Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow

New 750-Unit Apartment Complex Proposed for Park Shirlington

Published December 13, 2013 at 10:45AM

The owners of the Park Shirlington apartments (4510 31st Street S.) are looking for county approval to bulldoze the current, low-rise buildings and replace them with 750 low- to mid-rise apartments.

On Nov. 15, Home Properties filed a preliminary site plan application, which is currently under staff review at the Arlington County Zoning Office. The plan calls for five residential buildings between three and five stories each, encompassing about 712,000 square feet of gross floor area on 15 acres surrounding 31st Street S.

News

Independent Announces Candidacy for County Board

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 12, 2013 at 2:30PM | Updated December 12, 2013 at 3:56PM

Vihstadt , a former Planning Commissioner, announced his decision Thursday morning with a press release declaring his opposition to the Columbia Pike Streetcar and the planned Long Bridge Aquatics Center as two of his chief campaign positions.

A Republican, Vihstadt is hoping to secure endorsements from both the Arlington County Republican Committee and Green Party. He has behind him a bipartisan array of supporters, including prominent Arlington Democrats in County Board member Libby Garvey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos and former Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair (and ARLnow.com opinion columnist) Peter Rousselot.

Around Town

Free Taxis Available Every Night During the Holidays

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 12, 2013 at 11:30AM

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program is offering its SoberRide program starting on Dec. 13 at 10:00 p.m. Every night until New Year’s Day, from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., D.C.-area residents can call 1-800-200-TAXI (1-800-200-8294) for a cab ride that’s free up to a $30 fare. AT&T users can also dial #WRAP to call for a taxi.

“Last December, nearly 2,000 (1,927) Greater Washington residents did the right thing and availed themselves of this lifesaving service rather than possibly driving home impaired,” WRAP President Kurt Gregory Erickson said in a press release. “For SoberRide’s hours of operation during just last New Year’s Eve, such ridership (387) translated into the removal of a would-be drunk driver from our shared roadways every 74 seconds.”

Events

Clarendon Bar Crawl to Benefit Cystic Fibrosis

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 12, 2013 at 11:00AM

The inaugural Clarendon’s Finest Holiday Bar Crawl will run this Saturday, Dec. 14, from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m., with tickets selling for $10 and all proceeds going to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Clarendon Grill, Mad Rose Tavern, Mister Days, Mexicali Blues, Hunan Number One, Bracket Room and SoBe Bar & Bistro will all be participating with drink specials throughout the evening. Registration for the crawl will be at Sobe (3100 Clarendon Blvd) from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

News

Longtime Civic Activist Robert Atkins Dies

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 9, 2013 at 5:35PM | Updated December 9, 2013 at 5:57PM

Until this year, Atkins attended every Arlington County Board meeting since March of 1995, according to County Clerk Hope Halleck. The only meeting anyone can recall him missing is when he underwent recent surgery to have his foot amputated, Halleck said.

Atkins was the treasurer of the Arlington County Republican Committee for years, the president of the Bluemont Civic Association from 1993-1996 — when the neighborhood and the association were known as Stonewall Jackson — and was one of Bluemont’s delegates to the Arlington County Civic Federation when he died.

Traffic

Storm Cleanup Continues As Arlington Braces For More Snow

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 9, 2013 at 4:30PM

The effects of Sunday’s winter storm continue to be felt as the county braces for another Tuesday morning.

Reports of downed trees, branches and electrical wires, as well as several car accidents, have continued to come in during the day (Monday).

Events

Arlington Agenda (Dec. 9-15)

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 9, 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.

Around Town

Robeks in Courthouse Closes

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 9, 2013 at 1:30PM

The Robeks smoothie shop in Courthouse has closed.

The Robeks location at 2300 Wilson Blvd, next to Me Jana was one of two locations for the national smoothie chain in Arlington. The Courthouse shop’s only current Arlington location is in Shirlington (4115 A S. Campbell Street).

News

Filmmaker’s Magnetic Pins for Races Are Selling Fast

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 9, 2013 at 11:00AM

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.

Safety pins.

News

Rosslyn’s New Metro Elevators All Out of Service for Morning Rush

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 6, 2013 at 4:45PM | Updated December 6, 2013 at 5:48PM

The problem, according to Arlington Department of Environmental Services spokesman Eric Balliet, was caused after Metro workers turned off power to the station after closing Thursday night. The new elevators failed to restart this morning when the power was turned back on.

“We apologize to Rosslyn Metro riders,” Balliet said in an email. “We’re working with [Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority] and our contractor to address unforeseen issues like this in the future.”

Feature

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 6, 2013 at 3:30PM

It’s going to be the first truly cold weekend of the season, and now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping is out of the way, your schedules should be clear to visit some houses in your area this weekend.

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

Events

Miracle on 23rd Street Returns Tonight

By Ethan Rothstein

Published December 6, 2013 at 2:00PM | Updated December 7, 2013 at 12:33AM

The Linden Resources “Miracle on 23rd Street Celebration” will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Linden office at 750 23rd Street S.

The event is free and open to the public, will include a Christmas tree lighting, a brass band and children’s activities, including photos with Santa.