors are being allowed back in the building. The bomb squad is packing up its gear, but police and the hazmat teams are remaining on the scene, according to Fire Department spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl.

An apartment building just a block away from the Virginia Square Metro station has been partially evacuated as police and firefighters investigate a possible meth lab discovered in an apartment.

The area around the Virginia Square Apartments, a 225-unit high rise at 801 N. Monroe Street, has been cordoned off by authorities. Police, firefighters, the bomb squad and a hazmat team are all on the scene, and a decontamination area has been set up. Numerous evacuated residents have gathered outside the Metro station.

So far police are not officially confirming that they’re investigating a meth lab, only officially confirming that they found a “hazmat situation” while responding to a domestic incident on the third floor of the building. Police and the fire department chose to evacuate the second, third and fourth floors of the building, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Lt. Michael Watson.

The homemade production of methamphetamine is dangerous and meth lab explosions happen on a regular basis across the country.

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Z-Burger Set For Fall Opening In Virginia Square

By Aaron Kraut

The owners of the growing Z-Burger local burger chain say they plan to open a franchise in Virginia Square this fall, perhaps as soon as September.

In March 2011, Z-Burger co-owner Mohammad Esfahani told ARLnow.com that he hoped to have the location open last summer. But co-owner Peter Tabibian said today the company is now focused on opening its new Columbia Heights location first, in the next few weeks.

Esfahani said construction is ongoing for the 4,000-square-foot space at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and N. Kenmore Street. This will be Z-Burger’s sixth location and first in Virginia.

A BGR: The Burger Joint opened last year in Clarendon, and the location will also face competition from a nearby Five Guys (2300 Wilson Boulevard) and Wiinky’s (3902 Wilson Boulevard), among others.

The two-story red brick building that used to house a video conversion business and a realty company has made way for a new structure. A crew was working on the new building’s interior today (Wednesday). The before and after comparison is below.

 

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Funeral Home Demolition — Arlington Funeral Home in Virginia Square has been torn down to make way for a new office building. Arlington funeral home first opened in April 1956. [Arlington Public Library]

Election Day Today — Arlington voters are going to the polls today to cast their ballots in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate and the Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives (see candidate essays for Rep. Jim Moran and Bruce Shuttleworth). Arlington has a complete list of polling places here.

Trader Joe’s Asks for Display Cases — Trader Joe’s in Clarendon is asking the Arlington County Board for permission to put display cases in the store’s windows along N. Garfield Street. Currently, the windows — which are legally required to remain transparent, per a site plan — look in on the store’s storage area. [Arlington County]

APS Accepting Applications for Committee — Arlington Public Schools is inviting applications from parents and community members for its Pupil Services Committee. The committee meets once a month during the school year and “reviews the services offered by psychologists, social workers, substance abuse counselors, school counselors, and attendance specialists.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Photo courtesy Bill Colton

Festival-Goers Consume 110 Pounds of Testicles

By ARLnow.com

The Montana State Society’s Testicle Festival in Virginia Square was a rousing success this year.

Festival-goers consumed 110 pounds of bull and bison testicles, 84 liters of Crown Royal and 1,500 cans of beer this year, according to event organizer and Society president Jed Link. All three were records for the event, now in its eighth year.

Organizers estimate that nearly 600 people attended the Testicle Festival, which was held at the American Legion post at 3445 Washington Boulevard. Even though the event didn’t start until 6:00 on Saturday evening, Link said a line started to form at 4:30 p.m.

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Testicle Festival Returns to Va. Square

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Exotic food lovers should enjoy an event taking place at the Arlington American Legion (3445 N. Washington Blvd) in Virginia Square on Saturday, May 19. The Montana State Society’s Eighth Annual Testicle Festival, dubbed “Legends of the Ball,” will be testing visitors’ gag reflexes.

The event lets attendees sample unlimited amounts of bull testicles, also called Rocky Mountain oysters. Like last year, there will be all-you-can-drink beer and Crown Royal to wash it down.

In a press release, organizers touted the event as a “unique western tradition.”

“While in D.C. people celebrate spring by posting pictures of cherry blossoms on Facebook, Montanans have a pretty unique tradition of our own,” said Montana State Society President Jed Link. “Spring is calving season out West, and that means something special in the pot come chow time.”

There will be live country music at the festival, which runs from 6:00-10:00 p.m. The first 200 people to arrive will also get a commemorative t-shirt.

Tickets can be purchased online for $25, or at the door for $30. Attendees must be at least 21.

Police Pursuit Ends in Front of Va. Square Metro

By ARLnow.com

A police chase ended in front of the Virginia Square Metro station early this morning.

Virginia State Police were pursuing a vehicle on eastbound I-66 around 1:15 a.m. when it  exited onto Glebe Road in Arlington. The fleeing driver was then involved in a collision with another vehicle near the intersection of Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive, according to scanner traffic.

The chase ended when the driver apparently tried to bail out near the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Monroe Street, in front of the Virginia Square Metro station. Police apprehended the man in front of the station’s elevator entrance, according to a witness. Arlington County police were not involved in the chase, ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said, but did arrive on the scene after the driver bailed out.

No injuries were reported as a result of the crash at Glebe and Fairfax. So far there’s no word on charges against the driver, nor what prompted him to flee.

Photo courtesy Drew Murray

Wilson Blvd Construction Winds Down, Next Phase in the Works

By Katie Pyzyk

There’s been a lot of work on Wilson Boulevard in Virginia Square for months, but the second phase of a large scale renovation project is nearly complete.

The latest work involved removing a small island on N. Quincy Street and building a curb extension. Wider sidewalks and ADA compliant ramps have also been installed. Tom Hutchings, Project Manager for the Wilson Boulevard Improvement Project, explained that it’s an effort to improve pedestrian safety along a stretch of road typically considered tough to cross.

“That’s what this whole Wilson Boulevard project is about,” Hutchings said. “We’re tightening the street up and making the crossing distance shorter.”

One more curb extension needs to be installed on the opposite side of N. Quincy Street, but the existing improvements to Wilson Boulevard are already being considered successful in making the area safer.

“It has changed pedestrian behavior and we see a higher level of pedestrian activity,” Hutchings said.

The current phase is nearly complete, but there are a few things that need to still go in. The highest priority was finishing essentials like the new curbs, gutters and traffic lights. Things that don’t directly affect safety, such as Quincy Street bus shelters, street lights and trees, were viewed as a lower priority. Those have all been ordered and need to be installed.

“For the public, it’s perfectly functional, but there are elements that need to be finalized,” said Hutchings. “They should all be complete within three months, unless we have to wait until fall with the tree planting.”

This is part of the same project that brought the much awaited traffic lights to the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Pollard Street near Gold’s Gym. The work from N. Quincy Street to the area around the Arlington Arts Center builds off of the design of the Virginia Square Sector Plan. Work has been done in phases to coordinate with new development and engineering demands.

The final phase of the project moves down Wilson to N. 10th Street near Mario’s Pizza. Construction on that section will be extensive, so the county is working on setting up a website to give updates on the progress. The website, which is expected to be up and running in the next few weeks, also will list any upcoming traffic disruptions. However, that phase is still in the planning stages, and construction is not slated to begin for about two years.

Photos: GMU Law Students Relax at ‘Puppy Day’

By Katie Pyzyk

A little puppy love is helping law students at George Mason University’s Virginia Square campus get through the stress of final exams.

Students had three hours to leave the books behind and cuddle with some furry friends during “Puppy Day.”

A law school staff member came up with the idea last spring, and the event has since become a tradition for every final exam week in the spring and fall.

The study break is also beneficial for the pups, who are brought in from A Forever Home Rescue Foundation. Representatives from the dog rescue group were on hand to assist with giving out information and to help those interested in adopting one of the puppies.

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Man Arrested for Lewd Act Outside 7-Eleven

By ARLnow.com

A 28-year-old man was arrested early Saturday morning after police say he was caught masturbating outside a Virginia Square-area 7-Eleven store at 3510 Wilson Boulevard.

An officer was driving by the store around 4:40 a.m. when he saw Nathanael Lovett, 28, performing the lewd act in plain view of potential passersby, according to police. The police report does not note whether anybody other than officer witnessed the act.

Lovett, who police say was recently released from jail in D.C., was charged with indecent exposure and held without bail. Public records show Lovett’s most recent address was an apartment in Northeast D.C. He does not match the description of a suspect seen masturbating along the W&OD Trail last week, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Permits Issued for Naked Pizza in Virginia Square

By ARLnow.com

The final building permits were granted earlier this month for a new Naked Pizza shop in Virginia Square.

Located at 933 N. Quincy Street, on the ground floor of the Quincy Plaza Apartments in the former Daily Grind coffee shop space, Naked Pizza is expected to offer its signature all-natural pies to dine-in, walk-up and delivery customers. In July 2011 the Arlington County Board approved a site plan amendment that will allow the restaurant to operate a delivery service.

According to the building permits, the new Naked location — the fast-growing company’s second in Arlington County — will have 28 interior seats. That’s in contrast to the existing Naked Pizza store in Pentagon City, which offers carryout and delivery but has little to no indoor seating space.

Although interior construction is being performed at the new location, the storefront’s exterior facade will not be changing. No official opening date has been announced, but barring any major delays we anticipate the restaurant will open at some point this summer.

Hat tip to @MavsX

Man Found Dead Outside Arlington Funeral Home

By ARLnow.com

 

A man, believed to be homeless, was found dead today behind the Arlington Funeral Home in Virginia Square.

The man was found unresponsive behind a dumpster in the funeral home parking lot around 10:30 this morning, according to police. Officers arrived and determined that the man had passed away. Detectives are still on scene investigating the man’s death, though so far there’s no word of anything suspicious.

A man who said he was an acquaintance of the deceased said the man’s name was Lenny and he was in his 40s. Lenny was homeless and sometimes slept in front of the nearby St. George’s Episcopal Church, the acquaintance said.

The funeral home, located across from Arlington Central Library at 3901 Fairfax Drive, is closed and will eventually be torn down to make way for a new office building.

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