March, 2012 | ARLnow.com

Low Turnout Could Swing Election Results

Published March 27, 2012 at 3:06PM

Two out of the past three times the turnout of a County Board special election was below 19,000, a Republican ended up winning. This year, it’s looking unlikely that even 15,000 votes will be cast out of the pool of 122,882 active registered voters in Arlington.

“I think it’s probably going to end up maybe being 10 to 12 percent [turnout], and I may be overestimating that,” Arlington County Registrar Linda Lindberg told ARLnow.com this afternoon. “Usually in a special election we get closer to 20 percent, but I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere near that this time.”

Around Town

El Manantial Restaurant Coming to Walter Reed Drive

By ARLnow.com

Published March 27, 2012 at 1:57PM

El Manantial III, a Guatemalan/Mexican restaurant apparently associated with the El Manantial restaurant in Lyon Park (2618 N. Pershing Drive), is expected to open in the Las Delicias space soon.

County inspectors were spotted parked outside the restaurant earlier today. It’s unclear when exactly the restaurant is going to open, though. A woman who answered the phone at the Lyon Park El Manantial restaurant referred us to a phone number that went straight to voicemail.

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A-SPAN Receives HUD Grant

By ARLnow.com

Published March 27, 2012 at 12:00PM

The grant — one of the $2.1 million in grants awarded by HUD in Virginia — will help A-SPAN and its “Open Doors” program provide housing and case management for six chronically homeless adults in Arlington over the next year. A-SPAN currently provides housing and case management for 24 chronically homeless adults who suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse.

“The clients we will house are those that have been homeless for many years and have been diagnosed with a mental illness and other severe health problems,” A-SPAN Executive Director Kathleen Sibert said in a press release. “Despite those difficulties, we’ve shown that these clients can be successful, but they are our most vulnerable neighbors. Helping them get into housing is our main goal and what we’re working toward with the 100 Homes for 100 Homeless Arlingtonians Campaign.”

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Arlington County Asks: How Are We Doing?

By ARLnow.com

Published March 27, 2012 at 11:15AM

The survey is an effort to “measure residents’ satisfaction with major County services and to gather input about issues facing the community,” according to a press release. The survey asks residents to weigh in on a number of topics, including public safety, parks and recreation, public works, transportation, and human services. The survey also asks residents about their perceptions of Arlington County, how safe they feel in their neighborhood, and how they get news and information about Arlington.

A market research firm out of Kansas City is conducting the survey on behalf of the county by mailing survey forms to 3,600 randomly selected Arlington residents. An online version of this year’s survey is also available. Results from the survey will be published this summer on the Arlington County website.

Around Town

Permits Issued for Naked Pizza in Virginia Square

By ARLnow.com

Published March 27, 2012 at 10:15AM

Located at 933 N. Quincy Street, on the ground floor of the Quincy Plaza Apartments in the former Daily Grind coffee shop space, Naked Pizza is expected to offer its signature all-natural pies to dine-in, walk-up and delivery customers. In July 2011 the Arlington County Board approved a site plan amendment that will allow the restaurant to operate a delivery service.

According to the building permits, the new Naked location — the fast-growing company’s second in Arlington County — will have 28 interior seats. That’s in contrast to the existing Naked Pizza store in Pentagon City, which offers carryout and delivery but has little to no indoor seating space.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 27, 2012 at 8:55AM

Polls Open for County Board Race — Polls are open until 7:00 p.m. for today’s Arlington County Board special election. The three candidates on the ballot are Libby Garvey (D), Mark Kelly (R) and Audrey Clement (G). See the list of polling places here.

Merrifield to Rival Arlington? — Merrifield, once best known for its drive-in movie theater, is transforming itself into a walkable urban community. Multiple apartment and townhouse developments are being built, and more are in the pipeline. Businesses like Harris Teeter, MOM’s Organic Market, Matchbox Pizza, Dolcezza gelato, Red Apron Butchery, Tayor Gourmet, and Cava Mezza are also on the way. Rep. Gerry Connolly says of the rapidly-developing Merrifield: “I think that it’s going to rival Arlington for a lot of the younger generation of workers and commuters.” [Washington Post]

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ACFD Firefighters Receive Awards for Heroism

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2012 at 4:17PM

The 2012 annual Arlington County Fire Department Recognition and Awards Program was held Thursday morning at Fire Station No. 5 in Crystal City. Below banners recognizing the station’s role in responding to the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, and amid the periodic blare of the fire department dispatch loud speaker, nearly a dozen individual firefighters and paramedics and a dozen fire and EMS crews were recognized for their heroism in the line of duty.

Many of the awards given out on Thursday stemmed from two major incidents.

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Coming Soon to Crystal City: Black Lime Cafe

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2012 at 2:52PM | Updated March 26, 2012 at 3:40PM

Building permit applications are in for Black Lime Mediterranean Cafe, which will be built on the ground floor of 2450 Crystal Drive, near Jimmy John’s. According to a menu on the restaurant’s website, customers will choose a base — either a pita, a salad bowl or a baked potato — then add a protein — chicken, steak, shrimp, falafel or grilled veggies — followed by a selection of toppings and sauces. Side dishes include eggplant fries, sweet potato fries, roasted veggies and chips and hummus.

Per the name of the restaurant, the website explains:

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Arlington County Names New Zoning Administrator

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2012 at 1:53PM

Arlington County has named its new top zoning enforcer, and it’s none other than the woman who has served in the position on a temporary basis since August 2011.

Norma Cozart has been acting Zoning Administrator for the county since shortly after Melinda Artman stepped down from the post last summer. Today Cozart, who has been with the county for 23 years, was named the permanent new Zoning Administrator.

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Stats Suggest Dems Need About 10,000 Votes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2012 at 11:56AM

Democratic candidate and School Board member Libby Garvey is facing two candidates who have both run for the County Board before: Republican Mark Kelly and Green Party candidate Audrey Clement.

Clement received 9,728 votes in the 2011 November general election, when she was the sole challenger to Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada, who both ended up winning reelection. Kelly received 20,570 votes to Democratic incumbent Chris Zimmerman’s 32,894 votes in November 2010. Special elections, however, tend to attract far fewer voters.

Around Town

Shelves in Place at Columbia Pike ABC Store

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2012 at 10:49AM

It appears that the new state liquor store at 2940 Columbia Pike is getting closer to opening.

The recognizable ABC logo has been placed on the store’s window, and a surprisingly large expanse of shelving can be seen inside the store. Virginia ABC officials, however, say an official opening date has not been chosen yet.

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Video: Articulated Buses on the Pike?

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2012 at 9:40AM | Updated March 26, 2012 at 12:21PM

Critics of the Columbia Pike streetcar have been pushing the idea of articulated buses as a cheaper and more flexible alternative to streetcar service.