Police say the suspect, 19-year-old Chauncey Myers of D.C., grabbed a victim’s iPhone on N. Glebe Road in the Buckingham neighborhood, then took off in the direction of Ballston. The alleged crime happened around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, and the 22 officers who were providing security at the Taste of Arlington festival in Ballston were notified that the suspect was heading their way.

Numerous officers fanned out from the festival, and the suspect was arrested at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Vermont Street, three blocks from the Ballston Metro station.

Myers was shirtless, out of breath and cursing at officers at the time of his apprehension, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. He was charged with robbery and “failure to ID.”

The officers working at Taste of Arlington were paid by festival organizers, Sternbeck said.

File photo

(Updated at 5:10 p.m.) Thousands flocked to Ballston Sunday afternoon for the 26th annual Taste of Arlington festival.

Lines to sample food at the more than 40 restaurant booths seemed generally shorter than in years past, perhaps helped by an effort to expand the footprint of the event in order to reduce congestion. Though cloudy weather and the closure of the Ballston Metro station might have played a role in keeping people away, Ballston Business Improvement District CEO Tina Leone tells ARLnow.com that about 20,000 people attended — which would be a record.

The most tightly-packed crowds could be found in the beer and wine garden, where the over-21 set sampled various brews, ciders and wines. Leone says the beer and wine area will likely be expanded next year as a result.

Other event attractions included live bands, virtual statues and activity areas for dogs and children.

Three awards were handed out to participating restaurants. Rustico (4075 Wilson Blvd) won for best appetizer, Willow (4301 Fairfax Drive) won for best entree, and Mac’s Donuts, a food cart, won for best dessert.

Disclosure: Taste of Arlington organizer Ballston BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

The 1960s-era “Blue Goose” building in Ballston has been named one of the most “endangered historic places” in Arlington.

The nonprofit group Preservation Arlington (the new name of the Arlington Heritage Alliance) released the Most Endangered Historic Places list this morning. Included on the list is the Blue Goose building at 1000 N. Glebe Road, which is currently home to Marymount University’s Ballston campus but is set to be torn down to make way for a new office building and apartment building.

Also on the “endangered” list are Arlington’s National Register of Historic Places neighborhoods, like Lyon Village, Cherrydale, Ashton Heights and Penrose. “The social and architectural fabric of these older neighborhoods is being threatened by over-sized and incompatible in-fill development,” Preservation Arlington says.

Other endangered places in Arlington include the Arlington House woods and Seneca Quarry boundary wall at Arlington National Cemetery, which are also on the Preservation Virginia endangered places list; remaining pieces of track from the Washington & Old Dominion Railway; low-rise commercial buildings from the 1930s-1950s; the Wilson School; and garden apartments on Columbia Pike and in Rosslyn.

Preservation Arlington, which says it is “dedicated to protecting and improving the quality of Arlington’s distinct architectural heritage,” will work to preserve historic places like those on the list through “education and advocacy.”

“Preservation Arlington hopes to influence the future of Arlington’s historic buildings, landscapes and communities,” the group says. It will also organize tours, events and lectures .

See the full Most Endangered Historic Places list, after the jump.

Photos courtesy Preservation Arlington

1. National Register Neighborhoods. The proximity of Arlington’s historic neighborhoods to urban amenities has caused property values to skyrocket and consumers seeking larger homes for their purchasing dollar. The social and architectural fabric of these older neighborhoods is being threatened by over-sized and incompatible in-fill development and this could jeopardize the highly coveted National Register Designation of older residential neighborhoods such as Lyon Village, Cherrydale, Ashton Heights and Penrose. Recent statistics attest to the alarming rate of loss: In 2012 there were 168 demolition permits issued for structures in Arlington; 122 of them were for single family homes — a house every three days.

Preservation Arlington challenges homeowners in Arlington’s National Register Neighborhoods to consider saving their neighborhoods by becoming a Local Historic District with specialized design, mass and height guidelines such that new development and major additions to structures would come under review. Communities could establish their own set of guidelines, providing an opportunity to ensure new development fits into the character of the community but still allows reinvestment to occur.

2. The Arlington House Woods, which is threatened by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Millennium Project to expand the number of burial sites at Arlington National Cemetery in an area immediately adjacent to the Arlington House. One of Arlington’s oldest forests and one of a dwindling number of such forests remaining in the national capital region, the site is visible from the Fort Myer National Historic Landmark Historic District, the National Register of Historic Places-listed Arlington House, and the National Register of Historic Places-eligible Arlington National Cemetery historic district. The removal of trees here could account for up to a 12% loss of Arlington’s tree canopy.

3. The Millennium Project also threatens 1,357 feet of the 1879 Seneca Quarry Red Sandstone Cemetery Boundary Wall which once encircled the entire Cemetery.

4. One of the only remaining pieces of track of the Washington & Old Dominion Railway is an elevated siding on the western edge of the County located partially on private property and partially on land owned by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. A redevelopment plan has been submitted for the private property and it is hoped that restoration of the siding and creation of an interpretive center can be included in that agreement.

5. Low-rise commercial architecture of the 1930s-1950s. Designs catered to pedestrians and retail space at the street level and offices above. Highly stylized signage often marked these businesses, as well as decorative cladding and expansive glazing to differentiate these structures. These buildings, with great character and sense of place, once filled the bustling retail corridors of Arlington, are now being torn down with only a handful being integrated into the new development sites.

6. Wilson School (1910 plus additions) and Wilson School playgrounds. The Fort Meyer Heights School (aka the Woodrow Wilson School), is an early Arlington school originally built in 1910. Designed by prominent Richmond architect Charles Morrison Robinson, it survives as the oldest extant school building in Arlington County that is still owned and maintained by Arlington Public Schools and is the last remaining example of early 20th-century institutional architecture in the Rosslyn and Fort Meyer Heights neighborhood. While it has been substantially altered it can be returned to its former glory as an important civic building.

7. The “Blue Goose,” now Marymount University Ballston Campus. Designed by John M. Walton, a leading architect of the time, this building represents an excellent example of mid-century architecture that is quickly disappearing. It is one of those buildings which engender strong feelings but it also represents a period of time in architectural design that is just beginning to be fully appreciated.

8. Garden Apartments: Fillmore Gardens and other affordable housing on Columbia Pike; plus Queens Court and Key Boulevard Apartments in Rosslyn. Since 2003 when Arlington’s outstanding collection of historic garden apartment complexes was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, the county has lost a significant number of these distinctive housing complexes. Historically and today, these apartments have provided affordable, quality homes for Arlingtonians. A number of smaller complexes are also imminently threatened with redevelopment.

Highest Percentage of Commuters in U.S. — At 76.6 percent of its total workforce, Arlington County has the highest percentage of commuters in the nation. Arlington is even ahead of D.C. (71 percent) and New York City (69.5 percent). Nearly 150,000 people commute into Arlington on a typical weekday, and most don’t pay any county taxes. [Governing]

Taste of Arlington Road Closures — A number of roads in Ballston, including a stretch of Wilson Blvd, will be closed for most of the day on Sunday for the annual Taste of Arlington festival. As a reminder, the Ballston and Virginia Square Metro stations will be closed throughout the weekend and additional shuttle buses will be provided for festival-goers at the East Falls Church and Clarendon Metro stations. [Arlington County]

Rosslyn Outdoor Movies Start Tonight — The annual Rosslyn outdoor summer film festival starts tonight. The theme of this year’s festival is “Summer School” — films that use high school as a backdrop. Tonight’s flick is the 1985 classic The Breakfast Club. This and every other Friday showing through Aug. 30 starts at dusk at Gateway Park. [Rosslyn BID]

Tight Inventory in Home Market — Arlington’s residential housing market is still afflicted by a dearth of inventory. There are more buyers in the market than there are homes to buy. [Sun Gazette]

Photo via @BallstonBID. Disclosure: Ballston BID and Rosslyn BID are ARLnow.com advertisers.

Which Wich, a new sandwich shop at 4300 Wilson Blvd in Ballston, is planning to open its doors on Tuesday.

The store is the chain’s first in the D.C. area, and the third fourth in Virginia. Which Wich touts its selection, with over 50 sandwich varieties and more than 60 toppings — offering some 56 trillion possible combinations. There’s also a Coke Freestyle machine at the store, with more than 100 drink and flavor combinations.

“The eatery offers a wide variety of options, from flavorful BLTs to offbeat offerings like the honey-banana-peanut butter-bacon-laden Elvis Wich,” said a press release. “Those seeking a healthy spin can choose from over 30 Wiches and Bowlwiches that contain fewer than 400 calories and 6 grams of fat.”

The store officially opens on Tuesday, May 21, according to the press release. It held a “special VIP Preview Party” on Wednesday night.

Which Wich will be open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Photos courtesy Joy Asico/Which Wich (as noted)

The alleged incident happened early Saturday morning in Ballston.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 05/11/13, 800 block of N. Quincy Street. On May 11 at 4:20 am, an argument between sisters escalated causing one to strike the other in the back of the head with a coffee mug. The victim was transported to Virginia Hospital Center to receive surgical staples. The suspect fled the scene prior to police arrival, but a warrant was obtained for Jennie Lee, 26, of Arlington, VA.

Also in the Ballston area over the weekend, a cab driver’s jaw was broken after he was assaulted by two young men.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 05/12/13, 4300 block of N. Carlin Springs Road. At 2:58 am on May 12, a cab driver was assaulted by two subjects after paying for the fare with a credit card. The victim sustained a broken jaw and was transported to Virginia Hospital Center. The suspects fled the scene on foot and were described as white males between 25-30 years of age.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 05/10/13, 4200 block of N. 2^nd Road. At 6:59 am on May 10, a verbal argument escalated out front of an apartment building and the victim was assaulted by three subjects. The victim was stabbed in the left side of the torso during the assault. Dwayne Thornton, 37, of Arlington, VA, Preston Clayton, 43, of Arlington, VA and Rahniq Aguilar, 25, of Hyattsville, MD, were arrested and charged with malicious wounding. They were held without bond.

SEXUAL BATTERY, 05/12/13, 1000 block of N. Taylor Street. At 2:49 am on May 12, a female victim approaching her apartment building was grabbed on her buttocks and breasts by a male subject. The suspect was located by police a few blocks away. Alexander Lopez, 22, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with sexual battery. He was held on a $1,250 bond.

BURGLARY, 05/08/13, 2000 block of S. Quincy Street. Between May 4 at 5 pm and May 8 at 1:15 pm, an unknown subject(s) entered a residence and stole items to include a Persian rug, electronics and clothing. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 05/08/13, 4000 block of S. 7^th Street. Between 6:15 am and 5:45 pm on May 8, an unknown subject(s) entered a residence and stole jewelry and an iPhone. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 05/09/13, 5000 block of N. Lee Highway. Between 5:05 pm on May 8 and 5:30 am on May 9, an unknown subject(s) forced entry into a restaurant and stole money from a safe. There is no suspect(s) description.

BURGLARY, 05/09/13, 2500 block of N. Pollard Street. Between 11:20 am and 2:40 pm on May 9, an unknown subject(s) forced entry into a residence and stole items to include jewelry and cash. There is no suspect(s) description.

STOLEN VEHICLES

05/09/13, VA 731433, 2009 Ducati Monster 696, White
700 block of N. Vermont Street

05/11/13, VA WWF 8528, 1992 Toyota Corolla, Brown 
200 block of S. Kensington Street

05/12/13, VA XJG 3866, 2010 Toyota Corolla, Silver
1200 block of N. Quincy Street

05/12/13, VA 389624, 2001 Suzuki GSXR 750, Black
2700 block of S. Glebe Road

05/13/13, VA ROWBRO, 2003 Jeep Liberty, Black
1400 block of N. Taft Street

Red Parrot Asian Bistro will be celebrating its grand opening next week.

The restaurant, at 1110 N. Glebe Road in Ballston, quietly opened for business on March 1. But next Wednesday (May 22) the restaurant will hold its official grand opening event, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The event will feature free food tastings and happy hour specials, said owner and chef Wendy Cheung. There will also be a DJ, ribbon dancers from Dance Asia, and a ribbon cutting ceremony, we’re told.

Red Parrot, which has two existing location in Hanover and Baltimore, Md., serves Thai, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine for dine-in, carry-out and delivery.

The closures begin at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, and run through closing on Sunday, May 19. Trains are expected to operate at normal weekend intervals even though service will be split into two segments — between Vienna and East Falls Church and between Clarendon and New Carrollton.

Free shuttle buses will replace trains between East Falls Church and Clarendon. Customers using shuttle bus service should add up to 25 minutes to their travel time.

The last trains of the night from Vienna to East Falls Church will depart 28 minutes earlier than normal — at 1:57 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and at 10:57 p.m. on Sunday.

The Orange Line closures are to allow for track circuit module replacement. There will also be work on the Red and Green lines this weekend. Information regarding those closures can be found on WMATA’s website.

The Ballston Business Improvement District expressed concern about the timing of the Ballston Metro station closure, considering the Taste of Arlington festival is expected to bring around 20,000 people to that area on Sunday.

Members of the BID have worked out a deal with WMATA. The station closures will remain in effect and passengers will still need to take shuttles between East Falls Church and Clarendon. However, starting around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, additional shuttles will be put into service to accommodate the heavier flow of passengers expected to travel to Taste of Arlington, which begins at noon.

“They will add a whole crew of buses to the schedule for Sunday so they can ensure that nobody is waiting too long and can get to their destination in a timely fashion,” said Ballston BID CEO Tina Leone. “We’re not the first group this has happened to. They’ve assured us they will monitor the buses in making sure they’re arriving and leaving at a rapid rate. We’re just thrilled they were so responsive and so accommodating.”

Leone added that the bus trip is only about 10 minutes, so hopefully festival attendees won’t experience too many delays. Those who prefer to drive to the event should note that the cost is only one dollar for three hours to park at the Ballston garage.

Disclosure: Ballston BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser

(Updated at 11:25 a.m.) Police are investigating a bank robbery at the BB&T Bank branch at Fairfax Drive and N. Taylor Street, about a block from the Ballston Metro station.

The robbery happened around 9:20 a.m. A 5’7″ black male suspect wearing a green trench coat and a Boston Red Sox hat entered the bank and passed a note to a teller demanding money, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The suspect did not imply nor display a weapon during the robbery, and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, Sternbeck said. Five employees and two customers were inside the bank at the time.

Police set up a perimeter but could not locate the suspect. He remains at large. Police are seeking the public’s help in locating the suspect.

“Anyone with information on the identity or whereabouts of this individual is asked to contact Detective Rosa Ortiz with the Arlington County Police Department at 703.228.7402 or investigations@arlingtonva.us,” police said in a press release. “To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).”

Surveillance photos courtesy ACPD

The new Residence Inn by Marriott hotel in Ballston (650 N. Quincy Street) is welcoming its first guests this afternoon.

The hotel, which is part of the Founder’s Square development, has 183 hotel suites, 1,880 square feet of retail space, 110 underground parking spaces, an indoor pool, fitness center and a landscaped terrace. It was built to LEED Gold sustainability standards with features like a green roof and reduced water use and energy consumption.

The groundbreaking for the $36 million, 11-story hotel took place in October 2011. Its construction was completed ahead of schedule, according to a press release from The Donohoe Companies, which built and is now managing the hotel.

Residence Inn is Ballston’s first extended-stay hotel, according to the company. An official “grand opening” ceremony is planned for June.