Vernon Miles | ALXnow

City Council moves new King Street pedestrian zone forward

Published April 7, 2022 at 10:45AM | Updated April 7, 2022 at 7:51PM

Rendering of the unit block of King Street with street closure (via City of Alexandria)

Updated 7:45 p.m. — Christopher Ziemann, division chief for Department of Transportation & Environmental Services, said in an email:

What City Council approved last night was not the pedestrian zone directly. This requires an ordinance change, which requires a public hearing. That Council approved last night was the first reading of the item and to set it for public hearing on April 23. On the 23rd, there will be a public hearing on the topic, which will most likely involve a presentation, discussion, questions and public comments.

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Taco Bamba planning to open in Lincolnia later this month

By Vernon Miles

Published April 6, 2022 at 1:30PM

Image courtesy Taco Bamba

After missing a fall 2021 target for opening, regional taco chain Taco Bamba is planning to open later this month in the Landmark neighborhood.

The Taco Bamba is planned to open on Wednesday, April 20, at 6259 Little River Turnpike, on the west side of I-395 in the Lincolnia neighborhood — inside Alexandria’s boundaries by a hair’s breadth.

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Battle of the Bulge survivor celebrates 100th birthday outside City Hall

By Vernon Miles

Published April 6, 2022 at 10:00AM | Updated April 6, 2022 at 11:07AM

Friends and city officials gathered outside City Hall yesterday to celebrate one of Alexandria’s most storied centenarians: J. David Bailey, the oldest surviving veteran of the Battle of the Bulge.

Bailey, who turned 100 on January 3, was 22 when he was deployed to the European theater with the 422nd Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division. His battalion was captured by German troops while en route to St. Vith, Belgium, on Dec. 16, 1944. Bailey later escaped captivity and eventually appeared on the cover of the victory edition of Stars and Stripes.

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City grapples with potentially competing affordable housing and arts needs in Old Town North

By Vernon Miles

Published April 5, 2022 at 3:45PM | Updated April 5, 2022 at 7:19PM

(Updated 7:15 p.m.) For a while now, there’s been a fairly straightforward trade between the City of Alexandria and developers: if you want more density, you need to build affordable residential units.

New development in Old Town North, however, has thrown a wrinkle into that system by opening up a second option. Now, developers can also get bonus density by opening up sections of new development to arts use — part of the city’s efforts to establish Old Town North as an arts district.

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City announces dredging plans for Four Mile Run

By Vernon Miles

Published April 5, 2022 at 1:30PM | Updated April 5, 2022 at 7:25PM

(Updated 7:25 p.m.) While there are still some issues with infrastructure over Four Mile Run, Alexandria and Arlington are moving forward with a project to clean out what’s under it.

In a recent newsletter about flooding infrastructure, the city announced an upcoming meeting to discuss the particulars of a dredging project in Four Mile Run.

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Former Banana Republic location in Old Town headed to city review

By Vernon Miles

Published April 5, 2022 at 9:45AM

Banana Republic at 628 King Street and Gap Outlet at 622 King Street closed Jan. 24, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The demolition and redevelopment of 628 King Street, formerly Banana Republic, is headed to review at the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) as the developer hopes to make some changes to the upper part of the building.

Currently, the building’s second floor is an almost entirely windowless brick facade. Jemal’s Gap Corner King, LLC, part of Douglas Development, is applying to demolish part of the north and west parts of the building to add windows to the second floor.

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Alexandria Republicans and Democrats hash out differences in roundtable discussion

By Vernon Miles

Published April 4, 2022 at 2:45PM

Last week, Agenda Alexandria sat local Republicans and Democrats together at a table to hash things out and try to find a way forward.

The round table discussion featured former Delegate Mark Levine and Legislative Director Sarah Taylor voicing the more Democrat-aligned viewpoint. On the Republican side was The Family Foundation Director of External Relations Michael Leaser and Michael Ginsberg, vice president of CACI and leader of the Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition.

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City apologizes for delays in flood mitigation grant program

By Vernon Miles

Published April 4, 2022 at 1:30PM

Nearly a year after Alexandria launched a flood mitigation program to reimburse projects on private properties, the city is apologizing for some delays with the program and said the process should be streamlined soon.

The Flood Mitigation Grant Program partially reimburses residents to install flood mitigation practices on their property. The pilot program launched last August and received over 175 applications. Applicants can receive a reimbursement of up to 50% of their project costs, up to $5,000. So far, the city has reimbursed nearly $300,000 worth of flood mitigation projects. Bill Skrabak, deputy director of Infrastructure & Environmental Quality, said the city was hopeful it would get some use but wasn’t prepared for the number of grant requests.

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City to host public meeting on new density and affordable housing options

By Vernon Miles

Published April 4, 2022 at 10:00AM

The City of Alexandria is hosting a community meeting for a plan to allow additional bonus height in new zones in exchange for affordable housing.

Currently, developers can only apply for bonus height in zones with height limits of 50 feet. The new ordinance would take that down to allow developers to apply for bonus height in zones with 45 foot high limits. It’s a relatively minor change on paper, but it opens new density options across the city as well as more opportunities for affordable housing.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published April 1, 2022 at 3:30PM

The scene of a crash outside Jefferson Houston Elementary School, March 29, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

It’s been a big week for crime and public safety issues in Alexandria.

There were several arrests and a few notable cases where there weren’t arrests: like when a child was struck in a crash and no arrests made after another fatal crash.

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Mayor: One-time tax relief proposed for car owners in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published April 1, 2022 at 9:55AM

Traffic moves along Duke Street near N. Jordan St. (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

This year’s budget could include a one-time measure meant to keep the vehicle tax from skyrocketing.

In his monthly newsletter. Mayor Justin Wilson outlined a unique set of circumstances that, if left unchecked, could see Alexandrians’ vehicle personal property tax skyrocket.