News stories of interest for our neighborhood
Core Allegro Prepares to Open on Fairfax Drive
www.ArlNow.com
Core Allegro, a studio that will offer group pilates and ballet classes along with private and semi-private sessions, is about a week away from finishing construction.
Waiting to receive final permits, they hope to open by the end of the month at 4001 Fairfax Drive, business manager Steve Roberts said. Click here to read more.
Arlington planetarium faces year-long closure for nearby construction
www.InsideNova.com
The Arlington school system’s David M. Brown Planetarium could be closed for a year or more in 2020-21 as construction takes place to turn the adjacent Arlington Education Center into classroom space.
Closing the planetarium for the duration of the construction project “is the intent,” said John Chadwick, the county school system’s construction czar, during an Aug. 2 presentation to School Board members. Click here to read more.
We, The Pizza Set to Open Ballston Location This Fall
www.ArlNow.com
We, The Pizza is gearing up to open a new location in Ballston this fall.
The restaurant is set to be part of the Ballston Exchange building at 4201 Wilson Blvd currently undergoing some big renovations, following the departure of the National Science Foundation. Click here to read more.
Medina Opens Its Doors in Former Earl’s Ballston Space
www.ArlNow.com
The Middle Eastern restaurant Medina has now opened its doors in Ballston.
The eatery first posted signs at the space last month, located at 4215 Fairfax Drive, across from the Ballston Metro station. Click here to read more.
Ballston History Part 1
Ballston Connect Podcast
Have you ever wondered how Ballston got its name? Who were the Ballston Skulls, and why would anyone go to the “The Bucket of Blood?”
In this special two-part episode of the Ballston Connect Podcast, local historian and journalist, Michael Pope, introduces us to the dark history of the neighborhood. Find out how Ballston was on the cutting-edge of military surveillance during the Civil War, the importance of the tavern to our neighborhood’s evolution and more! Click here to listen (21 minutes).
Capitals’ Kettler Iceplex in Ballston is Getting a New Name
www.ArlNow.com
The Kettler Iceplex in Ballston, home of the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, is getting a new name.
MedStar Health is taking over as the practice arena’s corporate sponsor, according to a press release from Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the company controlled by Caps owner Ted Leonsis. Effective immediately, the arena will now be known as the MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Click here to read more.
Plans to Redevelop American Legion Post into Affordable Housing Complex Take Shape
www.ArlNow.com
Plans to redevelop the American Legion post in Virginia Square into a seven-story affordable housing complex are inching forward.
The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing has drawn up a preliminary proposal for the property at 3445 Washington Blvd, advancing plans to purchase the site and someday build 161 multifamily homes there. APAH would also include about 8,000-square-feet on the bottom floor of the building to let American Legion Post 139 stay on the property, which it’s called home for decades. Click here to read more.
Bistro 1521 Open Again in Ballston
www.ArlNow.com
Bistro 1521 (900 N. Glebe Road) is back open after closing earlier this month due to lease defaults.
Posts to the restaurant’s social media pages on Friday announced that Bistro 1521 would be open Saturday (July 14). Since then, business has been good, general manager Solita Wakefield said. Click here to read more.
Ballston Construction Projects Continue to Progress
www.ArlNow.com
Construction is ongoing for several major projects in Ballston, though at least two should be up and running by the end of the year.
Ballston Quarter, a transformation of Ballston Common Mall, plans to open its shopping and entertainment center in the fall, according to a news release from the county. The completion of a pedestrian bridge that will connect Ballston Quarter to 4201 Wilson Blvd and the Metro station has been pushed back to 2019, however. Click here to read more.
Arlington offers building owner cash in effort to retain federal tenant
www.InsideNova.com
Arlington taxpayers will be on the hook for nearly $8 million over 10 years to subsidize a lease that will retain the Office of Naval Research in the county.
County Board members on July 14 are expected to approve an incentive package that will keep the federal agency in its current 314,000 square feet of office space in Ballston.
Keeping the agency in Arlington “is a vital component of the science-and-technology research cluster in Ballston,” Arlington Economic Development officials said in a pitch to County Board members. Click here to read more.
State Supreme Court Could Decide Fate of Highlander Motel Redevelopment
www.ArlNow.com
The Virginia Supreme Court could soon decide the fate of the Highlander Motel near Virginia Square, as the property’s owner continues to push to redevelop the site.
Arlington County has been locked in a legal battle with local businessman Bill Bayne for nearly two years now over the property at 3336 Wilson Blvd, arguing that Bayne shouldn’t be able to use an existing parking lot for the same purpose after replacing the 55-year-old motel with a CVS Pharmacy. Click here to read more.
Middle Eastern Restaurant Looks Set to Replace Earl’s in Ballston
www.ArlNow.com
A restaurant called Medina appears to be preparing to open in the former Ballston location of Earl’s Sandwiches at 4215 N. Fairfax Drive.
A posting on the door of the site reads, in part, “coming soon,” and signs indicate that menu options will include shawarma and falafel. Click here to read more.
Report: Arlington Will Add 24,000 New Homes Through 2040
www.ArlNow.com
Crystal City is set to add 5,300 homes over the next 20 years, leading the way among all of Arlington’s Metro corridors, according to county projections.
In all, the county will likely see a total of 24,000 new homes built between 2020 and 2040, according to the “Arlington Profile 2018” released by the county this spring.
County staff believe Crystal City will have a total of 9,500 housing units by 2020, up from 7,924 in 2010, and see that number jump to 14,800 by 2040. Should that happen, Crystal City will be the Arlington community with the most housing available, and that level of growth will far outpace its fellow Metro-accessible neighborhoods of Ballston and Rosslyn. Click here to read more.
Bistro 1521 Closed in Ballston
www.ArlNow.com
Bistro 1521, at 900 N. Glebe Road in Ballston, is closed due to “lease defaults” less than a year after opening.
That’s according to a notice dated today (July 3) posted to the eatery’s door by the Virginia Tech Real Estate Foundation.
The Filipino restaurant received a positive review from the Washington Post shortly after opening last August, and its menu featured items like palabok, or Filipino noodles, and sisig, a dish that features pig head and liver. Click here to read more.
Plans to Build New Ballston Metro Station Entrance Could Stall
www.ArlNow.com
Capital Bikeshare’s expansion along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor continues its push westward. In the past week, two new stations have popped up in the Virginia Square neighborhood.
A 19-dock Bikeshare station was installed near the Virginia Square metro station (901 N. Monroe St), and another one went up directly in front of the Central Library (1015 N. Quincy St), with 11 docks. Click here to read more.
Coworking Space to Become First Office Tenant at Former NSF Headquarters in Ballston
www.ArlNow.com
A Brooklyn-based coworking space will become the first office tenant in the former home of the National Science Foundation’s headquarters, now known as the Ballston Exchange.
Industrious will open its third location in the D.C. area on the third floor of 4201 Wilson Blvd, according to a news release from the building’s owner, Jamestown LLP. The coworking space signed a 10-year lease at the location in a 24,795-square-foot suite.
Jamestown bought the building, as well as the adjacent 4121 Wilson Blvd, for a combined $300 million in 2015. But the NSF decided to relocate its headquarters to Alexandria last fall, spurring the property owner to kick off $140 million in renovation work at the buildings and go on the hunt for new tenants. Click here to read more.
Atrium Cafe Opens in Virginia Square With Poke and Promise
www.ArlNow.com
Atrium Cafe (901 N. Nelson Street) has opened in Virginia Square, offering Asian-fusion cuisine, coffee, beer and wine.
Since opening last Monday (June 11), Atrium has serviced breakfast, lunch and dinner crowds with menu items that include egg salad sandwiches, smoothies, rice cups and milk tea.
Hawaiian poke features prominently in the cafe’s offerings, following a national food trend that has been slowly catching on in Arlington. Click here to read more.
County Allows APS Parking at Buck Property, Though Site’s Future Still Uncertain
www.ArlNow.com
Someday, the Buck property in Ballston could be home to a new school, or for other county-owned facilities or offices — but for now, it’ll merely be used for parking for some school employees.
The County Board voted unanimously Saturday (June 16) to allow the school system to use 48 parking spaces at the site for at least the next two years. The School Board approved a similar initiative on May 30, clearing the way for Arlington Public Schools to park its “white fleet” at the site (1425 N. Quincy Street) and free up some space at the county’s Trades Center. Click here to read more.
New Ballston Quarter Pedestrian Bridge Delayed Until 2019
www.ArlNow.com
The developer behind the renovated Ballston Quarter mall is pushing back its plans to open a new pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd, as part of a host of proposed changes to the project.
Forest City had originally hoped to open the overhauled bridge connecting the mall to 4201 Wilson Blvd and the Metro station in time for stores to begin opening this fall. Yet work on the bridge is “currently behind schedule and is now expected to be completed in the winter or early spring of 2019,” according to a report prepared for the County Board.
Accordingly, Forest City is asking the Board to tweak some of the planning documents governing the project to account for the delay, which county staff believe will allow for “additional time for public engagement” around changes to the bridge’s renovation. Staff are recommending that the Board push off any consideration of that request until next month, though Board members won’t get a chance to vote on that recommendation until Saturday (June 16). Click here to read more.
Earl’s Sandwiches to Shutter Ballston Location, Though Clarendon Store Staying Put
www.ArlNow.com
Earl’s Sandwiches is planning to close down its Ballston location next Friday (June 15).
The local sandwich shop announced the decision on its Facebook page yesterday (June 6). The location at 4215 N. Fairfax Drive, across from the Ballston Metro station, opened back in 2012.
Earl’s added in the Facebook post that the restaurant’s Clarendon store will remain open as part of this shuffle. Click here to read more.
County Hoping to Start Work on Mosaic Park Overhaul in Ballston Next Year
www.ArlNow.com
Arlington County is now hoping to kick off construction work on an overhaul of Ballston’s Mosaic Park early next year, following years of delays prompted in part by cost overruns.
County officials are planning to finish renovations at the park, located at 538 N. Pollard Street just behind the Gold’s Gym parking lot, by the end of 2019. Planners unveiled an updated timeline for the park’s renovations at a community meeting last Wednesday (May 30), along with detailed designs for new features like a playground, plaza and athletic courts. Click here to read more.
Ballston Quarter Unveils 12 New Restaurants, Including the Return of Chick-Fil-A
www.ArlNow.com
Ballston Quarter mall is unveiling 12 new restaurants with plans to open in the development, bringing the shopping center’s total to 22 confirmed eateries ahead of its scheduled re-opening this fall.
Forest City, the company that owns and manages the under-construction former Ballston Common Mall, announced the line-up of eateries today (Thursday). Some of the restaurants will be located in the development’s 25,000-square-foot “food hall,” while others will be spread throughout the mall or even located in the apartment building attached to the project. Click here to read more.
Arlington Officials Fear Metro Funding Deal Could Imperil Ballston, Crystal City Station Projects
www.ArlNow.com
Funding to help WMATA keep running and catch up on maintenance may end up jeopardizing major projects slated for two busy Arlington Metro stations.
A new deal brokered by state lawmakers will send about $154 million to Metro each year, providing funding for badly needed improvements to the system — but Arlington officials fear the structure of the agreement could imperil planned Metro entrance projects.
For years, the county has been hoping to add second entrances to the Ballston and Crystal City stations to make it easier for people in those neighborhoods to access the Metro. But Arlington planned to pay for those projects with the help of a regional group that doles out money for transportation improvements: the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, commonly known as the NVTA. Click here to read more.
Five Retailers Announce Plans to Open in Ballston Quarter
www.ArlNow.com
Ballston Quarter is naming five more shops ahead of its planned opening this fall, with both local and national retailers signing up for space in the new development.
Forest City, the company that owns and manages the former Ballston Common Mall, announced the site’s first round of retail tenants on April 26. Click here to read more.
The Children’s School Earns Green Light to Move to Ballston Office Building
www.ArlNow.com
A child care center for Arlington Public Schools employees now has the green light to temporarily move to a Ballston office building.
The Arlington County Board voted unanimously on April 24 to approve an updated permit for The Children’s School, clearing the way for the nonprofit to relocate to the second and third floors of a building located at 4420 N. Fairfax Drive.
The co-op program has long operated out of the Reed School building in Westover, but, with APS officials planning to open a new elementary school at that site in 2021, The Children’s School has been forced to go elsewhere. Click here to read more.
County Board to Consider Removing Black Box Theater from Va. Square Development
www.ArlNow.com
A black box theater is expected to be formally removed from the plans for a development in Virginia Square at this weekend’s Arlington County Board meeting.
The County Manager’s office has recommended that a new site plan amendment be approved that would remove the theater from the development’s required community amenities.
Mark Schwartz, the County Manager, moved to absolve the developer of the black box theater requirement last year. Though the theater was in line with the Virginia Square sector plan, its initial operational and financial costs, as well as ongoing operational costs that would rely on tax support, were deemed too high. Click here to read more.
Interview of Tina Leone, CEO of the Ballston Business Improvement District
Falls Church News-Press
Like many who venture to the kingdom of Ballston, I am impatient for the never-ending renovations to be over.
Tina Leone, CEO of the Ballston Business Improvement District, was happy to promise me that the rewards for us patrons of Arlington’s most central community will unfold in September—with staggered openings continuing through May 2019. Click here to read more.