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Notes: ICYMI, Alexandria City Council votes to end single-family-only zoning

By ALXnow.com

Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!

☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny conditions with a high of around 39 degrees, accompanied by a south wind blowing at 6 to 10 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with a low of approximately 28 degrees and a southwest wind at 5 to 10 mph.

🚨 You need to know

A sign opposing Zoning for Housing/Housing for All (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

In case you missed it last night — and the vote was just before 1 a.m. so no shame if you did — the Alexandria City Council unanimously approved a set of zoning reforms that aim to boost residential development in the city.

While most of those units will likely come from changes allowing residential development in industrial districts, the big headline-grabber item was ending single-family-only zoning.

Though Vice Mayor Amy Jackson motioned to have the single-family zoning piece separated from the rest and deferred to another date, ultimately, that motion failed. The City Council voted in favor of the entire zoning reform package.

There is a possible Phase 2 down the line that would expand on those reforms, possibly changing some of the density limits leaders were critical of early in the process, but for now, Mayor Justin Wilson said the city as a whole needs a break from zoning discussion.

“Let’s pause, take our breaths, let’s see how some of these changes are taken,” Wilson said, “and then let’s discuss whether and what we would possibly do next.”

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About the Author

  • This is the staff byline for ALXnow, used by editors and other full-time staff. Launched in October 2019, ALXnow is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Alexandria, Virginia.