Rainy Day for Snow Business on the Pike
After more than 40 years in business, Ski Chalet is packing up and heading west.
The Columbia Pike landmark will serve its last customers on Sunday. The store is moving to a new, larger location next to the Home Depot in Seven Corners.
General Manager Ryan Sasse said the store has been doing well financially and is moving into a bigger space so it can start marketing patio furniture next to snowboards and ski jackets during the summer. Despite continued redevelopment on the Pike, Sasse says rising rent hasn’t been a concern.
Ski Chalet has been located in an Alpine-style building at 2704 Columbia Pike since 1969. It will reopen in Seven Corners at some point this fall.
Sasse says he is not sure what will eventually take the store’s place on the Pike.
Towing Fee Increase in the Works
On Saturday, the county board is scheduled to consider whether to advertise a hearing regarding changes to Arlington’s towing ordinance.
The proposed changes would increase the amount towing companies can charge and would require more detailed signs at businesses where towing is enforced.
County staffers are recommending the board increase the base towing fee from $115 to $125, the maximum rate allowed by Virginia law. The rate would apply to vehicles under 7,500 lbs., according to Brian Stout, who handles towing issues for the county. Stout says the increase is consistent with the rates charged by neighboring communities.
Another proposed change would apply to large trucks over 10,000 lbs. The fee for those vehicles would be raised from $250 to $500. The rate for vehicles between 7,500 and 10,000 lbs. would hold steady at $250.
Local towing companies have been lobbying for fee increases for months.
Lastly, the proposed ordinance change would require towing companies to mark towing advisory signs at businesses with the name and address of the business. The change is designed to make it easier for drivers to know where not to park in lots that serve more than one businesses.
If the board advertises the hearing this weekend, Stout said the changes would likely be considered for final approval at the April 16 board meeting.
Arrest Made in Ballston Hit-and-Run
A Fairfax man has been arrested and charged in a hit-and-run accident that seriously injured a 22-year-old woman in Ballston.
The accident happened just after midnight on Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. Police said the woman was trying to cross Fairfax Drive near the Ballston Metro station when she was struck by a dark-colored vehicle that then sped away. The woman was taken to the local hospital in serious condition.
Police say they used debris left at the scene to charge 24-year-old John Christopher Reynolds of Fairfax with Felony Hit and Run.
Reynolds’ Facebook page says he studied psychology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University and has been working as a “leadership consultant” for the Kappa Delta Rho national fraternity.
He is currently being held at the Arlington County Detention Center.
Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department
Yet Another Accident On SB I-395 at Washington Blvd
Rainy conditions have claimed yet another car on southbound I-395 near Washington Boulevard.
An SUV apparently spun out of control and hit a guardrail on the right side of the highway. The accident happened just 15-30 minutes after a rollover accident involving a Mercedes was cleared in the same area.
Virginia State Police are on the scene. So far, no injuries have been reported.
We hear that there were two or three other accidents in the same spot earlier this morning. Word to the wise: be careful if you’re driving on southbound I-395 today!
New Fitness Club Coming to Crystal City
An 18,000 square foot fitness club may be coming to the southern end of Crystal City.
Fitness First, which operates a club in the Verizon building in Courthouse, is asking the county board to approve the conversion of unoccupied office and retail space for health club use at 2450 Crystal Drive.
The building, which houses DeVry University and recently became the home of a new Pizza Autentica restaurant, sits between 23rd Street and the ramp from Reagan National Airport. If its site plan amendment is approved, Fitness First would occupy the last available ground floor retail space in the building.
County staff is recommending the board approve the conversion as well as a greatly reduced parking ratio that would only require about 40 reserved garage parking spots. The spots would be monitored to see if additional parking becomes necessary.
The Fitness First location in Courthouse charges a $19.95 monthly fee. The company has 17 locations in the D.C. area.
No word on when the Crystal City location might open should the board approve its site plan request this weekend.
TRAFFIC ALERT — Car Flips on Its Roof on SB I-395
Update at 11:30 a.m. — The accident has been cleared and all lanes are now open.
A black Mercedes has flipped on its roof on southbound I-395 just past the Washington Boulevard exit.
Police and firefighters are on the scene reporting that the driver was able to walk away from the accident.
The wreck is in the left lane, with two right lanes getting by the accident scene. Minor delays are forming at Washington Boulevard.
Truck Accident Blocks Glebe Road in Ballston
Update at 10:40 a.m. — The accident has been moved out of the middle of the intersection. One righthand lane of Glebe Road remains blocked.
An accident between two large trucks is partially blocking the busy intersection of Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive.
One of the trucks involved is a large car carrier. One minor injury has been reported.
Police and paramedics are on the scene. Expect traffic issues in the area.
Metro Work to Cut Off Service Between East, West Falls Church
On-going work on the Dulles Metrorail project will cut off service between East Falls Church and West Falls Church over the next two weekends.
The change will affect anybody who normally travels to Dulles Airport via the Washington Flyer bus from the West Falls Church station. A free shuttle bus will be provided between East and West Falls Church, but officials advise Metro customers to add 30 minutes to their travel time.
From Arlington County:
There will be no train service between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations during the weekends of March 11 to 13 and March 18 to 20 to allow the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to continue major construction activities that will eventually connect the new rail line to the existing Metrorail system.
From 10 p.m., Friday, March 11 to closing (midnight) on Sunday, March 13, and again the following weekend from 10 p.m., Friday, March 18 to closing (midnight) on Sunday, March 20, the Orange Line will be split in two sections, the first running from Vienna/Fairfax-GMU to West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations, and the second between the New Carrollton and East Falls Church Metrorail stations. The East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations will remain open.
To help riders get through the work zone, Metro will operate free shuttle buses between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations. Customers should add an extra 30 minutes into their travel plans if they need to pass through the work zone. To alert customers about this work, Metro will send e-Alerts, post signs in key stations, place notices on station kiosks, advertise in local papers and make train and system announcements. Additional information will be available on Metro’s web site at www.MetroOpensDoors.com. Extra Metro employees will be available at the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations to help customers navigate around the weekend closures using the free shuttle bus service. During these two weekends, the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project contractors will test critical infrastructure support systems which are necessary to connect the new rail line to the Orange Line.
Metro personnel will also be working between the East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metrorail stations installing new rail, new ties and new insulators to make it a smoother ride for Orange Line customers
Redistricting Could Shake Up 30th District State Senate Race
The 30th District state Senate race now has a clear set of Democratic candidates. Those contenders, however, still don’t know exactly what they’re contending for, since the upcoming state redistricting process could change the district’s boundaries.
We’ve heard rumors that the redistricting plan currently under consideration by Senate Democrats would push the 30th District further into Fairfax, Alexandria or both. Already, the 30th encompasses most of Alexandria, part of Fairfax and part of South Arlington.
A redistricting plan that subtracts from the already small Arlington portion of the district could be bad news for Arlington School Board Chair Libby Garvey, who just captured the endorsement of retiring 30th District state Sen. Patsy Ticer.
“I’ve worked with Libby for years,” Ticer said in a statement earlier this week. “She is a fast study and is committed to the issues important to me.”
The kind words from the well-liked Ticer is a big boost for Garvey, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s an Arlingtonian running in a minority Arlington district.
The rumored redistricting plan could help Rob Krupicka, an Alexandria City Councilman who has been positioning himself as the clear Alexandria candidate. Krupicka picked up the endorsement of Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille last week and the endorsement of former Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson this week.
Morning Notes
New Bar Coming to Columbia Pike — William Jeffrey’s Tavern will be a 6,500 square foot bar and restaurant on the ground floor of the Siena Park apartment complex, across the street from Bob & Edith’s Diner. The tavern, owned by the team behind Ragtime and Rhodeside Grill, is expected to open this fall. [Pike Wire]
Arlington Funds Slugging Web Site — Each year, Arlington allots $10,000 out of its $8 million commuter services budget to fund Slug-Lines.com, a privately-run internet resource for the area’s unique, grassroots carpooling system. [Miller-McCune Magazine]
Recalling Java Shack’s Nazi Past — Of course, nobody at Clarendon’s Java Shack has any Nazi affiliation. But the cafe’s building does. TBD recalls the days when the building was the headquarters of the American Nazi Party. Another reminder of the building’s infamous past: the occasional appearance of nostalgic Nazi fliers. [TBD]
New Wakefield High Will Have Lots of Bike Parking — The new $115 million Wakefield High School will include 304 bike parking spaces, up from the old school’s 45 spaces. The Sun Gazette’s Scott McCaffrey wonders if that’s a bit optimistic of school planners. [Sun Gazette Editor's Blog]
Falls Church (Hearts) Arlington — In an editorial, the Falls Church News-Press addresses redistricting rumors that the 31st State Senate District — which now encompasses Arlington County, Falls Church and a slice of eastern Fairfax County — will be shifted north into McLean and Great Falls, leaving tiny Falls Church to be folded into the Fairfax-centric 32nd State Senate District. That’s frowned upon by the FCNP. “Falls Church is the spiritual sister of Arlington, far more than Fairfax County,” the editorial says. [Falls Church News-Press]
