Combined Properties, savior of the western world, saw their South Alex development go up in flames.

Easy come, easy go.

I don't feel sorry for the people who bought the adjacent townhouses for $900k and those burnt up too. I hope they paid their insurance...

Did they (combined properties) really think they were gonna get $2000 and up rents for stick built BS in one of the more low-income areas of Richmond Highway? Something tells me it was insurance fraud but of course i am not an investigator just an armchair one.

See washington post for the story, too lazy to go back and link it for you, but its there in todays online paper. WTOP just mentioned the burning itself, but wapo tells more of the personal stories.

I would have actually preferred the previous shopping center stayed, kinda miss the shoppers food, wonder if the bowling alley is still there.

My Trak Auto battery is still going strong.

I miss Trak Auto and Godfather Pizza.

I miss the great bowling alley that way there. So much fun on a Friday night or Saturday night at the Rock and Roll Bowling nights. Straight from the Crate always had great produce. Lets not forget the wonderful Penn Daw Police station too.

Had that building been occupied most of them would be dead. How fucking fast did that thing become a raging inferno that was not even worth putting water on? And allowing five story wood structures is just plain ridiculous.

Third world Wrote:
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> Had that building been occupied most of them would
> be dead. How fucking fast did that thing become a
> raging inferno that was not even worth putting
> water on? And allowing five story wood structures
> is just plain ridiculous.


Had the fire occurred after the building was occupied, the sprinkler system would have been in place, and the fire damage would have been limited. Sprinklers put out fires. They work. That's why they are required.

LUDYE Wrote:
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>
> Had the fire occurred after the building was
> occupied, the sprinkler system would have been in
> place, and the fire damage would have been
> limited. Sprinklers put out fires. They work.
> That's why they are required.


Do they have sprinklers in the walls and spaces between floors? That is where all the wood framing is.

All are made of wooden stick construction and look like fire traps for weed smokes and drunks who fall asleep with the briar pipe or the bottle at rip off rent prices because they vote Democrat and support illegals packing in to raise rents higher that increase fire risks .

I would never rent any apt that has more then 3 floors just like the old brick exterior garden apts and I would only rent a bottom floor unit with a ez escape because the welfare leeches will smoke cigs and dope in bed

You have been warned, I say F um

You forgot about the Penn Daw Pizza, the original rectangular pizza. It was right next to Straight from the Crate. http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/1721023.html

I best Fairfax County is crying about the lost tax revenue...

I used to drive past that place and often wondered who thought it was a good idea to build condos/townhouses in that area that were going to cost $800K and above. Seriously, the surrounding area is really a run down ghetto.

I had to drive past the site today. It looks like they are tearing everything down to the ground. They had a jackhammer tearing up what looked to be the concrete elevator shaft.

It looks like the place next door still has units available.

DanKnows Wrote:
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> I used to drive past that place and often wondered
> who thought it was a good idea to build
> condos/townhouses in that area that were going to
> cost $800K and above. Seriously, the surrounding
> area is really a run down ghetto.


Gentrification is the name of the game. But somebody has to be first. Generally if you get in at the beginning you stand to make a greater profit than those that come after the neighborhood has been cleaned up. Think about Nats Stadium. That area was a shithole and the people that initially moved in suffered through muggings and having their cars vandalized, no good restaurants, stores, fear of going out at night. But they are laughing now as they can sell their condos for ridiculous amounts of money.

$800K is serious coin to be betting on whether Penn Daw or whatever they are going to call it is going to be the next Mosaic. The idea behind getting into a gentrifying neighborhood on the ground floor is that you can buy a place for much less than what it would cost for a comparable or better residence in a more upscale neighborhood. Even in overpriced Northern Virginia you could do a lot better for $800k

insurance fraud for sure...they wanted to build cheap shite but with aws bubble want to put in even more expensive shite but needed funds to redo
is charles e smith involved ?

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Jewish lightning strikes again!

I miss HI GEAR not Trak Auto!

Hafts=American tragedy

Lots of nigger crack and prostitutes at the motels down that way.
Po Po did a good job keeping it in check during the late 90’s -2010 time......
Then, came the “liberal law enforcement paradigm.”
And it’s bad again.
As long as you’re the first exit AFTER coming from Peeee Geeee, you will have nigger woes.

Why doesn’t old town have the same issue(even tho it’s the same exit)? Alex city police don’t fuck around. They are WHAT FFX COUNTY used to be!

Niggers, illegals and panhandlers at lights......
The new Penn Daw OZ!

You know me as. Wrote:
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> I had to drive past the site today. It looks like
> they are tearing everything down to the ground.
> They had a jackhammer tearing up what looked to be
> the concrete elevator shaft.
>
> It looks like the place next door still has units
> available.

That would likely be the SHelby apartments built new in the past 3-4 years.

I have a friend that lives there, small apartments but NICE on the inside. They DO get a lot of riff raff with the lowish income Southern Management Kings Gardens right next door. I will ask if she has more pics of the fire to post.


The commenter with the gentrification comment is correct, it IS a gamble. They will win eventually it will just take time. HOpe they are patient!

The commenter with the "black people" angle is partially correct- since it is the first exit off 495 from Prince Georges County, a LOT of the area blacks DO come to this area to shop at the walmart as that IS the closest option for them. The moms shopping while the children come back to rob and pick fights with the existing black population on the Virginia side. So yes it is true you will see more "hood" black people than the norm. Most are NOT Virginia residents though.

IN terms of actual residence however. That portion of Route 1 (groveton,hybla valley) seems to also have a lot of hispanic and middle eastern peoples packing into the apartments on that end of the highway (meadow woods where someone recently got shot, holly court, laffayette (sp?), cherry arms, kings gardens as mentioned, etc.) IN that event any violence is usually gang or drug related.


I would say this, live at those apartments at your own risk. I personally looked at some of the apartments in person a few years ago for my son who was working in the area. They all looked decently maintained, it is simply the element in the area. I would say if one HAD to live in the area I would pick mount vernon square- classic BRICK apartments and a bit nicer and not as much riff raff- or the shelby or groveton further down on the right by the shopping center with the lowes.

I will also say- if you see ANY brown person as a threat- then you are too scared to live here because they are EVERYWHERE. Not ALL are bad its the gangs and people coming from Oxon Hill messing it up for everyone. Don't start none won't be none basically and common sense lock your car etc. but it's nowhere near southeast. Its just a higher concentration of non-white people (of ALL ethnicities).

The "hood black" people that USED to live in that part of route 1 have (mostly) moved further down into woodbridge, Stafford, and even Fredericksburg as the rents in this area climbed above $1500/month average for 2 bedrooms. They are being priced out anyway, if that is your issue then waiting is the game. I believe the area will get better, the fort belvoir renovations being a big catalyst for the gentrification of the entire stratch of the highway from the 495 bridge all the way down to where the junkyard is/95s/woodbridge route 1 split.

TL;DR Gentrification in progress, in the meantime gangbangers gonna bang and thieves gonna steal b/c they see new rich people moving in the area. If Ffx PD tightens up in the area like Alexandria does to its section of the highway it will be ok.

And while we are on the subject of the area...

I won't lie I spent a night or 3 at the Virginia lodge, moon inn what used to be cedar lodge, all those little janky motels that way. Sometimes a man got a little too tipsed to drive and ducked in and crashed out, or had company back in the day myself...I won't lie no one is perfect! At least i can admit my faults.

I am on the fence though- people need cheap motels because not everyone can afford the $100+ a night new marriots they are building up and down the highway. Some people are coming out of town and see VA lodge as the cheapest and book just on price, unaware of how run down it really is.

While there, i met plenty people who legit LIVED there working out a weekly rate (kinda like the breezeway and anchorage and wolf trap does i know y'all know about those LOL). These motels are great resources for people new to the area, shit one of my college buddies had to crash @ VA lodge 2 weeks while his apartment was being fixed for his move in. It ain't all bad, it is only a "nightlife" spot because it is the cheapest and the location, no other reason.

VA lodge actually has some decent rooms upstairs that are renovated and basically a motel 6 room, but some look like straight crack dens. Depends on if they like you or not where they stick you. I always got the nicer rooms and tipped the lobby dude $10 for it ;) Moon inn looks nice from the outside but the same shitty crackhead rooms inside. The rest, no comment. If they renovate a bit more VA lodge could actualy be ok again as a "hipster" motel but we all know the Patels are cheap LMAO. If i owned the joint i would renovate just based on location.

Just me rambling with some coffee, don't mind me LOL I am bored, any questions please ask and i will answer later on today. This route 1 stuff is interesting to me as I have friends there and used to work at ft belvoir before they did the whole renovation thing. I am also eyeying the condos along the way as a possible investment property. NO i am not a real estate agent or anything like that just telling it how I see it.

Get in early and profit Wrote:
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> Gentrification is the name of the game. But
> somebody has to be first. Generally if you get in
> at the beginning you stand to make a greater
> profit than those that come after the neighborhood
> has been cleaned up.

Can someone please explain how this applies to these units.

If I have my choice of buying a unit of a certain quality in area #1 which is viewed as a desirable neighborhood that has good access to work and desired means of transportation, what is the upside to paying the same price for a comparable unit in area #2 which is viewed as less desirable, and which has poorer access to work or desired means of communications. If the market is rational and if somehow area #2 was to rise in the level of desirability to area #1, then in theory the price of units in area #2 would be the same as the price of the same units in area #1. But since both units are starting out at the same price point, if you guessed correctly on the gentrification you'd only get the same return as the guy who bought in area #1. However if you guessed incorrectly you would get a lesser return. Given this risk if you were buying the unit in area #2, why wouldn't you demand a lower purchasing price than what it would cost to buy a comparable unit in area #1.

It does seem that there is someone making the proper gentrification bet here. It isn't the new residents who are buying the units. Rather it is the company who is developing the properties in area #2. He's buying the land for less than what it would cost in area #1, if he could even find it. Then he's selling his units for the same price as in area #1, assuming he can find buyers who will buy them.

Urban removal in preparation for the moneyed masses ready to come in for the high paying Amazon jobs? Watch closely what replaces these properties.

93pdy Wrote:
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> Urban removal in preparation for the moneyed
> masses ready to come in for the high paying Amazon
> jobs? Watch closely what replaces these
> properties.

As Combined Properties was originally a subset of the Haft family, I agree with you: what follows will be quite a study, all things considered.

I suppose it to be possible that neither insurance adjustors nor fire investigators are beyond reproach. That said, the payout will be royal and the replacement loftier still.

God bless America.

And to think: many of us work for a living. 40, 80, 100 hours a week. Mutiple gigs. Some of us probably lie on our taxes, then, some of us worry about it.

Where, then, is the crime?

SURPRISE! They said that they'll rebuild.


ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A massive 4-alarm fire that broke out near Alexandria over the weekend, engulfing a building under construction in huge flames was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials, causing over $48 million in damages, officials said Thursday.

I was doing contract work at ft bel out and stayed 1 month at the Hampton Inn across from Sacramento center. 2007. Holy shit it was bad at night!
Police cars ALWAYS and random fucks would come into the parking lot to use drugs and free wifi.
I never never never walked anywhere bc it was like mogadishu at night-lots of true blood Africans jaywalking across route 1 etc.

It’s not just no tell motels that encourage crime, that whole area has been bad since the 1970’s when bozelli Deli was at pohick road.

I must be a true blood nigger!