Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Alexandria seeking grant to overhaul most crash-prone intersections

Published June 22, 2022 at 1:30PM

Intersection of Quaker Lane and Duke Street (image via Google Maps)

Alexandria is hoping to get federal funding for an audit of the city’s high-crash intersections to look for possible solutions.

The project, which includes the audit, public engagement and design, is estimated to cost $1 million. The grant would cover up to $800,000, with the city or the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

News

Business Improvement District discussion to resurface at Alexandria City Council meeting

By Vernon Miles

Published June 22, 2022 at 10:45AM

Five years after the City Council struck down a plan to get a Business Improvement District (BID) up and running in Old Town, a discussion of BID frameworks is coming back to the city.

While the city earlier rejected the idea of a BID in Old Town, BID advocates managed to get the concept approved as part of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funding.

News

ARHA headquarters to be named after local housing and civil rights activist

By Vernon Miles

Published June 22, 2022 at 9:45AM

ARHA headquarters (image via Google Maps)

The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) announced that later this year, the headquarters will be renamed in honor of activist and former ARHA Chairman A. Melvin Miller.

Miller, who died in 2015, was a civil rights activist and affordable housing advocate in Alexandria who, among his many positions in city and state leadership, served as chairman of ARHA from 1970 to 1977 and from 2001 to 2012.

News

City Council approves potential pay-by-phone parking increase in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published June 21, 2022 at 2:45PM

Street parking on Main Line Boulevard in Potomac Yard (staff photo by James Cullum)

Paying to park your car in Alexandria by phone could be getting more expensive soon.

Alexandria’s City Council voted unanimously on Saturday to enable staff to up the cost of pay-by-phone parking.

News

Historic preservationists share concerns about Alexandria’s proposed height change

By Vernon Miles

Published June 21, 2022 at 10:10AM

A cloudy day in Old Town (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A proposal that could push the city’s skyline even higher in exchange for more affordable housing is headed to the Planning Commission this week ahead of City Council review early next month.

Leveraging additional height and density in exchange for affordable housing is one of the city’s main tools for getting the private sector to supply more affordable housing. Currently, however, that trade is limited to areas of the city where the maximum height is set upwards of 50 feet.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published June 17, 2022 at 3:30PM

While last week was bookended with another murder and the Superintendent Gregory Hutchings Jr.’s resignation — still the top story a week later — this week was a little quieter.

Alexandria City Public Schools and the City of Alexandria are working on a response to violence in local schools. The city is also working with regional partners on plans to get through the next few months of a Metro shutdown.

News

Alexandria schools launch new committees to get more feedback from non-English speaking families

By Vernon Miles

Published June 17, 2022 at 2:30PM

Students return to George Washington Middle School, August 24, 2021 (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is hoping to head into the next school year with a better way for families to provide feedback in languages other than English.

Alexandria’s School Board approved the formation of Spanish, Amharic and Arabic-speaking advisory committees for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.

News

West End vintage market celebrates grand reopening this weekend

By Vernon Miles

Published June 17, 2022 at 9:45AM

Inventory at a West End consignment shop (image via Evolution Home/Facebook)

A vintage market is celebrating its reopening this weekend in the Landmark neighborhood (861 S. Pickett Street) with a week of door prizes and refreshments.

Evolution Home is a consignment shop that moved into the Landmark neighborhood earlier this year but has been at various locations around Alexandria since 1999.

News

Preservation vs affordability in Parker-Gray neighborhood divides Alexandria BAR

By Vernon Miles

Published June 16, 2022 at 3:50PM

Samuel Madden homes (image via Google Maps)

Alexandria’s Board of Architectural Review (BAR) gave a thumbs up to the demolition of an Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority property, but not without a stern rebuke to the housing authority’s history of neglect.

ARHA is working through the city process to demolish the Samuel Madden homes at the north end of the Parker-Gray neighborhood. The homes were built as workforce housing during the Second World War and ARHA leadership said the properties have deteriorated beyond preservation.

Opinion

Poll: Should Alexandria eliminate parking requirements for auxiliary housing units?

By Vernon Miles

Published June 16, 2022 at 1:30PM

Street parking on Main Line Boulevard in Potomac Yard (staff photo by James Cullum)

Auxiliary housing hasn’t taken off like the City of Alexandria hoped, but city staff are hopeful loosening some restrictions — including parking — could kick the housing type into gear.

The goal is to provide a boost to market-rate affordable housing which has been in freefall in Alexandria for years. While auxiliary housing hasn’t been as widespread as city officials might have hoped, a staff report prepared for an upcoming Planning Commission indicated that city staff are hopeful that eliminating parking requirements for auxiliary housing in “enhanced transit areas” could incentivize more commercial property owners to add residential units.

News

Metro announces replacement shuttles for upcoming shutdowns

By Vernon Miles

Published June 16, 2022 at 9:50AM

A Metro train headed toward the Van Dorn Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

While DASH won’t be able to cover the service gap from the upcoming Metro closures, WMATA announced some new measures yesterday that will attempt to replace Alexandria’s upcoming loss of Metro service.

There are two Metro shutdowns coming to Alexandria that will, together, eliminate or reduce Metro service in Alexandria from September to next May. The first is a shutdown of all stations south of the new Potomac Yard Metro station. The Potomac Yard closure is expected to last from Sept. 10 to Oct. 22. The Potomac Yard closure overlaps with the start of work on the Yellow Line Bridge from Sept. 10 to May. During the much longer Yellow Line Bridge closure, riders will have to take the Blue Line to Rosslyn to cross over into D.C.