The popular Columbia Pike Farmers Market re-opened for its 15th year on Sunday, May 3.  Come check out the fresh, ripe produce coming in from local Farmers every Sunday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in Pike Park, at the corner of S. Walter Reed Dr. and Columbia Pike.

Booth space is available for artisans and crafters. To access the application form click here. 

This year, in addition to farm favorites like Creek Side Produce, Twin Springs Fruit Farm, Smith Fresh Organic Meats,  James Laughlin Dairy, Toigo Orchards, and Westmoreland Produce, an exciting array of other vendors will participate in the market.  These include local producers of salsas, chocolate, coffee, tea, honey, beeswax candles, soaps, and jewelry.  Also, new this year are Cibola Farms who specialize in naturally raised bison, and Everona Dairy who are makers of artisanal sheep’s milk cheeses!

For a full list of vendors at the Columbia Pike Farmers Market go to: http://www.columbiapike.org/MARKET/index_E.html 

The Arlington County Board today approved $3 million in funding and agreements with Fairfax County and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for environmental planning and preliminary design of the Columbia Pike Streetcar.The Board’s actions clear the way for Arlington and Fairfax Counties to this year start the next phase of planning and design for the project. The work will be carried out by WMATA, and is expected to last about two years. During that time, Arlington and Fairfax Counties will examine ways to fund, construct, operate and maintain the proposed streetcar system.

The environmental documentation is expected to meet both state requirements and federal requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act. That will allow the streetcar project to qualify for federal funding, if available. The study will more accurately estimate the streetcar’s construction costs and allocate them between Arlington and Fairfax counties. It also will identify potential funding sources.

Funding

The $3 million approved today by the Board will come from the Transportation Investment Fund, created through a commercial real estate tax authorized in 2008 by the Board and dedicated to funding transportation projects. The County expects that the state may reimburse as much as $1 million of the $3 million under state capital formula reimbursement grant funds. The Board also approved using $148,000 in WMATA Project Development Program funds allocated to Arlington County projects for the streetcar environmental planning and preliminary design. Under today’s agreements, costs for most tasks are split 80 percent to Arlington and 20 percent to Fairfax. (About 13 percent of the streetcar’s track mileage is located in Fairfax County, but much of the environmental and design work is not strictly mileage-based).

Background

Arlington introduced the Pike Transit Initiative in 2004 following an intensive community planning effort that produced a new form based

 code to redevelop the Columbia Pike corridor. The Pike Transit Initiative introduced new bus services and led to a recommendation that a streetcar would improve transit connections linking neighborhoods and town centers along the Columbia Pike Corridor with employment centers and the regional Metrorail system.

In spring 2006 both Arlington and Fairfax counties endorsed a streetcar line between Pentagon City and Skyline as the preferred transit alternative for the Columbia Pike Corridor. Since then, WMATA has worked with Arlington and Fairfax staffs on technical studies to advance the project.

The five-mile streetcar will move more people, more efficiently than the current Pike Ride bus service. For most of the route, the streetcar would operate in mixed traffic, generally running in the curb lane of the street. The stops would be about one-third mile apart. It is expected to act as a catalyst for the redevelopment of the corridor and foster a pedestrian-friendly “main street” environment for residents, visitors and commuters to enjoy.

Construction of the large mixed-use Penrose Square development (on the Pike at S. Adams St.) has gotten a lot closer as Giant closed its existing stores in the Adams Square Shopping Center on April 16. The next day they opened a temporary pharmacy at 2408 Columbia Pike (next to Rappahannock Coffee) that will operate until the new Giant Food and Pharmacy open as part of Penrose Square in 2011. In addition, Giant is operating a free shuttle to their Bailey’s Crossroads store according to the following schedule:

                                                Departure Times from          Return Times from

Days                                    2408 Columbia Pike                Falls Church Giant

Monday                               9 a.m. and 5 p.m.                             11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Wednesday                        9 a.m. and 5 p.m.                             11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Saturday                             9 a.m. and 3 p.m.                             11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

To see the announcement from Giant  click here.

The Pike was swinging and swaying as the largest crowd ever turned out for the 13th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival on June 21, 2008.  Great music, delicious foods, and hot and sunny weather combined to make it the perfect way to celebrate the first day of summer. Even the predicted thunderstorms knew better than to rain on the Pike area’s favorite street party.

Festival goers enjoyed six hours of music (click here for musician photos) by Danny Blew & the Blues Crew, Karl Stoll & the Dangerzone, Melanie Mason Band, Tom Principato, Memphis Gold, and Roomful of Blues. A limited number of souvenir Blues Festival t-shirts are available for $10 each.  Call CPRO at 703-892-2776 to buy yours today. To view the t-shirt graphic designed by Mark Beeson of Beeson Creative Group click here.

Please help us thank the following sponsoring organizations for helping to make the Blues Festival possible:Yuengling Beer; the Washington Forrest Foundation; Arlington Commuter Service’s PikeRide and Car Free Diet; Silverwood Associates; Woodfield Investments; Fillmore Garden Apartments; B.M. Smith & Associates;  Westmont Gardens,  Oakland and Dorchester Apartments of Columbia Pike; Eye Site Optometrists; Columbia Pike Plaza/  Rakusin & Becker Management; DSF Advisors; and Heritage Property  Company LLC. CPRO would also like to thank the following in-kind sponsors: Comcast; OnTap Magazine; the Arlington Connection; Beeson Creative Group; Left Noodle-Right Noodle; the William J. Reap Co.; BB&T Bank, the Ethiopian Community Development Council, the Arlington Cinema ’N Drafthouse; Sign*a*rama of King Street; and the Sheraton National Hotel.



 

 

 

 

Click here for other photos of the Blues Festival!

 

Final touches are being put on the exterior of The Halstead Arlington, the 8-story mixed-use building at the corner of the Pike and S. Walter Reed Dr. Recently, CPRO staff were treated to a tour of the project by Justin Sparrow of DSF Advisors, the Halstead’s developer, pictured here with Pam Holcomb overlooking the zen garden and pool area. The apartment leasing office, just off the residential lobby, is now open. The 269 luxury units include a mix of studios, one bedroom and two bedroom apartments, some with balconies offering expansive views of the Pike and surrounding areas. From the upper floors one can see Ballston, Rosslyn, Skyline, as well as sights including the Washington Cathedral, the Air Force Memorial, and the Washington Monument. The living room of a 2nd floor apartment is shown in the photo at the right. For more information about living at the Halstead go to www.halsteadarlington.com, or call the Bozzuto Management office at 703-486-1028. The 40,000 sq. feet of ground floor space will house a Lost Dog Cafe and the Arlington Free Clinic. In addition, leasing discussions are underway with a full service restaurant, a gym, and several other prospective tenants. For information about retail opportunities call Lindsey McGaw of KLNB Retail at (703) 722-2707. To see other photos taken on the CPRO tour of the Halstead CLICK HERE.

Nearly 1,000 local residents flocked to the Walter Reed Community Center on April 11 for the 3rd Annual Arlington Home Show & Expo. CPRO once again worked with the County’s Housing Division to bring this top quality home improvement showcase to Arlington. The show provided convenient one-stop shopping for a wide variety of products and services to increase the beauty, value, and energy efficiency of area homes.  To see a list of classes that were offered and/or to view the full list of exhibitors click here.  Special thanks to our sponsors:

  

                                                           

Washington Hispanic Newspaper

 

B.M. Smith & Associates, Inc. and Carbon Thompson Development report that their Penrose Square project (on Columbia Pike at S. Adams St.) is now fully funded. The deal with Wachovia and RBS, which was wrapped up on February 12, means that the existing Giant grocery store and pharmacy will soon be given 45 days notice, and their closure will make way for demolition and excavation of the site.  The 7-story development will include a large new Giant store, 30,000 sq. ft. of other retail, 299 apartments, more than 700 parking spaces, and a new public square. The project had been held up pending resolution of a financing package. This is a significant accomplishment in today’s difficult lending environment where fewer loans are being made, and terms are generally less attractive.  Financing difficulties have delayed groundbreaking for the Arlington Mill Community Center redevelopment (on the Pike at S. Dinwiddie St.), and also explains why it has not yet been possible to close a deal to redevelop the Bob & Edith’s 2 site (on the Pike at S. Buchanan St.).

 

Construction crews are shown here working on the 7th floor of the rapidly rising 55 Hundred which is being built on the Pike at S. Greenbrier St. The project, which is being developed by Fairfield Residential, was previously named "Columbia Village." The mixed-use development will be ten stories tall, and will include 7500 sq. ft. of ground floor retail and 235 apartments. This is the first major redevelopment in the Western Gateway section of Columbia Pike.

For more information about the project go to the webpage at-- http://www.55hundredlifestyle.com/

Thanks go to CPRO member Jerry Brill who shot this photo from his 9th floor balcony at the Carlyle Condominium next door.

On September 16 the Arlington County Board approved a resolution authorizing the County Manager to commence the Columbia Pike Land Use & Housing Study, an initiative that has long been planned as an adjunct to the Pike’s Revitalization Initiative. This effort will study the residential areas along the Pike which were not included in earlier revitalization planning that was focused almost exclusively on existing commercial properties. The adjacent residential areas include a number of older apartment complexes that are likely to see increased demand for redevelopment, and about which there is concern about potential loss of affordable housing.  A "Plenary Group" of stakeholders and a smaller subset referred to as the "Working Group" will be established to identify issues, discuss opportunities, and review and comment on findings, policies, and recommendations prepared by County staff and/or its consultant. The County Board’s resolution asks for the creation of a plan that includes a new vision for these areas that complements the community’s housing goals and results in creation of improved housing stock and broader housing options. It is expected that the planning phase of the study will take 18 months and the implementation phase an additional 12 months.

Columbia Pike has long been known for its wide variety of delicious dining options, but with the Pike’s emerging revitalization now seems like a good time to re-introduce our restaurants and markets.

So, each month or so CPRO is highlighting a restaurant or market with its feature: “Global Dining on the Pike.” It’s an invitation for all of us to look around and see how culturally rich our community is. The people behind these establishments all have stories, and we’d like to share them with you. We all come from many different cultures, and can benefit from learning about each other. And what better way to start than by eating!

This month, we’re featuring Rincome. Meet the people behind the restaurant and learn why diners have been enjoying their unique establishment for many years. To access the Global Dining section click here or follow the link in the left hand column.

The Columbia Pike Streetcar Project is a collaboration between Arlington County, Fairfax County, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). After years of study a plan for a $150 million 4.7 mile electric streetcar line that will run from Skyline to Pentagon City, operate in mixed traffic lanes, and be supplemented with buses during peak periods, was endorsed by the Arlington and Fairfax County Boards in April and May of 2006. Work already completed includes identification of necessary rights-of-way and investigation of any underground utility conflicts. Environmental assessment and preliminary engineering work is now being scoped, and is expected to commence in early 2009. Earlier this year both counties instituted supplemental commercial (non-residential) property taxes to create dedicated funds that can be used for transportation projects such as the Columbia Pike Streetcar. These funds are being used to support current project activities. In addition, regional funding was expected to come via the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA), however the State Supreme Court ruled that as a non-elected body NVTA could not levy the necessary taxes and fees. It is hoped that the state legislature will approve an alternative and constitutional method for funding the region’s priority transportation projects. Should state or regional funds not be made available, the streetcar system design and construction work planned for 2010-2011 is likely to be delayed. However, leaders of both counties remain committed to seeing the project implemented.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the Columbia Pike Streetcar

Click here for Map of Proposed Streetcar Line

The Arlington County Board late Monday night (July 21) approved the master plan for Penrose Square, the first and largest of three new squares planned for Columbia Pike’s Town Center that 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 Board Chairman 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.”

The 33,000 sq. ft. square will be located on the north side of Columbia Pike between South Cleveland and South Barton Streets in what are now the existing surface parking lots of the Adams Square and Fillmore Shopping Centers. The square will face south, fronting on Columbia Pike.

The square’s vibrant design, pictured here in a rendering, was developed by a 12-member citizen Working Group appointed by the Board. The working group, working with the landscape architectural firm, Oculus, envisioned a space that would draw the community together to socialize, dine, relax or recreate.

Main elements of the design include:

• Bosque (tree-covered) terrace with movable seats and tables
• Centrally located paved plaza
• Low seating wall and step feature
• Zero-depth, interactive water fountain
• Two mounded lawn areas that provide casual seating options
• Custom retaining walls along Columbia Pike and South Cleveland Street
• Public art features that relates to local history

The square will be built in two phases.  Phase I will consist of a 17,760-sq. ft. parcel which represents the eastern half of the square. Construction of Phase I is expected to begin in mid-2010 and has an estimated cost of $2.2 million.  Phase II – approximately 15,000 sq. ft. – will be provided by and coordinated with the future redevelopment of the Fillmore Shopping Center site.  Although a construction date for the second portion of the square is not yet determined, it is projected to cost an additional $2 million.

Background

Revitalization of Columbia Pike, a vital transit corridor through Arlington, is a top priority for the County. The Board adopted a revitalization plan on March 12, 2002, establishing a vision and development framework.

In February, 2003, the Board adopted the Form Based Code for Columbia Pike corridor, a new review process and zoning tool to promote smart growth redevelopment in the corridor and to achieve new public places. 

Four development nodes were established within the revitalization district – Town Center, Neighborhood Center, Village Center and Eastern Gateway. The Form Based Code also designated a series of new public open spaces and specified purposes and design criteria for each. The goal is to transform south Arlington’s Main Street into a lively commercial boulevard with a mix of ground-floor retail stores and sidewalk cafes framed by a canopy of trees and upper story homes and offices.

In October, 2006, the County Board approved the Penrose Square site plan project – a mixed-use development that includes residential units, ground floor retail, a new Giant grocery store, and underground parking.  As a condition of the approved site plan, the project’s developer, Carbon Thompson Development, dedicated the 17,760 square foot parcel to the County for the purposes of creating the first half of the public square. 

Three new prototype bus shelters featuring heated seats, heated floors, new lighting, glass walls, and WiFi capability will be built on Columbia Pike within the next nine months, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced recently. These three stops are the first of potentially 22 that could be built along the Pike. To access a Washington Post article with more information click here.

A large and enthusiastic crowd came out on September 20 and enjoyed the 2nd annual Taste of the Pike-- a multicultural celebration that truly lived up to its name!  Once again the grounds of the Arlington Mill Community Center came alive with culinary specialties from a variety of the Pike’s popular Thai, Salvadoran, Ethiopian, Peruvian, Bolivian and  Southern American restaurants and caterers.   The festival also featured a colorful global market with arts and crafts booths, local companies offering other products and services, and a number of civic and community service groups.

In addition, the crowd enjoyed live entertainment throughout the day including musical and dance performances reflecting the cultures of Mongolia, Malaysia, Spain, Panama, China, the Caribbean, Ireland, Africa, and Bolivia! CPRO was pleased to bring the event to the Pike community in partnership with the Arlington County Multicultural Advisory Commission, whose Vice Chair, Wuiping Yap, served as MC.

In addition, a fun children’s area included a large inflatable moon bounce,  face painting, and arts/crafts acitivities led by Left Noodle-Right Noodle.  Thanks also to the Arlington County Cultural Affairs Division for providing a stage and securing some of the talent for this exciting event. CLICK HERE for more photos from Taste of the Pike! Special thanks to our sponsors who made it possible for CPRO to produce this event: Washington Forrest Foundation, Edgemoor Real Estate Services, Silverwood Associates, Dominion Power, Heritage Property Co. LLC., Woodfield Investments, Dittmar Co., and the Dorchester, Westmont Gardens, and Oakland Apartments of Columbia Pike.