As Eisenhower East continues to grow, the City of Alexandria is hoping for input on how to shape the community as it continues to grow.
City staff is working on an update to the 2003 Eisenhower East Small Area Plan. A lot has changed for the area since 2003, with the National Science Foundation moving in and new developments taking shape. A draft of the update to the Small Area Plan focuses on how to build or maintain affordable housing and open space amid new development in the area.
Four historical sites around Old Town and beyond will participate in this year’s Yuletide by Candlelight event.
The holiday event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, from 5-9 p.m.
The Cora Kelly School for Math, Science, and Technology has received a donation of 16 new musical instruments.
The magnet elementary school was chosen as this year’s beneficiary from Karaoke in the Capital, an annual charity event hosted by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) in partnership with the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation — a non-profit that donates musical instruments to under-funded music programs.
As the City Council considers approving Alexandria’s e-scooter pilot program for another year, several of the city’s boards and commissions have written letters asking that scooters be prohibited from city sidewalks in one form or another.
A draft recommendation being presented to the City Council tomorrow (Tuesday) includes banning sidewalk riding in Old Town and along Mount Vernon Avenue, which runs through Arlandria and Del Ray.
A few months after telling a pair of local companies to pump the brakes on plans to renovate three Washington Street gas stations, the Board of Architectural Review has approved changes to the facades.
The stations in question are the Shell station at 801 N. Washington Street and a pair of Exxon stations at 703 N. Washington Street and 501 S. Washington Street. There are assorted changes with the stations themselves, but the biggest changes for anyone driving down Washington Street will be the price signs that currently are manually set will be replaced by LED signs that can update as prices change.
T.C. Wins First Playoff Game Since 1990 — “T.C. Williams’ varsity football team won its first playoff game in almost 30 years [on Friday, Nov. 15], defeating West Springfield 21-20 and advancing to the district semifinals. While the Titans have gone to the playoffs as recently as 2017, this was the team’s first playoff win since 1990, according to athletic director James Parker.” [Alexandria Times]
T.C. Falls to South County — This past Friday, T.C. Williams’ playoff run ended with a 34-0 loss to South County High School. Mayor Justin Williams congratulated the team: “Congrats @TCTitanFootball on an amazing season… Well done.” [Twitter/@justindotnet]
Alexandria’s lights are about to shine a little differently than most folks in the city might be used.
The City of Alexandria is working with Dominion Energy to retrofit the city’s streetlights with new LED lights. Currently, 150 lights have been swapped out, with the goal of replacing 2,500 by summer 2020. The city will have to replace 12 lights per day to reach that goal by June 20, the start of summer.
The 600 block of King Street in Old Town — the one with the Chipotle and the Walgreens — is going to be briefly closed to car and some pedestrian traffic early tomorrow (Saturday) morning.
The block will be closed from 6-9 a.m. for construction work at 621 King Street, a Burke and Herbert Bank location, according to a press release from the City of Alexandria. A crew replacing equipment at the building will require a roadway closure for use of a large crane.
Priscilla, a two-year-old terrier mix at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) is a bundle of energy, but she’s sweet and hoping for a home to help her relax.
The pup is very excitable but has been training in patience and meditation with the AWLA staff, according to Gina Hardter, spokesperson for the organization.
Alexandria is getting just over $2.6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for upgrades to the city’s fire department.
Of the FEMA grants, one will provide $1.5 million over three years to add nine full-time firefighter/medics to the staff, allowing for the recommended four-person staffing on fire trucks and engines. Nine new fire cadets have already been hired, the city says.
(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) With the acquisition of a Clean Waters Act permit, the Potomac Yard Metro station has been cleared to start construction.
On Friday, Nov. 15, the Army Corps of Engineers issued the final permit required for construction on the Metro station to start in the wetlands, staff said at a Nov. 19 meeting. The announcement was followed by a small round of applause from the Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Work Group (PYMIG), a group that’s been meeting since 2011 to consider issues related to opening a Metro station in Potomac Yard.
