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June 2007 E-Newsletter
June 14, 2007 e-Newsletter
12th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival this Sunday!
Looking for something to do on Father’s Day? You’re sure to enjoy the 12TH Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival. The popular and FREE street party will be held on Sun. June 17 from noon to 6:00pm on S. Walter Reed Dr. between 9th St. and Columbia Pike. There will be 5 live bands including Smokin’ Joe Kubek, Memphis Gold, and Ernie Hawkins, who will also offer a free guitar workshop at noon. Kicking off the live music at 1:00 will be Arlington’s own The Curbfeelers, followed by Karl Stoll and the Danger Zone. All fathers will receive two free movie passes courtesy of the Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse (go to their booth to pick up yours). As always, great food vendors will be on hand---Big Daddy’s BBQ and Rincome Thai are back, along with Salvo’s Pizza Pantry, Amira Mediterranean Foods, and Funnel Cakes by Carol’s Concessions. Excellent wine will be served by Curious Grape of Shirlington, and cold beer and other beverages will be available. You’ll enjoy browsing at the arts and crafts booths, and chatting with civic leaders, as the kids enjoy playtime on jumbo inflatables by JumpWorks, and get their faces painted by a Clown! CPRO thanks Rebecca Krafft, the event’s lead volunteer, and the following generous sponsors for helping us keep the Festival free to the public: PikeRide, Washington Forrest Foundation, Silverwood Associates, Inc., E.G. Reinsch Apartment Communities, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse, BB&T, Clark Ventures, DSF Advisors (developers of the Halstead at Arlington), Fillmore Garden Apartments, Sheraton National Hotel, Rakusin & Becker Management (Columbia Pike Plaza), AA Locksmith Service, and Buck & Associates Realtors.
Progress Continues on Design of Penrose Town Square
An 11-member Citizens Working Group tasked with the design of a new outdoor public space at Penrose Square has met twice and conducted a field trip to look at 5 comparable public places in our area. In addition, the County issued an RFP and has received multiple proposals from firms seeking a contract to provide landscape architecture and engineering support to the effort. The firm would also be tasked with development of a master plan for the site, located in the former Adams Square Shopping Center at 2405 and 2501 Columbia Pike, and preparation of construction drawings and specifications. The resulting contract award is expected by late summer or early fall.
FAA Issues Opinion Concerning Height of Approved Building at Former Safeway Site
County Officials and Woodfield Investments, developer of Siena Park on Columbia Pike at S. Wayne St., are working to address a “Notice of Presumed Hazard” issued by the Federal Aviation Administration due to the height of the planned building. The development, which was approved by the Arlington County Board last October, is planned to be a mixed-use 6-story building with a maximum height of 78 ft. The perplexing notice from the FAA indicates that to meet air traffic obstruction standards the new building should not exceed 9 feet in height, even though the site is currently surrounded by structures that are much taller than that. Meanwhile, Woodfield has submitted a package of “administrative changes” that proposes minor adjustments to the building’s façade. These changes are currently being reviewed by the County.
CPRO Logo and Website Getting Facelifts
Did you notice the new logo at the top of the e-Newsletter? (If you received this without graphics go to www.columbiapike.org --the graphic appears in the center column of that webpage.) The new logo was created by Greg LaPorta, a Columbia Pike resident, who is a web designer with Demosphere, CPRO’s website host. Greg is also working on a new look and feel for the CPRO website, along with some new functionality, all of which will be available to website visitors within the next two months. For more information about Demosphere go to www.demosphere.com.
Feasibility of Several Developments Being Explored
The Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) is preparing plans for preliminary review by the County for construction of approximately 12 townhouses on their S. Highland St. property, just north of 12th St. in Douglas Park. The townhouses may include English basements, and one of them is expected to be a live/work unit. Plans are to comply with the Form Based Code which would require the developer to construct a portion of the proposed 11th st. extension. In addition, the owner of the Litman Law building at 3717 Columbia Pike is exploring a new plan for redevelopment of that site. Plans may include replacing the current building with a 5-story mixed use building facing the Pike.
Bob & Edith’s Diner Makes Best Breakfast List
The users of AOL’s City Guide have ranked Bob & Edith’s #2 on their list of the ten best breakfast restaurants in the DC area. In the words of the guide’s editor, “when you’re looking for plain and simple comfort food, Bob & Edith’s is simply the place to find it.” The current rankings place B&E’s ahead of the popular 29 Diner on Lee Highway in Fairfax, the legendary Old Ebbitt Grill in DC, and many other notable establishments. Bob & Edith’s is located at 2310 Columbia Pike, and their second restaurant is at 4707 Columbia Pike.
Amy McWilliams Appearing in Witches of Eastwick
While many people are impressed by how much Amy McWilliams (CPRO’S Associate Director) gets done in the office part-time, we know her true passion is the theatre. And, following long runs in A Christmas Carol and Meet John Doe at Ford’s Theatre, we are glad to have her back on the Arlington stage in The Witches of Eastwick at the beautiful new Signature Theatre in Shirlington. Amy is playing Greta Neff, a beauty parlor operator with big hair who is more than a little shocked by what’s going on in her town. According to Amy, “it’s a fun show to be in, kind of like Wicked, but for adults.” more information or to buy tickets go to www.sig-online.org.
Wanted: Photo of Bad Habits
Paula Endo of the Columbia Pike Documentary Project is looking for a photograph (b/w or color) of Bad Habits Grill and the immediate area around it for a possible before/after piece that might be included in a future publication or display. The project team is working in collaboration with the Arlington County Department of Libraries. (See recent newsletter for a description of our project.) If anyone has a good photo of the site please email paulaendo@gmail.com or call her at 703-575-8875.
Contact Us
As always, the CPRO staff welcomes your input. Email your suggestions, questions, comments, and offers of assistance to jwhittaker@columbiapike.org or call 703-892-2776.
Know someone who would like to receive the CPRO e-Newsletter? Please send us email addresses and we will add them to our distribution list.
As always, for more information about what’s happening on the Pike go to www.columbiapike.org
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