Community Archives

Follow Up:

The item of interest is the Safeway on Wilson Boulevard. It is closest to the intersection of Wilson and George Mason Drive. This Commercial Area is also filled with a few small restaurants, one of which includes McDonalds (big surprise). Recently the little shopping center has been renovated. And there has been a lot of talk and discussion about renovating the Safeway as well. The parking lot for the Safeway right now is very large. Almost twice as big as the Safeway itself! A lot of controversy has come up about if that parking lot should stay the way it is or if things should be added to it. Many people think it is a “waste of space”. Others think it could benefit to build something there for the nearby school, Arlington Traditional School, which is located right across the street. And finally, other views are that the parking lot should be left the way it is now, because it is used for many different things. Many people park there when shopping (obviously) and many different events are sometimes held there. Also many families and teens come there to learn how to drive. The neighborhood of Bluemont definitely benefits from the parking lot as it is right now. I personally don’t think there is any need to change anything in regards to the parking lot or the Safeway. But one article that was found in the Virginia Room had a lot to say about the Wilson Boulevard Commercial Area, which includes plans to change the Safeway. Mainly just renovate the building, since it has been there for a long time, but also to cut back the parking lot a bit, to add grassy areas or a park area. I personally think this might be a nice idea, but the construction for it would not be very good. Because knowing Arlington constructions, it could take a very long time, and therefore could potentially stop people from shopping there for a long time. Which would only be a hassle, since the main benefit of that Safeway is the convenience of having it so close. But the Virginia Room itself has many things that anyone would find interesting. There are tons of maps, articles, books, and other historical artifacts in there that can be great for research for any school project, or just for personal interest. I found using the Virginia Room to be very useful for this particular project and I would recommend it for anyone doing a similar history project on the area.

http://www.arlnow.com/2011/04/28/bluemont-civic-association-mulls-development-plan/