Ballston | ARLnow.com

County to Review Blue Goose Redevelopment Plan

Published October 17, 2013 at 11:45AM | Updated October 17, 2013 at 2:17PM

The proposal involves tearing down the existing 8-story building and replacing it with two new buildings. One would be a 9-story office and educational building, and the other would be a 15-story multi-family residence.

Both buildings would sit on top of a 3-level underground parking structure, which would include 265 residential spaces. Currently, the Blue Goose has 202 surface parking spaces with an entrance along Glebe Road. The plan for the underground structure involves moving the parking entrance to the lesser traveled N. Wakefield Street.

News

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Published October 17, 2013 at 9:15AM | Updated October 17, 2013 at 2:18PM

County Seeks Federal Funds for Transportation Projects — County officials are expected to apply for three grants for non-vehicular transportation projects. The $1 million in grant money would cover a bicycle and pedestrian connection between Four Mile Run Trail and Potomac Yard, improvements at Ashlawn Elementary School, and street and sidewalk improvements along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. [Sun Gazette]

Man Hospitalized After Fall at Airport — A man has been hospitalized after falling from a roadway at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday. He apparently climbed over the protective barrier near the ticketing level roadway and fell to the arrivals roadway below. [Washington Post]

News

BREAKING: Office Worker Falls Through Grate in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published October 9, 2013 at 10:10AM | Updated October 9, 2013 at 12:08PM

(Update at 11:25 a.m.) An office worker has been hurt from a fall behind 950 N. Glebe Road in Ballston.

The incident happened just before 10:00 a.m. The worker was walking to a meeting when he stepped on a steel grate, adjacent to the sidewalk, which collapsed. He fell about 15 feet into a ventilation shaft, landing on a concrete ledge. Scanner reports suggest he suffered head and rib injuries.

Feature

Ballston’s Changecause Connecting Brands and Charities

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 30, 2013 at 11:30AM | Updated September 30, 2013 at 4:22PM

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.

“Everyone assumes that San Francisco is a more fertile group for startups,” he said. “I don’t think that’s true. It’s such a dense marketplace that it’s really hard to stand out. Plus, in the D.C. area, the talent and access to capital and mentors blows that out of the water.”

Around Town

Ballston Pond to be Drained for Construction

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 27, 2013 at 1:30PM

The Ballston Pond (file photo)

The pond has already begun draining after Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services removed the stop logs on the pond’s weir, after which the county will begin the construction bidding and plant treatments.

Construction to the “new and improved pond design that will provide stormwater treatment benefits, as well as improved habitat for wildlife,” is expected to begin in spring 2014, according to Arlington Stormwater Outreach Specialist Jen McDonnell.

News

Board Requests Planning Funds for New Ballston Metro Entrance

By ARLnow.com

Published September 25, 2013 at 6:10PM | Updated September 26, 2013 at 9:16AM

On Tuesday, the Arlington County Board approved a funding plan for the county’s share of revenue generated by Virginia’s new transportation legislation. The plan, which will be submitted to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), calls for $500,000 to be allocated to planning for the new Metro entrance during the current fiscal year.

The entrance is already partially designed. As proposed, it will be located at the intersection of N. Fairfax and Vermont Streets, allowing easier access to the new developments along Glebe Road in Ballston, the Bluemont neighborhood and other points west. The station will feature two street-level elevators and escalators, connecting to an underground passageway and mezzanine (with an attended kiosk) that will lead to the train platform.

Around Town

Bank to Fill Former Ruby Tuesday Space

By Katie Pyzyk

Published September 17, 2013 at 1:30PM | Updated September 17, 2013 at 4:33PM

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) A space that sat vacant for years near the Ballston Metro station is about to get a new tenant.

According to permits filed with the county, Bank of America plans to open a branch in the former Ruby Tuesday space. The new bank will occupy one of the first floor commercial spaces in the building at 901 N. Stuart Street, just feet away from an existing Presidential Bank.

Around Town

New Mike Isabella Restaurant Coming to Ballston

By Katie Pyzyk

Published September 11, 2013 at 12:15PM | Updated September 11, 2013 at 1:45PM

A spinoff of the recently opened Kapnos will occupy a space at 4000 Wilson Blvd in Ballston, which is the Liberty Center South development. That’s the development where Taylor Gourmet will go in as well, as announced earlier this summer.

Kapnos Taverna will feature the same types of Northern Greek inspired fare found at Kapnos. Unlike the D.C. location, the Ballston restaurant will offer weekday lunch, weekend brunch and a happy hour menu.

Around Town

Redevelopment Proposed For ‘Flag House’

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 6, 2013 at 9:30AM

"Flag house" in 2012

The Ballston-area house, a duplex on the 4200 block of Washington Blvd near Washington-Lee High School, was built between 1895 and 1910, according to county documents. Its owners have submitted a site plan proposal for two semi-detached townhouses to take its place.

The proposal calls for the building to be demolished and replaced with a 4,707-square-foot, 43-foot-tall brick structure. The home’s solid-paneled doors, metal gutters, downspouts and other interior and exterior elements will be preserved as part of the redevelopment, according to the proposal.

News

Orange Line Closed West of Ballston This Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 5, 2013 at 4:30PM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 3:23PM

Starting at 10:00 p.m. Friday and continuing until closing Sunday, East Falls Church and points west will not have Metrorail service.

An express bus will travel from Ballston to Vienna and add approximately 25 minutes of travel time. Local buses will stop at East Falls Church, West Falls Church, Dunn Loring and Vienna, taking approximately 15 minutes between each stop.

News

Fish and Wildlife Service Moving Out of Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published September 5, 2013 at 11:55AM | Updated September 5, 2013 at 1:33PM

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) The headquarters of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be moving out of Ballston, employees are being told today.

The move is another blow to Arlington’s commercial real estate market, which is dealing with rising office vacancy rates (16.5 percent as of January) and the impending loss of the National Science Foundation.

Around Town

Resident Warns of Ballston Gas Station Scam

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 4, 2013 at 3:35PM

If someone approaches you in the Ballston area, claiming to be in need of gas money, you might want to think twice before obliging. According to an ARLnow.com tipster, the man is perpetrating a scam.

The tipster said a man in Ballston came up to her and her husband earlier this year and said he needed gas money to visit his dying father. They handed over $20. This week, the same man — apparently not recognizing the couple from the earlier encounter — came up to them again and recited the same story.