Alexandria trying to settle on a Del Pepper-themed name for new West End facility

A building that could be effectively City Hall 2 will bear the name of recently retired City Council Member Del Pepper, but some of the finer details remain to be worked out.

The building at 4850 Mark Center Drive will house services from the Department of Community and Human Services, Alexandria Health Department and Neighborhood Health, along with a permit center and financial services. The goal of the new facility is gather desperate services across the city into a central non-Old Town location.

There are two options for the name with slight variation but both honor Pepper, who spent much of her 35 years on the City Council advocating for Alexandria’s West End. The City Council voted unanimously in December to name the facility after her.

According to a release from the city of Alexandria:

It is expected that the facility will serve as a community hub, offering opportunities for residents to access resources, providing space to convene meetings and events, and promoting the health and well-being of all Alexandrians. With these concepts in mind, the following names are proposed for the full name of the facility located at 4850 Mark Center Drive:

• The Redella S. Del Pepper Community Resource Center
• The Redella S. Del Pepper Resource Center

If you have a strong feeling one way or another on the inclusion of the word “community” in the facility’s name, there’s a survey on the city website that will run through Friday, May 6.

Whatever its name will be: the renovation project is scheduled to finish up sometime later this year and opening in the next fiscal year.