Author: Vernon Miles

Vernon Miles is the ALXnow cofounder and editor. He's covered Alexandria since 2014 and has been with Local News Now since 2018. When he's not reporting, he can usually be found playing video games or Dungeons and Dragons with friends.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Beyond Hello's Fairfax location (image courtesy Jushi)

One of the big stories of this week broke last night: ACPS has chosen a new interim superintendent, Melanie Kay-Wyatt, after the departure Superintendent Gregory Hutchings announced his resignation in June.

The top story of the week, though, was just outside the city borders. A new canabis dispensary, Beyond Hello, is opening just south of the city’s border at 5902 Richmond Highway in Fairfax. The site is, as some commentators humorously noted, formerly the location of Great American Buffet.

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Opinion

Poll: How do you feel about Alexandria going back to regulating sidewalk usage for restaurants

By Vernon Miles

The pandemic brought on several temporary changes to make life easier on locals, from individuals to businesses, but with things somewhat normalizing the city is starting to put some of those cats back into the bag.

In 2020, the city relaxed its restrictions on King Street restaurants utilizing the sidewalks for outdoor dining. The move was part of an effort to try and mitigate the health and economic impacts of the pandemic by giving customers space to distance themselves from one another.

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News

New ‘co-warehousing’ location opening on Eisenhower Avenue

By Vernon Miles
Saltbox cowarehousing space (image via Saltbox/Instagram)

Alexandria has seen a rise in coworking, increased interest in coliving, and now: co-warehousing.

Saltbox, a warehouse company that describes itself in a press release as a “small business logistics pioneer”, announced a new co-warehousing location opening on Eisenhower Avenue. Saltbox filed paperwork for the location last year, but a representative of the company said the Alexandria location is starting tours this week and officially opens in August.

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News

Traffic and Parking Board unanimously approves Polk Avenue sidewalk despite neighbor objections

By Vernon Miles
Where the sidewalk ends on Polk Avenue (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

While several neighbors along Polk Avenue shared thoughts on city plans to replace a stretch of parking with a sidewalk, there was no discussion from members of the Traffic and Parking Board before they unanimously approved the plan.

The city is planning to build a new sidewalk that connects two dead-end stretches of sidewalk that cut off abruptly into dense underbrush. The city said the sidewalk construction will help students in the neighborhood walk to Polk Elementary and Hammond Middle School.

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News

Vola’s Dockside Grill to make outdoor seating changes and acquire nearby bathrooms

By Vernon Miles
Diners at Vola's Dockside Grill at the Alexandria waterfront. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Vola’s Dockside Grill is filing a permit to make its outdoor seating permanent, though the application also seemingly kills off any hope to see Riverside Taco return.

The application from Alexandria Restuarant Partners (ARP) includes details of a few changes at the area, including a proposal to take over management of some of the waterfront’s few public restrooms.

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News

Amateur archeology and free concert series coming to Old Town waterfront

By Vernon Miles

For a second year, the Robinson Landing development on the waterfront has announced a series of programs for late summer and early fall, from live music to amateur archeology.

The Owner’s Association for Robinson Landing (7 Pioneer Mill Way) announced a series programs yesterday and a new partnership with the Office of Historic Alexandria.

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News

Repaving continues to neighborhoods just off Duke this week

By Vernon Miles
South Gordon Street just south of Duke Street (image via Google Maps)

Repaving season in Alexandria continues, this week with some neighborhoods south of Duke Street getting some love.

After repaving around the North Ridge neighborhood earlier this month, repaving is continuing in Del Ray and some of the streets south of Duke Street are getting some much-needed attention from yesterday through next Friday, Aug. 5.

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News

New cannabis dispensary opening this week just south of Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Beyond Hello's Fairfax location (image courtesy Jushi)

Cannabis company Jushico is opening a new Beyond Hello dispensary just south of Hunting Creek in Fairfax.

The new location is called Beyond Hello Alexandria but is located on the Fairfax side of the border at 5902 Richmond Highway. The location is scheduled to open tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10 a.m.

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News

Where the Polk Avenue sidewalk ends, neighbor concerns about parking and park stability begins

By Vernon Miles
Teens skating on Polk Avenue past where the city is planning to build a new sidewalk (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The City of Alexandria is planning to build a new sidewalk on the north side of Polk Avenue, but the city’s plans have some neighbors concerned about the construction’s impact on the nearby park and the neighborhood’s parking situation.

The city is planning to build a new sidewalk that connects two dead-end stretches of sidewalk that cut off abruptly into dense underbrush. The city said the sidewalk construction will help students in the neighborhood walk to Polk Elementary and Hammond Middle School — though students will have to cross the street anyway to get to Polk.

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News

Era of deregulated sidewalk dining on King Street ending this fall

By Vernon Miles

Alexandria’s expanded outdoor dining — a laissez-faire approach to sidewalk regulation brought about by Covid — is coming to an end in September.

The City announced this morning (Monday) that the Temporary COVID Business Relief Measures, which permitted the expanded outdoor dining operations along King Street, will expire on Friday, Sept. 30. Starting in October, restaurants will be required to go through a city program for permission to expand their restaurant to the city sidewalks.

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