Shooshan Company
IN THE NEWS
Two Liberty Center – Walkability In The Heart of Ballston
Two Liberty Center, located across from Ballston Quarter, 4040 Wilson Blvd. and The View Luxury Apartments, has one of the best "Walk Scores" around at 96. A variety of fast casual, white table cloth and quick serve restaurants, as well as hotels and retail shops, make Ballston one of the best neighborhoods to live and work in. Previously, we talked about how much Ballston has changed in just a few years time (see "Ballston 2014 vs 2020), and the changes are also apparent from some of Two Liberty Center's original materials, as seen below:
As seen in the above graphic, Ballston already had much to offer, however some of these restaurants and other amenities have been through some changes, and others have been replaced entirely. The original listings included:
RESTAURANTS – FAST CASUAL: A-Town Bar & Grill, Big Buns, Bloom's Grill, Blue River Café, Buffalo Wild Wings, CarPool, Charley's Grilled Subs, Chipotle, Cosi, Green Turtle, I Love Thai, IHOP, Kapnos Taverna, Manchu WOK, Mussel Bar, Noodles & Company, Panera Bread, Pepita Cantina, Pizza Autentica, Potbelly, Rock Bottom Brewery, Sweet Leaf, Sweetgreen, Taylor Gourmet, Texas Bar-B-Q, The Front Page, Tivoli, To Market To Market, World of Beer, Yona. RESTAURANTS – WHITE TABLE CLOTH: Grand Cru Wine Bar & Bistro, P.F. Chang's, Pinzimini, Uncle Julio’s Rio Grand Café, Rustico, Tara Temple, Kapnos Taverna. RESTAURANTS – QUICK SERVE: Arby's, Bruegger's Bagels, Buzz Bakery & Lounge, Chick-fil-A, Juice Zone, Sbarro, Starbucks Coffee, Subway, Zoe's Kitchen. HOTELS: Hilton, Westin Hotel, Residence Inn. FITNESS: Gold's Gym, Sport & Health. SERVICES/RETAIL: Bank of America, Capital One, CVS, First Citizens Bank, Freshbikes, HSBC, Macy's, One Stop News, PNC Bank, TD Bank, Suntrust Bank, Wells Fargo.
For example, what was once World of Beer is now Crafthouse, and CarPool has moved their location. The list does also not take into account the upcoming Ballston Quarter with all of their new amenities, or 4040 Wilson's upcoming VIDA Fitness (the first in Arlington!). One of our most recent developments, Marymount University's new campus, has added a Starbucks and other retailers.
As Ballston continues to grow, so does its offerings. The Shooshan Company is proud to be a part of this neighborhood's development and continues to partner with local and national businesses.
In addition to everything listed above and the impressive Walk Score, Two Liberty Center, located at 4075 Wilson Boulevard, has also received the Platinum award from Arlington County Commuter Services for its alternative transportation program. The property was also honored to receive LEED Gold Certification. As we’ve stated in previous articles, LEED stems from the U.S. Green Building Council and as their website states:
“LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is changing the way we think about how buildings and communities are planned, constructed, maintained and operated. Leaders around the world have made LEED the most widely used third-party verification for green buildings, with around 1.85 million square feet being certified daily… LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient. They use less water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As an added bonus, they save money.” https://shooshancompany.com/two-liberty-center-receives-leed-gold-certification/
We will keep you posted on other developments and amenities coming to Ballston, and you may also view twolibertycenter.com/lifestyle/ to see an updated list.
References:
Ballston 2014 vs. 2020. (2017). The Shooshan Company. Source: https://shooshancompany.com/ballston-2014-vs-2020/
4040 Wilson to Feature First Arlington VIDA Fitness. (2017). The Shooshan Company. Source: https://shooshancompany.com/4040-wilson-to-feature-first-arlington-vida-fitness/
LEED. (2017). U.S. Green Building Council. Source: http://www.usgbc.org/leed
Two Liberty Center Receives LEED Gold Certification. (2017). The Shooshan Company. Source: https://shooshancompany.com/two-liberty-center-receives-leed-gold-certification/
Arlington Memorial Bridge To Receive Repairs
The Washington Post writes, "In a rare bit of good news for the Washington region’s aging transportation infrastructure, the National Park Service announced Friday that it had approved a $227 million project to repair and rehabilitate Arlington Memorial Bridge, a major commuter artery traveled by 68,000 vehicles a day."
The Arlington Memorial Bridge is over 85 years old and has been in need of repair for a while. With the new funds, repair can start 18 months earlier than originally planned.
For the full story, click here.
References:
Effort to fix aging Arlington Memorial Bridge receives a $227 million boost. (2017). The Washington Post. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/effort-to-fix-aging-arlington-memorial-bridge-receives-a-227-million-boost/2017/12/01/f71f7e00-d6d2-11e7-b62d-d9345ced896d_story.html?utm_term=.a303a8a4144c
Holiday Cheer On Tap!
Ballston BID, The Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston are joining together to offer "Holiday Cheer on Tap!" This will be the 6th year in a row for the event.
The Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston is located 0.3 miles from the Orange and Silver lines Ballston Metro Station at 4610 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203. The deadline for pre-registration is 12pm on December 5 and there is also an option to pay at the door.
Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston
4610 Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203
Holiday Cheer On Tap!. (2017). Arlington Chamber of Commerce. Source: http://web.arlingtonchamber.org/events/Holiday-Cheer-On-Tap-2436/details
Ballston BID “Connect” App Review
The Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) was formed to "make Ballston a foremost business, cultural and entertainment destination." As a result, they offer many tools for those living and working in the neighborhood (see the interactive directory) which includes the "Ballston Connect" app for both Apple and Android. The app offers Ballston residents, as well as those who work in the city, a way see what's going on with:
- An Activity Feed
- Gives an active feed of current and upcoming events
- Food Trucks
- Displays tweets from food trucks in the area (with promotions and locations)
- Restaurant Specials
- Stay in the know with promotions to Ballston-area restaurants
- Contests and Giveaways
- Ballston BID regularly gives away coupons and gift cards to restaurants and more
- Find Parking
- Interactive map shows available parking areas
- Events in and around Ballston
- Business Directory
- Broken down by category
- Commercial Properties
- Education
- Entertainment
- Hotels
- Parking-Transporation
- Parks-Recreation
- Professional Businesses
- Restaurants
- Retail
- Broken down by category
- Virtual Ambassador
- A virtual guide to Ballston: "Let the ambassador help you find historical spots, programs and events, and other points of interest around Ballston."
- Ballston Voices
- This is one of our personal favorites and allows you to leave a picture and audio recording of anywhere you visit in Ballston for others to see and hear
Overall, the Ballston BID Connect app can be extremely useful and we highly recommend giving it a try. For more information, visit www.ballstonbid.com/ballston-connect.
Ballston: 2014 vs. 2020
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
At Look At Ballston Development Projects
The Arlington Connection newspaper recently published an article titled, "Ballston 2020: A look at the redevelopment plans across the west end of Arlington’s Metro corridor." The article, by Vernon Miles, does a great job at laying out current projects across the area including:- 1000 N Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22201: Marymount University Development
- 4230 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22203: Metro Plaza
- 4201 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22203: Central United Methodist Church Redevelopment
- 4000 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22203: Carpool Redevelopment
- 3901 North Fairfax Proposed: Office Redevelopment
- 4040 Wilson Blvd Proposed: Tallest Office in Ballston
- 750 North Glebe: Residential Redevelopment
- 672 Glebe Road: 672 Flats
- 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22203: Ballston Exchange - National Science Foundation Redevelopment
- 875 N. Glebe Road: Ballston Mall Redevelopment
A Google map with each development location via The Arlington Connection[/caption]
The Shooshan Company's latest project, Newside is among the many listed:
"The latest development completed in Ballston is the two luxury buildings finished over the summer, collectively called Newside. The two buildings are located at the former Blue Goose site on Marymount University’s Ballston campus in the northwest corner of the neighborhood. The southern building is a nine-story mixed office and retail building with 55,067 square feet of office space. The other is a 15-story market rate apartment building with 267 units." The latter is of course the new Rixey apartments.
Another quote from the article mentions the Shooshan Company project, 4040 Wilson:
"There are two site plans approved for 4040 Wilson Blvd. One would be almost entirely office and would make the building the tallest office building in Ballston. The other would include office, but would also include retail and residential space, becoming Arlington’s first vertical fully mixed use development."
You may view additional photos, available space and more on 4040 Wilson's website, www.4040wilson.com. Also, be sure to read the full Arlington Connection article online or in print.
The Shooshan Company is proud to be a part of Ballston's beautiful growing cityscape.
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/
4040 Wilson Gallery. (2017). 4040 Wilson. Source: http://4040wilson.com/gallery/
TechSpace Expands into Ballston, Two Liberty Center
The Shooshan Company would like to welcome TechSpace co-working offices to Two Liberty Center here in Ballston. The official TechSpace press release states: "TechSpace Arlington will occupy the 8th floor located at Two Liberty Center on Wilson Boulevard across the street from the pending Ballston Quarter development - a mixed-use 'urban village'. The offices will provide views with natural light and members will have access to various building amenities including a rooftop terrace, bike storage, locker rooms and showers. TechSpace Arlington is expected to open in June 2018. The campus will feature 20,000 square feet with 56 private, interconnecting office suites with 198 workstations and floor plans designed to promote worker productivity in a collaborative, community-centric environment. Open co-working desks and multiple productivity spaces including fully-equipped conference rooms and collaboration lounges will provide businesses of all sizes a best in class office experience. Whether you're looking for a coworking membership, a 1-25 person private office, a large collaboritive team space for your team or a 50-person satellite office, we can accommodate a workplace experience that inspires and is in your budget. Our advanced on-site technology platform provides an enterprise-class, Tier 1 IT infrastructure complete with a private, firewalled data network, dedicated and burstable internet connectivity and advanced voice telecommunications." The Shooshan Company is excited to help bring one of the best co-working spaces to the Ballston market. To see more information about TechSpace, designs of the office or to book a tour, be sure to head over to their website, www.techspace.com/office-space/arlington-va/ballston/. With a planned opening in June of 2018, this will be the 10th location for TechSpace, with offices already in Texas, New York and California, as reported by ARLnow. To learn more about Two Liberty Center at 4075 Wilson Blvd. in Ballston, Arlington, including amenities and space available, please visit twolibertycenter.com. References: Arlington Office Space: Ballston. (2017). TechSpace. Source: https://www.techspace.com/office-space/arlington-va/ballston/ Co-Working Company TechSpace to Expand into Ballston. (2017). ARLnow. Source: https://www.arlnow.com/2017/10/18/co-working-company-techspace-to-expand-into-ballston/
Taylor Gourmet Voted Best Sandwich in the Area
Taylor Gourmet, with a Ballston location in The View Luxury Apartments right across the street from our Two Liberty Center office, was just awarded 1st place in the Best of D.C. 2017 Sandwich division, and we can see why! On their website, Taylor Gourmet states: "OUR DELICIOUS HOAGIES, FLAVORS, AND INGREDIENTS ARE ONLY PART OF WHAT MAKES TAYLOR GOURMET SO SPECIAL. WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT IS OUR COMMITMENT TO RUNNING A FROM-SCRATCH KITCHEN.NO SHORTCUTS." Congratulations to Taylor Gourmet and the other winners from The Washington Post's "Best of D.C. 2017!" References: Best of D.C. 2017. (2017). The Washington Post. Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2017/10/19/best-of-2017-see-all-the-winners-you-picked-here/?utm_term=.dc922a49728b
The Rixey: Ballston’s Newest Apartment Development
Curbed Washington, D.C. recently published an article on one of The Shooshan Company's most recent projects titled Inside Ballston’s newest apartment development, The Rixey. The article discusses the many features of the new place, which includes 267 residential units, all of which have "hardwood flooring throughout, stainless steel appliances, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Some units also offer balconies." On The Rixey's official website, the amenities listed are:- 15th floor rooftop featuring a clubroom with views of the DC skyline
- Roof top lounge with event kitchenette, grilling stations, and private cabanas with TV's
- Roof top plunge spa and sun deck with views of the Washington Monument
- Expansive fitness center with Peloton bikes, yoga room, and cardiomachines
- Ground floor lounge
- Coffee bar
- Outdoor courtyard
- Bike repair station
- Fire pit to enjoy with friends
- WiFi throughout amenities
- On-site retail with outdoor seating
- LEED Gold Certified
- Short walk to the Ballston-MU Metro Station
References:
Inside Ballston’s newest apartment development, The Rixey. (2017). Curbed | Vox Media. Source: https://dc.curbed.com/2017/10/10/16454426/ballston-rixey-apartment-virginia
The Rixey. (2017). The Rixey. Source: http://www.livetherixey.com
Ballston BID Sip and Mingle Event
Ballston BID's next SIP & MINGLE happy hour takes place on Wednesday, October 18! You'll have the opportunity to meet your neighbors, network and enjoy some wine with other tenants and employees in the Ballston area. There are also chances to win raffle items by using the BallstonConnect mobile app! Barefoot Wine & Bubbly is sponsoring the event which takes place at 4501 Fairfax Dr Arlington, VA 22203. To RSVP, visit the Ballston BID website at http://www.ballstonbid.com/meet/event/ballston-sip-mingle-happy-hour-5.