Car Runs Off Road, Flips Over in Rosslyn
A driver was brought to the hospital after her Volvo ran off the road and flipped on its side in a small field across from the Marriott in Rosslyn.
The car was heading southbound on Fort Myer Drive, just past Key Bridge, when it hopped a curb, hit a tree and flipped over. Firefighters responded and used heavy equipment to extricate the woman from the driver’s seat.
The accident happened around 7:15 p.m., near the end of the evening rush hour. Key Bridge traffic heading into Arlington was snarled as emergency vehicles blocked all but one lane of Fort Myer Drive.
No word on what caused the car to veer off the road. The woman is expected to be okay.
Budget on the School Board Agenda Tonight
The Arlington County School Board will hold a vote tonight as part of the on-going FY 2012 budget process.
The board is expected to approve superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy’s proposed budget. The vote will allow the board to move forward with its own changes to the budget before final adoption next month.
A public school budget hearing is scheduled for Thursday, April 7. The school board will also be holding budget work sessions with the County Board.
Big Changes in the Works for Tiny Foxcroft Heights
The residential portion of Foxcroft Heights only encompasses three one-block streets, but some big changes may be coming to the tiny South Arlington community.
On Saturday afternoon, county staff and urban planning consultants will meet with residents to discuss some of those possible changes. The meeting is being billed as a “mini-charrette” — a hands-on brainstorming session, of sorts.
“Participants will work in small groups with members of the planning team to draw ideas for the future of the neighborhood,” says a flyer distributed to Foxcroft’s 400+ residents. “Ideas could include desired enhancements to transportation networks or open spaces, and potential for building revitalization or redevelopment.”
Foxcroft Heights is perhaps best known for being the home of the Air Force Memorial. Its residential community is surrounded by Columbia Pike to the south, the Henderson Hall to the North, the Sheraton National Hotel to the west and the Navy Annex to the east. Within its confines are 95 homes, two 16-unit apartment buildings and a small park. Along Columbia Pike are a couple of small businesses including Dama Diner, Ruth’s Beauty Shop and an auto repair store, as well as a Virginia Department of Transportation facility and a half-way home.
The neighborhood feels quaint and largely removed from the mega-development and gentrification elsewhere in the county. But inevitably, change is coming.
According to a 2009 planning document that has almost as many pages as Foxcroft Heights has buildings, homeowners have been approached by commercial developers about “various options for the neighborhood.”
Meanwhile investors have been quietly buying properties in hopes of a future payday, there’s talk of Columbia Pike being “realigned,” and streetcars will soon run through the neighborhood.
Another big change that’s underway is the closure of the Navy Annex. The building is set to be shuttered and torn down, perhaps by the end of next year. The military is planning on using most of the freed-up land to expand Arlington National Cemetery. About four acres will be given to the county for construction of a Freedman’s Village heritage museum.
Gabe Klein, Dr. Gridlock to Talk Transportation Tonight
Arlington Independent Media’s Voice Box current affairs program will take on transportation issues tonight with guests Gabe Klein, the former director of DDOT, and Robert Thompson, also known as “Dr. Gridlock,” the Washington Post’s traffic guru.
Klein and Thompson will discuss “transportation issues in and around the D.C. metro area” and will answer viewer questions. The program will air live on Comcast channel 69 and Verizon FiOS chanel 38, starting at 7:30 p.m.
The public is invited to attend the taping. AIM asks that audience members arrive by 7:15 p.m. at their studios at 2701-C Wilson Boulevard.
If you can’t catch it live, Voice Box will re-air Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10:00 p.m.
Pete’s New Haven Apizza Plans Sunday Opening
(Updated at 12:25 p.m.) The new Pete’s New Haven Apizza restaurant in Clarendon is planning to open its doors on Sunday.
Pete’s co-owner Tom Marr tells us the restaurant has gotten all the necessary county occupancy and state alcohol permits, and is on track to open Sunday at 11:00 a.m. It could open today, he said, but management is focusing on training staff.
Pete’s serves New Haven-style pizza, which is explained at length on the company’s web site. Their “specialty apizzas” include: “Boola Boola” with house-made meatballs, roasted peppers, caramelized onions and cherry peppers; “Merritt Parkway” with Prosciutto di Parma, Kalamata olives, caramelized onions, basil and extra virgin olive oil; “New Haven” with white clams, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Pecorino Romano and oregano; and “Nighthawk” with basil pesto, grilled chicken, wild mushrooms, caramelized onions and fresh mozzarella.
The price of an 18″ pie ranges from $18.95 to $25.95. In addition to offering pizza by the pie, Pete’s will offer a few varieties of pizza by the slice for $2.50 to $3.25.
Other menu items include appetizers, paninis, pasta dishes and homemade seasonal desserts. Twelve beers will be available on draft. Patrons will be able to choose between outdoor and indoor seating.
The restaurant, at 3017 Clarendon Boulevard, will be the first business to open on the ground floor of the recently-completed Clarendon Center north building. BGR: The Burger Joint is expected to open within the next two weeks.
More photos, after the jump.
USS Arlington Christening To Be Broadcast Live
The christening of the USS Arlington will be broadcast live on the county’s cable channel on Saturday.
The amphibious transport dock ship, named in honor of the heroes and victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon, will be christened at the Northrop Grumman shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss.
Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz, who was incident commander at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, will deliver the keynote address at the christening. Former County Manager Ron Carlee, current County Manager Barbara Donnellan and several Arlington County Police officers who were first responders on 9/11 will also be in attendance.
“No County taxpayer money will be used to pay travel expenses,” the county noted in a press release.
The proceedings will be broadcast live, starting Saturday at 10:00 a.m., on the county-run Arlington Virginia Network, which is available on Comcast channel 25 or Verizon FiOS channel 40. A webcast of the christening will also be available.
Ship sponsor Joyce Rumsfeld, wife of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, will christen the ship. See more information about the ship here.
Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman
Morning Notes
DCA Tower AWOL as Planes Land – Two airline pilots landing at Reagan National Airport were unable to make contact with the lone air traffic controller on duty in the tower early Wednesday. The FAA is now investigating what caused the tower to go silent for nearly half an hour. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has ordered a second air traffic controller to start working the overnight shift at DCA. [Washington Post]
School Board Opposed Strict Misconduct Guidelines – Should teachers be forbidden from sending text messages to students? What about becoming Facebook friends? Those are two questions the Arlington County School Board may have to answer if the Virginia School Board approves a set of sexual misconduct guidelines today. Last month School Board Chair Libby Garvey wrote the Virginia Dept. of Eduction to oppose a stricter, more prescriptive set of guidelines. [Arlington Connection]
Meade Street Bridge Redesign Options Discussed — Earlier this week Arlington County staff members sat down with residents to discuss options for improving safety on the Meade Street Bridge, which connects the area near the Iwo Jima memorial to Lynn Street and Rosslyn. Among the options being considered are narrowing vehicle lanes, widening the pedestrian sidewalk and adding decorative “luminous bodies” to the side of the bridge. [Ode Street Tribune]
Crime Report: Unlocked Vehicles Edition
Apparently there are quite a few people who leave their cars unlocked at night. Otherwise the next two crime report items would not be possible.
LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 03/18/11, 3500 block of N. 3rd Road and the 200 block of N. Irving Street. Between 9 pm on March 17 and 6:30 am on March 18, an unknown subject entered at least nine unlocked vehicles and rifled through each. There are no known suspects.
LARCENY FROM AUTO (SERIES) 03/18/11, 4400 blocks of N. 16th and N. 17th Streets. Between 6:30 pm on March 17, and 9 am on March 18, an unknown person entered at least four unlocked vehicles in the same area. There is no suspect description.
The rest of this week’s Arlington County crime report, after the jump.
