Dining area in Crystal City by Bradley Joines licensed under Creative Commons.

Crystal City Shops mall goes underground for good

Crystal City Underground, a below-ground mall of shops and restaurants connected to the Crystal City Metro station, will shut down by the end of October, according to its landlord. After 50 years, the mall’s remaining two dozen tenants occupying 150,000 square feet of space will close. The owner has no plans for redevelopment. The walkways connecting nearby buildings and the Metro will remain accessible. (The Business Journal article is behind a paywall).  (Brian Farrell / DC News Now, Daniel J. Sernovitz / Business Journal)  

Former Ward 5 business fined $100,000 for pollution

Rodgers Brothers Custodial Services, Inc., a trash and demolition company previously based in Ward 5, has been ordered to pay $100,000 by the DC Attorney General for illegally discharging pollutants into waterways through stormwater basins. The company faced complaints from the DC government since 1992 at its former site on Lawrence Avenue NE. The company’s president will have to pay half the sum because he was found personally responsible for two of the five incidents.  (Kayla Benjamin / Washington Informer)  

Feds to dispose of WWI-era office building near the Tidal Basin

The General Services Administration determined that a federal building adjacent to L’Enfant Plaza and the National Mall has “outlived its useful life,” and will dispose of it. The building, originally constructed as a temporary World War I-related structure, currently houses the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which will relocate to the downtown US Mint Headquarters in the spring of 2025.   (Emily Wishingrad / Bisnow)  

Fairfax County passes new budget 9-to-1

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a new budget in a nine-to-one vote on Tuesday, April 30. The budget includes a 3% increase in the real estate tax rate and a 2.9% increase in property taxes. The new budget will go into effect May 7, 2024.  (Amber Anderson / WUSA9)  

Herndon extends pause on downtown redevelopment construction

The Town of Herndon has extended the two-year pause on construction for its major downtown redevelopment until August 15. The project will convert five acres of mostly parking and vacant lots to a mixed-use community with 273 apartments, a 16,000-square-foot arts center, 17,000 square feet of retail, and a 726-space parking garage.  (Angela Woolsey / FFXnow)  

Purple Line informational meetings to be hosted throughout May

A series of virtual community meetings will be held for information on the status of the Purple Line. The meetings will showcase the progress of station construction and infrastructure milestones reached, including the Talbot Avenue Bridge. The meetings will be held by community advisory teams, divided into eight geographic areas along the route.  (Elia Griffin / MoCo360)  

Maryland home sales decrease, prices increase in March

Home sales decreased 13.9% in Maryland last month while prices increased an average of 6.3%. Governor Wes Moore’s recently-passed housing legislation will make it easier to build higher-density housing in some areas, which one leader in the real estate industry notes will play a role in closing the more than 150,000-unit gap in the state’s housing supply.  (Mallory Sofastaii / WMAR 2)  

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