Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Pepe’s Pizza to open Alexandria Commons location next week

Published July 7, 2022 at 2:30PM

Pepe's Pizza (image via Pepe's Pizza/Facebook)

Connecticut-based pizza shop Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana — aka Pepe’s Pizza — is planning to open in the Alexandria Commons Shopping Center (3231 Duke Street) next week.

The pizzeria announced in a release that the Alexandria location, the second in the region after one in Bethesda, Maryland, will open on Monday, July 18.

News

City Council approves major step in waterfront power plant redevelopment

By Vernon Miles

Published July 6, 2022 at 3:55PM

GenOn Power Plant (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Even after pushback by groups ranging from tenants and worker unions to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), Alexandria’s City Council approved a major step for the GenOn Power Plant redevelopment’s Coordinated Development District (CDD) in a 6-1 vote at a meeting last night (Tuesday).

As with earlier contentious developments, City Council members said they acknowledged concerns about the project, but Mayor Justin Wilson said the prospect of finally cleaning up the power plant site eclipsed those issues.

News

VRE could extend ‘fare-free’ season into October for Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published July 5, 2022 at 3:45PM

A VRE train crosses a bridge over King Street (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

While the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is working through plans to make September fare-free for all riders, that could be extended into October for Alexandria riders dealing with the Metro shutdown.

Plans for the VRE are headed to review at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission’s meeting on Thursday, July 7.

News

Airports Authority says power plant redevelopment plans threaten DCA safety

By Vernon Miles

Published July 5, 2022 at 2:45PM | Updated July 5, 2022 at 4:35PM

Updated 4:30 p.m. — A spokesperson representing Hilco Redevelopment Partners shared an email with WMWAA indicating that the Airports Authority “is comfortable that the City of Alexandria does not need to ‘defer’ decisions slated for this Application today; instead, the Authority welcomes the City’s expressed commitment in its decision to require increased coordination between MWAA and the City as this Application moves forward.”

The spokesperson also said that because no specific building heights are proposed, the building heights cannot be considered a threat to DCA safety

News

Alexandria Mayor warns fix for police short-staffing won’t be quick

By Vernon Miles

Published July 5, 2022 at 11:00AM

Police at the Bradlee Shopping Center where and 18-year-old was stabbed and killed on May 24 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria will be hiring more police officers, but Mayor Justin Wilson warned the fix to staffing challenges won’t be quick.

The Alexandria Police Department is facing a chronic short-staffing issue that led to Police Chief Don Hayes announcing last month that it would be scaling back its community services.

News

Alexandria man charged in Richmond murder and I-95 police chase

By Vernon Miles

Published July 5, 2022 at 10:00AM

Virginia State Police (photo via Virginia State Police/Facebook)

Virginia State Police announced that Alexandria resident Derrick R. Adjei has been arrested and charged in both a homicide in Richmond and a police pursuit along I-95 that followed.

Adjei is charged with the murder of Kyle Stoner, a local artist and cook who was killed outside of City Dogs restaurant, WTVR reported.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published July 1, 2022 at 2:45PM

Anh Phan at Alexandria City Hall, June 28, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

ALXnow is heading into another long weekend with Fourth of July on Monday.

The big stories this week involved back-and-forths over city policy, from a new conditional height increase to arguments over abortion that briefly derailed a City Council meeting.

News

Streets Market & Cafe closing in Del Ray

By Vernon Miles

Published July 1, 2022 at 9:45AM

Streets Market & Cafe closing in Arlandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Streets Market & Cafe, a grocery store on the ground level of DelRay Tower (3108 Mount Vernon Avenue) between the Del Ray and Arlandria neighborhoods, is closing.

An employee at the location said the store will be completely closed in two weeks or mid/early July.

News

JUST IN: Nearly 2,000 Alexandrians without power in Carlyle outage

By Vernon Miles

Published June 30, 2022 at 3:30PM

Power outage in Carlyle neighborhood (image via Dominion Energy)

A power outage in Alexandria has impacted around 2,000 residents

A Dominion Energy outage map indicated that 1,998 customers are currently affected by the outage.

News

Alexandria raffling rain barrels to help with stormwater runoff

By Vernon Miles

Published June 30, 2022 at 1:15PM

Rain barrel (photo via Waldemar Brandt/Unsplash)

The City of Alexandria has a handful of irons in the fire when it comes to stormwater management, but one new approach is one of the oldest tactics: storing runoff in rain barrels.

The city announced yesterday that it’s planning to offer a limited supply of free rain barrels, with more available via raffle at the city libraries.

Opinion

Poll: How do you feel about potential for new Business Improvement Districts?

By Vernon Miles

Published June 30, 2022 at 10:55AM

Alexandria’s City Council recently approved guidelines for the creation of new Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), self-taxed commercial areas where a new organization could be dedicated to turning the area into a commercial destination.

The approval comes five years after a proposed BID in Old Town divided local businesses and was ultimately sent back to the drawing board by the City Council.