Urban Revival By Mini-Golf

Once the social hub of teenage life in Ballston, the site of the former Putt-Putt miniature golf course is now a high-rise building. Planners and local officials have reminisced about the social power that mini golf course once had, and are considering a plan to bring mini golf -- and some social and economic vitality -- back to the Ballston area of Arlington.

"Metro came to Ballston in 1979, permanently altering the character of the neighborhood. Land values surrounding the Metro entrance sky-rocketed, and the owners of the mini-golf course sold the land to a developer several years later."

"The loss of the golf complex was emblematic of the changes sweeping the neighborhood. Ballston was beginning to transform from a sleepy post-World War II suburb into a bustling urban center."

" 'The mini-golf course was the pride of the neighborhood,' said Dennis Burr, president of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association. 'Everyone was upset when they tore it out and put in a high-rise.' "

While many planners have insisted that any new recreational use should mesh with current design standards and the neighborhood character, "county officials have 'yet to broach' the subject of whether the course will include a windmill."