(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) At least a couple of large buildings in Ballston are without power after reports of a possible transformer explosion.
Firefighters were initially dispatched to the area shortly before 1 p.m. after a caller reported a loud explosion-like sound and some smoke believed to be coming from a power transformer.
Ballston Quarter has a 50,000-square-foot vacancy problem.
The redeveloped mall at 4238 Wilson Blvd is home to a rotating roster of restaurants, as well as clothing stores, pet facilities, eye doctors, gaming experiences and other retail businesses, as well as an attached office building and the MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
Arrest in Arlington Man’s Murder — Updated at 10 a.m. — “Police in the Turks and Caicos Islands have made an arrest in last week’s shooting death of an Arlington, Virginia, man killed while on vacation. Kent Carter, a vice president of the Arlington branch of the NAACP, was killed Oct. 2, when suspected drug gangs opened fire on a car returning him and others to their hotel after a jet-skiing outing… ‘In the last seven days an arrest has been made of a person of interest who remains in custody,’ said Trevor Botting, police commissioner.” [WTOP]
District Taco’s Expansion Plans — “District Taco aims to add 20 to 25 franchises a year for the next five years, Ganz said. The company has units in the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland region, with some corporate locations in the Philadelphia suburbs. But the company would like to expand as far north as New York, as far south as South Carolina and as far west as Tennessee, Ganz said. District Taco is also attracting operator interest from Florida.” [Restaurant Dive]
Arlington County code could soon no longer reference “public dance halls” and the dizzying disco the term evokes.
That would mean live entertainment venue operators would be cut loose from paying for a $600 permit annually.
(Updated at 4 p.m. on 12/15/22) The Penske truck rental location on Columbia Pike — which once had an ART bus crash into it and stay there for a month — has closed.
And the replacement for the storefront and expansive parking lot, at the Pike’s intersection with S. George Mason Drive, may be something completely different.
TV Tackles ‘Missing Middle’ — “A debate over housing has sparked an intense debate in Arlington County that involves possible zoning changes to what types of houses can be built in certain neighborhoods. It’s called missing middle housing, and while supporters say it will allow more affordable housing, opponents say it would ruin single-family neighborhoods.” [Fox 5]
It’s Fire Prevention Week — “Fire Station 10 in Rosslyn is the Arlington County Fire Department’s newest fire station, and it’s needed because the community is growing so quickly. This Fire Prevention Week, firefighters want to make sure that the public knows to make an escape plan so they can be safe inside their home.” [WUSA 9]
Embracing Arlington Arts has put forward a business plan for a future “Arlington Performing Arts Center.”
And it is taking great pains to prove it will survive on private financial support, and won’t take county funds or fizzle out like the county-run Artisphere in Rosslyn, which suffered from ineffective marketing and a relative lack of engagement from Arlington residents and artists.
County Offices Open — “Arlington County Government offices and facilities are closed on all federal holidays except Columbus Day.” [Arlington County]
Metro Service Plan Today — “In observance of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Monday, Oct. 10, Metrorail will operate normal weekday service and Metrobus will operate on a Saturday supplemental schedule. MetroAccess customers may make reservations to travel on the holiday; however, subscription trips will be canceled.” [WMATA]
(Updated at 12:35 a.m.) A pedestrian has died after being struck in the Williamsburg neighborhood this morning.
The crash happened around 9 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Little Falls Road and John Marshall Drive. Initial reports suggest that that an older woman was struck by the driver of an SUV in or near a crosswalk, and that the woman was in cardiac arrest when she was rushed to a local trauma center.
The annual Army Ten-Miler race will prompt numerous road closures in Arlington this weekend.
Runners will zip through parts of Rosslyn, D.C. and Pentagon City, starting and finishing the race near the Pentagon.
On Saturday afternoon, Kent Carter left Arlington to celebrate his 40th birthday on Turks and Caicos, the Caribbean islands southeast of the Bahamas, with his long-time girlfriend.
He was supposed to fly back on Tuesday.
After a driver collided with a child on a bicycle on S. Carlin Springs Road this week, neighbors and advocates are calling for street safety upgrades.
For its part, Arlington County says it has already been working on safety measures for the area, which has narrow sidewalks, little or no pedestrian buffer and a history of crashes. Upcoming steps include reducing speeds near the schools in the area: Kenmore Middle School and Carlin Springs Elementary.
