Rosslyn | ARLnow.com

Fate of WJLA Jumbotron Uncertain After Vote

Published June 18, 2012 at 3:25PM

While the Board approved a request to replace the screen at 1100 Wilson Boulevard with a more modern, high definition video display, it also voted against a request that 8 percent of the screen space be used for a static commercial sponsorship message.

WJLA and landlord Monday Properties requested a sponsorship logo be allowed in order to help fund the new pricey new screen. The logo would have taken up 8 percent of the screen, while another 15 percent of the screen would have been used for community and cultural messages. As we reported last week, county staff recommended against the sponsorship request, saying it could set a bad precedent.

Around Town

Decorative Planters in Rosslyn Point the Way to Artisphere

By Katie Pyzyk

Published June 18, 2012 at 11:05AM

The Rosslyn Business Improvement District teamed up with students the Art Institute of Washington to set up temporary decorative planters in the temporary CentralSpace park along Wilson Boulevard. The planters feature artistic wrappers showcasing various Rosslyn-centric images.

The beautification project also included orange “orbs” painted on the sidewalk, which form a “bread crumb trail” from the Rosslyn Metro to Artisphere.

Traffic

Lights Blinking at Intersection After Fire in Walk Signal

By ARLnow.com

Published June 15, 2012 at 12:10PM

A pedestrian walk signal at the intersection somehow caught on fire around 11:30 this morning. The fire was minor and eventually burned itself out, but not before passersby caught sight of smoke coming from the signal. As a result of the fire, power was temporarily cut to all traffic signals at the intersection.

As of 12:10 p.m., the lights were operating on battery power and blinking red. Police were on scene assisting with traffic control.

News

WJLA Seeking Permission to Replace Jumbotron

By ARLnow.com

Published June 13, 2012 at 12:15PM

June 2012

WJLA is asking the County Board to approve a site plan amendment that would allow the station to install a new high definition screen in place of the existing standard definition Jumbotron. The new screen would be smaller: 164 square feet compared to the current screen’s 172 square feet. It would also have a rectangular 16:9 aspect ratio, as opposed to the more square 4:3 aspect ratio of the current screen.

County staff is recommending the Board approve the new screen, but deny a separate request from WJLA to dedicate a portion of the screen to “commercial sponsor messages” unrelated to the normal WJLA programming.

News

Actor Kal Penn Meets With Young Obama Supporters in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published June 12, 2012 at 12:25PM

At Cafe Asia in Rosslyn, Penn spoke to a young professionals event about the importance of the upcoming presidential election.

“The stakes in this election are extremely high and none of us want to see the country move backwards,” Penn said. “Obviously Virginia is a battleground state, so there are a lot of resources on both sides of the aisle being poured in here.”

News

Construction on Rosslyn Apartment Tower May Begin This Year

By ARLnow.com

Published June 11, 2012 at 10:14AM

The project consists of two 390-foot towers — one office tower, one residential tower — both built across from the Rosslyn Metro station, between N. Lynn Street and N. Moore Street. JBG is asking the Board for the option to build the residential tower first, even though the developer’s original site plan called for the office tower to be built first.

The Board is expected to consider a site plan amendment on Saturday that would transfer the community benefits timed to coincide with the office tower construction — including the construction of a public plaza between the two planned buildings, a $3.5 million contribution for the construction of a new Rosslyn Metro entrance, and $5.4 million to the county’s affordable housing fund — to the timeline for the residential tower’s construction, presuming the residential tower is built before the office tower.

Events

Kal Penn Coming to Arlington, For Obama

By ARLnow.com

Published June 8, 2012 at 3:55PM

Penn — famous for roles in movies like Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, and TV shows like House and How I Met Your Mother — will first drop by a young professionals event at Café Asia (1550 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn at 6:00 p.m. He’s expected to talk about why he supports President Obama and why Virginia is an especially important state in the re-election effort.

At 7:30 p.m., Penn will greet phone bank volunteers at the Obama campaign’s Arlington office (2408 Columbia Pike).

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 8, 2012 at 9:00AM

Rosslyn Outdoor Movies Start Tonight — The season of weekly, political-themed outdoor movies in Rosslyn starts tonight with the 1999 Matthew Broderick/Reese Witherspoon flick “Election.” The movie is scheduled to start at dusk.

Anti-Harassment Ads at Metro Stations — WMATA has placed anti-sexual harassment public service announcements in 28 Metro stations. In Arlington, the ads can be found in the Ballston and Clarendon Metro stations. [Stop Street Harassment]

Around Town

Then and Now: Hot Shoppes

By Katie Pyzyk

Published June 6, 2012 at 1:45PM | Updated June 6, 2012 at 5:58PM

Hot Shoppes restaurant on Langston Blvd, circa 1930s

The photo on the left shows the Hot Shoppes location at 1325 Lee Highway in Rosslyn, during the 1930s. It was part of the chain started locally by J. Willard Marriott in 1927.

Marriott and his wife, Alice, moved to the D.C. area from Utah. He launched a restaurant based on his affinity for American Southwest foods such as spicy BBQ, chili and tamales. The name came from his desire for a restaurant that would provide hot food to warm the D.C. residents during the wet chill of an Eastern winter.

Events

Lunchtime Concerts Start Today in Rosslyn

By Katie Pyzyk

Published June 5, 2012 at 9:45AM

The concerts all begin this week and will take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and and Thursdays from 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Tuesday concerts, held at Freedom Park (17th Street over Lynn Street and Wilson Blvd), will run through July 31. Wednesday concerts are held at CentralSpace (Wilson Blvd and N. Moore Street), and will continue through August 29. There will be no concert on Wednesday, July 4. Thursday concerts take place at the Farmers Market (Wilson Blvd and N. Moore Street), and will have a longer season, running through October 25.

News

Man Charged for Accidental Gunshot in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published June 1, 2012 at 10:50AM

The incident happened last night (May 31) around 10:45 p.m. on the 1500 block of N. Key Boulevard.

Police say the suspect was cleaning his .40 caliber Sig Sauer handgun when it accidentally discharged. The bullet went through the suspect’s TV, through a window, and across the street in the direction of an office building. Officers searched for the bullet but were ultimately unable to locate it.

News

Rosslyn BID Statement on Food Truck Regulations

By ARLnow.com

Published May 31, 2012 at 2:42PM

Citing “challenges” posed by the 100 or so food trucks and carts licensed in Arlington, the BID says the county should work to create a “level playing field” between mobile vendors and restaurants. Among the BID’s recommendations are regulating the “location and schedule of food trucks, trash, parking and access to restroom facilities.”

We reported exclusively last week that the BID was in the process of formulating a set of recommended county regulations for food trucks, at least in part to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants against the onslaught of competition from food trucks, which don’t make the same kind of long-term investments in a neighborhood as restaurant owners.