A low-rise Best Western hotel along Route 50, in Rosslyn, could be slated for a big redevelopment project.
Alliance Hospitality, which owns the Best Western Iwo Jima hotel at 1501 Arlington Blvd, has filed a preliminary site plan for the property. The company proposes to redevelop the hotel and an adjacent garden apartment building it also owns — the Ellis Arms Apartments at 1523 Fairfax Drive — into a 250-room “dual brand hotel” and a 64-unit residential building.
A D.C. restaurant known for steak frites and “secret sauce” might open a new location in Virginia Square.
Last year, Medium Rare tweeted out a cryptic message that seemed to suggest a new location was in the works for Arlington. Where and when that new restaurant might open remained a mystery, though.
State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D) earlier this month proposed a bill to decriminalize marijuana possession in Virginia. The bill, SB 1269, would reduce marijuana possession to a civil offense punishable only by fines, much like a traffic ticket. Another bill introduced by State Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D), SB 908, would have had similar effects.
Though the Senate’s Courts of Justice Committee did not approve the bills yesterday, it did promise more study on marijuana decriminalization, according to Ebbin’s office.
(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) Police are investigating a dead body found between Windy Run Park, in north Arlington, and the banks of the Potomac River.
U.S. Park Police, as well as Arlington County police and firefighters, hiked to the scene after someone alerted authorities to a body spotted in the rocky, wooded area along the river and the GW Parkway.
Wardian Dominating Global Marathon Event — Arlington resident and running superhero Michael Wardian has won the first two races in the World Marathon Challenge. Wardian, 42, posted a time of 2:54:54 in Antarctica, the fastest marathon ever run on the continent, and a time of 2:45:42 this morning in Punta Arenas, the South American leg of the seven day, seven continent and seven marathon event. Wardian is trying to break the event’s record average race time of 3:32:25. [Facebook, Twitter, Washington Post, Runner’s World]
APS Projected to Keep Growing — Arlington Public Schools is bursting at the seams, building new schools to keep up with rising enrollment — and that enrollment is expected to keep growing over the next decade. According to projections presented at a School Board meeting last week, the APS student body is expected to rise from around 27,000 now to 32,500 by the fall of 2026. In terms of per-student costs, the added 5,500 students could add more than $100 million to the school system’s current $600 million annual budget. [InsideNova]
The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office served an eviction at 201 Chain Bridge Road, the palatial former home of former multimillionaire Rodney Hunt, on Monday.
Also known as the the RPH Mansion, the 20,000 square foot estate has, over the past couple of years, hosted wild “mansion parties,” one of which led to a drive-by shooting in nearby McLean this past summer. It is also a frequent destination for police, with numerous robbery, burglary and disturbance calls during that time span.
Police requested the bomb squad respond to the hotel, at 1400 Jefferson Davis Highway, just before 5:45 p.m. to investigate several suspicious packages. Additional fire department units were requested to the scene around 6 p.m.
Police were initially called to the hotel for a suspicious person.
Beyer said federal hiring freezes make government less effective, hurt state and local economies, and actually end up increasing costs to taxpayers.
Trump said his order excludes the military.
(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) Arlington County firefighters are on the scene of an apartment fire in the North Highlands neighborhood, near Rosslyn.
The fire was reported on the 1600 block of 21st Street N., in the living room of a second floor apartment, just before 1:45 p.m.
The pair were arrested Saturday night after trying to flee from officers, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. They’re accused of breaking into at least three vehicles and stealing items.
From the crime report:
Duane “Dog” Chapman visited Don Tito (3165 Wilson Blvd) in Clarendon over the weekend.
The bounty hunter and reality show star stopped by the restaurant on Saturday and ordered a plate of fajitas for lunch, we’re told. After chowing down, but before riding away in a black SUV, Chapman posed for a couple of photos.
There were only 19 package thefts reported to police in October, November and December of 2016, according to ACPD. During that same period in 2015, 23 package thefts were reported.
The number of package thefts in December specifically was higher: 12 reports in 2016 versus 8 reports for 2015. However, police say there was no series of package thefts, like there was in 2014 when one suspect was accused of at least 40 thefts.
