Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow

Board to Consider ‘The Springs’ Affordable Housing Proposal

Published January 23, 2014 at 4:15PM

County planning staff is recommending the Board approve the site plan amendment, rezoning and General Land Use Plan amendment required to increase the housing density from 27 garden-style units on the site to a 104-unit mid-rise building.

The proposal, in the Buckingham neighborhood on the corner of N. Carlin Springs Road and Thomas Street, calls for two levels of underground parking with 110 total spaces and more than 5,000 square feet of office space, which will serve as the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing’s (APAH) new office.

News

Police Release Video of Hall’s Hill Tire Slasher

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 23, 2014 at 2:30PM

The Arlington County Police Department released a 14-second clip of the alleged Hall’s Hill tire slasher this afternoon.

News

New Noise Ordinance: Loud TVs Could Lead to Steep Fines

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 23, 2014 at 2:00PM

The Arlington County Board will review the draft noise ordinance at its March meeting.

Among the updates to the ordinance are prohibiting anyone from playing music or TVs loud enough to be heard by a neighbor as close as 20 feet away in an apartment building or 50 feet away across a property line. From the draft:

News

County Mulls $88K for Farmhouse Repair Project

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 23, 2014 at 11:15AM

The Arlington County Board is likely to approve $87,950 at its meeting on Saturday for a contractor to come up with a plan for stabilizing the deteriorating house and to removing lead-based paint on the building’s exterior. The sole source contract is on the Board’s consent agenda, meaning it’s scheduled to be approved without discussion.

“This design services contract will provide the construction documents needed for the initial work to restore the Reeves farmhouse: to stabilize the foundation, provide a full depth basement and recommendations for the abatement of lead based paint on the farmhouse exterior and adjacent soil,” the staff report says.

Feature

Arlington Pet of the Week: Pugsley

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 22, 2014 at 12:15PM

This week’s Pet of the Week is Pugsley, a 9-year-old Boston Terrier who has developed a reputation for stealing balls from his doggy playmates.

Here’s why owner Laura thinks this ball of energy should be Pet of the Week:

News

‘Blue Goose’ Redevelopment Includes Funds for Pond, Custis Trail, Metro Entrance

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 22, 2014 at 11:00AM

The proposed site plan amendment for the project will go before the Arlington County Board at its meeting this Saturday, Jan. 25. The Shooshan Company hopes to bulldoze the distinctive blue building at the corner of Fairfax Drive and N. Glebe Road and replace it with a nine-story office building — to be used to house the Marymount University programs now in the Blue Goose — and a 15-story residential high-rise.

The request for increased density comes with a proposed donation of $1.15 million toward the Ballston beaver pond restoration project and improvements to the Custis Trail, and a $4.57 million contribution to the Ballston Metro west entrance project.

Events

Arlington Agenda (Jan. 21-26)

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 21, 2014 at 12:30PM

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

Staff Recommends Revoking Pines of Italy Entertainment Permit

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 21, 2014 at 11:30AM

The restaurant/nightclub/hookah bar was approved for the permit in March 2013, but, according to the county staff’s report, its owner never scheduled a meeting with the Arlington Heights Civic Association, which was a requirement of the permit. In addition, the restaurant was allegedly operating with live music on Thursday nights, which was not allowed by the permit.

The permit was scheduled for review in March, but because of the lack of compliance, as well as issues with the police and the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, staff recommended the Board review the license two months early.

Around Town

Ft. Myer Trail Closes for Arlington Cemetery Expansion

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 21, 2014 at 10:00AM

Officials at Joint Base Ft. Myer-Henderson Hall announced last week that yesterday, Monday, the trail, which runs from the Old Post Chapel to McNair Road’s intersection with Marshall Drive, would be closed.

The trail is closing to accommodate the expansion of Arlington National Cemetery with its “Millennium Project.” Besides the closure of the trail, more than 700 trees are set to be removed for the cemetery expansion, a plan that rankled local activists when the expansion was discussed in March.

News

Former Arlington Judge, Baseball Historian Dies

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 17, 2014 at 4:30PM

Ceresi was hired by the late Abe Pollin — former owner of the Washington Wizards — to be curator of the MCI National Sports Museum, according to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

The National Sports Gallery closed in 2001, but afterwards, Ceresi decided to continue his career away from law with collectibles and sports artifacts. He was recently named curator of The National Pastime Museum, an online baseball museum.

Feature

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 17, 2014 at 3:30PM | Updated January 18, 2014 at 12:48PM

Got plans for the holiday weekend? If not, this could be a great time to go check out some open houses around Arlington.

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

Feature

Your Beermonger: On Greener Grass and Overreach

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 17, 2014 at 1:30PM

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

This week was supposed to be about some tasting notes I have (and we’ll get to a couple in a moment), but I wanted to write about something I’d been thinking about this week first.