Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow

County Approves ‘Jumbotrons’ Near Metro Stations

Published December 18, 2013 at 10:45AM | Updated December 18, 2013 at 11:24AM

June 2012

The Arlington County Board unanimously approved the measure Tuesday evening, which would allow developers to build large media screens if approved through the site plan or use permit process.

The screens can be up to 40 feet in height with a total maximum area of 750 square feet. The screens cannot be within 2,000 feet of one another and are only permitted within a quarter-mile of a transit station and in “public service districts,” which includes some parks. No screens will be allowed on Columbia Pike.

Around Town

Hamburger Hamlet in Crystal City Likely to Close

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 17, 2013 at 4:30PM

Former Hamburger Hamlet in the shops at Crystal City in 2013 (file photo)

Du-par’s, a California-based diner chain, is attempting to acquire the lease and keep the restaurant, at 1750 Crystal City Shops, open. If successful, the restaurant would be renamed Du-par’s and the staff would be retained. But Du-par’s owner W.W. “Biff” Naylor says that the odds are “80-20 against that happening.”

“I’d hate to see all those people lose their jobs at Christmas time. That would just be brutal,” Naylor said. “We’ve got plenty of time to do it, but the landlord has got to say yes. So far they’ve said no.”

News

Ebbin Says He’s ‘Working to Win’ on Gay Marriage

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 17, 2013 at 2:55PM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:41PM

State Sen. Adam Ebbin is running unopposed so far in his 2019 bid for re-election

Such talk suggests that he’s taking a futile stand to make a point. Instead, Ebbin insists that he’s in it to win it.

Ebbin has introduced legislation for the 2014 Virginia General Assembly session to try to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment, Virginia’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. The legislation, Senate Joint Resolution 1, is a long-shot by any measure: it would require passage in 2014 and 2016 in order to repeal the gay marriage ban.

Events

Arlington Agenda (Dec. 16-22)

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 16, 2013 at 2:30PM

Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County.

If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form. Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

News

Noise Complaints Lead to Changes at A-Town

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 16, 2013 at 1:30PM | Updated December 16, 2013 at 1:54PM

On Saturday, the Board approved new restrictions to the bar’s outdoor patio. Despite A-Town’s owner’s objections, the outdoor bar will no longer be able to serve alcohol directly to patrons after 10:00 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. All alcohol served on the patio will have to be delivered by a waiter to patrons at a table.

The change to the bar’s site plan was made after residents of nearby condominiums, in particular The Berkeley at Ballston (1000 N. Randolph Street), lobbied the Board with complaints that the bar was making too much noise and negatively impacting property values.

Feature

Clarendon Startup Tackles Hotel Booking Headaches

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 16, 2013 at 12:00PM | Updated December 16, 2013 at 12:56PM

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

The former software engineer, U.S. Army Reserve infantry officer and world geography teacher at Swanson Middle School was in charge of I.T. learning for Marriott International when he came up with the idea for a travel site that lets customers search for prices at hotels without having to enter a date.

Around Town

Photos: Dogs Pose with Santa in Clarendon

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 16, 2013 at 10:45AM | Updated December 16, 2013 at 12:13PM

Arlington residents took a walk to La Tagliatella (2950 Clarendon Blvd) Saturday afternoon to get their furry friends’ picture taken with a white-bearded friend from the North Pole.

About 30 dogs got their photo taken with Santa Claus over the course of two hours. Santa, looking young for his years, dutifully posed with the pooches on the restaurant’s outdoor patio.

News

Board Approves New Office Parking Policy

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 16, 2013 at 9:50AM

The county will have the same minimum standard for parking spaces as before, but developers will now be allowed to make contributions to county transportation funds in exchange for being allowed to build fewer spaces than the minimum. Among the funds to benefit from the contributions are the county’s Transportation Demand Management fund and funding for transit, bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

“This policy will help ensure that our commercial buildings work for everyone — the developers, the people who travel to and from them to work, shop, dine or do business, and the surrounding neighborhoods,” Board Chairman Walter Tejada said. “It provides a framework that will allow developers to build less parking in commercial areas without increasing traffic on our streets.”

Schools

School Board Raises Proposed Gift Limit to $100

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 13, 2013 at 4:30PM

Arlington Public Schools staff has been working to develop a more detailed gift policy, and initially the proposal called for limiting gifts from a single donor to $50 over the course of a school year.

After meeting with community groups like the PTA, the Arlington Employee Association, the Budget Advisory Council and school principals, the School Board decided to double the proposed gifts cap.

Feature

Open Houses in Arlington this Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 13, 2013 at 3:30PM

Bring your umbrellas and your snow boots this weekend, but do your best to make it out to some of the open houses around the county this weekend.

See our real estate section for a full listing of open houses. Here are a few highlights:

News

Arlington Deputy Convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter in Alexandria

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 13, 2013 at 2:30PM | Updated December 13, 2013 at 6:22PM

Patterson was found not guilty of possession of a use of a firearm in commission of a murder. The jury spent more than a day deliberating over the verdict, which was handed down just after 1:00 p.m. Friday. The jury later recommended that Patterson be sentenced to 6 years in prison, according to a tweet from NBC4’s David Culver. A judge will decide on the sentencing in February.

Patterson, 45, was off-duty in May when he shot and killed Dawkins, an Alexandria resident and driver for PBS NewsHour in Shirlington. Patterson claimed the shooting was in self defense, while prosecutors argued he was shooting in rage after an argument.

Feature

Your Beermonger: The Joy of J.W. Lees Harvest Ales

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 13, 2013 at 1:30PM

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

This is a very special week indeed, friends and fellow beer geeks; for this week sees an all-too rare library release of J.W. Lees Harvest Ale.