Mike Isabella’s Ballston Restaurants

Arlington Magazine features many articles on what is happening around the area and covers a wide variety of restaurants, among other businesses. A 2016 article titled Restaurants That Innovate is particularly interesting for the way it dives in to describe unique eateries around Arlington. At the Shooshan Company, we're especially proud to see Mike Isabella's restaurants located in The View Luxury Apartments: Kapnos Taverna, Yona and Pepita Cantina. Regarding these restaurants, the article states: "It took celebrity chef Mike Isabella just one year to transform the corner of Wilson Boulevard and Quincy Street in Ballston into a food mecca. The address (4000 Wilson) is now home to the trifecta that is Kapnos Taverna, Pepita and Yona. 'They are so different, I think they feed off of each other,' says the restaurateur/chef of his Greek, Mexican and Asian-inspired hot spots. 'It’s like living on a city block where you can walk down the street and have a lot of options. People in that area don’t have to go far, whether they want a watering hole, food to go or to sit down for something to eat.'" The article goes on to highlight unique dishes of each establishment, such as Pepita Cantina's 54 cocktails, Yona's uni waffle and Kapnos' taramasalata. The restaurants are not only great additions to Ballston, they are an incredible benefit to residents of The View Luxury apartments. Find more information about The View apartments here, or visit websites for each of the restaurants to see their full menus: Kapnos Taverna, Yona and Pepita Cantina.   Source

Virginia Ranks 8th Top State for LEED Projects

A new report from the U.S. Green Building Council states that Virginia ranks #8 in the Top 10 States for LEED. This report shows "an annual ranking that highlights states throughout the United States that made significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation over the past year." The top 10 states were:
  1. MA
  2. CO
  3. IL
  4. NY
  5. CA
  6. NV
  7. MD
  8. VA
  9. WA
  10. TX
Inside Nova reported that Arlington, in particular, "had a cumulative total of 3.15 million square feet of space certified through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design initiative of the U.S. Green Building Council through 2016, according to officials of the county’s Department of Environmental Services." The official press release from USGBC states, “LEED guides our buildings, cities, communities and neighborhoods to become more resource- and energy-efficient, healthier for occupants and more competitive in the marketplace,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC. “The green building movement continues to evolve with advancements in technology, benchmarking and transparency, and the states on this list are leading the way toward a more sustainable future.” The Shooshan Company is proud to play a role in making Arlington more energy-efficient with our many projects including Two Liberty CenterThe View at Liberty Center, Residence Inn by Marriott, GSA Headquarters – DARPA and more. The full USGBC press release may be seen on their website here.

Source:

U.S. Green Building Council Releases Annual Top 10 States for LEED Green Building. (2017). U.S. Green Building Council. Source: http://www.usgbc.org/articles/us-green-building-council-releases-annual-top-10-states-for-leed-green-building

Arlington, state finds themselves near top of rankings in LEED buildings. (2017). Inside Nova. Source:  http://www.insidenova.com/news/arlington/arlington-state-find-themselves-near-top-of-rankings-in-leed/article_44b7b252-ea27-11e6-bfbc-f3e2aba3ff7d.html

Two Liberty Center Receives LEED Gold Certification.

Two Liberty Center, located at 4075 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, was recently 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.” Based on the number of points received, a project is awarded with one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Two Liberty Center received GOLD and was ranked on:
  • Sustainable sites
  • Water efficiency
  • Energy & atmosphere
  • Material & resources
  • Indoor environmental quality
  • Innovation
  • Regional priority credits
It is a great achievement to earn any of the LEED certifications, something we at The Shooshan Company have been honored with in many of our projects including The View at Liberty Center, Residence Inn by Marriott, GSA Headquarters - DARPA and more. You may see all of the details on the official U.S. Green Building Council website here, and be sure to visit the official Two Liberty Center website, www.twolibertycenter.com, to see availability, features, amenities, photos and more.  

Source:

LEED. (2017). U.S. Green Building Council. Source: http://www.usgbc.org/leed

Bowling is Coming to Ballston Quarter

ARLnow is reporting that Punch Bowl Social is coming to Ballston Quarter in 2018. According to the press release sent to ARLnow: "Punch Bowl Social, the leader in the 'eatertainment' movement, announced... that it will open a 25,000 square-foot restaurant, bar and entertainment concept in Arlington’s Ballston Quarter in June 2018. Punch Bowl Social pairs a Hugh Acheson designed, scratch-made menu and craft beverage program with 'old-school' social activities like vintage video games, shuffleboard, private karaoke rooms, bowling, Ping-Pong, bocce and skee-ball." The Ballston location will include:
  • Eight bowling lanes
  • One bocce court
  • Three private karaoke rooms
  • A custom built 360 degree bar
  • Various lounging and gathering spots
This new establishment will surely be well received in such an exciting neighborhood. Residents at The View Luxury Apartments and 4040 Wilson Blvd., as well as office tenants from Two Liberty Center and 4040 Wilson Blvd., will be able to visit and enjoy the new space in 2018.   References

New Website for 4040 Wilson Blvd.

Recently, The Shooshan Company, Brandywine Realty Trust, Jones Lang LaSalle and Kodiak Realty launched the official website for 4040 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, Virginia: www.4040wilson.com. 4040 Wilson, Ballston's tallest and first vertically mixed-use building, is a trophy caliber building designed to achieve LEED Gold certification. This building is the final component to the Liberty Center Development, offering unrivaled views of the city and features 190,000 SF of rentable, highly efficient office space, 3 floors of retail and 244 residential apartments. The website offers information on:
  • Nearby attractions
  • Restaurant guide
  • Features and amenities (including Arlington first VIDA fitness)
  • Available office space
  • Ballston demographics and statistics
  • The rooftop terrace exclusive for office tenants
  • Apartment information
  • And more!
  Be sure to check out www.4040wilson.com for all of the information and to get in touch with your questions.   References

Arlington County Ranked Among Best Places to Live

Arlington County has once again received an impressive ranking, this time from 24/7 Wall St., LLC, a financial news company. Four of the counties/independent cities listed in the "top 10" are within DC metro area. These top 10 "Best Counties to Live In" are:
  1. Falls Church Independent City, Virginia
  2. Arlington County, Virginia
  3. Fairfax County, Virginia
  4. Loudon County, Virginia
  5. Howard County, Maryland
  6. Douglas County, Colorado
  7. Los Alamos County, New Mexico
  8. Fairfax Independent City, Virginia
  9. Marin County, California
  10. Alexandria Independent City, Virginia
As 24/7 Wall St. states, "To determine the best counties to live in, 24/7 Wall St. developed an index based on three social measures — educational attainment, poverty rate, and life expectancy — and ranked counties based on their well-being." For Arlington County specifically, the article lists the following facts:
  •  5-yr. population change: +13.4%
  • Nov. unemployment rate: 2.7%
  • Poverty rate: 9.0%
  • Life expectancy at birth: 82.8 years
  The Shooshan Company is proud to be a part of Arlington County and all it has to offer! The full details on the study as well as the other counties can be seen on the 24/7 Wall St. website here. References  

The Walk Arlington App

We've talked about Walk Arlington and their amazing maps before (see here). This past December, Walk Arlington discussed their app for reporting "damaged sidewalks, missing street signs, broken streetlights, trail maintenance issues" and more. It's called the Arlington VA Service Requests App and it's available for free in both the Apple and Google Play app store for your smartphone: [caption id="attachment_1317" align="alignnone" width="173"] Image courtesy of Walk Arlington[/caption] As WalkArlington Program Manager, Alli Henry, discusses in the blog: "The ArlingtonVA Service Requests app (yes, they have their own app) is a one-stop shop for reporting non-emergency issues, alerting the County to areas that need attention during snow events and staying informed of Arlington County’s news. My favorite feature is the app’s 'New Request' option that allows users to submit a variety of issues via Arlington’s user-friendly Report A Problem tool. Damaged sidewalks, park maintenance, fallen trees, potholes or traffic signal concerns? In a few short clicks, users can snap a photo, drop a pin on the map and leave County staff a quick note." There's even a helpful video from Arlington County on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGOW5ZxWRv8 This app seems like another great product from Arlington County and is certainly worth a try for Arlington residents! References

Influential Real Estate Heads Expect Unconventional President To Bring Conventional Growth

John Shooshan and other real estate leaders were recently featured in an article on Forbes Magazine's website following a Bisnow event.

40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Real Estate

DCA Live Media has announced their list of "40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Real Estate." The official site states:

"Get back to business in 2017! Join DCA Live and our host committee to celebrate the rising stars in DC commercial real estate.  We'll honor this great group with a lively and fun event on January 31."

The Shooshan Company is proud to note that among the many accomplished names is our own Kelly Shooshan. The full list from the website includes:

  • Anthony Balestrieri
  • John Wilkinson
  • Joe Reger
  • Martin Ditto
  • Kelly Shooshan
  • Jason Bonderenko
  • Jeff Chod
  • Dave Dochter
  • Matt Dewey
  • Vaki Mawema
  • Matt Coursen
  • Evan Regan-Levine
  • Erik Weinberg
  • Mark Witschorik
  • Doug Mueller and Evan Behr
  • Brad Wilner
  • Matt Garcell
  • Jon McAvoy
  • Jason Fudin
  • Jon Glass
  • Matthew Jemal
  • Jon Cummings
  • Stephen Powell
  • Marisa Michnick
  • Anna Shaffer
  • James Collins
  • Brian Abramson
  • Jimmy Barter
  • Jeff Wainwright
  • Cris White
  • Jackson Prentice
  • Chethan Rao
  • Andrew Roberts
  • Samuel Heiber
  • Steve Burman
  • Jay Farmer
  • Elliott Estes
  • Brandon Jenkins
  • Simon Frost
  • Mike Zink
  • Dan Klueger
  • Cy Kouhestani
  • Michael Goldman
  • Ezra Weinblatt
The event takes place Tuesday, January 31 at 1776 Crystal City at 6:00 PM. Tickets and additional information can be found on the official website here. Congratulations to Kelly Shooshan and all of the Rising Stars in Real Estate! References