construction | ARLnow.com

Groundbreaking for Arlington Mill Community Center

Published August 24, 2011 at 12:04PM | Updated August 24, 2011 at 3:40PM

County Board members Walter Tejada and Chris Zimmerman, County Manager Barbara Donnellan and Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Executive Director Takis Karantonis were among the officials in attendance, along with construction company representatives and county employees.

Construction on the new, five-story community center is expected to start shortly and wrap up in the summer of 2013. The center will include a full-size gym and fitness center, a senior center, teen center and game room, visual arts studio, a job resource center, a community learning center, several multi-purpose rooms for community events, retail space and a public plaza at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street. The cost of the bond-financed project is estimated at up to $25 million.

News

Road Work in Progress on Arlington Ridge

By ARLnow.com

Published August 24, 2011 at 9:46AM

The lane has now been demolished by construction contractors, who are in the process of building a wider sidewalk, additional green space and circular driveways for two houses. Daytime traffic on Arlington Ridge Road has been reduced to one lane near the construction zone, with flaggers directing cars on either side. The sidewalk along the east side of Arlington Ridge Road near the construction has been closed.

In addition to the work in progress — eliminating the Meade Street slip lane and making the intersection a purely 90 degree turn — the $200,000 county project has already turned the bus pull-off lane south of 23rd Street into an expanded sidewalk and has squared up the intersection of Arlington Ridge and Oakcrest Road by extending the permanent curbing to where a temporary curb had been installed.

Around Town

Not Much Progress on Courthouse Plaza Brick Work

By ARLnow.com

Published August 19, 2011 at 1:45PM

On the surface, it doesn’t appear that much progress has been made on the project since then. We spotted a small construction crew working on the big patch of bare ground in front of the AMC movie theater and the county government building yesterday afternoon, but it’s not clear what exactly they were doing.

Residents, needless to say, aren’t happy with the state of affairs.

Around Town

Work Starts on ‘Memphis BBQ’ in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published August 19, 2011 at 12:00PM

The restaurant is taking the place of the now-shuttered Mackey’s Public House on 23rd Street, between Crystal Drive and Jefferson Davis Highway. The official word is that the restaurant will open in “late summer,” but ARLnow.com projects a later fall or winter opening.

According to the Washington Business Journal’s Missy Frederick, owner and restaurant veteran Chris George is planning to spend $750,000 renovating the 5,500 square foot space into a proper barbeque joint, complete with a large outdoor patio.

Around Town

Update on Large Residential Developments in N. Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published August 12, 2011 at 3:17PM | Updated August 14, 2011 at 3:39PM

A drive through parts of Lyon Park, Clarendon and Rosslyn today revealed significant progress on three large residential developments, as well as clean-up work on one ill-fated project.

In Rosslyn, Clark Construction crews are busy cleaning up from last week’s retaining wall failure at the Sedona and Slate apartment site. Workers were busy reinforcing the adjacent Swansen Apartments building, which nearly collapsed into the construction pit after the failure.

Around Town

Construction Begins on New Clarendon Trader Joe’s

By ARLnow.com

Published August 8, 2011 at 1:26PM

Interior construction has finally started on the new Trader Joe’s in Clarendon.

In addition to converting the cavernous space within 1109 N. Highland Street into a grocery store, crews will also be working to install an elevator shaft, to provide access from the store to the parking garage below. Residents of the Lyon Place at Clarendon Center apartments received the following note about the impending construction on Friday.

News

Rosslyn Road Closures Expected to Remain Through Rush Hour

By ARLnow.com

Published August 8, 2011 at 11:20AM | Updated August 9, 2011 at 7:37AM

Update at 5:55 p.m. — Clarendon Boulevard and 16th Street will both remained closed between N. Pierce Street and N. Oak Street through the morning rush, the county said this afternoon.

Update at 1:10 p.m. — The processes of shoring up the collapsed retaining wall could take up to 48 hours, according Arlington County Inspection Services Division Chief Shahriar Amiri. While some road closures will remain, Amiri said that Clarendon Boulevard may reopen as soon as tomorrow’s morning rush hour. “We are working hard at it,” he said.

News

Collapse at Construction Site Threatens Nearby Apartments

By ARLnow.com

Published August 7, 2011 at 9:18PM | Updated August 8, 2011 at 1:40PM

Update at 1:35 p.m. — See this post for the latest on the road closures surrounding the site.

Roads are closed in Rosslyn after a retaining wall partially collapsed at a construction site on the 1500 block of Clarendon

Opinion

Morning Poll: The County’s War on Slip Lanes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2011 at 11:53AM | Updated August 5, 2011 at 1:05PM

The four-week, $200,000+ construction project will eliminate a bus pull-off lane, will extend permanent curbing at the intersection of Arlington Ridge and Oakcrest Road, and will include various curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements — all in the name of improving pedestrian safety.

But one change in particular has prompted vocal protests from dozens of residents: the elimination of the slip lane from southbound Arlington Ridge Road to S. Meade Street.

News

Residents Fight County on Construction Project

By Katie Pyzyk

Published July 26, 2011 at 12:22PM

The county has been planning to redesign parts of Arlington Ridge Road from 23rd Street to South Meade Street. Some of the improvements include work on curbs, gutters, sidewalks and bike lanes. The county cites pedestrian safety as the reason for the revamping.

Some neighbors launched a campaign called “Save Our Streets” to oppose the approximately $200,000 project. Group members say they’re upset because of wasteful spending, the county isn’t listening to them and there’s a lack of transparency.

News

Clarendon Trader Joe’s Receives Building Permit

By ARLnow.com

Published July 14, 2011 at 1:18PM

The store was originally slated to open “mid-2011,” but that hoped-for opening has been pushed back due to an unexplained delay in applying for (and getting) the necessary permits and inspections. In May, a Trader Joe’s rep told ARLnow.com that the store is expected to open by the end of the year.

In addition to the building permit, Trader Joe’s has also received a zoning permit that will allow it to modify the building’s first floor facade (pictured) for use as a grocery store. The only other regulatory hurdles that remain, for now, concern the store’s fire prevention plan.

Events

Dedication Planned for New Cherrydale Fire Station

By ARLnow.com

Published July 13, 2011 at 9:58AM | Updated July 13, 2011 at 3:44PM

A dedication and open house is planned for the new, ~~$5.3 million~~ Cherrydale Fire Station.

The fire station will be dedicated on Friday, July 29, officials announced yesterday. A family-friendly open house will be held on Saturday, July 30, complete with guided tours of the new facility.