Currently Alexandrians pay a little less than their neighbors for ambulance trips, but that could change after in this year’s budget.
The Alexandria City Council is considering a fee adjustment for ambulance billing that would raise prices to mostly be in line with Arlington and Fairfax County.
Currently, basic life support is $600, but that could climb to $750 to match Fairfax County and Arlington County.
Advanced life support (ALS) is broken into level 1 and level 2, with the latter requiring additional levels of medical treatment. ALS1 could rise from $780 to $1,000 — slightly higher than Fairfax County rates but equal to Arlington County. ALS2, meanwhile, could rise from $900 to $1,200, slightly higher than Fairfax County ($1,175) or Arlington County ($1,000).
Alexandria also charges $12 per mile, but that could increase to $18 — equal to Fairfax but more expensive than Arlington’s $15 per mile.
The fees were last increased in July 2021 and the proposed budget says the change is estimated to bring in $1.1 million in additional revenue.
Mayor Justin Wilson said the increase was proposed back in 2019 but was shelved when Covid hit.
“I’m surprised we got as far behind as we did,” Wilson said at a work session. “I think what’s notable about this is about one-third is self-pay and two-thirds come from insurance, either Medicare/Medicaid or private insurance. In a lot of ways just billing public or private insurance providers.”
City staff also noted that three unpaid bill notices are sent in the mail but, if the ambulance bill is not paid, the account is written off — the Alexandria Fire Department does not send unpaid ambulance bills to debt collection for further action.
Wilson suggested that, in future budgets, ambulance cost reviews be put on a set schedule.
(Updated 2:25 p.m.) It can be hard to find good vegetarian and vegan-friendly options around Alexandria. After a walk along the waterfront or a stroll through Del Ray, it’s nice to know where you or your friends with plant-based diets can stop in for a meal.
ALXnow has you covered.
There are a couple different ways of ranking Alexandria’s vegan restaurants, but one of the most consistent is from Happy Cow, an app dedicated to helping users find vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.
Ranked by ratings, these are the Happy Cow users’ top choices in Alexandria:
- PLNT Burger (1700 Duke Street): a regional chain with plant-based burgers. The Alexandria location is in the Whole Foods Market on Duke Street.
- Spice Kraft Indian Bistro (2607 Mount Vernon Avenue): an Indian restaurant with two locations, one in Arlington and another in Alexandria. Has several vegan and vegetarian options.
- Hawwi Ethiopian (1125 Queen Street): an Ethiopian restaurant in Old Town with vegan options.
- Asian Wok Cafe (828 N. Washington Street): a casual Chinese restaurant with a fairly extensive vegetarian and vegan menu, including vegan versions of classic Chinese dishes.
- Yunnan by Potomac Noodle House (814 N. Fairfax Street): a restaurant in the Montgomery Center focusing on food from southwest China. Enjoy it while it’s in Alexandria, though, because it’s moving to Arlington due to the redevelopment of the Montgomery Center.
- Caphe Banh Mi (407 Cameron Street): a Vietnamese restaurant in Old Town with vegan options.
- Lost Dog Cafe (808 N. Henry Street): a pizza and sandwich regional chain with some vegan and vegetarian options,
though the selection for vegan/vegetarian options is very limited. Update: Lost Dog Cafe has vegan cheese as a substitute option and all vegetarian sandwiches and pizzas can be made vegan. - Mai Thai Restaurant (6 King Street): a Thai restaurant on Alexandria’s waterfront with several vegan options.
- &pizza (Hoffman Town Center, Bradlee Shopping Center, Potomac Yard): a regional pizza chain with several premade and customizable vegan pizza options.
- The Peoples Drug (103 N. Alfred Street): a sandwich and cocktail bar in Old Town with vegan options, notably a plant-based meatball sub.
Yelp, meanwhile, ranked Spice Kraft as the number one highest rated vegan-friendly restaurant in Alexandria. Yelp’s Top Ten also included Fetching Goodies, a vegan and gluten-free residential bakery with treats available for purchase online to be picked up on East Windsor Avenue.
ALXnow checked in with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and got some recommendations as well:
PLNT Burger is 100% vegan and located inside a Whole Foods Market. They offer various kinds of burgers, chik’n sandwiches, and a “Save the Bay Fillet”.
The following restaurants aren’t fully vegan, but do offer vegan options:
Hawwi Ethiopian Restaurant offers a vegan sampler, which includes chickpea puree, beets and potatoes, and collard greens served with Injera (flatbread) or basmati rice.
Spice Kraft Indian Bistro has several vegan options, such as vegetable korma and bhuna bartha (roasted eggplant) can make other entrees vegan upon request.
Aditi Indian Dining also has several vegan options, including channa masala and gobi Manchurian (cauliflower).
Falafel Inc has a small menu, but offers great options, like a vegan meat shawarma sandwich with red umami cabbage with vegan dressings.
Andy’s Pizza in Old Town has a great vegan pizza called Miller Time made with locally made vegan cheese (vertage brand).
The following are near Alexandria:
Busboys and Poets in Arlington has many vegan options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, like vegan egg wraps, vegan tuna salad, and vegan Bolognese pasta.
Loving Hut in Falls church is 100% vegan with everything from summer rolls with vegan meats to spicy noodle soups.
Chay Restaurant is also in Falls Church and features Vietnamese cuisine where about 80-90% of the menu items are vegan.
Image via Spice Kraft Indian bistro/Facebook
(Updated 11:15 a.m.) A new ‘windowfront exhibit’ about the Buried Ships of Robinson Landing is coming to Old Town early next month.
The exhibit features scale models of four 18th and 19th-century ships discovered during excavations of the Robinson Landing Site.
According to an event listing:
In 2018, archaeologists excavated the three historic vessels from the Robinson Landing Site, on the same block as the new exhibit. The scale models show what these ships may have looked like in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Archaeologists will join City officials to speak on the exhibit’s debut.
The exhibit is set to open on Saturday, April 6, at the corner of the Strand and Pioneer Mill Way. The ribbon-cutting will be that day at 1 p.m.
The models will be on display in Old Town. Three of the original ships have re-sunk in the pond at Ben Brenman Park as part of a preservation effort, while the third is still at Texas A&M undergoing conservation work.
New manhole inserts aren’t normally notable or a cause for celebration, but they are in several Alexandria neighborhoods where they could help prevent flooding.
The City of Alexandria announced today that it will be installing 870 stainless steel manhole covers in the Four Mile Run, Commonwealth and Taylor Run sewer sheds.
“These inserts will help prevent stormwater runoff from entering sanitary sewer manholes during wet weather,” the city said in a release.
The release said the inserts sit on top of the manhole, directly underneath the cover, and have holes that slowly drain accumulated stormwater into the sewer after the storm ends.
“Manhole inserts are one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce inflow into the sanitary sewer system,” the release said. “Inflow into sanitary sewers can overwhelm the capacity of the sewer system, which can lead to sewer backups in basements.”
The installations started in February and will continue through the end of June.
As Alexandria’s City Council works through a tight budget year, one of the big items infrastructure pieces looming over the city is the $110.2 million renovation of City Hall.
The renovation was brought up as an item that could be delayed at a recent budget meeting, but over time repeated deferrals — and an expansion in scope — have made the much-needed renovation more and more expensive.
“The renovation of City Hall has been deferred five times,” Giovonny Bland, from the city’s Office of Communications, told ALXnow, “moving the main renovation/construction period from FY 2015 to FY 2025.”
A decade ago, the city balked at a $50 million renovation of City Hall, and there was a minor controversy over a comment from then-Mayor Bill Euille over the possibility of financing the renovations by leasing out space in the building. Euille’s opponents in the mayoral election attacked Euille for considering ‘selling city hall’ and Euille eventually walked back the comments, saying he was considering every option.
Since then, City Hall has continued to deteriorate, getting F ratings on a new facility report in 2022, described in the Joint Facilities Master Plan Roadmap as “functionally obsolete.”
“The cost has increased over time, however, the scope of the project has also changed from an HVAC-only replacement to a full renovation of the facility,” Bland said. “The full renovation scope started in the Approved FY 2015–FY 2024 CIP and the budgeted cost at that time was $47.5 million. It has since increased to $110.2 million.”
Last year, the city added the replacement of the Market Square parking garage and the redesign of Market Square to the project.
There is $93.4 million set aside for the renovation of City Hall and the Market Square Garage in the City Manager’s proposed FY 2026 Capital Budget.
According to the City Budget (page 193):
This project was initiated with the purpose of replacing the outdated and past their life cycle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (HVAC), life safety systems and perform any necessary structural repairs. This work requires the demolition of the ceilings and lighting, and disruption of the HVAC and life safety systems in the work areas, therefore requiring the temporary relocation of the employees to a swing space for the duration of the work. Since the HVAC, life safety and structural work will have a significant impact in disrupting the workspace and building operations, and requiring the expense of temporary swing spaces, it is reasonable to be performed at the same time with the newly proposed space planning and space reconfiguration.
The budget item says the goal of the project is to create a modern and energy-efficient building with environmentally friendly systems.
Rosemont, Parkfairfax, and North Ridge residents could get the short end of the stick as DASH looks to scale back bus service in those neighborhoods.
A memo from Martin Barna, director of Planning and Scheduling for DASH, said the city’s bus system could reduce service on Line 104. Barna wrote that the change is based on the City Manager’s Draft FY 2025 budget.
Line 104 runs from the Braddock Road Metro station to the Pentagon Metro station.
Service would be reduced on Line 104 from every 30 minutes to once every hour. Barna said the change is likely to significantly decrease ridership.
According to the memo:
This reduction would reduce annual operating costs by $180,000, but would have an adverse impact on commuters in Parkfairfax, North Ridge and Rosemont. It also runs counter to the goals and recommendations of the 2022 Alexandria Transit Vision (ATV) Plan and Alexandria Mobility Plan (AMP). In general, fixed-route bus service that only runs once every 60 minutes is not considered to be useful or reliable, and ridership is likely to decrease by a large margin as riders seek other alternatives.
At the same time, there are other potential service improvements included in the memo, though they’re considered unfunded improvements:
- Line 32 – DASH is proposing to improve midday, evening and weekend headways from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes.
- Line 34 – DASH is proposing to improve Sunday headways from every 60 minutes to every 30 minutes.
- Line 31 – DASH is proposing to improve midday, evening and weekend headways between King Street Metro and Braddock Road from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes by extending all Line 31 short trips that currently operate between NVCC-Alexandria and the King Street Metro.
The changes are scheduled for review at the Transportation Commission meeting on Wednesday, March 20.
Any Alexandrian looking to register for spring classes and programs through the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities should mark Wednesday, March 20, down in their calendar.
“Registration for spring classes and programs, beginning April 1 through mid-June, will open on Wednesday, March 20, at 9 a.m. for City residents and Friday, March 22, for non-residents,” the city said in a release.
Programs range from sports to aquatics and camps, with options for both adults and children.
People interested in participating can register either online or in person at the Lee Center Registration & Reservation Office (1108 Jefferson Street).
Registration for summer programs is also right around the corner.
“Registration for summer classes and programs, beginning mid-June through mid-August, will open on Wednesday, May 15, for residents and Friday, May 17, for non-residents,” the release said.
As the old saying goes: when one spa closes, another one opens.
While Windsor of Old Town is closing this month after 43 years in Alexandria, a new business called Spa180 Prestige has opened at 2813 Duke Street. The spa also has a large parking area on-site.
The spa owners told ALXnow the business opened last month but are running “grand opening” specials this month on massages and more.
The spa is offering grand opening specials throughout March, including:
- Swedish Massage with Hot Stone: $79 for one hour, $99 for 90 minutes
- Intro Glow Facial: exfoliating, hydrating and lifting facial massage: $89 for one hour
- Eyelash extension: $90
- Microblading/Ombre: $550
The spa also offers waxing, group spa-day bookings, body scrubs and more.
Image via Spa180 Prestige/Instagram
Windsor of Old Town Salon & Day Spa, along with the men-focused The Gentlemen’s Quarters, will be closing up shop in Old Town (107 S. Union Street) by the end of this month.
On Facebook, the company said it’s become “too challenging to continue” but that staff from the business will be moving over to Sugar House Day Spa and Salon nearby at 111 North Alfred Street.
“Donna and Stephen Windsor and the rest of our team at Windsor Of Old Town Salon & Day Spa [and] The Gentlemen’s Quarters would like to thank you for 43 wonderful years,” the business owners said on Facebook. “It has been an experience that we will cherish forever. As much as we have loved our time at 107 S. Union St., like many others it has become too challenging for us to continue.”
The company said that the Windsor of Old Town Salon and Spa staff will be starting at Sugar House Day Spa & Salon starting April 1.
“Sugar House is an establishment that has been servicing the Old Town community for over 25 years and we are excited for this new chapter,” the business said in a notice at Windsor of Old Town Salon & Day Spa. “We appreciate your understanding during this transition and we look forward to seeing you again at Sugar House Day Spa and Salon.”
Photo via Windsor of Old Town Salon & Spa/Facebook
Hat tip to Ryan Belmore
(Updated 9:20 p.m.) After a prolonged battle between a Del Ray homeowner and his neighbors over a proposed accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and a single-family home, Alexandria’s City Council struck the plans down in a meeting earlier this week.
The plan (docket item 11) was to create a two-story, single-unit ADU to 404 E. Alexandria Avenue along with a single-family home. The unit would be set off the main street on a vacant lot and accessible by a public alley.
The plan drew backlash from neighbors from the start. The Del Ray Civic Association recommended denial of the project and residents spoke at the Planning Commission and City Council meeting, expressing concerns about the tree preservation, emergency access, stormwater management and more.
While the Planning Commission recommended approval for the ADU in a divided 4-3 vote, the City Council was unanimous in their denial.
City Council members said the sum of the concerns added up to the development feeling incompatible with the neighborhood.
“Where I’m really struggling is, when I reviewed this case, it says over and over that in order for the SUP approval it has to be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood,” said City Council member Alyia Gaskins. “And then when you look at the staff report, the language that was used was ‘we’re not aware of any lots without the frontage in Del Ray’, ‘this is the first of its kind on the block’, ‘no other contemporary architectural types’ and ‘it’s unique’. For me, that language begins to pull out some of those pieces… it is different in multiple ways.”
City Council members said they didn’t want to discourage ADU development or even slap down unorthodox buildings, but the Council agreed unanimously that this ADU didn’t fit on that Del Ray lot.
“The request to permit a substandard lot is not in and of itself an extraordinary or unique case,” said City Council member Sarah Bagley, who noted that she was still undecided up until the final vote. “I want to be careful about what we think of as ‘well it’s different… and therefore incompatible.'”
Bagley said there’s likely to be more new and innovative designs coming before the City Council in coming years as buildings are reconfigured to, for example, maximize solar panels on the roof.
Bagley ultimately joined her colleagues on the City Council in a unanimous vote to deny the substandard lot application.