2023 Rosslyn Wrapped
Thank you to our Rosslyn businesses, residents, employees, and friends for making 2023 another year of innovation, growth, and fun in our neighborhood!
2023 is nearing its close, and we’re taking a look back at 10 notable moments, milestones, and more of the past 12 months. This year brought exciting new events, businesses, and developments, and we are grateful to the strong community support you provide to help us make our neighborhood its best. Cheers to a great year!
1.) A visit from the Federal Reserve
In partnership with Monday Properties, the Rosslyn BID hosted “2023 Economic Outlook: A Discussion on the Current Labor Market” featuring Tom Barkin, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. U.S. Congressman Don Beyer, who was the immediate past Chairman of Congress' Joint Economic Committee, kicked off the conversation ahead of the main program.
This event served as a special opportunity to hear a unique perspective on current economic conditions and how it impacts the resiliency and future of our region’s businesses and community, with attendees able to participate in a live Q&A with Mr. Barkin.
2.) Two decades of the Rosslyn BID
This year, the Rosslyn BID hit a milestone anniversary! Since its establishment in 2003 as the first BID in Arlington County, it has become an integral part of the dynamic and growing Rosslyn community. In May, we celebrated the 20th anniversary with a special edition advertorial with the Washington Business Journal, as well as our annual City Social, which highlighted a look back at our accomplishments through the last two decades and a look ahead at all the exciting things to come for our neighborhood.
3.) 3 HQ relocations
The neighborhood is already home to many highly-recognized companies, and this year, we saw three more establish their headquarters here. Microsoft, after announcing their arrival in 2021, moved into their new offices at Commonwealth Tower. Monday Properties’ twin towers welcomed Genetec at 1000 Wilson Boulevard, and Solidcore most recently moved into newly refreshed spaces at 1735 Lynn Street.
4.) 4 Stops on our first-ever Taco Crawl
It’s been a tasty time to attend events in Rosslyn! In recognition of National Taco Day in October, we hosted our first-ever Taco Crawl, which featured stops at District Taco, Taco Rock (pictured), Open Road, and Inca Social. In addition to the crawl, we also hosted a number of other new events this year, including our Eco Market, Rosslyn Rookies, and Spelling Bee. Did you attend any of these first-time events? Let us know how you liked them so we can continue to provide programming that best serves our neighborhood!
5.) 5 Trail Tuesday events with Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail
The Mount Vernon Trail is one of the best outdoor amenities in the DMV area, providing 18.5 miles as part of the regional trail network. With the trail starting in Rosslyn, it was the perfect match for the BID to establish a partnership with the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail, a nonprofit group that works to improve the trail for all users. As part of the partnership, five Trail Tuesday events were hosted April through August, where volunteers helped to clean up various parts of the trail by picking up trash, weeding, and more.
6.) Nearly 600 votes in the Howl-O-Ween costume contest
Our annual Howl-O-Ween event has been popular since we started it in 2021, the first year the Gateway Park Interim Dog Park was open for the community to enjoy. Each year since, we have seen dogs attend with all sorts of fun, spooky, and cute costumes!
This year, we opened up voting for the Howl-O-Ween costume contest to our online audience. Almost 600 of you cast your ballot for the 16 candidates. Cow, as worn by Liz Ashton’s dog Gracie, won this year’s Community Choice category!
7.) 1700 N. Lynn hosts new Unstuck Labs start-up accelerator
Unstuck Labs has developed startups for years in Rosslyn neighborhood co-working spaces. This year, they celebrated the opening of a dedicated Startup Studio at Rosslyn City Center (1700 N. Lynn St.). Support came from Arlington Real Estate Partners and the Arlington Innovation Fund, a grant program that helps increase funding for tech startups run by Arlington Economic Development.
“We're right in the middle of this amazing hub, with big-name corporations and top universities as our neighbors. We're surrounded by incredible talent and folks who are just as eager to make a difference as we are. And our new spot at RCC? It's not just an office with a killer view, it's a place where dreamers and doers come together,” said Wa’il Ashowwaf, CEO and Co-founder of Unstuck Labs.
8.) 8 new businesses
In 2023, there were eight new additions to Rosslyn that brought residents, employees, and visitors more opportunities to learn, dine, move, and take care of oneself!
We welcomed Foxtrot (cafe/market), Miru Acupuncture, AllCare (primary and urgent care), CAO Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Center/Remarkable Feet (orthopedic care/shoe store), Ultra Body Sculpt (medical spa/non-surgical services), The Sycamore School (private secondary school), Training Ground (personal training gym), and One Medical (primary care). We look forward to welcoming other new organizations to the neighborhood in 2024!
9.) Over 9,000 event registrants
We know you love our events, from pop-ups to long-standing signature events like Jazz Fest, Rosslyn Cinema, and Bootcamp with Coach Vic. While it’s not a requirement for our free events, more than 9,000 people signed up for our events this year. Those who sign up get notified of any event programming updates, and following us on Eventbrite means you’re among the first to find out about our offerings!
10.) A 10-story base connecting Rosslyn’s newest development
The Key is one of the most recognizable new developments in Rosslyn. People from all over the region have watched it grow to its topping out in the summer of this year at 36 stories. The development is actually two skyscrapers — a hotel and condominium building — connected by a 10-story base. The condominiums, Rosslyn Towers, are scheduled to begin welcoming residents in Spring 2024, and the hotel, Hilton at The Key, is scheduled to open for visitors in 2026. Both will offer unbeatable views of Washington, Rosslyn, and the greater Arlington area!