Preparations are underway for the 2008 Taste of the Pike, an event the community warmly embraced in its inaugural occurrence last year. Once again the grounds of the Arlington Mill Community Center, at 4975 Columbia Pike, will come alive with culinary specialties from a variety of the Pike’s popular restaurants and food vendors, including Rincome (Thai), Dama (Ethiopian),  San Vincente (Salvadoran), and Big Daddy’s BBQ (Southern American). The festival will also feature 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 will enjoy live entertainment including performances by a diverse set of musical and heritage dance groups including Sutera Malaysia, Grupolfawa (Panamanian), and the Pike-based band Temporary Basement, and there will be a fun children’s activity area. CPRO is pleased to be partnering with the Arlington County Multicultural Advisory Commission to bring you this exciting event. Admission is FREE! Please mark your calendar and plan to attend on September 20.  Interested in renting booth space at the Taste of the Pike? To access vendor applications please click here.  To access our press release click here. To view more images from last year’s event click here.  Special thanks to our sponsors who make it possible for CPRO to produce this event:

    Washington Forrest Foundation

                       

  
                                              


           The Dorchester, Westmont Gardens, &
           Oakland Apartments of Columbia Pike  

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

Starting this month, CPRO is highlighting a restaurant or market with a new 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 Dama Restaurant, Café, and Bakery located on the Eastern end of Columbia Pike, near the Air Force Memorial.  Meet the Dama family and learn why people keep coming back to their unique establishment – it may surprise you. To access the Global Dining section click here or follow the link in the left hand column.

 

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 evaluate redevelopment proposals for the corridor and to achieve new public places. The move made development sites within the “Columbia Pike Special Revitalization District” designated on the General Land Use Plan eligible for development following the Form Based Code.

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.

The Pike was swinging and swaying as the largest crowd ever turned out for the 13th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival on June 21.  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: local pet services company Dog Paws University; 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!

 

As the summer continues more fresh, ripe produce is coming in from local Farmers whose prized fruits and vegetables are available every Sunday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm in Pike Park, at the corner of S. Walter Reed Dr. and Columbia Pike. This year, in addition to old favorites like Creek Side Produce, Twin Springs Fruit Farm, Smith Fresh Organic Meats, Bonaparte Breads, and Toigo Orchards, an exciting array of new vendors have joined the market.  These include organic Stoneybrook Farms, as well as local producers of milk, butter, cheese, salsas, tea, honey, and beeswax candles.  These join the Virginia Chocolate Co.,  Hondo Coffee, Union Street Soapworks, and other vendors who are happy to be coming back to the Pike for another year.

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

On Saturday, April 12 nearly 1000 local residents flocked to the Walter Reed Community Center (2909 16th St. S.)  to gain valuable information about a wide range of home improvement products and services  offered by more than 60 exhibitors.

Experts in all types of remodeling projects, replacement windows and doors, basement finishing and waterproofing, decks, flooring, paving, masonry, and much more were on hand. Moreover, a number of exhibitors featured solutions for building "green" and for making homes more energy efficient.  In addition, the County’s Fresh AIRE initiative gave away compact florescent light bulbs to the first 250 people to visit their booth. Also, many Home Show attendees took advantage of one or more of the 9 free classes and seminars that were offered. Non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity and Arlington Home Ownership Made Easier (AHOME) enjoyed the opportunity to meet so many area residents and spread the word about their programs. Jorge Laura of the County’s Housing Division ensured that representatives of a number of the County’s departments and programs participated. "It’s important that we be here to explain things like how to obtain residential building permits and how the County can help with a variety of housing issues," said Laura.

The 2^nd annual Arlington Home Show & Expo was presented by the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) in partnership with Arlington County’s Housing Division. “We are pleased to be able to put on this event in Arlington as a service to local residents, and to help highlight the good work of local companies in the home improvement field,” said Jim Whittaker, CPRO’s Executive Director.  Ann Bayer, the artist and owner of Barcroft-based Faux and Fleur Design said "We are delighted to be here. This is a great way to introduce ourselves to people who might be interested in decorative finishes for their home or business."

Whittaker also was happy with how well the community center accomodated the event. "This is a great facility, and we want to thank the folks in the Parks and Recreation department, and Jesse Barnes and his team at the Walter Reed Community Center for their outstanding support of this event," he said.

For more information about the show, including a full list of exhibitors, sponsors, classes and seminars, click  "Arlington Home Show & Expo" from the Site Contents list at the left. 

Those who might be interested in participating in next year’s Home Show as a sponor or exhibitor should contact the CPRO office (703-892-2776) to get on the 2009 invitation list.

The likelihood of bringing a modern streetcar system to Columbia Pike, which has been in consideration for nearly 5 years, has increased substantially in the past several months, as the project has gained public attention, and funding sources have become more promising.  A the recent Pike Progress Luncheon Arlington County Board member Chris Zimmerman told the large crowd that he is "more confident than ever" that the system will be up and running in "four or five years. Proponents of the system have been encouraged by a unanimous County Board vote that placed the Columbia Pike project on a list of County transportation priorities, the endorsement of the project by the  Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and the designation of $36.9 million for the project by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. Based on the Authority’s criteria for ranking projects the Columbia Pike Streetcar received the second highest score in the Transit category and the third highest score among all Northern Virginia projects. While the Virginia Supreme Court has subsequently ruled that NVTA does not have the authority to collect the tax money it would use for such projects, Northern Virginia leaders are hoping the legislature will establish a new, and constitutional, way for the region to fund its priority  transportation initiatives.

In addition, the Columbia Pike Streetcar has gained a good deal of media attention of late, as the subject of articles in the Washington Post, Washington Business Journal,  Arlington Sun Gazette, a number of segments on WTOP radio, and a story on Fox 5 News. One reason for the attention here is what’s happening elsewhere in the region and around the country, such as in Portland, Oregon (pictured at the right). "We are beginning to see a streetcar revolution," said Steve DelGuidice, an Arlington County transportation planner, who cites dozens of municipalities that are planning streetcar systems both to efficiently transport more people, and to gain the benefits of new economic development.

The proposal for a Columbia Pike Streetcar System came out of the extensive public planning efforts that produced the community’s vision for a revitalized Pike, the "Form Based Code" which prescribes the kinds of development that can occur here, and the Columbia Pike Street Space Planning Task Force Report. The specific plan for a 4.7 mile 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.

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

Click here for Map of Proposed Streetcar Line

  Mother Nature, proving she is a big fan of Columbia Pike, provided a remarkably warm, sunny, and beautiful day on October 21, and a great crowd gathered for a grand multicultural celebration and the start of a new tradition on the Pike.  County Board Vice Chairman Walter Tejada addressed the early afternoon festival-goers and said the event is an example of the vibrancy of the Columbia Pike Community and an indication of how Arlington welcomes its diverse population. The international food festival featured a wide variety of delicious fare from area restaurants including Atilla’s Restaurant (Middle Eastern), Dama’s em>(Ethiopian), San Vicente Restaurant (Salvadoran and TexMex), Taj Palace (Indian), Salvo’s Pizza Pantry (Italian), and excellent Thai cooking by Krit Yampai, Southern American fare from Big Daddy’s BBQ,  and baked treats from Shoe Box Oven. CPRO partnered with the Arlington County Multicultural Advisory Commission to bring the sights and sounds of more than a dozen performing groups to the event including the Mariachi band Asi es mi tierra, the Asian dance group Sutera Malaysia, the Arlington Dance Theater, Mexican Folklorica,  Hawaiian dancers from Halou-o-aulani, the Guatemalan Folkloric group WUQXINCAN, local barbershop quartet the Arlingtones, Bolivian dance group Santiago de Anzaldo, the  Fil-Am Heritage Dance Ensemble, the Panamanian Grupolfawa, the Columbia Pike Community Chorus, and more.

Vendors were busy showing and selling arts and crafts and other goods while civic and non-profit groups provided information about their activities and services. Edgemoor Real Estate Services and the architecture firm of Davis Carter Scott, who will redevelop the Arlington Mill Community Center Site as the County’s private partners, were on hand to discuss the exciting project. Meanwhile, representatives from Arlington County and transportation consultant DMJM Harris talked to festival-goers about plans for a modern streetcar system for Columbia Pike. One special feature of the Festival was its community health fair component where local health service organizations and health care providers offered information and free vision, blood pressure, and dental health screenings. Our lead sponsors for the event were the Washington Forrest Foundation, and Edgemoor Real Estate Services/ Davis Carter Scott. Our other sponsors are PikeRide; Giant Food; Virginia Commerce Bank; Silverwood Associates; Elite Electrical; The Dorchester, Westmont, and Oakland Apartments; B.M. Smith & Associates; Columbia Pike Plaza;  Woodfield Investments; Beeson Creative Group; Brown’s Nissan; and BB&T.

To view more photos click on "A Great Time at Taste of the Pike!" at the bottom of the left hand column of this web page, as well as the three links below it.