With the Arlington Connection’s recently published an article on the future of Ballston, “Ballston 2020: A look at the redevelopment plans across the west end of Arlington’s Metro corridor,” we thought it would be interesting to see where Ballston was 3 years ago in 2014 via another article from The Washington Post: “Where We Live: In Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood, variety is a fact of life.”

Ballston has been growing steadily, but even in 2014, everything was still accessible. Samantha Baker, a new Ballston resident at the time, stated, “’I’m a walker, you had to drive no matter where it was’ [referencing Long Island, CA]. But in Ballston, she said, she can get to everything she needs — supermarkets, drugstores and restaurants — on foot. For Christiana Campos and her husband, Javier Candon, moving to Ballston five years ago meant finding a place to raise their two children: an 8-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter. Having lived in the District before their children were born and in Rosslyn when they had one child, the couple wanted more space. ‘It was close to the city, and we wanted to have a house,’ Campos said. ‘It’s small but nice, and we have a back yard.’ Ballston has a ‘small-town vibe’ with a ‘touch of urban,’ she said.”

Just like the recent Arlington Connection article, Tina Leone, chief executive of the Ballston Business Improvement District, was quoted, saying: “It needs more entertainment options.” Since the Washington Post article was published, however, more entertainment venues, restaurants and bars have opened, creating many more opportunities for Ballston residents.

With the new Marymount project completed, along with the upcoming 4040 Wilson Blvd. (Arlington’s first vertically mixed-use building) and Ballston Quarter, the Arlington neighborhood is about to get much busier.

References:

Ballston 2020: A look at the redevelopment plans across the west end of Arlington’s Metro corridor. (2017). Arlington Connection. Source: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2017/oct/30/ballston-2020/

Where We Live: In Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood, variety is a fact of life. (2014). The Washington Post. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/where-we-live-in-arlingtons-ballston-neighborhood-variety-is-a-fact-of-life/2014/08/07/e6f34dc6-1417-11e4-9285-4243a40ddc97_story.html?utm_term=.5c8c7a652286