We’re hearing about several new businesses that may be coming to Arlington.
- A new sidewalk cafe is in the works for Clarendon. A company called Boxed In, LLC is petitioning the county for a special exception use permit for an outdoor cafe at 3171 Wilson Blvd, a currently vacant storefront between Eventide Restaurant and Clarendon Ballroom. The county board will consider the proposal during its meeting on March 13.
- Clearwire Wireless Broadband is coming to Arlington and the greater Washington area. The 4G WiMAX mobile broadband service provider is requesting permission to build “telecommunication facilities,” presumably base transceiver stations, on several Arlington apartment buildings. The county board will consider use permits for facilities at the following addresses: 4241 Columbia Pike, 1200 S Arlington Ridge Rd, 333 South Glebe Rd, 5100 8th Rd S. Clearwire’s investor relations web site says the company expects to roll out service in the DC area by the end of this year.
- Patch, the community news arm of internet giant AOL, is coming to DC. The company is currently recruiting editors for DC area sites, according to a source. No word on which local communities would get their own Patch, but Arlington, with its 210,000 residents, high per capita income and wealth of distinctive neighborhoods, seems like a ripe target. Silicon Valley Insider reported this week that AOL is planning to expand Patch from the current 30 local sites to “hundreds” of sites by the end of 2010. Some analysts say Patch’s expansion has the potential of hurting independent hyperlocal news operations (like this web site).
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- AOL Hiring For Dozens of Local News Sites May 10, 2010
Wat do you think of Patch? Is this a good thing or just another frustrating new media experience?
Bob:
It’s hit or miss. Some Patches do a solid job of covering the community and maintaining an active user/contributor base. Other Patches have very shallow coverage and seem like they’re missing — for lack of a better word — a “soul.” Overall, I’m not impressed with corporate efforts to standardize the presentation of local news. I think communities of a certain size deserve their own unique, homegrown news source.
[...] As you can see, all of these properties sold within the first 30 days, and most sold within a week. There is currently a lot of development going in Clarendon, along with new stores and restaurants opening daily. [...]