Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow

Lower-Cost Transit Stations Appease Pike Residents

Published April 29, 2015 at 11:00AM

The Columbia Pike Transit Stations open house

After the public outcry, poor design and organizational problems that warranted an independent review of the $1 million S. Walter Reed Drive Super Stop, Arlington’s scaled back plan for the rest of Columbia Pike is being met with general approval.

The new plan, to build 23 more transit stations at key intersections along the Pike for a total cost of $12.4 million, was brought before the public yesterday evening at the Arlington Mill Community Center. The stations will cost an average of 40 percent less than the prototype built at Walter Reed Drive.

Around Town

WETA, Arlington Historical Society Partner for County History Series

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 28, 2015 at 4:15PM

Shrlington-based public television station WETA and the Arlington Historical Society have produced a series of videos highlighting the county’s history.

Around Town

Public Shoe Store to Close This Summer After 78 Years

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 28, 2015 at 3:05PM | Updated May 2, 2015 at 4:50PM

Public Shoe Store, at 3137 Wilson Blvd, in 2015

S.H. “Doc” Friedman is a man of few words and less nostalgia. The 82-year-old pragmatist will be closing Public Shoe Store in Clarendon sometime this summer, closing the doors on one of the oldest businesses in Arlington.

Will “Doc,” a former podiatrist, miss the store that’s been a part of his life since he was five years old?

Events

Arlington Neighborhood Day is Next Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 28, 2015 at 12:45PM

Fairlington Day in 2012 (file photo)

Next Saturday, neighborhoods like Clarendon, Bluemont, Westover and Barcroft are each holding events intended to bring neighbors together and celebrate their immediate surrounding area.

In Clarendon, county officials will gather to celebrate the now-upscale neighborhood’s time in the post-Vietnam War 1970s and 1980s when it was known as “Little Saigon” for its high population of Vietnamese immigrants. At 1:30 p.m., former Little Saigon residents and historians will narrate a tour of the area, displaying historic and still-standing businesses from the era.

News

Food Star on Columbia Pike Could Become Six-Story Apartment Building

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 27, 2015 at 5:00PM | Updated April 29, 2015 at 9:34AM

The existing Food Star on Columbia Pike

The proposed building, from developer Orr Partners, would be six stories of mixed-use development — five stories of apartments and ground floor retail. The property would have to redevelop under the Columbia Pike Commercial Form-Based Code, which calls for mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly buildings.

Orr Partners Chairman David Orr said he expects the building to have about 350 market-rate apartments, and for a grocery store and other community-oriented retail — maybe a fast-casual restaurant or two — to occupy the ground floor. He expects to submit a form-based code application in June.

News

Key Bridge Rollover Victim, 26, Dies

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 27, 2015 at 3:45PM

The Arlington County Police Department identified the deceased as 26-year-old Jefferson R. Edwards IV, of Arlington.

According to Edwards’ obituary, published in the Washington Post on Friday, he was 26 years old, a former member of the United States Coast Guard and had worked as a personal trainer at Fitness First and Gold’s Gym in Arlington.

News

Ballston Mall Prepares for Possible Mass Closures By Year’s End

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 27, 2015 at 1:35PM | Updated April 27, 2015 at 4:59PM

Image courtesy Forest City

(Updated at 5:00 p.m.) The approval process for Ballston Common Mall’s massive renovation plans is still months away, but many stores are likely to close after the end of the year.

Forest City, which owns the mall, has coordinated leases for many of their shops on the mall’s interior to expire by the end of this year. This would pave the way for the mall’s renovation in 2016 once it’s approved, according to spokesman Gary McManus.

Feature

Disabled Vet’s Crystal City Startup Focuses on ‘Mission Accomplished’

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 27, 2015 at 12:00PM

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.

Five years into his service, during a training run, he twisted his ankle and his foot jammed into train tracks. Worden stubbornly — he was a Marine, after all — kept running and training on the injury, while his leg became more and more damaged. His bone plate grew in the wrong direction, and overcompensating for the injury caused him to blow out his knee and two discs in his back.

Events

Crystal City Sparket Market Returns This Week

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 27, 2015 at 11:00AM

From 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every Wednesday until Nov. 18, Crystal City’s arts market will occupy Crystal Drive between 18th and 20th Streets S., providing the areas thousands of office workers a place to go to shop for craft works like paintings, jewelry and pottery.

In addition to the art work, there will be products like home-made bath scrubs and soaps, greeting cards and “artisan food products,” according to the Crystal City Business Improvement District, which organizes the market.

Events

Arlington Agenda (April 27-May 3)

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 27, 2015 at 10:00AM | Updated April 27, 2015 at 10:29AM

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.

Schools

School Board Approves W-L Capacity Expansion Design

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 24, 2015 at 3:45PM

The Arlington School Board approved the design and construction schedule of the school’s capacity expansion at its meeting last night, paving the way for the $5 million project to begin work this summer.

The exterior of the building will, for the most part, remain unchanged. Much of the work will go to re-outfitting classrooms to expand their capacity, adding lockers, shifting around offices and ensuring each room is being used to accommodate the greatest capacity possible. When completed, the school’s capacity will grow to 2,200 from its current 1,900-seat capacity.

Events

Road Closures for the Shirlington Beer Festival

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 24, 2015 at 3:00PM

From 4:30 a.m. to about 8:00 p.m., Campbell Avenue will be shut down between S. Randolph and Quincy Streets, according to the Arlington County Police Department, to allow the more than 35 breweries in attendance to set up their tents.

The actual event begins at noon, when festival-goers can purchase a $30 booklet of 10 tickets for tastings from the breweries, which are largely from the mid-Atlantic region. The taps will turn off at 6:00 p.m.