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More Urban, Less Village
A Barnes & Noble bookstore anchors the Market Commons shopping center in Clarendon. As big chains move to the neighborhood, small-business owners worry about their future.
(Bill O'Leary - The Washington Post)
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Most are independently owned. Only six restaurants are run by regional or national chains. Still, said Nora Gabaldon, owner of Arlington Gift & Garden, "I'd like to see more offices in the area to boost business during the day. It's turning into restaurant row along here, and a village needs more than restaurants."
'Benign Neglect'
Clarendon's business model has in some ways come full circle: In its early days, national chains were the main attraction.
The railroad and trolley lines that converged in the neighborhood in the 1930s brought shoppers to the Sears, J. C. Penney, and G.C. Murphy department stores along Wilson Boulevard.
In the 1960s, modern malls at Tysons Corner and nearby Seven Corners sucked the major retailers out of Clarendon. The area lost its commercial appeal and fell into disrepair. That period of "benign neglect," as many county officials call it, allowed entrepreneurs to take advantage of reasonable rents. Among them were Vietnamese immigrants who filled dozens of vacant storefronts, earning Clarendon the nickname Little Saigon.
In 1979, Metro's Orange line extended through Arlington, launching a new era of development. While neighboring Rosslyn and Ballston developed quickly because of nearby major highways, Clarendon was more cautious.
Density restrictions kept building heights low and strong community involvement kept redevelopment standards high. In 1995, neighborhood residents said a Home Depot would not fit with the area's character, and the home-improvement chain withdrew its plan to open a store in Clarendon. The year before, the County Board rejected a proposed McDonald's restaurant. On the other hand, they welcomed the Fresh Fields market (later bought by Whole Foods Market ) when it arrived in the 1990s.
A new sector plan, the first phase of which was approved by the county in June, maintains tight constraints on development but also gives builders incentives to rent to small businesses and preserve historic structures.
"It's important to remember that, to a point, density is a good thing," said Christopher Zimmerman, Arlington County Board chairman. "You can't support all the range of restaurants and types of stores if there aren't enough people there to actually patronize them."
David DeCamp, one of the forces behind the new Station Square, said the density incentive is a good compromise to preserve some of the art-deco architecture and old-fashioned main-street style. "I don't think anyone wants to overdo it and turn Clarendon into a soulless suburb," he said.
Nick Langman, co-owner of the Clarendon Ballroom, said businesses benefit from working with the neighborhood's idiosyncratic feeling, not against it. He and his partner preserved the hall's tin ceiling and ornate molding. The ballroom often has a line wrapping around the corner on weekend nights.
"You can't buy charm," he said. "You can't rebuild the sense of place that's already here."
