Pike Construction Update 4/12/2013
| As received from Arlington County’s Department of Environmental ServicesUndergrounding and Street ImprovementsConstruction continues for the Utility Undergrounding and Street Improvement project, located between S. Wakefield Street and S. Four Mile Run Drive. County staff is working with contractors to restore the westbound roadway paving conditions. They will perform temporary patching of the roadway until it is ready for an asphalt overlay. Read More |
Streetcar Now!
Streetcar Now is the name of a growing group of vocal supporters of the Columbia Pike / Crystal City Streetcar. They went public at the County Board meeting on Feb. 23:
Arlington, VA – A pro-streetcar group, Arlington Streetcar Now, announced its formation at the Arlington County Board meeting on Saturday, February 23. Longtime Arlington resident and civic activist John Snyder made the announcement and presented the Board with a list of principles the group will promote in support of the proposed streetcar system that would link Fairfax County and Alexandra through Columbia Pike and Crystal City. Read More
Penrose Square Ribbon Cutting
It is official: Penrose Square, phase I (17,760-sq. ft.), will be dedicated on Thursday Nov. 8th. Our new town square has been under construction since late Spring. The new space completes the redevelopment of the Penrose Square block which included 300 new apartments and new retail space owned by B.M. Smith & Associates. The buildings were delivered in 2011. The return of a major grocery store, three new restaurants and a diverse retail cluster are defining this part of the Pike’s revitalized Town Center.
The master plan for the Penrose Square was approved by the Arlington County Board In July 2009 and is the product of years of civic engagement and multi-stakeholder effort. It is the first of multiple new squares planned on the Columbia Pike corridor. Read More
Hurricane Sandy – Emergency Information and Updates
Information courtesy of Arlington County:
Please check for the latest updates here.
Who to Call:
To prepare for a possible power outage, print out or write down these numbers
- Power outages: Dominion Virginia Power, 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357), or 1-888-667-3000. (or www.dom.com
)
- Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly and folks with disabilities
- Natural gas emergencies: Washington Gas 703-750-1400 or 800-752-7520. If you smell gas, leave and call 9-1-1. Washington Gas Safety Page
- Trees Down: 703-228-6525
- Street flooding, water, sewer and storm-sewer: 703-228-6555 (emergency hotline)
(Note: During high rains, call volume is often greater than normal. Operators will respond to your call as soon as they can.) - Traffic signal outages: 703-228-6511
- Community assistance: If you are without power, out of food, need shelter or any number of vital services, call 703-228-1300 to get connected to people and organizations that can help.
- You can also dial 2-1-1 from any phone.
- For life-threatening emergencies, always call 9-1-1.
- Internet or Cable TV outages:
- Verizon: www.verizon.com/outage to report any wireline service-related issues; or call 1-800-VERIZON (1-800-837-4966). Business customers are advised to contact their regular customer service centers or account teams as needed.
- Comcast: 703-841-7700 or Emergency website: www.comcast.com/hurricaneseason/?SCRedirect=true
- Verizon: www.verizon.com/outage
- If you have a life-threatening emergency, always call 9-1-1. The non-emergency number (for the Emergency Communications Center) is 703-558-2222.
CPRO supports the Streetcar
CPRO released the following statement to the press today:
Press Release - For immediate release
Recent publications suggest that Bus Rapid System would be superior to a Streetcar serving the transit needs of our area. The Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization takes this opportunity to reaffirm support for a modern Streetcar.
In July 2012, the Arlington County Board and Fairfax County Board chose a modern Streetcar as the preferred transit alternative in our corridor. This decision was correct and well informed.
The rationale in support of a BRT alternative has been exhaustively discussed during the many years of public process preceding the aforementioned decisions.
Among many other benefits, a modern streetcar system:
- Commits the land use and economic development for decades to come. The sense of permanency and the corresponding growth dynamics that rail based transportation conveys to investors and businesses cannot be matched by a BRT system. Read More
WAMU Interviews Board Members About the Streetcar and Walkability
CPRO Board members John Murphy (Vice President) and David DeCamp (Director) were interviewed by WAMU reporter Martin Di Caro late Tuesday morning.
The focus of the piece was the Streetcar and the goal of making Columbia Pike more Walkable. ”The streetcar gives you the opportunity to leave your car in your garage or your parking space, or even live without a car entirely,” says DeCamp. Di Caro also interviewed County Board member Chris Zimmerman.
Click here for the full article.
Juliet Hiznay, CPRO’s new Board Chair
CPRO is pleased to announce that Mrs. Juliet Hiznay has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors.
A 12-year resident of the Columbia Pike neighborhood of Arlington Heights, Juliet Hiznay has served as a community representative on the board of directors for CPRO since 2006.
An attorney by trade, during her tenure on the CPRO board Ms. Hiznay has worked on a number of operational and policy issues, including expansion and improvement of the Columbia Pike Farmer’s Market and balancing civic and business representation on the board.
Ms. Hiznay served in the leadership of her civic association for several years, concentrating on improvements to neighborhood infrastructure, including updating the neighborhood’s 28 year-old Neighborhood Conservation Plan to obtain funding for street projects in the neighborhood, lobbying for replacement of the blue stone athletic field, and working with county Parks staff to enhance the parkland at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Middle School.
Ms. Hiznay also worked to improve county-PTA-neighborhood connections, seeking renovation of the Thomas Jefferson Middle School and serving on the Quality Review Team during the TJMS renovation. She has also served in a number of appointed positions in Arlington County: Columbia Pike Form Based Code Advisory Working Group, Capital Improvement Plan Working Group, Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee, Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission, and Public Spaces Master Plan Working Group (2000).
A graduate of George Mason University School of Law and Boston College, Ms. Hiznay is in private practice. She focuses her practice on representing parents who are seeking special education services for their children in the public school setting.
More information: CPRO Board of Directors
From Pupusas to Microbrews
From September 10 to October 27, photographs from the Columbia Pike Documentary Project will be exhibited in the Founders Art Gallery on the George Mason University Arlington Campus.
On Monday, September 10, 2012 from 4-7:15PM, there will be a reception with the artists behind the project followed by a panel discussion titled “From Pupusas to Microbrews: Gentrification and Columbia Pike.”
Panelists: Takis Karantonis, executive director of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO); Chris Zimmerman, Arlington County Board Member; Nina Janopaul, President of the Arlington County Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH); Christian Dorsey, community activist, political commentator & Pike resident
The First Annual Backyard BBQ Bash at Twisted Vines
Join Twisted Vines in their backyard for swine and wine (and beer)! Taste 18 unique wines from around the world and enjoy wine and beer by the glass from their outdoor bar while feasting on southern style BBQ from Arlington locals Backyard Barbeque & Catering Company. There will be cornhole and other outdoor games provided by Yelp!, and plenty of space to mingle with your neighbors.
The Bash is from 4-10pm with the wine tastings running from 4-7:30pm. Get your tickets online (click here), by calling 571.482.8581, or in person at Twisted Vines, located at 2803 Columbia Pike.
This event is co-sponsored by Yelp! and CPRO.
FroYo is Finally Coming to Columbia Pike
No date is set for the opening of the new Menchies location on Columbia Pike, but the Coming Soon signs in front of the Penrose storefront have Pike residents very excited!
The Menchie’s franchise has more than 200 stores worldwide and their motto is “We Make You Smile.” For more information and their frozen yogurt flavors visit their website here!
Eamonn’s Opens its New Location Monday
Thanks be to Cod! Cathal and Mechelle Armstrrong, the owners of Eamonn’s a Dublin Chipper (as well as Restaurant Eve and Majestic) are opening a new location on Columbia Pike. The space is still being worked on, but doors are set to open this Monday (8/13).
Eamonn’s, named for the Armstrong’s son Eamonn, serves fresh classic fish & hand cut chips (thick cut fried potatos- not to be confused with french fries), and homemade sauces. (Click here for the menu)
Mechelle describes the first time her husband Cathal (a Dublin native) took her to a chipper on the Eamonn’s website: “From that day on, I was hooked and understood why THIS was the food of the people.” After the massive success at their first location they have decided to open a second Chipper on Columbia Pike on the corner of South Barton Street in the Penrose building.
Eamonn’s will be accompanied by Bar TNT which will feature fresh creative Rock ‘N Roll themed cocktails from Todd Thrasher, the master mixologist behind PX Lounge and sommelier at Restaurant Eve.
Penrose Square
A new town square is currently under construction at 2500 Columbia Pike. The new space completes the redevelopment of the Penrose Square block which includes 300 new apartments and new retail space owned by B.M. Smith & Associates and delivered in 2011. The return of a major grocery store, three new restaurants and a diverse retail cluster are defining this part of the Pike’s revitalized Town Center. Phase I (17,760-sq. ft.) of the square is expected to be opened to the public in Fall 2012.
Penrose Sq. Phase I
The master plan for the Penrose Square was approved by the Arlington County Board In July 2009. Penrose Square is the first and largest of three new squares planned for Columbia Pike’s Town Center. These public spaces are key to the County’s efforts to transform the Pike.
“Penrose Square will provide a beautiful, well-planned public gathering place on Columbia Pike,” said County Board Member J. Walter Tejada. “This is an important step forward in the County’s efforts to revitalize the Pike by turning it into a lively, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use corridor with plenty of outdoor spaces where people can come together.” Read More
Farmers Market
The Columbia Pike Farmers Market is now year round! Join us every Sunday from 9am until 1pm in Pike Park in front of the Rite Aid store at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Dr. [map]. The “regular” market season runs from May – November and the new “winter” runs from December – April. (Please note the Market hours are shortened for the colder months of January February and March.)
Did you know that beginning in the early 1800s, and for well over a century, the Pike served as a preferred “farm to market” route for the nation’s capital? As we celebrate the Pike’s 200 year history, it is good to know that the tradition of community support for its own Farmers Market continues.
Find out more about the market and the vendors here.
Taquería el Poblano opens on the Pike
Delicious Tacos at Taquería El Poblano
Taqueria Poblano opens its doors on Columbia Pike just in time for Cinco de Mayo!! The Grand Opening is tomorrow, May 4th.
Come enjoy freshly prepared authentic Mexican dishes with a distinct Southern California approach, and maybe a margarita (or two!) made from fresh ingredients, in the dinning room or at the large bar in the center of the new space! Read More
New LED streetlights to be installed along the Pike
 New Columbia Pike LED Streetlights The following announcement we received today from Arlington County:
|
Construction begins on Phase I of Penrose Square
An official Arl. County announcement as we received it today:
Penrose Sq. – Phase 1
Construction of the new public square on Columbia Pike is starting! Penrose Square is the first of three squares that will eventually be located along the Pike Corridor and will be an active pedestrian center and community gathering spot within the corridor’s Town Center. Expect to see a lot of work these upcoming months at the site and to be able to use Penrose Square by early next fall! Read More
Super Stops Construction to Start in September
Great news (especially for commuters and Pike Transit users) from Arl. County’s Department of Environmental Services on the new Super Bus (and future Streetcar-) Stops. First Super Stop location: Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed eastbound:
Construction on the first of four pilot Columbia Pike Super Stops will begin this month. Super Stops, part of the Pike Ride service, are larger, more easily accessible bus shelters that offer riders amenities such as seating, lighting, wind screens, enahanced weather protection and electronic schedule information. Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services worked side-by-side with the community since 2004 to determine the design and locations for these bus stops. Read More
On Saturday, SEP. 17, 8pm: Movie under the Stars at Penrose Square
The new Penrose Square Giant presents the first Movie Under the Stars on Friday August, 27, 8pm on the Penrose Square at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Barton St. [map].
The featured film will be Best Picture Academy Award nominee: The Blind Side a true and truly remarkable football story [trailer] with Sandra Bullock, Kathy Bates and Tim McGraw in the leading roles. Sandra Bullock won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her leading role in this movie.
Bring your Family, friends and Neighbors, a blanket and/or a lawn chair and enjoy the movie on Saturday, Sep. 17, 8pm.
Giant Food sponsors the movie and the pop-corn! and CPRO co-sponsors the event.
Parking at the Penrose Square Building will be free! (access from S. Barton St., S. Adams St. and S. 9th St.).
Pike-ride Metro Buses (Line 16) will bring you to the event from all Pike Neighborhoods (Stop: S. Barton St.) and from the Pentagon and Pentagon-City Metro-Rail stations.
Latin American themed Family Afternoon on Aug. 20 at WRCC
Celebrate community and your stories on Saturday, August 20, from 1 – 5 p.m. at Walter Reed Center, during a fun-filled afternoon for all ages. Sponsored by Tell Arlington’s Story, the Smithsonian Latino Center & Grupo Awal, the event will feature music, delicious empanadas, hands-on activities inspired by Central American ceramics, corn husk dolls, sawdust rug making, Mayan dance presentation, bilingual storytelling, and talk by National Geographic archeologist on Central America’s indigenous civilizations. Read more.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
- August 20, 2011, 1pm-5pm
- Walter Reed Community Center: 2909 16th St. South, Arlington
- Public Transportation: Piketride (Stop: S. Walter Reed Dr.) , Metrobus 10B
New Arlington Mill Community Center in Construction
Construction teams are already at work at the site of the new Arlington Mill Community Center. The official Groundbreaking ceremony has been set for August the 24th, 10am at the construction site. The new center is expected to open in the first quarter 2013. It will feature a 5-story main building (57,000 sqf), an attached Gym (8,700 sqf), a public plaza at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie St.) and two levels of underground parking. The cost of the project is expected to be $24 million.
