Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: The weather forecast predicts a sunny day with a high temperature near 79°F, accompanied by calm winds that will shift to a northwest direction at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature of around 60°F and light, variable winds.
🚨 You need to know
In the upstairs corridors at 1604 King Street there’s a conference room where editors at the Alexandria Gazette Packet meet. The wall opposite King Street is lined, end to end, with copies of the Gazette going back to the late 18th and early 19th century.
The Gazette Packett archives detail everything from rumors at the docks of revolution in Haiti to extensive coverage of pivotal changes in the 20th century, from some of the finest writers in the city.
Now, the worn-down building could be part of a restoration and conversion into 52 condo units, according to Alexandria Living Magazine.
The King Street-facing side of the building would undergo restoration work, while the rear of the building would be demolished and rebuilt.
According to the application:
The proposed development is designed to provide for residential development of the site that meets the site conditions, planning and zoning requirements, especially parking, the flood plain development requirements, and, to the extent possible, meet the Secretary of the Interior’s criterion for restoration of the “Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties” providing for the restoration suitable for residential use of the five original townhouses on the site
There’s been talk of redevelopment for years, but concepts reviewed in 2017 were put on hold due to the Covid pandemic. The project goes to the Board of Architectural Review on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
📈 Tuesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Sep 19, 2023.
- Old Town hair salon appealing after-the-fact exterior paint job to City Council
- Alexandria police investigating multiple weapons violations over the weekend
- First-ever Eisenhower Corridor block party is this Saturday
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.