development | ARLnow.com

Food Star on Columbia Pike Could Become Six-Story Apartment Building

Published April 27, 2015 at 5:00PM | Updated April 29, 2015 at 9:34AM

The existing Food Star on Columbia Pike

The proposed building, from developer Orr Partners, would be six stories of mixed-use development — five stories of apartments and ground floor retail. The property would have to redevelop under the Columbia Pike Commercial Form-Based Code, which calls for mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly buildings.

Orr Partners Chairman David Orr said he expects the building to have about 350 market-rate apartments, and for a grocery store and other community-oriented retail — maybe a fast-casual restaurant or two — to occupy the ground floor. He expects to submit a form-based code application in June.

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Ballston Mall Prepares for Possible Mass Closures By Year’s End

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 27, 2015 at 1:35PM | Updated April 27, 2015 at 4:59PM

Image courtesy Forest City

(Updated at 5:00 p.m.) The approval process for Ballston Common Mall’s massive renovation plans is still months away, but many stores are likely to close after the end of the year.

Forest City, which owns the mall, has coordinated leases for many of their shops on the mall’s interior to expire by the end of this year. This would pave the way for the mall’s renovation in 2016 once it’s approved, according to spokesman Gary McManus.

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First Look: The Future Plans for Pentagon Centre

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 23, 2015 at 10:10AM | Updated April 23, 2015 at 10:40AM

The ground level of the 25-story residential tower at S. Hayes and 12th Streets

Kimco Realty has released the renderings of its plan for Phase I of the redevelopment of the Pentagon Centre mall.

The real estate company will present the renderings to the Site Plan Review Committee tonight as it tries to amend its approved site plan. Its initial plans for the 16.8-acre site that includes the Costco, Best Buy and Nordstrom Rack in Pentagon City were approved in 2008, but those called for constructing the six-structure complex’s office buildings first.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 21, 2015 at 9:15AM

Australian Restaurant Coming to Clarendon — Oz, a new Australian restaurant, will be opening in the former La Tagliatella space in Clarendon late this summer. The restaurant is owned by Australian native Michael Darby, co-founder of Monument Realty, and his wife Ashley Darby, the 2011 Miss District of Columbia winner. [Washington Business Journal]

New Ballston Apartment Project in the Works — Saul Centers, which developed the Clarendon Center project, is planning a new residential and retail development on the Orange Line. The developer is in the early stages of proposing a 12-story, 431-unit apartment building to replace the Rosenthal Mazda dealership at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Wilson Blvd. [Washington Business Journal]

Verde Pointe Now Leasing in Courthouse (Promoted)

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Published April 7, 2015 at 5:00AM | Updated November 5, 2015 at 11:35AM

Verde Pointe — Arlington’s newest high-end apartment community — is now accepting leases for 2015 move-ins.

Featuring as many as 41 unique floor plan styles in both tower and townhome buildings, Verde Pointe will be a destination for area residents looking for a new apartment home in the centralized Courthouse neighborhood.

Around Town

Photos: Blue Goose Demolition Ramps Up

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 6, 2015 at 5:00PM

The Blue Goose building in Ballston being torn down April 6, 2015 (photo via @RahulG86)

Demolition of Marymount University’s “Blue Goose” building in Ballston is ramping up.

While the building at the corner of Fairfax Drive and N. Glebe Road has been slowly, methodically taken apart for months, today demolition crews seemed to reach an inflection point.

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Courthouse Wendy’s Redevelopment Approved by County Board

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 16, 2015 at 11:00AM

The last hurdle for the redevelopment of the Wendy’s in Courthouse has been cleared.

The Arlington County Board approved a 12-story office building and public plaza on Saturday to replace the Wendy’s and Wells Fargo at the intersection of N. Courthouse Road and Wilson and Clarendon Blvds. The approval was una

Around Town

Red Top Says They’re Here to Stay

By ARLnow.com

Published March 13, 2015 at 10:40AM | Updated March 13, 2015 at 12:52PM

Red Top Cab's facility in Clarendon in 2014 (file photo)

Red Top has signed a purchase agreement with a developer for its properties on Washington Blvd and N. Hudson Street, the Washington Business Journal reported. While that article said Red Top’s future was “unclear” — the reporter was not able to talk to a Red Top rep before publication — Director of Sales and Marketing Von Pelot says the company’s future is secure, even in the age of Uber.

“I was reminded of the words of Mark Twain when his obituary was prematurely published, ‘Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated,'” Pelot said via email. “Our recent development and introduction of the Red Top Select app which provides our customers with the convenience of booking, tracking, and paying for their ride through their mobile phone, is an example of our continuing commitment to our customers and our community.”

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 12, 2015 at 9:15AM | Updated March 12, 2015 at 9:33AM

Red Top Development Deal Struck — A potential deal to redevelop Red Top Cab’s property in Clarendon, which we first reported in September, is closer to becoming reality. The Shooshan Company has reportedly entered a purchase agreement with Red Top that would build three residential properties with 584 units on the 3.44 acre site. [Washington Business Journal]

Spring Yard Waste Collection — Arlington County’s spring yard waste collection is set to start Monday and run through April 24. For homeowners, the collection will take place the next business day after their trash collection. [Patch]

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Pentagon City Costco, Best Buy in Line for Big Redevelopment

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 11, 2015 at 12:15PM

A drawing of the completed Pentagon Centre redevelopment, seen from the Northwest

Pentagon Centre, the big-box mall that counts Best Buy and Costco as tenants, could be transformed into an apartment, office and retail complex over the next half-century.

Developer Kimco Realty owns the property, which sets between S. Hayes and Fern Streets and 12th and 15th Streets S. Kimco has applied to redevelop it into six buildings in three phases.

Around Town

Century-Old House in Ballston to be Demolished

By Ethan Rothstein

Published February 26, 2015 at 5:30PM | Updated February 26, 2015 at 6:24PM

4210 Washington Blvd, to be demolished this spring

(Updated at 6:30 p.m.) In a matter of months, a Washington Boulevard house thought to have been built in the 1800s will be torn down.

The two-story shingle and frame house at 4210 Washington Blvd will be replaced with a four-story duplex with a rooftop patio. It was built sometime between 1895 and 1910, according to Arlington County records, but little, if anything, is going to be preserved.

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Board Approves Two Columbia Pike Developments

By Ethan Rothstein

Published February 25, 2015 at 5:00PM

The Arlington County Board approved a 229-unit, eight-story affordable housing complex on the western end of Columbia Pike and 50 new townhouses to replace the historic George Washington Carver homes in Arlington View.

The Carver Homes were built in the 1940s for residents displaced by the construction of the Pentagon, and many of the families who lived there when it was built now own residences in the co-operative. While preservationists lament the loss of a piece of the county’s history, the residents urged the County Board to approve the development.