News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

It was a fast week in Alexandria! Welcome to ALXnow’s Friday recap of top stories.

This week started as the city cleaned up from last Friday’s damaging storm that knocked over trees, closed roads and disrupted power for thousands. Our top story was on the report of a suspected car thief who ended up in the hospital with serious injuries after a high-speed chase ended in a crash early Monday morning.

Virginia State Police tried to pull over a Honda Civic on I-95 north around 12:46 a.m., but the driver sped off. Officers chased the car onto I-395 north and then onto Duke Street heading east. Near the Van Dorn Street overpass, things took a turn. The suspect hit another vehicle, lost control, and flipped several times. Even after that, the suspect tried to run away on foot before police caught up and arrested them. The suspect was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries.

Our second-most read story this week is on the developer of a seven-story, 180-unit apartment building across the street from the Braddock Road Metro station is asking the city for an extension of its development special use permit.

West Street Acquisitions says a number of important steps have been made on the one-acre project at 727 N. West Street, which was denied by the City Council in March 2021 and then approved two months later. After some delays, including a legal battle with a neighbor citing city regulations prohibiting the Council from reviewing a denied application for a year, work on the four-year-old project has been slow, and the development special use permit is about to expire.

Look up! If you’re in Alexandria’s West End, your view might soon be obscured by construction of a two-towered 14- to 16-story apartment building with 257 units.

The View Alexandria by Goodwin Living is looking to expand on its seven-acre property at 5000 Fairbanks Avenue and 5101 Fillmore Avenue. The senior living community currently has a five-story medical building, surface parking and a six-story apartment building with 126 units for independent and assisted living care. Now Goodwin Living is asking the city for permission to approve a development special use permit for a 700,000-square-foot building by increasing its allowable height from 150 feet to 175 feet for the south tower, six feet on the North Tower (to 156 feet), a 30% bonus density and a reduction of off-street parking.

In Case You Missed It

It’s Memorial Day Weekend! Don’t miss our excellent guide to Alexandria’s Memorial Day events.

The most-read stories this week were:

  1. Notes: High-speed pursuit ends in crash, injuries on Alexandria’s Duke Street (7500 views)
  2. Developer wants extension to build seven-story apartment building across from the Braddock Road Metro station (4577 views)
  3. Two new towers, 257 senior units planned for The View Alexandria in West End (4240 views)
  4. PLANS: Take a look at the renderings of the proposed pump station at Waterfront Park (4171 views)
  5. Dollar Tree ‘temporarily’ closes on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria (3861 views)
  6. Alexandria City Council votes to silence gas-powered leaf blowers (3397 views)

Have a safe weekend!

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.