Crime Report: Assault and Coffee Edition
A woman was arrested at the Pentagon City mall on Saturday for allegedly throwing a drink at a coffee kiosk employee, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 08/20/11, 1100 S. Hayes Street. On August 20 at 6 pm, a woman threw a drink at an employee of a coffee kiosk. Jennel Solomon, 27, of Washington D.C., was charged with Assault and Battery. She was released on a summons.
The accused drink thrower was charged with assault and battery. On Friday, a woman was arrested and charged with assault and battery, police say, for forcefully grabbing a co-worker by the arm in Rosslyn.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST, 08/19/11, 1600 block of Wilson Boulevard. On August 18 at 6 pm, two women argued at their place of work, and one grabbed the other by the arm forcefully. Ashley Cauthen, 25, of Washington D.C., was charged with Assault and Battery. She was held on a $1,500 bond.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Traffic Lights Coming to Clarendon Intersection
Traffic lights are coming to the intersection of Washington Boulevard and N. Garfield Street in Clarendon.
The lights and illuminated crosswalk signs have been installed at the intersection, but have black plastic covering them as the county prepares to turn the signals on. Several pedestrian safety improvements were recently made at the intersection, but it’s still difficult for drivers on Garfield Street to see oncoming traffic on Washington Boulevard.
County Releases Draft of New Sign Regulations
(Updated at 3:15 p.m.) Arlington County has released a preliminary draft of its new sign regulations.
After holding sign workshops and promising more business-friendly regulations, the county has come up with a long list of changes to the existing ordinance. The changes are designed to “make the [sign] ordinance earlier to understand and use, and easier to administer and enforce,” while incorporating “best practices in sign regulation.”
Among the proposed changes, the county would allow sandwich board — or A-frame — signs on sidewalks, in direct contrast to the current ban on such signs, which are popular with shop owners in other urban areas. Sandwich board signs would be permitted so long as it doesn’t reduce the clear sidewalk width below six feet. Staff notes that “consideration is also being given to alternatives in areas where a six-foot clear width is not possible.”
Restaurants might be more willing to use branded umbrellas on their outdoor patios under the proposed regulations. Wording on umbrellas would not count toward a business’ overall sign allowance if the draft regulations are adopted.
Additionally, certain signs would be permitted in the so-called public right-of-way. Signs from non-profit groups — like the Boy and Girl Scouts or various civic groups — would be allowed. Currently, only political signs and real estate signs are allowed on public property (like roadway medians) and only under certain conditions. Staff is still considering whether to allow commercial signs.
Another big change is the proposal that new sign permits be considered by county staff without County Board approval. Currently, many businesses have to go through an expensive “comprehensive sign plan” process and a County Board vote to get certain signs approved. Under the new proposal, that process would be offloaded to county staff, who would have the power to approve such signs on an administrative level, under clearly defined standards.
County staff is also considering whether to recommend a change in the definition of what makes something a sign. That could potentially be significant for businesses like Wag More Dogs, which has been engaged in a legal battle with the county over whether its wall mural constitutes a sign.
The county’s Zoning Committee will be holding a public forum on Tuesday, Sept. 13 to discuss the sign recommendations. The meeting will be held at the Washington-Lee High School cafeteria from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Groundbreaking for Arlington Mill Community Center
(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) A groundbreaking was held this morning for the new Arlington Mill Community Center.
County Board members Walter Tejada and Chris Zimmerman, County Manager Barbara Donnellan and Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Executive Director Takis Karantonis were among the officials in attendance, along with construction company representatives and county employees.
Construction on the new, five-story community center is expected to start shortly and wrap up in the summer of 2013. The center will include a full-size gym and fitness center, a senior center, teen center and game room, visual arts studio, a job resource center, a community learning center, several multi-purpose rooms for community events, retail space and a public plaza at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street. The cost of the bond-financed project is estimated at up to $25 million.
“In these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever that we invest and plan for the future of our community and provide opportunities and services for those who need it most,” Donnellan said. “The new center will benefit all who live here by serving as an anchor for the community. It will not only provide essential services for our residents, but it will also draw future development and amenities to the area.”
Separately, a 122-unit affordable housing complex is being built adjacent to the community center. Work on that project is expected to stretch through the end of 2013.
Photos courtesy Arlington County
Condo’s Elevator Shaft Damaged by Quake
Drive around Arlington and you’ll be hard-pressed to find much “earthquake damage.” But perhaps the most significant damage in Arlington from yesterday’s quake happened inside a building.
The quake reportedly damaged the elevator shaft at the Columbia Knoll condominium building at 5111 8th Road S. in Columbia Heights West. The building’s two main elevators were cordoned off last night and the county Fire Marshal was on the scene to assess the damage.
Other than the damaged elevator shaft, however, no other major structural damage has been reported in Arlington.
Road Work in Progress on Arlington Ridge
The slip lane from Arlington Ridge Road to Meade Street — the primary focus of a neighborhood fight over a pedestrian safety improvement project — is no more.
The lane has now been demolished by construction contractors, who are in the process of building a wider sidewalk, additional green space and circular driveways for two houses. Daytime traffic on Arlington Ridge Road has been reduced to one lane near the construction zone, with flaggers directing cars on either side. The sidewalk along the east side of Arlington Ridge Road near the construction has been closed.
In addition to the work in progress — eliminating the Meade Street slip lane and making the intersection a purely 90 degree turn — the $200,000 county project has already turned the bus pull-off lane south of 23rd Street into an expanded sidewalk and has squared up the intersection of Arlington Ridge and Oakcrest Road by extending the permanent curbing to where a temporary curb had been installed.
Save Our Streets, a group that formed to oppose the construction, says the money could have been better spent.
“We all watch with a sense of disbelief. Why would the County waste this much money for fixing a non-issue with Meade Street intersection which has no reported accidents?” the group said on its blog. “We need this money for our schools, our poor, our libraries, our roads… not on projects that go way beyond what people want.”
Morning Notes
Post-Earthquake Safety Tips — Arlington County is advising residents to call a structural engineer if they find cracks in their brick facades or chimneys following yesterday’s earthquake. [Arlington County]
Favola/Areizaga-Soto Primary By the Numbers — Just over 10,000 people voted in yesterday’s 31st District state Senate primary between Barbara Favola and Jaime Areizaga-Soto, out of 133,577 active registered voters in the district. More than $538,500 had been spent on the race as of Aug. 10. In other words, candidates ended up spending more than $53 for every resident who bothered to cast a vote in the race.
Arlington Confusion — In case you were wondering, there are 21 different localities in the United States called ‘Arlington,’ in states like Texas, Massachusetts, South Dakota, Vermont and New York. [Falls Church News-Press]
Hotel Hosts ‘Top Dog’ Contest — The new Residence Inn Arlington Capital View in Crystal City is holding a contest to find a “doggie mascot” for the hotel. The winner of the contest will be selected at an event on Oct. 6 by a panel of judges including “Arlington County K-9 division, veterinarians, doggie trainers and… Fox 5 Anchor Steve Chenevey.” Entrants need to include a photo of their pooch, his or her name, age, breed and best trick, and a $25 donation to the Washington Humane Society. [Marketwire, Residence Inn]
Flickr pool photo by Divaknevil
