Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Alexandria’s mobility plan starts laying groundwork for self-driving vehicles

Published October 4, 2021 at 1:00PM | Updated March 15, 2024 at 2:33PM

Among the changes the city is making to its mobility plan, Alexandria is starting to lay the groundwork for autonomous vehicles on city streets.

There are currently serious concerns about the safety of self-driving cars, with specific concerns about the ability of these cars to reliably avoid hitting pedestrians and cyclists. But at the technology advances, city staff are still including plans for self-driving cars on Alexandria streets as a future possibility worth planning for.

News

Round-up of Halloween activities around Alexandria this month

By Vernon Miles

Published October 1, 2021 at 2:15PM

It’s Friday, Oct. 1, or more importantly: the start of Halloween month.

While locals start the scramble to put together their spooky decorations and costumes, Visit Alexandria has put together a rundown for ghostly activities and family friendly haunts around town. Events range from parades to plays, from the streets of Del Ray to the depths of Ivy Hill cemetery.

News

Local product pop-up headed to the waterfront next month

By Vernon Miles

Published October 1, 2021 at 10:45AM

Made in ALX pop-up display (photo via Made in ALX/Facebook)

A new pop-up focusing on products made in Alexandria is planning to open next month on the waterfront.

Made in ALX is a collective of Alexandria-based artisans that currently sell products out of the Alexandria Visitor’s Center (221 King Street), but in early November the group are planning to open at 1 Wales Alley, next to Virtue Feed & Grain and Waterfront Park in Old Town. The pop-up is scheduled to run through Dec. 29.

News

AlexRenew breaks ground for massive Old Town RiverRenew project

By Vernon Miles

Published September 30, 2021 at 3:30PM

Officials break ground at the RiverRenew project (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The groundbreaking for AlexRenew’s RiverRenew Tunnel Project was about as Alexandria as events get. The event was a who’s-who of current and former officials, complete with bagpipes, a poem about local sewage presented by the Town Crier, and even a cartoon mascot representing the boring machine getting ready to drill the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history.

The smiles and enthusiasm from city and state officials and organizations like the Potomac Riverkeeper Network were a marked departure from the occasionally contentious process that led to the $454.4 million RiverRenew project. Plans include replacing Old Town’s combined sewer system with a new sewer structure that will prevent 120 million gallons of combined sewage from flowing into the Potomac River.

Opinion

Poll: Should Alexandria permanently make the 100 block of King Street pedestrian-only?

By Vernon Miles

Published September 30, 2021 at 1:30PM

Next month, the City Council is set to review plans that could make the pedestrianization of the 100 block of King Street a permanent feature.

Since last spring, one of the blocks of King Street closest to the Waterfront, between Lee and Union streets, has been closed to vehicle traffic. The streetscape around businesses like Pop’s Old Fashion Ice Cream and Paper Source is a pedestrian zone, and local restaurants have outdoor dining areas.

News

Upcoming Alexandria City Council and School Board election forums announced

By Vernon Miles

Published September 29, 2021 at 3:45PM | Updated September 30, 2021 at 2:20PM

Voters line up to vote early in Old Town (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated 9/30) Alexandria’s incumbents running for re-election managed to hold on through the Democratic primary, but they face Republican and Independent challengers in the upcoming November election.

The Seminary Ridge Civic Association recently announced that it will be hosting two election forums throughout October, one for the City Council candidates and one for Mayoral candidates.

News

Mayor Wilson: Potomac Yard construction delay ‘could have nothing to do with Metro station’

By Vernon Miles

Published September 29, 2021 at 1:10PM

After the previously announced delay for the Potomac Yard Metro station, Mayor Justin Wilson said at a meeting last night that the cause of the September 2022 date is still vague and the city is hoping the project can be completed sooner.

At the City Council meeting, Wilson said the delay to September could, in part, be the result of internal issues at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

News

Protestors rally to return police to Alexandria schools, but officials say behind-the-scenes talks have stalled

By Vernon Miles

Published September 29, 2021 at 10:00AM | Updated September 29, 2021 at 2:12PM

City Council member John Chapman speaks with protestors demanding the return of the SRO program (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Weeks of tension and frustration over violence in Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) boiled over last night with a small crowd of parents shouting at City Council members to restore the school resource officer (SRO) program.

In May, the City Council voted 4-3 in favor of reallocating funding away from SROs, a program started in 1997 that installed police officers in Alexandria’s high school and two middle schools. While the schools have additional security staff, SROs were authorized make arrests and carry weapons — a fact that made headlines in 2018 when an SRO accidentally fired his gun inside George Washington Middle School.

News

First apartment building in massive Carlyle Crossing redevelopment starts pre-leasing

By Vernon Miles

Published September 28, 2021 at 2:30PM

Rendering of Reese, an apartment building in the Carlyle Crossing development, courtesy Stonebridge

The sprawling Carlyle Crossing development that aims to completely transform Eisenhower East is inching closer to completion as the first of the apartment buildings starts pre-leasing.

The first of the properties to start pre-leasing at the property is Reese, a 161-residence tower at 2495 Mandeville Lane. The building will have a 3-acre, 60-foot-high elevated terrace park that connects to another residential building, Dylan. Reese opened for pre-leasing earlier this month, with residents starting move-in later this fall. A third apartment building, Easton, will open this winter and the Dylan is scheduled to open early next year.

News

City looks to permanently ‘pedestrianize’ a block of King Street

By Vernon Miles

Published September 28, 2021 at 10:45AM

The 100 block of King Street has been closed to cars for over a year, and now the city is looking to make the change permanent.

At an upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, the Planning Commission is docketed to review a proposal by city staff to permanently turn the 100 block of King Street between Lee Street and Union Street into a pedestrian zone.

News

Firecracker shuts down Alexandria City High School football game

By Vernon Miles

Published September 27, 2021 at 3:35PM

The Alexandria City High School marquee (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department confirmed that a firecracker, not gunshots, prematurely ended a football game Saturday between Herndon High School and Alexandria City High School (ACHS).

“The game was called with less than three minutes remaining,” said Claire Going, a spokesperson for Alexandria City Public Schools. “Fans began self-evacuation. Once the source of the noise was determined, an announcement was made to let people in the stadium know what had caused it.”