With redevelopment just around the corner, the Food Star grocery store on Columbia Pike will close as early as next week according to a sign on its entrance.
Its lease at the property is set to expire on May 25. The grocery store is expected to move to 206 W. Glebe Road in Alexandria’s Arlandria neighborhood and replace the Foodway currently there.
A man led police on a chase down Glebe Road and Columbia Pike on Sunday afternoon.
The incident started around 3 p.m. when police were dispatched to the 4200 block of 2nd Road N. in Buckingham for a report of a “dispute in progress possibly involving a firearm.”
Columbia Pike’s first beer garden is preparing to its open doors next month as crews put the finishing touches on the building.
BrickHaus at 2900 Columbia Pike has been under construction for almost a year. It now has all of its outside signs up and furniture on its outdoor patio.
The iconic local business at 2903 Columbia Pike is about to shift to playing movies on a first-run basis, meaning it has quicker access to films. Owner Greg Godbout has said previously that showing mainstream movies several months after the initial release has hurt business given the rise of video on-demand services.
But to show first-run films, the Drafthouse will need to increase its ticket prices to meet the requirements of its film distributors. In an email sent to customers Tuesday, Godbout said tickets will now cost $8 for matinee screenings, and for students and other discounted groups like children and seniors, and $10 for screenings after 6 p.m.
(Updated at 9:30 p.m.) A large swath of South Arlington is experiencing low or no water pressure due to “several” water main breaks.
One major break happened on S. Dinwiddie Street, near the Arlington Mill Community Center, Monday evening.
On Friday, police will set up at the corner of Fairfax Drive and N. Kenmore Street from 3-5 p.m. to enforce traffic laws. They’ll ticket any driver, cyclist or pedestrian who commits a violation. On May 2, they’ll do the same at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Oakland Street from noon to 2 p.m.
ACPD will conduct the enforcement events as part of a larger D.C.-area safety campaign to reduce injuries and deaths by changing pedestrian, cyclist and driver behaviors. That campaign started yesterday and runs through mid-May.
Candidates Largely Favor Land Swap — During a debate, Democratic County Board candidates generally indicated they want the county to move forward with a land swap agreement with Virginia Hospital Center. VHC has offered the county various pieces of land in exchange for a 5-acre parcel of county-owned land on N. Edison Street, just north of the VHC property. [InsideNova]
Impact of Pike Streetcar Cancellation — There’s speculation that the county’s 2014 cancellation of the Columbia Pike streetcar plan may have contributed to stalling revitalization efforts in the Bailey’s Crossroads area of Fairfax County. [Washington Post]
The West Columbia Pike Food Truck Party takes place tomorrow (April 15) at the intersection of Columbia Pike and Four Mile Run Drive. Vendors will serve food from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Food trucks taking part in the event include Peruvian Brothers, KaftaMania, Fava Pot, Pacific Twist and Little Miss Whoopie.
Police responded after two masked men — one with a gun — robbed a store on the 4900 block of Columbia Pike, which is across the street from the Arlington Mill Community Center. Police did not specify which business was robbed, but that spot is home to a 7-Eleven.
The suspects fled the scene in a car that had been parked nearby. They got away with an undisclosed amount of cash and valuables.
Expect additional traffic headaches through the fall on Columbia Pike, now that a project to relocate an underground gas main is underway there.
Crews with Washington Gas started the construction Monday between the Fairfax County line and Four Mile Run, ahead of several streetscape improvements the county has planned for the future.
The 22nd annual festival is set for Saturday, June 17, from 1-8:30 p.m. at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive.
Jonny Grave kicks off the festival at 1 p.m., followed by Sol Roots with Carly Harvey at 2 p.m. The Full Power Blues Band follows at 3:30 p.m., before Rufus Roundtree and Da B-more Brass Factory at 5 p.m. and LaVette at 6:45 p.m.
It’s the end of the road for P. Brennan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant at 2910 Columbia Pike.
The cavernous local pub will shutter after closing on Friday. Owner Brian Dolphin, who also owned the ill-fated McGinty’s near Potomac Yard, says P. Brennan’s “did pretty well” by staying in business for seven years, but never made much money.
