Author: Dan Egitto

Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.

News

New apartment building at Red Lion Hotel site set to open next year

By Dan Egitto
An incoming apartment building at 1501 Arlington Blvd (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

A construction project at the former Red Lion Hotel on Arlington Blvd is moving forward as scheduled with plans to start leasing next summer.

The 441-unit project at 1501 Arlington Blvd, dubbed “Elara,” is on track to welcome its first tenants in June 2027, David Orr, founder and CEO of Orr Partners, told ARLnow.

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Around Town

Lululemon space in Clarendon listed as ‘available soon’ on leasing chart

By Dan Egitto
Lululemon storefront with glass doors, mannequins in athletic wear inside, and colorful circular wall decor above the entrance.
The Lululemon at 2847 Clarendon Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

An online leasing chart in Clarendon is raising some questions about the future of the neighborhood’s Lululemon store.

The retail bay at 2847 Clarendon Blvd, currently home to Lululemon, is listed as “available soon” on The Crossing Clarendon’s website. The site provides no additional information on when the 3,030-square-foot space might become available for a different retail tenant.

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News

‘Explosive diarrhea’ parasite reported in N. Va., but it’s not an outbreak, authorities say

By Dan Egitto and The Associated Press
Two red oval cells on a blue-stained microscope field with scattered blue debris.
This undated photo taken through a microscope provided by the CDC shows Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts found in a fresh stool sample which had been prepared with a formalin solution and stained with safranin. (CDC via AP)

An outbreak of diarrhea-inducing parasites has been raising food safety concerns around the country, but health authorities say there’s little cause for alarm in Virginia.

Ten cases of cyclosporiasis were reported in Virginia between the start of the year and June 6, including four in Northern Virginia, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. That’s compared to a year-to-date average of 6.6 cases statewide.

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News

Water valve leak in North Arlington impacts 100 customers, detours traffic

By Dan Egitto
A past water main break in Cherrydale (staff photo)

Crews are working to repair a 15-inch water valve leak in the Rock Spring neighborhood that has impacted around 100 customers.

A traffic detour is currently in place around the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Little Falls Road, and water is expected to be restored “in the next couple of hours,” Katie O’Brien, a spokesperson for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), told ARLnow.

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Around Town

Ayers Hardware, closing after 78 years, looks back on decades of community support

By Dan Egitto
Ayers Variety & Hardware at 5853 Washington Blvd (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

The owners of a beloved Westover hardware store are reflecting on a 78-year legacy of community investment and support as they prepare to close their doors.

Over the decades, Ayers Variety and Hardware — established in 1948 — built a reputation around friendly, knowledgeable staff who embraced the “small town feel” of the surrounding neighborhood. Spending time to help customers solve household problems and track down hard-to-find items, employees connected with generations of shoppers who knew the retailer as a local fixture.

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Around Town

‘Fridays at the Fountain’ concert series returns to Crystal City this week

By Dan Egitto
Dancing at "Fridays at the Fountain" (courtesy of National Landing BID)

A series of free outdoor concerts from D.C.-area artists is returning to Crystal City beginning this Friday.

“Fridays at the Fountain” will kick off at 6 p.m. with a performance from the indie rock band The Montaines at Water Park (1601 Crystal Drive). Shows will continue every Friday through Aug. 21.

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Around Town

New sauna and cold plunge seeks to open this winter on Wilson Blvd

By Dan Egitto
The planned site of Sauna Jungle at 5210 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A new Finnish-style sauna and cold plunge is seeking to open in the Bluemont neighborhood this winter.

Sauna Jungle, previously known as Arlington Sauna, has filed a building permit at 5210 Wilson Blvd with the goal of opening late this year or in early 2027.

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News

Clarendon redevelopment project expected to finish demolition next month

By Dan Egitto
Demolition of 3033 Wilson Blvd (staff photo)

A redevelopment project replacing a Clarendon office tower with an eight-story multifamily building is moving toward its next phase.

Developer Carr Properties is still on track to deliver over 300 units of housing at 3033 Wilson Blvd in early 2028, and demolition is expected to finish in August, a spokesperson told ARLnow.

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Around Town

Ember restaurant opening soon in Pentagon City, with dry-aged meats and ‘secret lounge’

By Dan Egitto
Signage for Ember at Westpost in August 2025 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A high-end restaurant and bar with dry-aged meats, an extensive wine list and a series of curated rooms for dining and relaxing is preparing to open in Pentagon City.

Ember is looking toward a soft opening in late August at 1301 S. Joyce Street, followed by a grand opening in September, founder Nicholas Mounts told ARLnow. It brings food and drink inspired by European cuisines and five seating areas, including a VIP room, a banquet hall and a “secret lounge.”

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Around Town

‘Grazie Nonna’ Italian restaurant plans mid-2027 opening in Ballston

By Dan Egitto
Grazie Nonna's planned location at 4075 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

An incoming Italian restaurant in Ballston has posted signage and is moving forward with plans to open in about a year.

Grazie Nonna, a full-service restaurant inspired by the home cooking of its founder’s grandmother, hopes to open in mid-2027 at 4075 Wilson Blvd, a spokesperson told ARLnow. Signs direct visitors to the establishment’s Instagram and a newsletter for more updates.

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Around Town

Dunkin’ closes on Columbia Pike, leaving a void at gas station

By Dan Egitto
The former Dunkin' at 3100 Columbia Pike (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A convenience store on Columbia Pike has been left with a donut hole — and not the good kind.

Dunkin’ has cleared out of its longtime location at 3100 Columbia Pike, leaving a retail void in one half of the storefront at the Shell gas station.

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Around Town

Santa Rosa Taqueria plans to open at former Seamore’s spot in Clarendon

By Dan Egitto
The planned location of Santa Rosa Taqueria at 2815 Clarendon Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A D.C.-based taqueria and margarita bar is planning to move into the former home of Seamore’s in Clarendon.

The Crossing Clarendon’s website lists Santa Rosa Taqueria as coming to 2815 Clarendon Blvd, where Seamore’s seafood restaurant closed in November.

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