Work is kicking off this week on an extension to the Crystal City-Potomac Yard transitway.
The project will eventually extend a dedicated corridor for rapid bus transit to Amazon’s HQ2 and the Pentagon City Metro station. Construction is now getting underway on the first segment of the extension.
A string quartet will play pop music in Crystal City this weekend as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
The event, dubbed Enchanted Rhapsody is taking place at the intersection of 6th Street S. and S. Ball Street on Saturday from 4-7:30 p.m. It will feature food, drink and the musical stylings of the Edgewood String Quartet, which will perform classical renderings of Taylor Swift and Queen songs.
A longtime project to make pedestrian, cycling and transit upgrades to Army Navy Drive has taken the next step forward.
Arlington County has sent the project out for bidding by contractors, while staff continue to acquire the easements needed for construction.
Another incident drew a police response to a rowdy block of 23rd Street in Crystal City on Sunday night.
Police say a couple skipped out on their bill at an establishment on the 300 block of 23rd Street S. just before 11:30 p.m. A security guard who tried to write down the license plate of the suspects’ vehicle was then nearly run over, and another parked car was damaged, as they made their getaway, according to a crime report today.
Mysterious Bug Bites Reported — Arlington residents are against dealing with red and intensely itchy bug bites, the cause of which is so far unclear. One theory is that last year’s scourge of oak mites are back. [Facebook, WUSA 9]
Catalytic Converter Thefts in Fairlington — “A resident has reported that the catalytic converter on their Toyota Prius was stolen during the night March 21, 2022. The converter was physically cut away from the vehicle. There have been 7 similar thefts of catalytic converters reported from the Fairlington neighborhoods.” [Twitter]
(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) Arlington County and JBG Smith are changing up plans for a second entrance to the Crystal City Metro station due to projected cost overruns.
An east entrance to the station — a long-standing goal of county transportation planners — is being built through a public-private partnership with the developer, which the County Board authorized in the summer of 2020.
Grab a fork because a new lunch bowl eatery is coming to Crystal City.
Crystal Bowl is opening on the ground floor of 2800 Crystal Drive, signs announce on the eatery’s exterior. It’s set to serve lunch bowls, sandwiches, breakfast, coffee, smoothies, and bubble tea, according to signs on the window.
Another Malfunctioning Walk Signal — Just over a week after this, another reported crosswalk signal issue: “Instead of telling you when it’s safe to cross the street, the walk signs in Crystal City, VA are just repeating ‘CHANGE PASSWORD’. Something’s gone terribly wrong here.” [Twitter]
School Board Meeting Was Mostly Maskless — “For those playing the ‘how many Arlington School Board members will go mask-free at the first board meeting after requirements were lifted?’ home game, the winners were those who had put their money on four out of five. Board members David Priddy, Cristina Diaz-Torres, Reid Goldstein and chairman Barbara Kanninen were maskless at the March 10 meeting, as was Superintendent Francisco Durán. School Board member Mary Kadera kept her mask affixed.” [Sun Gazette]
A halal restaurant franchise is opening a new concept in Crystal City potentially by the end of this year.
The company, PPOVA LLC, has leased a 2,400 square foot space at 2323 S. Eads Street to launch a combination restaurant featuring chicken concept Peri-Peri Original and beef-focused Kallisto Steakhouse, as first reported by the Washington Business Journal in the fall. Both concepts will be halal and were originally launched in the United Kingdom.
Plans to redevelop an office building and the former Jaleo restaurant in Crystal City as two apartment towers are crystallizing.
But two yet-undeveloped buildings appear to be limiting plans for some transportation and open space community benefits associated with the project.
Construction has started on major renovations to the Crystal City Water Park, JBG Smith announced Monday.
JBG Smith will update the existing, 1.6-acre park at 1601 Crystal Drive with new restaurant kiosks and seating areas, a full-service restaurant, new water features — including a “water wall” with a bar perched on top — and a stage.
(Updated at 10:05 a.m.) Police have closed the intersection of S. Eads Street and 18th Street S. in Crystal City after a water main break.
The break has reportedly caused some indentations in the roadway that firefighters fear could becoming full-blown sinkholes if driven over. As a result, roads approaching the normally busy intersection, one block from the Crystal City Metro station, are closed and traffic is being diverted.
