Vernon Miles | ALXnow

DASH takes lessons from D.C., Baltimore and Oregon in eliminating bus fares

Published July 19, 2021 at 3:40PM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria is getting ready to go fare-free this fall, and at the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) on July 1 the architects of that plan shared some of the challenges ahead.

Josh Baker, general manager of DASH, said a fare-free bus system had been brought up before, but transit authorities started looking at an emergency pandemic-program as a way to test what the program could look like on a larger, more permanent scale.

News

Local historians profile former slave in Alexandria who struggled to rescue his family

By Vernon Miles

Published July 19, 2021 at 1:30PM

Freedom House at 1315 Duke Street (photo via City of Alexandria)

As the city work to prepare the new Freedom House Museum for opening this fall, local historians are working to put together the stories of families that were trafficked through the slave trading hub at 1315 Duke Street.

Primary sources for the biographies range from ship manifests that show newborn babies taken from their families to newspaper articles from the time. One of the stories highlighted is that of Burdette Washington, who was born into slavery and whose life was cataloged in the pages of advertisements in the Alexandria Gazette and other sources.

News

Del Ray affordable housing completes long-awaited overhaul

By Vernon Miles

Published July 19, 2021 at 9:45AM

Ribbon-cutting for the Bellefonte Apartment Community renovations, courtesy AHDC

The residents of Del Ray’s Bellefonte Apartment Community (11 East Bellefonte Avenue) are back after a pair of local non-profits announced they’ve finished extensive renovations to the affordable housing community aimed at caring for adults with special needs.

Sheltered Homes of Alexandria (SHA), Alexandria Housing Development Corporation (AHDC) spearheaded the renovation of 12 apartment units. According to a press release, the renovations included a complete interior gutting and redesign of the building; changing some units to be fully wheelchair accessible, improving the stormwater systems, and updating security at the building.

News

Developers eye Beauregard redevelopment with West End upgrades on the horizon

By Vernon Miles

Published July 16, 2021 at 10:45AM

Developments in Beauregard, via City of Alexandria

With the city hoping Landmark development and the West End Transitway will help turn the Van Dorn corridor into a new commercial hub, developers near the Mark Center are hoping to cash in.

According to Maya Contreras, principal planner for Alexandria, plans are in the works to add new density to a stormwater pond near the Hilton (5000 Seminary Road) and to a site originally planned to be an office space, but will likely become something else.

News

Historic firehouse festival returns next month in Old Town

By Vernon Miles

Published July 15, 2021 at 3:30PM

Friendship Firehouse Festival (via Friendship Fire Company/Facebook)

The Friendship Firehouse Festival is back on this year after having been cancelled last year due to — you know.

The festival is an annual celebration of the Friendship Firehouse (107 S Alfred Street) in Old Town that opened in 1855, and has since been run as a museum focusing on fire-fighting history and fire safety. The museum hosts community events throughout the year, and holds preserved historic artifacts.

News

Planning Commission to review turning Old Town parking garage into townhouses

By Vernon Miles

Published July 15, 2021 at 1:05PM

The Strand Parking, via Google Maps

As the Hotel Indigo plans to open up its parking, the neighborhood will be losing a garage right across the street.

The Planning Commission will discuss both matters on Sept. 9, and will review plans to convert The Strand Parking garage (101 Duke Street) to a series of townhouses.

News

Hotel Indigo in Old Town seeks to open private garage to waterfront visitors

By Vernon Miles

Published July 14, 2021 at 3:40PM

Hotel Indigo garage, via Google Maps

Hotel Indigo (220 S Union Street) is hoping to turn its 69 parking spaces into a mutually beneficial arrangement for Old Town visitors.

Developer Carr Properties said it gave the required total of 69 parking spaces, but hasn’t gotten the expected usage since the hotel opened. The developer said it’s hoping to change its permit to allow some of those spaces currently usable only by hotel visitors to be used by tourists and other Old Town visitors.

Opinion

Poll: Did you go to a drive-in movie during the pandemic?

By Vernon Miles

Published July 14, 2021 at 1:15PM

The Alexandria Drive-In showed 'Casper' and 'The Mummy' on Halloween. (Image via ALX Community)

The short-lived resurgence of drive-in movie screenings in Alexandria during the pandemic seems to be winding down as the organizers of the Alexandria Drive-In announced the event will be discontinuing after this Saturday’s screening of Shrek.

The closing marks the end of short-lived fad when movie theaters were unsafe due to COVID-19. The Alexandria Drive-In launched last August with Jurassic Park and within four days all six initially scheduled movies were sold-out.

News

ARHA documents outline affordable housing organization’s shift toward rental-assistance

By Vernon Miles

Published July 13, 2021 at 4:45PM

Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s (ARHA) newly released Annual Agency Plan outlines the public agencies ongoing efforts at modernization and acquisition of affordable units in Old Town, with a particular focus on being more involved in rental-assistance programs.

The plan outlines areas of change for the organization, with the organization required to explain new activities in the current fiscal year. This year, one of those categories involves changes in “Mixed Finance Modernization or Development”. In its explanation, the document explained that ARHA is continuing to work on demolition of older units under Housing and Urban Development code Section 18 and rental assistance demonstration — rental assistance that ensures existing low-income units remain affordable — of others.

News

RiverRenew construction throughout Old Town to start this fall

By Vernon Miles

Published July 13, 2021 at 2:30PM | Updated July 14, 2021 at 11:16AM

Map of planned RiverRenew project (image via National Park Service)

Massive infrastructure project RiverRenew has laid out a rough timeline for the ambitious three-pronged work throughout Old Town later this year.

The project is part of compliance with a 2017 Virginia law that requires Alexandria to overhaul the city’s combined sewer system, which has been dumping 130 million gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River every year. The city is required to complete the overhaul by July 1, 2025.

News

Bilingual Montessori prechool to open in Rosemont church

By Vernon Miles

Published July 12, 2021 at 2:30PM

A new billingual Montessori program for pre-school children could open at the First Assembly of God Church (700 W. Braddock Road) in the Rosemont area.

Owner Flor Brea has filed an application with the city to open a program called Matteo Place Montessori Bilingual Preschool. According to the application, the program will teach children ages 2-6. The program is designed to teach up to 60 children with 10 employees.