Ethiopian cafe Meda Coffee & Kitchen has opened on Columbia Pike.
Visitors to the new restaurant, at 5037 Columbia Pike, can dine on traditional Ethiopian fare during its grand opening weekend, set to begin this Friday (July 15).
Columbia Pike
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More New Transit Stations Along the Pike — “Arlington County Board members on July 16 are expected to approve a contract revision that will allow for installation of eight transit stations along Columbia Pike, rather than the four originally envisioned when the contract was first consummated. The proposal calls for upping the contract total from $1.65 million to $2.72 million to accommodate the doubling of pre-fabricated transit stations to be installed at various spots along the route.” [Sun Gazette]
Missing Middle Form Closes Today — A feedback form for Arlington’s Missing Middle Housing Study is closing today, as the County Board is set to hold a work session on the draft proposal to allow relatively small-scale multifamily housing where only single-family homes can currently be built. The work session, which comes amid both vocal opposition to and support for the proposal among dueling groups of residents, starts at 3 p.m. today. [Arlington County, Arlington County]
An empanada eatery appears to be setting up shop on Columbia Pike.
The location at 2602-B Columbia Pike, next to the Domino’s and a laundromat, has a sign with the name Mpanadas.
New Way to Complain About Helo Noise –Those with concerns about helicopter noise in the local area now have a new outlet to provide feedback. A new helicopter-complaint pilot program was announced June 24 by U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) in collaboration with the Helicopter Association International and Eastern Regional Helicopter Council. Residents will be able to submit noise concerns online at https://www.planenoise.com/dcmetro/, or by voicemail at (877) 209-3200.” [Sun Gazette, Press Release]
Arrest After Crash on the Pike — From ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage, responding to an ARLnow inquiry about this crash: “At approximately 12:10 p.m. on June 27, police were dispatched to the report of a crash with injuries at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Quincy Street. The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the striking vehicle hit two vehicles and a tree before fleeing the scene on foot. Responding officers canvassed the area, located the driver and took her into custody. One patient was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening. The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.”
Legend Kicks has found a new home across the Pike, after moving because of Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center’s pending redevelopment.
The sneaker reseller and clothing store has moved from its home for the past four years at 2609 Columbia Pike to a storefront about a half block away at 2514 Columbia Pike, a few doors down from the Celtic House.
The annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival and Zero Prostate Cancer 5k Run/Walk are set to take place this Saturday, prompting some road closures in Arlington.
For the Blues Festival, Arlington County police are set to close off parts of S. Walter Reed Drive and two other roads for the day. For the 5K, the police will close a substantial stretch of Army Navy Drive, as well as parts of S. Joyce Street in the morning, according to a traffic alert from the county.
The 12th annual Columbia Pike Movie Nights is set to begin on Friday, July 8.
The free summer outdoor movie series will run run through Saturday, August 27, according to its website. Similar to previous years, a film is scheduled to be shown on Friday and another on Saturday each week. All screenings are set to begin at sunset between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., according to the Columbia Pike Partnership, formerly CPRO, which organizes the series.
The relocation of Papa John’s Pizza on Columbia Pike has left hungry customers confused.
Last month, a new Papa John’s location opened just off the Pike at 1014 S. Glebe Road. It moved into the former home of the donut shop Sugar Shack, the closing of which left a proverbial hole in the center of some local residents’ hearts.
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Pike Plan Peeves Preservationists — “Under current, still tentative proposals, the façade of the building would be dismantled, stored away and then re-installed after the new development on the site rises. Keeping the facade ‘is kind of better than nothing, I suppose,’ said HALRB board member Joan Lawrence, who went on to blast the county government’s commitment, or lack thereof, to finding a way to retain ‘one of the few historic structures left on Columbia Pike.'” [Sun Gazette]
Local Credit Union Merger — “Two local credit unions, one based in Arlington and the other in Alexandria, are planning to merge into one entity that will have combined assets of about $700 million, 12 branches, 38,000 members and 140 employees. Arlington Community Federal Credit Union and InFirst Federal Credit Union, with headquarters in Alexandria, are seeking regulatory approval for their proposed merger, the credit unions announced Tuesday.” [Patch]
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(Updated at 11:25 a.m.) Taqueria el Poblano on Columbia Pike is staying open for a few more months after all.
In March, ARLnow reported that the local staple known for its margaritas was set to close its Pike location by the end of this month. However, co-owner Thomas Stevens tells ARLnow that they’ve since come to an agreement with the property owner BM Smith to extend the restaurant’s lease at 2401 Columbia Pike until the end of August. He says it became clear that regulars wanted them to stay open through the summer.
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The Pike, a large-scale work of public art, is finally being installed this week at the southwest corner of Columbia Pike and S. Jefferson Street, near the county line bordering Fairfax.
On Wednesday morning, ARLnow saw the 50-foot-tall reclaimed wind turbine wing lying horizontally while waiting for a crane to raise it on an already-installed steel base dotted with thousands of coins from around the world.
It’s been a century since his family first started selling rugs, but Mikael Manoukian is still learning.
To be fair, he actually only got into the family rug business a few years ago and now runs the Manoukian Brothers Oriental Rugs on Columbia Pike with his mom, Dona. But in that short time, Mikael has learned at “Mach speed” about what it takes to sell hand knotted, decades-old rugs.