(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) The Arlington, Va. parking garage that played a pivotal role in the Watergate scandal is set to be demolished as part of a redevelopment.
Monday Properties plans to tear down two aging office buildings, at 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd in the Rosslyn neighborhood, to make way for a new mixed use development. Before any construction can take place, however, the proposed redevelopment will go through Arlington’s site plan process, which usually takes 1-4 years.
Crystal Screen, the weekly showing set up by the Crystal City Business Improvement District at 1851 S. Bell Street, will wrap up tonight (Monday) with Jurassic Park. The 1993 classic is the culmination of this summer’s “Blockbusters” theme. The film will begin after sunset.
Crystal City has already announced next summer’s theme, Flight.
Major Rosslyn Redevelopment Proposed — Monday Properties has filed an application with Arlington County to redevelop two aging office buildings in Rosslyn. Monday is proposing to tear down the 1960s-era buildings 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd and replace them with a 1 million square foot residential, retail and office development. [Washington Business Journal]
Arlington Woman Turns 105 — Helen Crossley, a resident at the Culpepper Garden retirement community, turned 105 on Saturday. Of her longevity, Crossley, a former nurse, said: “This lassie’s taken care of her chassis.” [Washington Post]
A cement truck accidentally dumped a small load of cement in the left lane of westbound Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn this morning.
The cement lay on the street for about an hour and a half before crews came to clean it up at approximately 10:30 a.m., according to a police officer at the scene. The cement was still wet when it was removed, avoiding a much longer, more laborious cleanup process had it dried.
WJLA parent company Allbritton Communications announced today that it had struck a deal to sell WJLA, local cable channel NewsChannel 8, and 6 other local TV stations to Sinclair, which is based in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The deal, worth $985 million, will add to Sinclair’s portfolio of nearly 150 television stations across the country.
The deal is not expected to close until the end of the year, while the companies wait for federal regulatory approval. No changes to the station are planned in the meantime, but newsroom employees worry that Sinclair — which is conservative in its politics and in its fiscal management — may cut jobs and make other changes once the deal is approved.
Earlier this summer, county road crews reconfigured the eastbound (downhill) lanes on Wilson Blvd approaching N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn.
Instead of having one lefthand turn lane and two straight through lanes, the middle lane was converted to a second lefthand turn lane.
The Rosslyn Business Improvement District, which puts on the annual event — now in its 23rd year — announced its Sept. 7 lineup this week. It includes Sanchez, a Grammy award winner, joined by saxophonist and clarinetist James Carter, performing a tribute to John Coltrane.
Opening the show will be a local band, the Kenny Rittenhouse Septet. Rittenhouse is a professor of jazz trumpet at George Mason University and performs in the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.
We’re told the driver was near the end of his route and the van had only a handful of packages left inside at the time of the theft. The van was idling in the parking lot when the driver stepped inside the gas station’s convenience store for “a couple of minutes,” a witness said.
While the van was idling, an unidentified suspect allegedly jumped in and speed off onto Clarendon Blvd. Police are now looking for the thief and the white-and-red van.
A high profile property has gone on the market near Rosslyn. Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green has put his condo up for sale.
The loft style condo in the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights neighborhood is at 1615 Queen Street N. and has a full listing in the ARLnow.com real estate section. The two bedroom, 2.5 bathroom property has 2,041 square feet and lists an asking price of $1,595,000.
After serving Rosslyn for 21 years, Rosslyn BID Executive Director Cecilia Cassidy has decided to retire. She started off as the Executive Director of Rosslyn Renaissance — an organization that merged with the BID last year — in 1992. Cassidy worked with businesses, the county government and others in the community to develop the BID, which began operations in 2003, and she has been with the organization for the past decade.
“We created the first BID in Northern Virginia. We worked with the County Manager and at the time had a $1 million dollar budget. Now now it’s a $4 million budget,” Cassidy said.
Authorities are trying to figure out why a box of old medical waste was left outside a hotel in Rosslyn this afternoon.
Police were first called around 3:00 p.m. to investigate a suspicious package, found next to a trash can outside Le Méridien hotel at 1121 19th Street N. Upon looking through the contents of the worn cardboard box, police discovered what was reported to be human waste.
‘Luxury’ Apartment Rent Falling in Arlington — Rents for Class A apartments in Arlington and Alexandria fell 4.5 percent in the second quarter of 2013, “a clear sign that the supply of new apartments is catching up to demand.” The average Class A rent in Arlington and Alexandria is $1,973 a month. [UrbanTurf]
Kroger Buys Harris Teeter — Ohio-based grocery chain Kroger has purchased Harris Teeter. So far, the company is not planning any significant changes for Harris Teeter stores, which will retain their branding and management. [Washington Post]
