After multiple failed attempts over the past decade to bring a Business Improvement District to Old Town, Alexandria City Council is asking for other strategies to give the corridor an economic boost.
On Tuesday (June 23), City Council endorsed a memo from Council Members Sandy Marks and John Taylor Chapman directing the city manager to assess “how we can address the needs of the Old Town business corridor a little more intentionally.” City staff will review existing research on services and financial investments the city is making in Old Town and alternative options to boost tax revenue.
Marks said the city has been discussing revitalization strategies for the King Street business district since 2005 and that the directive is not about rehashing the BID proposal.
“We have information on that,” Marks said. “What we do want is to investigate alternative framework options that would generate greater revenue via a consumption tax for the city, alleviate some of the pressure on residential property owners, and provide strong return for participating businesses.”
Chapman said he backs the proposal because the city’s core business districts need additional support.
“I think the creativity around how we continue to support the business community, what does that look like, all need to be things that we are talking about trying to set up for success now versus being reactive,” Chapman said.
The proposal came after Marks and Chapman had advocated for a BID at the Chamber ALX’s annual City Council Breakfast in May. The last BID defeat in 2024 led to the closure of the decades-old Old Town Business Association. The 2024 proposal would have added a $0.10 service tax to the real property tax rate for businesses to hire an executive director and staff and manage beautification and outreach efforts.
Other council members voiced support for exploring alternatives to a BID.
“I certainly appreciate the flexibility in there,” Council Member Abdel Elnoubi said. “We’re exploring and discovering alternatives. I appreciate that there are metrics in there for success and how we’re going to quantify success of these alternatives.”
Mayor Alyia Gaskins said the directive is intentional in not reviving old conversations about a BID but examining ways to move forward.
“I think it raises some of the most pressing issues that we’re dealing with right now, around trash, quality of life, sound, some of the noise issues,” Gaskins said. “I know we’re even trying to look at bringing back the King Street detail, because of some of the public safety issues, and so I think really taking a holistic look around how do we want to invest in our business corridors and what do they need in order to truly promote the experience but also the quality of life of our residents is important.”
The directive asks city staff to report to City Council by the end of the year. City Manager Jim Parajon believes the deadline is feasible by utilizing existing rather than new research.
