July 21, 2011 | ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 3:57PM | Updated July 21, 2011 at 6:20PM

The “PenPlace” site, as it’s called, is a 12-acre parcel owned by Vornado/Charles E. Smith. Its only inhabitants over the past decade have been a Marriott Residence Inn, Nell’s Carryout and the occasional traveling circus. Once considered as a possible location for the new Nationals stadium or an “Arlington County Conference Center,” the site has laid fallow for years.

Last month the LRPC considered a number of possible uses for the site (all of which preserve the existing Marriott hotel and add new streets to break up the large “superblock”):

Around Town

New Restaurant Coming to Former American Flatbread Space

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 1:52PM

Located at 1025 N. Fillmore Street, the restaurant is off the main Clarendon drag and will be limited in terms of outdoor seating, but chef/owner M. Scot Harlan says he’s confident he’ll be able to draw in customers with quality food.

Describing the planned cuisine as “sustainable American comfort food with high-quality ingredients and reasonable prices,” Harlan says he’s investing in the food, not the marketing.

News

Accident on GW Parkway Narrowly Misses Cyclist

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 11:47AM | Updated July 12, 2017 at 1:55PM

Two injuries were reported after a pickup truck rear-ended at least one of two cars that had stopped at the crossing. According to a video posted on Facebook by a witness, the female cyclist hesitated before crossing in front of the two cars. That act of vigilance may have saved her life.

“This right here is the worst bike crossing in the entire city,” said a man narrating the video from behind the camera. “The speed limit here is 45 miles per hour, and you have to come to a complete stop for the bike crossing. There should probably be a tunnel here, or something like that, instead.”

Schools

Top School Official Retiring

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 10:44AM

During his seven years in the position, Johnston has overseen an increase in test scores and a decrease in the achievement gap between white and minority students. He also worked to create the school system’s career advancement program for teachers, which rewarded high-quality teaching.

Johnston will officially retire on Sept. 1. No successor has been chosen, and a national search process is being planned.

Around Town

Good Stuff Eatery Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 9:42AM

Washingtonian Magazine’s Best Bites Blog reports that Mendelsohn’s Good Stuff Eatery is expanding to Crystal City. The burger joint will be located in the middle of the Crystal Drive restaurant row and will include a special “milkshake station” where “customers can watch the custard-spinning process up close.”

The restaurant is aiming for a January opening.

News

Crime Report: Bus Driver Assaults Women

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 9:00AM | Updated January 9, 2018 at 2:58PM

Last Wednesday, according to the latest Arlington County crime report, a bus driver assaulted two women after one of the women tossed a drink at him.

ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST, 07/13/10, 800 block of N. Randolph Street. On July 13 at 1:15 pm, a bus driver assaulted two women after one of the women threw a soda at him. Joseph Milliner, 40, of Temple Hills, MD, was charged with two counts of Assault and Battery. He was released on his own recognizance.

News

Favola Vote on Towing Coincided With $2,500 Donation

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 8:40AM | Updated July 21, 2011 at 1:12PM

On April 26, the Board voted 3-2 to increase the trespass towing fee — collected by companies like Advanced Towing — from $115 to $125. Favola was one of the three to vote in favor of the fee increase.

“I do believe towing services are a necessary part of urban living,” she said at the time. “I feel that I also have to be fair to the towing operators.”

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2011 at 8:09AM

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Lime Fresh Signs Clarendon Lease — Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, from the company that brought you Ruby Tuesday, is officially coming to Clarendon. The restaurant is opening one of the first locations outside of Florida in the Clarendon Market Common storefront once occupied by Comfort One Shoes. [Washington Business Journal, Clarendon Culture]

Same-Sex Couples in Arlington — According to the latest U.S. Census numbers, Arlington is home to about 6 percent of Virginia’s same-sex households. There are 1,165 same-sex partner households in Arlington — 835 male and 333 female. The number of same-sex male households has grown 3 percent since 2000, while the number of same-sex female households has grown 16 percent. [Associated Press]