Favoring the Planning Commission’s decision over staff’s recommendation, the Alexandria City Council has told the Virginia Paving Company it has seven years to vacate its West End property.
The requirement comes as the city is working to transform the Van Dorn Corridor — today an industrial and car-heavy stretch from the Van Dorn Metro station to Landmark Mall — into a more residential-focused area.
A ship on Alexandria’s waterfront will host an intimate retelling of a historic ghost story this weekend.
The tall ship Providence is not officially open yet, but the ship will be going through its first test as a permanent fixture of the waterfront with a “ghost ship” story.
Online Maintenance for Library — “Due to service maintenance, on Wednesday, October 23 between the hours of 12am and 6am, Library customers will not unable to access databases or library accounts.” [Twitter]
New Generation for Le Refuge — Since 1983, the family-owned Le Refuge restaurant has served French cuisine at 127 N. Washington Street. Now a new generation of the family is taking over the beloved local institution. [Gazette Packet]
(Updated at 5 p.m.) There’s no official word yet, but multiple sources have told ALXnow that British clothing and accessories retailer FatFace is looking at moving into the former Old Town Trading Post at 128 King Street.
A local commercial real estate source told ALXnow that FatFace is looking at moving into the location. Another source said FatFace was considering a lease but may not have signed one yet.
Alexandria officials have voted to allow mobile carriers to start installing what’s billed as a faster, and smarter, cellular network.
The Alexandria City Council voted during its meeting this past Saturday, October 19 to approve a 5-year agreements with Verizon and AT&T, allowing the company to install small wireless equipment on street poles to boost 5G cell networks to the city.
Descendants of the men who led the 1939 Alexandria library sit-in plan to meet tonight for a panel discussion examining how the event impacted their families.
At the Beatley Central Library (5005 Duke Street) at 6:30 p.m., relatives of protestors William “Buddy” Evans and Morris Murray are scheduled to discuss the event and some of the lingering impacts, followed by a question and answer session.
While geofencing for scooters generally means blocking them from scooting through an area, new geofencing measures in Alexandria are aimed at keeping scooters parking in certain places.
New scooter regulations have blocked scooters from parking in a multi-block stretch east of N. Union Street, between Oronoco Street and Prince Street. The result has been an 80 percent decrease in scooter parking on the waterfront, staff told the Waterfront Commission at its meeting last week.
After a year in operation, Pendleton Carryout Co. continues to grow with the introduction of breakfast options, app-based delivery services, and more.
On Friday, the food incubator at 807 Pendleton Street in the Braddock neighborhood debuted its brunch menu, serving scratch-made biscuits from Freed’s Biscuit Company. Only available on weekends until noon, customers can order biscuit breakfast sandwiches stuffed with everything from bacon, egg, and cheese to plant-based Beyond Meat patties.
Taqueria Senora Lola ain’t the only new taqueria game coming to town.
In the West End, Taqueria Picoso (1472 N. Beauregard Street) is eyeing a December opening at The Shops at Mark Center, according to employees working on the building. The spot was formerly a Thai restaurant, according to Alexandria Living.
(Updated at 9:30 a.m.) The annual Dance America Rapper Tournament (DART) will take over several pubs in Alexandria this Saturday, October 26, with the public invited to witness the fun.
From 1 p.m. until late into the evening, the sword dancing competition tour will kick off across three pubs in Old Town and end with a celebration at the Durant Arts Center (1605 Cameron Street).
‘Say Yes’ Star Opening Alexandria Salon — “The star of ‘Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta,’ Monte Durham, plans to open a hair salon in Old Town Alexandria, he announced this week. Durham, a resident of Alexandria, plans to call the salon ‘Monte.’ No word yet on an opening date.” [Alexandria Living]
APD Investigates Weekend Crashes — Alexandra police investigated a number of crashes over the weekend, including on the ramp to Telegraph Road from eastbound Duke Street, the intersection of North Beauregard Street and Seminary Road, the intersection of North Patrick Street and Madison Street, and the 500 block of North Columbus Street.
