development | ARLnow.com

Rent on the Rise in Pentagon City

Published August 25, 2010 at 1:58PM | Updated August 25, 2010 at 4:00PM

The rise in residential rent comes at a time when a number of Pentagon City apartment complexes have sold at sky-high valuations. The Hampton Apartments at 1425 South Eads Street recently sold for $33.5 million, and the Metropolitan at Pentagon City luxury high-rise at 901 South 15th Street just sold for $125 million, according to the GlobeSt.com article.

RED’s report states that between the first quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, Pentagon City posted the fastest rate of multifamily rent growth of any Northern Virginia submarket. The 4.9 percent year-over-year growth in Pentagon City compares to 2.4 percent growth along Columbia Pike and -1.4 percent rent growth along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 10, 2010 at 8:25AM | Updated August 10, 2010 at 8:47PM

Heat It Up — Mother nature will attempt another run at triple digit temperatures today. The predicted high is 98 degrees. A Code Orange air quality alert has been issued for the region.

Mail Carrier Charged With Stealing Mail — An U.S. Postal Service employee at the Arlington Main Post Office has been charged with stealing mail. Alva Jackson is accused of swiping envelopes she thought might contain gift cards. Jackson, who worked as an Arlington mail carrier, was caught with 134 stolen pieces of mail in her house, according to charging documents. More from the Washington Examiner.

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The Old vs. New Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published August 3, 2010 at 10:30AM

Crystal City is in the early stages of a transformation that is turning it from a gloomy strip of monolithic office and apartment buildings into a vibrant, modern urban village. Among the changes in the works are a new entrance to the Metro station, a dedicated transit way along Crystal Drive, the removal of older buildings and the realignment of several streets.

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What Kind of a Restaurant Would You Like to See in Rosslyn?

By ARLnow.com

Published August 2, 2010 at 1:50PM

Considering that it’s one of the area’s biggest commercial centers, Rosslyn is a bit lacking when it comes to places to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. And that’s not to mention the dearth of fun places to hang out at night (with the possible exceptions of Continental and the handful of restaurants with outdoor seating up Wilson Blvd).

But here’s the good news. We have the ear of a real estate firm that’s looking to attract a new eatery to the area. Something moderately-sized — bigger than a lunch counter but smaller than a Cheesecake Factory.

Around Town

The Future Crystal City: A Vision of ‘Manhattan on the Potomac’ Realized?

By ARLnow.com

Published July 21, 2010 at 9:52AM

A thriving “see and be seen” street life and a dedicated cultural district are among the goals of planners who hope to convert Crystal City from the workaday home of monolithic government office buildings to an urban oasis of gleaming trophy office towers, shiny new apartment buildings and busy retail corridors.

To achieve the vision of a pedestrian-oriented urban community, however, major investments will need to be made in Crystal City’s inadequate transportation infrastructure — specifically, the roads.

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Matchbox “Actively Searching” For Space in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published July 16, 2010 at 11:19AM

The restaurant will be expanding with a huge, 10,000 square foot location in Rockville this fall, and another location in Merrifield that will deliver in 2012. But Clarendon is also a big target for co-owner Drew Kim.

“Clarendon is a hotspot for us,” Kim said. “We’re actively searching in Clarendon, we just don’t have a lease signed. There are a couple spots we’re looking at.”

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Funding for New Rosslyn Metro Entrance Approved

By ARLnow.com

Published July 14, 2010 at 7:43AM | Updated July 14, 2010 at 3:19PM

The Rosslyn station, Northern Virginia’s busiest, will be getting three high speed, high-capacity elevators, new fare collection equipment and an underground mezzanine with a dedicated Commuter Store.

The new entrance to the station will be built between North Moore Street and Lynn Street, across the street from the existing Metro entrance. The old station entrance will remain in service even after the new one is completed.

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Streetcars, New Metro Entrance Among Big Changes Coming to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published July 13, 2010 at 3:37PM | Updated July 13, 2010 at 3:55PM

Tonight the County Board is expected to advertise public hearings on the blandly-named but far-reaching Crystal City Sector Plan 2050.

The plan sets a vision of the new Crystal City that will emerge once dozens of federal agencies and thousands of federal jobs move out as a result of the Base Realignment and Closing Act.

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EFC Plan Moves Forward

By ARLnow.com

Published July 12, 2010 at 11:38AM | Updated January 12, 2011 at 3:32PM

In the news business, this is known as a “process” story. On Saturday the county board voted to accept a task force’s plan for development around the East Falls Church Metro Station. The board passed the plan on to county staff, who will review it and make changes while preserving 15 priorities outlined by the board. The board’s action will have no actual, practical consequences. That will come when the final plan is adopted by the board about six months from now, following more revisions and public discussion.

For what was essentially a procedural action, however, there sure were plenty of people who wanted to talk about it. About 25 speakers voiced their opinion on the EFC plan, most of them residents who believe that the addition of transit-oriented, mixed use retail/office buildings and the subtraction of the commuter parking lot would “destroy” or otherwise sully their relatively quiet residential neighborhood.

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After 3+ Hours, American Flatbread Denied Patio Seating

By ARLnow.com

Published July 12, 2010 at 7:48AM

Board members repeatedly reassured owner Scott Vasko that Flatbread was exactly the type of business that Arlington County is trying to attract. In the end, however, promises made to local homeowners in 2004 were upheld, and a patio between the restaurant and an adjacent house will remain an undeveloped “buffer zone.”

In a concession to Flatbread, the board granted the more lenient of two possible scenarios for sidewalk seating in front of the Clarendon restaurant. Flatbread will be allowed to set up tables on 25 feet of sidewalk in front of 11th Street North (the other scenario called for 15 feet). Combined with sidewalk seating also approved for North Fillmore Street, Flatbread will likely have a total of four outdoor tables and 10 seats. The patio could have sat 24.

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East Falls Church Plan, New Rosslyn Metro Station on Saturday’s Board Agenda

By ARLnow.com

Published July 9, 2010 at 3:31PM | Updated July 9, 2010 at 7:46PM

The board will vote on an initial framework for the East Falls Church development plan, which has attracted quite a bit of controversy. The plan could pave the way for the construction of apartment buildings, retail spaces and other dense, pedestrian-friendly development in what is now a much more single-family-home-oriented area.

Another item under consideration would result in the construction of a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station . The $32-35 million dollar project was originally meant to take place concurrent to the construction of the Rosslyn Central Place development, but the development has stalled due to financial complications.

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Neighbor vs. Neighbor Over Restaurant’s Patio Request

By ARLnow.com

Published July 9, 2010 at 9:40AM | Updated July 9, 2010 at 11:31AM

In one corner are the supporters and management of American Flatbread, the wood-fired pizza restaurant that bills itself as a “community hearth” and is best known for its locally-sourced, organic ingredients. In the other corner are county planners and a majority of local homeowners (others support Flatbread), who don’t want the restaurant to open an outdoor patio on their relatively quiet section of North 11th Street in Clarendon.

At stake for neighbors is the tranquility of the neighborhood and, possibly, the area’s steep property values. At stake for Flatbread is its viability as a business in Clarendon.