Author: Alex Koma

Around Town

‘Common Ground’ Food Hall in Rosslyn Pushes Opening to Next Spring

By Alex Koma
The food hall will sit above the Rosslyn McDonald's.

Hungry diners in Rosslyn will need to wait a bit longer for a new food hall slated to open in one of the neighborhood’s new skyscrapers.

Social Restaurant Group, the same company behind Clarendon night-life spots Bar Bao and Pamplona, plans to someday open the “Common Ground” food hall in the Central Place building at 1800 N. Lynn Street. However, SRG co-founder Mike Bramson told ARLnow that the company is currently targeting the “end of spring 2019” to open its doors, despite previously hoping to do so before the end of this year.

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News

Public Defenders Blast Arlington Prosecutor’s Cash Bail Reforms as ‘Misleading’ and Ineffective

By Alex Koma

Arlington’s lead prosecutor says she’s taking new steps to reform the county’s cash bail system, but local public defenders believe her new efforts will do little to change the status quo in county courts.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos (D) announced earlier this month that her office would no longer seek cash bonds for people accused of most minor misdemeanors, casting it as a bid to ensure that some defendants won’t sit in jail simply because they can’t afford to pay up as they await trial. But several public defenders, who are responsible for representing the area’s poorest defendants, say Stamos’ move prompted immediate confusion and derision in their circles.

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Schools

Plans for New Reed School Set to Win County Approval This Weekend

By Alex Koma
A rendering of the new Reed Elementary School (via Arlington Public Schools)

Construction could soon get started on the new elementary school planned for the Reed School site in Westover, as the project looks set to earn the county’s approval this weekend.

The County Board is set to vote Saturday (Nov. 17) on a few zoning and easement tweaks for the property, located at 1644 N. McKinley Road. Arlington Public Schools is hoping to open the building in time for the 2021-2022 school year, and it will serve at least 732 students in all.

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News

Arlington Commits to Only Limited Affordable Housing Measures As Part of Amazon Deal

By Alex Koma
A rendering of a new 1900 Crystal Drive apartment building near Amazon's headquarters (via JBG Smith)

Amid persistent concerns that Amazon’s army of new workers will displace low-income Arlingtonians, county leaders plan to redirect their existing investments in affordable housing to better serve the areas impacted by the new headquarters — but the county won’t be upping its financial commitment to spurring the construction of reasonably priced homes.

While critics of Arlington’s decision to court Amazon’s HQ2 have focused on everything from the headquarters’ potential impact on county schools to its transportation systems, the tech giant’s impact on housing prices has perhaps drawn the most scrutiny of all.

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News

Crime Report: Police Searching for Man Who Allegedly Exposed Himself Along W&OD Trail

By Alex Koma
Arlington County Police Department badge on ACPD's jobs trailer

Police say the man was spotted with his pants down, masturbating near the N. Ohio Street bridge over I-66 around 2:40 p.m. last Saturday (Nov. 10).

However, by the time officers made to the area, they weren’t able to find him. They’re describing him as “a white male, 20-30 years old, wearing a red or orange hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses.”

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News

Amazon’s Arrival Brings Plans for Transportation Transformation Around New Headquarters

By Alex Koma
A map of proposed transportation projects around Amazon's new headquarters in Crystal City (via HQ NOVA)

For pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike, Crystal City has never been the easiest neighborhood to navigate — and Amazon’s looming arrival in the neighborhood has stoked fears that things could get worse in the area long before they get better.

But now that the tech giant has officially picked Arlington for its new headquarters, county officials are free to unveil their grand plans for allaying those concerns and fundamentally transforming transportation options along the Crystal City-Pentagon City-Potomac Yard corridor.

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Schools

School Board Vigorously Defends Washington-Lee Renaming Process in New Court Filings

By Alex Koma
A sign in front of Washington-Lee High School in 2018

Opponents of the decision to change the name of Washington-Lee High School have long claimed the School Board improperly cast aside its established engagement process on the matter — but the school system has now provided its most robust rebuttal of those charges to date.

A trio of students at Washington-Lee are hoping to block the school’s renaming with a lawsuit targeting the School Board and other top Arlington Public Schools officials, arguing primarily that the Board rushed a vote on the issue and failed to follow its proscribed process for accepting public comments on the name change.

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News

Arlington Shouldn’t Fear a ‘Tsunami’ of New Residents With Amazon’s Arrival, Officials Say

By Alex Koma

Amazon’s new headquarters will fundamentally transform Arlington in the years to come, but county officials are hoping to reassure residents that the area won’t change in the blink of an eye.

Instead, Arlington leaders are painting the arrival of the tech giant — and the 25,000 workers set to someday occupy its new office space — as a development that will shape the county’s economic landscape over time, rather than overnight. And, they hope, that will give the county time to prepare accordingly.

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Around Town

New ‘Open Road’ Restaurant in Rosslyn Skyscraper Pushes Back Opening to Next Year

By Alex Koma
The red awnings mark where Open Road hopes to open a location in the CEB Tower in Rosslyn (via Metropolitan Hospitality Group)

A new bar and restaurant bound for the ground floor of the CEB Tower in Rosslyn is pushing back its opening date slightly, now aiming to start serving patrons next year.

The Metropolitan Hospitality Group, which also operates Circa Bistro in Clarendon, announced plans to bring a second “Open Road” restaurant to the area last summer. The firm had hoped to open it up sometime this fall, but MHG President Matt Carlin told ARLnow that “the permit process has definitely taken longer than we thought.”

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News

With Amazon On Board, Leaders Look to Quell Concerns Over Incentives for the Tech Giant

By Alex Koma

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Concerns about the wisdom of doling out millions in incentives to lure Amazon to Arlington have abounded ever since rumors first kicked up that the company could head to the county — but Tuesday’s celebration of the move in Pentagon City didn’t betray much trepidation among state and local leaders.

Instead, Gov. Ralph Northam and a cadre of others devoted the afternoon to hailing the tech giant’s decision to bring a new headquarters to Arlington as a transformative one for the region.

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News

Ballston Quarter Looks Set to Open Some Stores This Week

By Alex Koma
Regal Cinemas on the newly renovated Ballston Quarter's third floor.

Ballston Quarter could open to customers as soon as this week, marking an unofficial end to the years-long redevelopment of the old Ballston Common mall.

Signs posted around the development’s elevator banks list Thursday (Nov. 15) as the site’s opening day. Specifically, the signs advertise that the two main floors of Ballston Quarter — including the first floor with “street-level access” and the second floor with an area dubbed “Instagram alley” — will open this week.

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