Mad Rose Tavern Adds Outdoor Seats, Preps for Grand Opening
Slowly but surely, business has been picking up at Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd).
The Clarendon restaurant got off to a rocky start, but thanks to a new chef, outdoor seating and some positive buzz, General Manager Dennis Holland says they’re “starting to get off the ground.”
Over the weekend, the Arlington County Board approved the restaurant’s request for sidewalk seating along Washington and Clarendon Boulevards. The new seats — about 60 of them in total — should arrive either tonight or tomorrow, Holland said. The seating will supplement Mad Rose’s existing outdoor lounge which, according to Holland, seats about 80 patrons.
With approval of a permanent sign at least three months away, Holland hopes that the sidewalk cafe will help provide some much-needed visibility. The additional seating will serve not only to cater to customers who enjoy dining outside, but to attract attention and “let people know this is a restaurant,” Holland said. Mad Rose is located on the ground floor of the Olmsted building which, between the late ’80s architecture and the armed guards (the building houses the Defense Intelligence Agency), makes its entrance look decidedly unwelcoming from a distance.
In addition to getting ready for the new outdoor seats, Holland says he’s been busy planning Mad Rose Tavern’s grand opening celebration, which is scheduled for Saturday. The event will feature a cruise giveaway, 30 percent off all food items and a discount on drinks.
Board Approves $4 Million for Affordable Housing Purchase
The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a $4 million loan that will help a local non-profit purchase a 134-unit affordable apartment complex.
The Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) plans to use the loan to help purchase the Marbella Apartments (1301 N. Queen Street) in the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights neighborhood. APAH is in the process of securing about $10 million from the Virginia Housing Development Authority to complete the $13 million purchase.
The Marbella Apartments include 120 existing committed affordable units, but the restrictions that keep the units affordable are set to expire in 2018. With its purchase, APAH will keep the units affordable for at least another 60 years, and will convert the complex’s 14 market rate units to committed affordable units.
The complex was built on 3.5 acres of land in 1947. It was renovated by its current owner, the Silverwood Companies, between 1998 and 1999. APAH will not undertake any further remodeling for a minimum of 10 years, but may choose to build additional apartments on the property down the road.
“Current zoning allows for 78 additional affordable units, creating a future land banking opportunity,” APAH said in an information sheet about its planned purchase.
See more information on Arlington County’s web site.
Arlington Invented the Internet
You won’t find this on Wikipedia, but the internet was invented in Arlington in the 1970s.
On Tuesday, the County Board will recognize several former employees of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) who were instrumental in creating ARPANET, the forerunner of the internet. As part of the ceremony, which is set to take place just after 3:00 p.m., the county will show off two new historical markers that will be erected at 1400 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn, DARPA’s former headquarters.
The marker will read:
The ARPANET, a project of the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense, developed the technology that became the foundation for the internet at this site from 1970 to 1975. Originally intended to support military needs, ARPANET technology was soon applied to civilian uses, allowing information to be rapidly and widely available. The internet, and services such as e-mail, e-commerce and the World Wide Web, continues to grow as the under-lying technologies evolve. The innovations inspired by the ARPANET have provided great benefits for society.
ERECTED IN 2011 BY ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA
Attending the meeting will be Steve Lukasik, former DARPA director, and several of his colleagues. The county will present each with a certificate, complete with the agency’s name spelled in binary code. As part of the ceremony, AVN, the county’s TV network, will air a short film on DARPA’s role in creating the internet.
DARPA is currently headquartered at 3701 N. Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square, but will be moving to a new office building — currently under construction — at 675 N. Randolph Street in Ballston, perhaps as early as the first quarter of 2012.
Morning Poll: ARLnow.com Forums
Two weeks ago we introduced our new discussion forums section — a message board where the conversation isn’t limited to the articles we publish.
Now that you’d had some time to check it out, we wanted to know if there’s any way we can make it better. Namely, we’re wondering if the forums would be more useful if we did away with the eight discussion groups — News, Reviews, Sightings/Overhead, etc. — and instead put all discussion topics right on the forums home page. That way, users could easily see what people are talking about now, rather than having to wade into each individual discussion group.
Please feel free to share other suggestions in the comments.
‘America’s Most Wanted’ Canceled
After 24 seasons on the air, America’s Most Wanted has been canceled, according to an Arlington resident who works on the D.C.-based Fox TV show.
Employees were notified about the decision on a conference call this morning. The show has been scaling back its production over the past year, which led to speculation that it was ultimately going to be cut from Fox’s schedule.
America’s Most Wanted has filmed crime reenactments all around the D.C. area, including in Arlington.
A “Save America’s Most Wanted” Facebook page has been set up to try to convince Fox to keep the show on the air.
VDOT’s Detours During Route 50 Interchange Project
Construction on the new Route 50 / Courthouse Road interchange is set to begin this month.
The project, which is expected to wrap up in 2013, will result in major improvements to what is now a rather confusing and even dangerous series of on and off-ramps. In the meantime, however, drivers will have to put up with some minor headaches as the project forces the closure of some busy routes and ramps, starting later this year.
Among the closures, according to VDOT:
- Westbound 50 ramp to N. Courthouse Road (Winter 2011 to Spring 2012)
- Fairfax Drive between N. Troy Street and N. Scott Street (Winter 2011 to Spring 2012)
- Ramp from southbound 10th Street to eastbound Rt. 50 (Spring 2012 to Winter 2012/Spring 2013)
- Ramp from eastbound Route 50 to Courthouse Road (Fall 2012 to Winter 2012/Spring 2013)
For each closure, there will be a signed detour. Some local residents have expressed concern that the detours would siphon highway traffic onto residential streets, but we’re told that transportation planners expect the impact on residential streets to be minimal.
See maps of each detour, after the jump.
Morning Notes
Westover Decision Delayed Until Tuesday — The County Board voted on Saturday to delay a decision on live entertainment for the Westover Market’s beer garden until Tuesday, giving county staff three days to come up with permit conditions that would be more acceptable to concerned neighbors. [Sun Gazette]
Arlington Police Seek Tips in 1997 Cold Case – ACPD’s cold case unit is asking for the public’s help in solving the case of 17-year-old Vu Huynh, who was murdered outside Hi-Cue Billiards on Columbia Pike in March 1997. [Washington Examiner]
Arlington to Issue Bonds — The County Board has approved the sale of up to $207 million in bonds, to fund projects like the Arlington Mill Community Center, Long Bridge Park, the new Yorktown and Wakefield high schools and the Water Pollution Control Plant. The bonds will go on sale next month, and will be available to individual investors. [Arlington County]
Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White
