Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Showers and thunderstorms before 3 p.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m.. High near 70 degrees. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. The chance of precipitation is 80%—new rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.
No serious injuries were reported after the management office for the Fairlington Villages condo association caught fire Wednesday afternoon.
Alexandria Fire Department and Arlington firefighters responded around 2 p.m. to a report of a building on fire at 3001 S. Abingdon Street, near Abingdon Elementary School in the Fairlington neighborhood, according to ARLnow. Fairlington Village manages dozens of buildings and about 1,700 townhome and apartments on nearly 100 acres in Alexandria and Arlington. Two firefighters were treated for non-life threatening injuries at the scene.
A senior living community in Alexandria’s West End is looking to expand by building a two-towered 14- to 16-story apartment building with 257 units.
The View Alexandria by Goodwin Living acquired the seven-acre property at 5000 Fairbanks Avenue and 5101 Fillmore Avenue from Hermitage Northern Virginia three years ago. It currently consists of a five-story medical building, surface parking and a six-story apartment building with 126 units for independent and assisted living care. Now Goodwin Living is asking the city for permission to approve a development special use permit for a 700,000-square-foot building by increasing its allowable height from 150 feet to 175 feet for the south tower, six feet on the North Tower (to 156 feet), a 30% bonus density and a reduction of off-street parking.
The developer of a seven-story, 180-unit apartment building across the street from the Braddock Road Metro station is asking the city for an extension of its development special use permit.
West Street Acquisitions says a number of important steps have been made on the one-acre project at 727 N. West Street, which was denied by the City Council in March 2021 and then approved two months later. After some delays, including a legal battle with a neighbor citing city regulations prohibiting the Council from reviewing a denied application for a year, work on the four-year-old project has been slow, and the development special use permit is about to expire.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins identified economic development as the critical path to potential future tax relief for Alexandria residents, emphasizing that significant commercial growth is necessary to balance the city’s predominantly residential tax base.
“If we are looking to one day get to a state where we’re able to reduce taxes, then that is directly tied to our big swings around economic development,” Gaskins said during a one-on-one Ask The Mayor conversation with ALXnow Publisher Ryan Belmore on Wednesday (May 21)
A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for Alexandria from 2 p.m. Wednesday (May 21) to 6 a.m. Thursday (May 22). Tides are expected to rise up to two and a half feet above normal levels.
The National Weather Service in Baltimore/Washington has issued the advisory, warning that low-lying areas could see water up to one foot above ground level.
Due to inclement weather, the City of Alexandria has canceled Wednesday’s (May 21) Community Cookout at the Ruby Tucker Center.
The event was part of the city’s 18th Annual Community Cookout Series and was supposed to happen in the 300 block of Tancil Court. The Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities made the call to cancel, asking residents to stay safe.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Gerald “Gerry” Connolly, an outspoken Democrat who sought key reforms in the federal government while bringing transformational development to his populous Virginia district, died Wednesday. He was 75.
Connolly, who most recently held a prominent position as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, served in Congress for more than 16 years.
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Showers, mainly before noon. High near 61 degrees. East wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100%—new precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch are possible. Tonight – Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1 a.m., then isolated showers between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Patchy fog after 9 p.m. Low around 56 degrees. East wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. The chance of precipitation is 80%—new precipitation amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.
An Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly stealing a number of bicycles, breaking into an apartment in Old Town to steal a purse, and then using a debit card at a nearby convenience store.
The 54-year-old suspect was arrested on May 8 and charged with possession of burglary tools, entering a dwelling with intent to commit larceny, and multiple counts of destruction of property, trespassing, and petit larceny.
Kismet Modern Indian will close its Old Town Alexandria restaurant (111 North Pitt Street) on June 1.
Continued market pressures have driven the decision to close the restaurant, which opened in Fall 2021.
