Twenty-one Alexandria residents signed up to speak during the public discussion period at Saturday’s City Council meeting, addressing issues ranging from housing authority conditions to international divestment and waterfront development.
The large turnout required the council to extend its usual public comment format, with 15 speakers addressing the council at the beginning of the meeting and six additional speakers heard after regular business concluded.
Housing authority conditions dominated much of the testimony, with multiple ARHA residents and advocates detailing unsafe living conditions, administrative failures, and health hazards affecting tenants and their families.
Bianca Rivera told the council her son was rushed to the hospital by ambulance because he couldn’t breathe due to mold in their ARHA unit. Blood work showed her son Dominic had “dangerously high levels of mold and carcinogens in his body,” and a second son, Liam, also tested positive for mold exposure.
“My children’s home is killing them,” Rivera said. “And if nothing changes, there will be more. So I ask you, how many more children are you willing to sacrifice?”
Rivera said she reported the mold to ARHA on Feb. 6, 2024, but was told it wasn’t severe and advised to “grab some Clorox wipes and clean it myself.” Despite sending photos and emails requesting relocation, her family remains in the same unit a year later.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins apologized to Rivera and asked the city manager to connect with her after the meeting to ensure the family is moved.
Damien Wright, an ARHA resident, said the problems extend beyond individual cases to systemic issues within the housing authority.
“Every single day, tenants and seniors live in unsafe units with broken appliances, mold, asbestos, and water damage,” Wright said. “We are asking you to fix the system. Hold the board and commissions accountable.”
Another ARHA resident spoke about voucher delays and administrative failures, saying some tenants wait nearly a year for recertification or are told they’re not on waiting lists at all.
“To staff, these may seem like administrative delays, but to us, the families who live with the consequences, this negligence is devastating,” they said.
Several speakers called for Palestinian divestment, urging the council to divest from companies they say profit from Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Alison Silver described worsening conditions in Gaza, including starvation and continued bombing of civilian areas.
“We can’t do what I wish we could and get the trucks that are sitting at Gaza’s borders full of food and supplies through the checkpoints,” Silber said. “We have failed to stop the slaughter, but the least we can do is not invest our money in it.”
Zara, who identified herself as having been on calls with council members about divestment, cited a recent UN resolution with 142 votes in favor of a two-state solution.
“I personally don’t think I have more political acuity than 142 world leaders,” she said, urging the council to support ethical divestment.
The proposed flood mitigation pump station in Waterfront Park drew opposition from multiple speakers, including economists and neighborhood representatives.
Dr. Marc Bendick Jr., describing himself as an economist who has advised cities nationwide, said the city’s calculations ignore revenue losses from reduced waterfront business earnings and property values.
“My own preliminary calculations suggest that currently ignored costs that would fall directly on the city government would total substantially more than $10 million each year after construction,” Bendick said.
Mary Lou Egan, a commissioner on the Alexandria Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission speaking in her personal capacity, compared the decision to a business school case study.
“Making a location decision without this basic cost-benefit information would elicit screams of despair from business school professors across the country,” Egan said.
Sandra Welch, a 30-year Old Town resident, said Waterfront Park serves as a community gathering place where she regularly sees “young families, parents watching their babies take their first steps, older neighbors resting in the shade of those gorgeous willow oak trees.”
Stephen Wintermeyer, president of the Watermark HOA, said placing a pump station in any waterfront park would “detract from the quality of the experience to residents and visitors alike.”
Mayor Gaskins noted that the pump station consideration has been delayed, with the earliest possible council action now scheduled for late November, if at all.
Other speakers addressed various city issues, including concerns about ICE enforcement, city employee bonuses, and the permanent closure of the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic.
Council members indicated they would take action on the housing authority issues, with plans to discuss the city’s authority to address ARHA problems later in the meeting during executive session.
