Vernon Miles | ALXnow

Alexandria creates new interactive map for armchair archaeologists

Published December 1, 2023 at 2:30PM | Updated December 2, 2023 at 12:34AM

Alexandria Archaeology Report Finder (image via City of Alexandria)

The days of digging through archives by address to find a historical report on a building in Alexandria could, themselves, be a thing of the past.

Anyone can now easily access archeological reports from around Alexandria via a new interactive map.

News

Longtime Alexandria City Academy leader Elaine Scott retiring

By Vernon Miles

Published December 1, 2023 at 10:50AM | Updated December 1, 2023 at 5:20PM

Senior Community Liaison Elaine Scott (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Mayor Justin Wilson isn’t the only one leaving city government: after 25 years working for the city, Senior Community Liaison Elaine Scott is retiring.

Scott has run the City Academy — a nine-week program that teaches anyone interested in city government the ins and outs of city departments and operations — since 2009.

News

Alexandria hosting public hearing tonight on Confederate street renaming plans

By Vernon Miles

Published November 30, 2023 at 3:30PM

Forrest Street, named for Nathan Bedford Forrest (image via Google Maps)

The City of Alexandria is hosting a public hearing tonight on plans to rename streets that honor Confederate leaders.

Last month, the city identified six streets that could be renamed early next year.

News

Architecture aficionados rejoice: Old Town-themed gingerbread house event returns next month

By Vernon Miles

Published November 30, 2023 at 9:30AM

Gingerbread replica of Old Town building (image via City of Alexandria)

Alexandrians have had a lot of thoughts on local architecture recently, and now they’ll get a chance to craft their own building in Old Town — albeit one made out of gingerbread.

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (138 N. Royal Street) is once again hosting its gingerbread decorating event early next month, with gingerbread houses themed around various historic buildings in Old Town.

News

Police: Man arrested for attempted robbery in Landmark-area apartment building

By Vernon Miles

Published November 29, 2023 at 3:30PM

300 block of South Reynolds Street (image via Google Maps)

A man has been arrested for attempting to rob someone in an apartment building just before 3 p.m. near Landmark today (Wednesday), the Alexandria Police Department (APD) said.

The man reportedly had a mask over his face and claimed to be carrying a handgun, according to scanner traffic. The victim told police that the man told the victim to put his hands up and brandished a gun, but the suspect ran away, according to the scanner.

News

City celebrates new dawn for a hidden gem of the West End

By Vernon Miles

Published November 29, 2023 at 1:50PM

Sunset at the Winkler Botanical Preserve (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

If you’ve never heard of or been to Winkler Botanical Preserve, you’re not alone.

In a 2021 poll, over 55% of ALXnow readers had never heard of the Winkler Botanical Preserve and nearly 20% had heard of it but never gone there. A little over 5% said they go to the park frequently.

News

Alexandria launches survey of housing conditions around the city

By Vernon Miles

Published November 29, 2023 at 9:45AM

Homes along the waterfront in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A coalition of organizations and City agencies has put together a survey to assess the quality of housing around the city.

Alexandria’s Healthy Homes Network is launching the engagement project to both gather information on issues like mold and pests and to help residents become more aware of home hazards.

News

JUST IN: Alexandria City Council ends single-family-only-zoning

By Vernon Miles

Published November 29, 2023 at 2:15AM | Updated November 29, 2023 at 8:44AM

Alexandria City Council after a unanimous vote in favor of Zoning for Housing/Housing for All (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Single-family-only zoning is no more in Alexandria.

Alexandria’s City Council voted unanimously at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, to approve the Zoning for Housing/Housing for All initiative.

News

Alexandria kicking off process to fix neglected historic Black cemetery next week

By Vernon Miles

Published November 28, 2023 at 3:30PM

Douglass Memorial Cemetery following flood damages in 2021 (photo courtesy Michael Johnson)

Douglass Memorial Cemetery (1421 Wilkes Street) has long suffered flooding and neglect, but the City of Alexandria said plans to address issues at the cemetery will be presented at a meeting next week.

City employee Michael Johnson has been ringing alarm bells about the state of the cemetery for years. The cemetery has been a burial site for Black Alexandrians since 1827. Around 2,000 people were buried in the cemetery before burials stopped in 1974.

News

Plans unveiled for new ‘Kings Row’ development near King Street Metro station

By Vernon Miles

Published November 28, 2023 at 2:45PM

Kings Row project (image via Heffner Architects PC/City of Alexandria)

A new development at 1604-1614 King Street, sharing a similar name with a London locale and a mediocre Overwatch map, could see a group of new condos built a stone’s throw from the King Street Metro station.

The Kings Row project is heading back to the Board of Architectural Review on Wednesday, Dec. 20, and would build a new seven-story expansion onto a group of townhouses built in 1913.

News

Grant program changes make it easier and cheaper for Alexandrians to flood-proof their homes

By Vernon Miles

Published November 28, 2023 at 9:55AM

Heidi DeuPree and Keith Harmon canoeing down Union Street in Old Town, Friday, October 29, 2021. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandrians who have been trying to flood-proof their homes should find it a little easier to get city funding.

Alexandria’s Flood Mitigation Grant Program received an update in October that makes it easier for property owners to access and boosts the amount of funding homeowners can receive. One of the big changes is that residents no longer have to show past flooding, meaning they can make precautionary improvements to homes that haven’t been hit with flooding before.