New Pizza House Approved for Arlington Heights

See what's moving in.

Bill’s House of Pizza received its common victualler, or operating, license Monday from the Board of Selectmen in a 5-0 vote. Joe Meawad is proposing the pizza house for 1345 Mass. Ave. in Arlington Heights – the location went from I Chef to Napoli Kitchen in September. “I came to town because I really like Arlington,” Meawad told the board. Meawad already owns two pizza houses – Bill’s House of Pizza in Easton and Foxboro House of Pizza in Foxboro. He plans to open in Arlington in late April or early May, according to his application. The Heights already has two other pizza houses, Villa House of Pizza and Capri, plus Jimmy’s and Nicola nearby.

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New Pizza House in Arlington Heights?

One is being proposed tonight.

Bill’s House of Pizza will go before the Board of Selectmen tonight for a common victualler, or operating, license, according to the board’s agenda. Joe Meawad is proposing the pizza house for 1345 Mass. Ave. in Arlington Heights, which went from I Chef to Napoli Kitchen in September. In addition to Napoli Kitchen, the Heights currently has two more pizza houses, Villa House of Pizza and Capri, plus Jimmy’s and Nicola nearby. Is another pizza house what the Heights needs? Let us know by posting a comment below. Also at the meeting, the board will decide whether or not to send a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in support of the Mass. Ave. Corridor Project. Selectman Kevin Greeley suggested the idea in response to …

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5 Things You Need To Know Today

Arlington Heights Panera's Last Day Today

The bakery will be closing for good at 10 p.m. tonight after a 15-year run.

Today is Tuesday, March 26. Here are five things you need to know. 1.) Today is the Arlington Heights Panera’s last day. For more on the closure, see “Arlington Heights Panera Closing,” and don’t forget to tell us what should replace the bakery. 2.) In case you missed it, see the 44 Arlington residents running the 2013 Boston Marathon. And if you’re running, be sure to fill out this form to submit your profile to Arlington Patch. 3.) Got kids? Try this new activity Arlington Patch blogger Ryan P. Standley recommends. 4.) Have you read Joe Curro’s Letter to the Editor yet? 5.) Today should be mostly sunny with a high near 47, according to the National Weather Service.

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You Ask... Patch Answers

When Is Panera's Last Day?

You Pick 2's days are numbered in Arlington Heights.

You have limited time to get an asiago cheese bagel, order a “You Pick 2,” or “add a pastry item for 99 cents” in Arlington Heights. The Heights’ Panera Bread is closing for good at the end of the business day (10 p.m.) Tuesday, March 26, a company spokeswoman and an employee confirmed Friday. The company announced earlier this month that it would be closing the bakery, at 1398 Mass. Ave., after a 15-year run. At that time, a company spokeswoman said “it has been difficult to achieve the standards [the company believes] will meet customer expectations” at the Arlington location. After it’s gone, the four closest Paneras will be the one in Waltham at 1100 Lexington St., the two relatively new ones in Lexington Center (1684 Mass. Ave.) and …

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What Should Replace Panera?

In our “Visions for Vacancies” series, we ask you what you’d like to see in vacant buildings or lots around Arlington.

Each month Arlington Patch presents a new vacant building or lot and asks you to tell us what you think would be the best use for it. Forget what zone it’s in, setback regulations and all the other zoning jargon that puts most people to sleep. If you had your way, what would you like to see there? What would be the best use for the community? This month’s vacancy is the soon-to-be vacated Arlington Heights Panera at 1398 Mass. Ave. On Wednesday, a Panera Bread spokeswoman confirmed the rumors that the bakery is closing near the end of the month. So far, our readers have said they would like to see the following go in: What do you think should replace Panera? Let us know by posting a comment below.

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Arlington Heights Panera Closing

See what a company spokeswoman said about the decision.

After weeks of rumors and speculation, it’s official: the Arlington Heights Panera is closing near the end of the month. A Panera Bread spokeswoman confirmed the news Wednesday, although she would not specify which day will be the bakery’s last. The bakery, at 1398 Mass. Ave., opened in 1998. After it’s gone, the four closest Paneras will be the one in Waltham at 1100 Lexington St., the two relatively new ones in Lexington Center (1684 Mass. Ave.) and Cambridge’s Porter Square (5 White St.) and the one going in at the Fresh Pond Mall in Cambridge. Jackie Halfond, the spokeswoman and local marketing manager at Panera Bread, said the St. Louis-based company will “serve to support” the Arlington Heights employees looking to “continue with the…

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Work to Begin Wednesday on One of Arlington's Most Dangerous Intersections

See which intersection is getting revamped.

Work will begin Wednesday on one of Arlington’s most dangerous intersections. National Grid will start by performing gas infrastructure improvements at the six-way Downing Square intersection in Arlington Heights. This work, which is expected to last until mid-May, will relocate existing gas utilities for the improvement project. The intersection will be open at all times during this work, which will be mainly from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. However, there will be parking restrictions and residents are being asked to observe on-street parking and traffic signs. Read the full notice National Grid sent to abutters (attached). Downing Square Intersection Improvement Project The overall improvement project attempts to tackle the six-way intersection at …

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VIDEO: From Nanjing to Arlington Heights, the Story of Szechuan’s Dumpling

Quan Luu keeps true to her family's traditions in new venture.

The story of Szechuan’s Dumpling, the new Chinese restaurant in Arlington Heights, begins two generations ago in the northern Chinese city of Nanjing. That’s where the grandparents of Quan Luu, the restaurant’s 32-year-old owner, lived, about 150 miles inland of Shanghai on the Yangtze River. That’s where Luu’s recipes, her grandparents’ recipes, originated, and that’s where her grandparents fled from during the Chinese Civil War. They fled to Vietnam, specifically Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). This is where Luu’s parents were born, where she was born and where her four siblings, two older sisters and two younger brothers, were born. Even though they were almost 2,000 miles from home, the family’s traditions, their culture, remained …

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Arlington Restaurant Granted Beer and Wine License

See which restaurant will no longer be BYOB.

La Posada will soon be serving beer and wine. The Mexican restaurant, at 1312 Mass. Ave. in Arlington Heights, received a beer and wine license Monday night from the Board of Selectmen in a unanimous 5-0 vote. The family-run restaurant, which opened roughly three years ago, had been bring your own beer and wine (BYOB) up until now. That practice will now cease.

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Arlington Restaurant Going for Beer and Wine License Tonight

See which restaurant is trying to diversify its beverage menu.

La Posada will go before the Board of Selectmen tonight to request a beer and wine license, according to the board’s agenda. The Mexican restaurant, at 1312 Mass. Ave. in Arlington Heights, is up at 7:30 p.m., with the board’s meeting set to start at 7:15 p.m. in Town Hall’s Selectmen’s Chambers. La Posada’s owner, Magdalena Pizarro, will speak on behalf of the family-run restaurant, which opened roughly three years ago. Packed Agenda In addition to La Posada’s request, there are agenda items related to the town’s seasonal leaf-blower ban, overnight parking and library-card challenge. The board will hear the leaf blower bylaw amendment recommendation from the 2012 Special Town Meeting Leaf Blower Committee. There will also be a discussion …

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