The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is a beloved local institution, and it’s asking those who’ve had good experiences with the shelter to vouch for it.
Sniffspot, a site that specializes in private dog parks, is running a contest to rank the best dog shelters and rescues in Virginia.
A testimonial form asks users to speak about their experience with the shelter as an adoptee, volunteer/foster, staff member, supporter, or overall fan.
Those writing in can share their experience with the shelter, with a limit of one testimonial per person for each shelter.
We've been nominated as one of the best dog shelters and rescues in VA by @sniffspot! We need testimonials to win. The contest is open until Thurs., April 4. Submit yours here: https://t.co/0SkI78m2PX pic.twitter.com/g52684ZUgr
— AWLA Alexandria (@AlexAnimals) March 28, 2024
Photo via AWLA/Facebook
(Updated 3:40 p.m.) To get a business improvement district (BID) approved for Old Town, proponents will need the support of 60% of properties in the proposed zone. But a new change could cut property owners who don’t engage at all out of that 60% requirement.
City Council member John Chapman said after outreach was done for the Old Town BID there were over 200 property owners that never responded either in favor or against the proposal.
Currently, not weighing in on the project is tantamount to not supporting it.
“Those business owners wanted to look at adjusting the way we were doing counting to not qualify those individuals for counting toward the percentage of property owners that were either for or against the BID,” Chapman said.
While the proposed BID would get a leg up by not counting absent property owners in that 60% requirement, previous attempts at getting the BID going have faced active community backlash at times.
While many on the City Council expressed their support for that change, Chapman said the city should do more outreach to those property owners first for “another opportunity to have their voices heard for or against the creation of a business improvement district.”
“The goal is to engage those individuals, if they remain not voting at all, that their property would not count toward whether or not we do a BID,” Chapman said. “We do not want those who do not engage with this process to count against this process.”
Others on the City Council generally expressed support for the change. City Council member Sarah Bagley said she’s heard from businesses that support the idea of the BID but have absentee owners who don’t weigh in one way or the other.
Alexandria’s bus rapid transit (BRT) ambitions for Duke Street are getting a federal boost.
The Federal Transit Administration announced that Alexandria will receive $550,000 in grant funding for transit-oriented development planning on the Duke Street corridor.
Last year, the City of Alexandria voted to move forward with dedicated bus lanes on portions of Duke Street, part of an effort to make the material roadway more transit-friendly.
According to the grant:
The city of Alexandria will receive funding to plan for TOD along the proposed Duke Street Bus Rapid Transit corridor. The planned BRT corridor will provide transit access along an approximate 3.7-mile stretch of Duke Street, connect two ends of the City from the planned West End (former Landmark Mall) mixed-use development to the King Street Metrorail Station and Alexandria Union Station, which will connect Duke Street to regional transit and commuter rail.
The project is estimated to cost a total $87 million. Construction is scheduled to start sometime in 2026.
Alexandria's been awarded $550k to plan for transit-oriented development along Duke Street, following the approval of Duke Street in Motion's BRT line
A great example of how transit and housing go hand-in-handhttps://t.co/6XncfuC0Ms
— Alex Goyette (@Alex_Goyette) April 2, 2024
Eisenhower Valley doesn’t get attention like Old Town or Del Ray, but it’s a scrappy community of unique local businesses, chains, and a growing residential community.
The Eisenhower Partnership is hosting a Rock the Avenue Block Party later this month to bring that eclectic group together.
The event will feature live music, a pop-up cider garden from Lost Boy Cider, and kid-friendly activities.
The event was initially scheduled for last September but was canceled due to bad weather. The new event is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, from noon to 4 p.m. at Saltbox (4700 Eisenhower Avenue).
According to a release:
This outdoor, free, family-friendly event will feature kid-friendly activities, local Eisenhower businesses and area artisans, live music from Yellow Door Concert Series, a pop-up Cider Garden hosted by Lost Boy Cider and much more.
The Eisenhower Partnership will also be offering bike valet services provided by Two Wheel Valet, to encourage individuals to bike to/from the event.
On Monday, April 8, Alexandria Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is hosting a gathering to watch the partial solar eclipse.
The viewing party is scheduled for 3-3:45 p.m. at the Old Town Pool (1609 Cameron Street). The event will include eclipse glasses to view the event safely, along with arts and crafts for the family.
“There will be a partial solar eclipse visible in Alexandria on April 8,” the event listing said. “You will be able to see the shadow of the moon cross in front of the sun. Join us at the Old Town Pool picnic area to learn about why the fascinating phenomenon happens and get eclipse glasses, so you can look safely.”
It’s not uncommon to hear business owners in Alexandria lament that local sign ordinances can be onerous and unwieldy, but an update to an ordinance could be a sign that things are changing.
Eight years after the last update to the sign ordinance, the City of Alexandria is taking another crack at it.
The new sign ordinance update aims to improve the organization, clarity and consistency of how the city handles signage, as well as offering a little more regulatory flexibility.
Notably, digital signs and A-frame signs are currently prohibited unless approved by a special use permit, like the sign at The Birchmere.
For digital signs, city staff said at a meeting yesterday (Monday) that the city should consider things like aesthetics and safety in considering whether or not to allow digital signs, but also that “they’re able to communicate more information than the typical changeable copy signs.”
Regulatory limitations being considered include:
- No effects, flashing or moving of individual images
- Frequency image on screen can change
- If freestanding, required to be a monument sign
Staff also said A-frame signs in the public right of way have also been a topic of discussion from businesses.
The current zoning ordinance does not allow A-frames in the public right of way, but the city could also consider issues of clutter, safety and accessibility in determining whether or not they should be allowed.
Some regulatory limitations proposed for A-frame signs include:
- Clearly defined pedestrian walkways
- Maximum distance from storefront
- Display hours
- Quality of materials
- Liability insurance
Lastly, staff said painted wall signs and murals have also been discussed. Painted murals currently count against wall signage allotment, but that could change.
Staff said the murals create and aesthetic benefit — highlighting artwork at local yarn store fibre space as an example of beautifully done artwork contributing to the neighborhood — but there are concerns about legal issues around regulating the content of what can be painted.
Staff said there could be restrictions on what buildings can be painted — always a guaranteed brawl at the Board of Architectural Review — and a limit set on the maximum size of the mural.
The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a work session on the sign ordinance update on Thursday, April 4, at 7 p.m.
Another community meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 29, at 6 p.m. in City Hall, then the ordinance will go to the Planning Commission and City Council for public hearings in June.
Holland Lane isn’t one of the longest or most-used streets in Alexandria, but it’s a major connection between the Old Town and Carlyle neighborhoods that may be getting a slight overhaul soon.
The City of Alexandria is currently gathering community feedback on plans that include, among other things, a bike lane on Holland Lane.
The street, which runs from Eisenhower Avenue up to the Whole Foods on Duke Street, is four lanes for most of its length and five at the Duke Street intersection.
The street is in a highly dense area where a City presentation said up to 29% of drivers speed past the 25 mph limit by 5 mph or more. The City said there have been 13 crashes on Holland Lane since 2018 and six of those involved people walking, all of which resulted in injury.
There are four options presented for the project, but other than the no-build option, all of them involve installing bike lanes on one or both sides of the street.
Detailed design for the project is scheduled for summer-fall this year with implementation sometime next year.
Someone who bought a Powerball ticket at a Safeway south of Alexandria has won the lottery.
Virginia Lottery said a winning Powerball ticket was bought at 8646 Richmond Highway “in Alexandria” — which is a pretty charitable description for a grocery store closer to Fort Belvoir than Fort Ward. The ticket didn’t take in the $1 billion jackpot but will cash in for $1 million — or whatever is left after taxes.
According to the release from the Virginia Lottery:
The winning numbers for the April 1 Powerball drawing were 19-24-40-42-56, and the Powerball number was 23. This ticket matched the first five numbers and missed only the Powerball number.
This ticket was one of only six in the nation to match the first five numbers. No ticket matched all six numbers to win the estimated $1 billion jackpot. That means the jackpot for Wednesday’s Powerball drawing grows to an estimated $1.09 billion.
Whoever has the ticket has 180 days from the drawing date to claim the prize. The Virginia Lottery advises that before doing anything else, the winner should immediately sign the back of the ticket to establish ownership. When the person is ready to claim the million-dollar prize, he or she should contact the Virginia Lottery.
Stores that sell a $1 million winning ticket receive a $10,000 bonus from the Virginia Lottery.
The Virginia Lottery said the odds of matching all six numbers in the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million and the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 25.
Profits from the Virginia Lottery go to K-12 education.
Photo via Google Maps
April 1 marks the launch of pothole patrol season in Alexandria.
In a release, the City of Alexandria said work is starting today on fixing potholes around the city.
According to the release:
Alexandria is divided into 11 zones, and Street Maintenance crews will work diligently across multiple zones at a time to ensure each zone receives one pass as crews find and repair any potholes encountered.
This is a moving operation, and residents should expect periodic lane closures throughout the City. The spring pothole patrol only covers major street networks and does not include public alleys and parking spaces.
While temporary patches are used to fill in potholes from time to time, April is when Alexandria gets into the permanent fixes.
According to the city’s website:
Permanent patching is used where a long-lasting repair is required. Oftentimes, the road surface must be cut away, the road base replaced, and new hot mix asphalt installed. The preferred months to perform permanent patching activities are from April to November due to hot mix asphalt temperature requirements and availability.
Pothole patrol is scheduled to wrap up around April 26 according to the city website. After that, residents can report potholes by using Alex311 or by calling 703 746 4311.
Property owners in Alexandria may notice that the Stormwater Utility Fee is likely going up again in the 2024 budget.
The City Manager’s proposed budget increases the utility rate from $308.7 to $324.10. Mayor Justin Wilson said in a newsletter that the new annual fee structure is broken down for local residential property owners as:
- $90.75 for condos
- $136.12 for townhomes
- $324.10 for small single-family homes
- $541.25 for large single-family homes
Wilson said the stormwater utility fee is paid by all property owners in the city, including non-taxable properties, with fees calculated by the square footage of buildings, parking lots and more.
The Stormwater Utility Fee has gradually increased over the years as the city works through infrastructure projects to combat frequent flooding.
“The increases of the fee over the past four years have allowed the City to quadruple the planned investment in stormwater mitigation since 2020 and support an accelerated 10-year program of infrastructure investment,” Wilson wrote.
Wilson said the increase in funding will allow the City to tackle eleven top-priority storm sewer capacity projects over the next ten years:
- Commonwealth & Glebe: $34 million
- Ashby & Glebe: $16 million
- Hooffs Run Culvert Bypass: $60 million
- Edison & Dale: $13 million
- Dewitt Avenue: $15 million
- East Mason Avenue: $1 million
- Notabene & Old Dominion: $4 million
- Mount Vernon, E. Glendale, E. Luray & E. Alexandria: $10 million
- E. Monroe & Wayne: $3 million
- Russell & W. Rosemont: $6 million
- Russell & W. Rosemont (south): $8 million
