A new poll ranked Alexandria’s King Street as one of the best ‘main streets’ in America, though it got beat out by Alexandria’s travel destination rival.
The poll of 3,000 travelers by photo book site Mixbook put Alexandria’s King Street at #7 on the list of America’s Most Charming Main Streets.
According to the site, the street is:
A picturesque blend of historical charm and modern vibrancy, serving as the cultural and commercial heart of Old Town. This historic thoroughfare boasts a variety of boutique shops, gourmet restaurants, and the Torpedo Factory Art Center, all set against the backdrop of the Potomac River and cobblestone streets.
The number one main street was King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The Charleston often (and very unfairly) beats Alexandria in various travel destination lists.
As some have noted before: these kinds of rankings aren’t exactly scientific surveys and mostly serve as promotions for various sites, but there’s no denying the enduring appeal of King Street. In recent years, some of the blocks close to the waterfront have closed off into pedestrian zones. Though they’re a bit sparse at the moment, the city recently streamlined its planning process to accelerate improvements to those pedestrian zones.
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
❄️ Today’s weather: Frost is expected in some areas before 8am, followed by sunny conditions and a high temperature near 72. A light west wind will shift southward, reaching speeds between 6 and 11 mph in the morning. On Tuesday night, scattered showers are likely after 2am, with clouds increasing and a low temperature of around 55. Southerly winds will blow at 8 to 10 mph, and there’s a 30% chance of precipitation.
🚨 You need to know
The Alexandria Police Department is pushing for funding to create an Alexandria Real-Time Information Center, WUSA9 reported.
The new facility would be a hub for processing data like a registry of doorbell cameras and license plate readers.
WUSA9 reported that there are 16 license plate readers around the city, which have already helped track down one prison escapee, and police said adding more can help with locating stolen vehicles, suspects and missing people.
The Alexandria Police Department is hoping to get $20,000 for the new Real-Time Information Center. That funding was initially set aside to incentivize businesses and homeowners to invest in private security cameras, but WUSA9 reported that a variety of legal hurdles left that idea in limbo.
📈 Monday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 22, 2024.
- Notes: Starting July 1, all Virginia drivers are required to have vehicle insurance (4512 views)
- BREAKING: Police investigating suspicious death at Braddock neighborhood apartment building (2400 views)
- Alexandria seeking community feedback on bike lanes and other changes to West End street (1091 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
Everything seemed rolled up tight for a legal retail market for cannabis, but a veto from Gov. Glenn Youngkin set those plans ablaze.
Panel program Agenda: Alexandria is meeting tonight (Monday) to discuss the current state of the cannabis market with speakers including Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter and the owner of a dispensary network.
According to the program:
The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation this past session to create a retail market for cannabis — Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed this legislation. The Commonwealth had legalized cannabis for adult possession and cultivation in 2021.
Cannabis is currently legal and available only to treat medical conditions at state-regulated dispensaries. But concerns linger as to the health effects of chronic cannabis consumption and to what extent a black market for cannabis contributes to criminal activity.
The program tonight will tackle what is and isn’t legal now, and whether that should change.
Panelists scheduled to attend tonight are:
- Trent Woloveck — Chief Strategy Director at Jushi, owner of Beyond Hello dispensaries
- Jeremy Preiss Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) Authority’s Chief Officer and Acting Head — Regulatory, Policy, and External Affairs
- Robert B. Nealon, Esq. — Senior Partner of Nealon & Associates, P.C
- Bryan Porter — Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Alexandria
The panel discussion is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at the Lyceum (201 S Washington Street). Tickets for non-Agenda Alexandria members are $10. The event can be viewed in person or online.
Photo via Wesley Gibbs/Unsplash
(Updated 2:25 p.m.) The Alexandria Police Department (APD) is investigating a suspicious death at The Bloom at Braddock Apartments on the 900 block of North Henry Street in the Braddock neighborhood.
Communications Manager Tracy Walker said police responded to the building at around 3:26 a.m. for a report of an injured adult man. The man was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased.
Scanner traffic indicated a 50-year-old man suffered cardiac arrest in his apartment after being assaulted in the hallway.
As of 2 p.m., police are still investigating at the building.
According to a release from APD:
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) is investigating a suspicious death. At approximately 3:26 a.m., APD officers responded to an apartment building in the 900 block of North Henry Street for a report of an injured adult male. Officers located the man who was transported to the hospital by Alexandria Fire-EMS where he was pronounced deceased.
If you or anyone you know has information that could be helpful to this investigation, please call 703-746-4444. Tips can be provided anonymously.
Detectives are investigating a suspicious death in the 900 block of N. Henry Street. If you have any information please call 703-746-4444, tips can be provided anonymously. pic.twitter.com/ND3r14XGCE
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 22, 2024
Image via Google Maps
James Cullum and Vernon Miles contributed to this story
Got any spare drugs? In an effort to curb misuse, Alexandria is asking residents to drop off expired prescription medication on Saturday (April 27).
It’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. residents can drop off their unneeded prescription drugs (including pet medication) at:
- Alexandria Police Department Headquarters (3600 Wheeler Ave.)
- Fire Station 210 (5255 Eisenhower Ave.)
- The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray (2204 Mt. Vernon Ave.)
- Walgreens Pharmacy (3614 King St.)
Expired and unused medication is “highly susceptible to misuse, especially opioid prescriptions,” the city said in a release. Additionally, many drugs are environmentally hazardous and can contaminate waterways if flushed.
Last year’s Drug Take Back Day took in 2,647 pounds of unused medication in Alexandria — a 40% increase over 2022.
The drop-offs will be staffed by the Alexandria Police Department and Sheriff’s Office.
Needles are not accepted at the event, and can be dropped off at other permanent medication locations, according to the city.
If you can’t make it to the drop-off event, the city recommends the following:
- Remove medication from its original container. Do not crush
- Mix medication with an inedible substance, such as kitty litter or coffee grounds
- Place mixture in a sealable bag or container and throw away in the trash
- Black out all personal information on the prescription label so it is unreadable
Photo via DCHS/Facebook
Alexandria’s City Council will approve its fiscal year 2025 budget in a little more than a week, and important actions will be taken between now and then.
On Wednesday (April 24), Council will hold a public hearing on the city’s tax rate. Last month, a 4-cent tax ceiling was approved for consideration, allowing city staff and local legislators wiggle room in analyzing funding options in exchange for raising taxes. Each penny added to the tax rate is about $4.7 million, and a 4-cent tax increase would bring in $18.8 million.
This year’s residential taxes are expected to rise due to underperforming commercial real estate assessments, as well as a proposal to raise salaries for teachers in Alexandria City Public Schools.
Alexandria’s commercial property tax rate fell 4% this year, or $736.9 million. The value of the city’s office properties fell 12.38%, from $3.58 billion in 2023 to $3.14 billion in 2024, according to a city report. It’s the second year in a row that office properties dipped in value, dropping 10% last year.
Council will also conduct a budget work session on Wednesday with their proposed budget additions and deletions.
City Council will approve the fiscal year 2025 budget on May 1.
The deadline has now passed for members of Council to propose amendments to the Manager’s proposed budget.
Amendments must have the support of 3 members to be considered during the remainder of the process.
This is the preliminary list of amendments:https://t.co/82LQDifJYN
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) April 5, 2024
Alexandria is seeking community feedback on a series of changes to South Pickett Street in the West End, including new pedestrian safety measures and protected bike lanes.
The project would cover S. Pickett Street from Duke Street down to Edsall Road. That route along the West End Village shopping center, Hillwood Condominiums, and ends near Samuel Tucker Elementary School.
“Today, South Pickett Street serves fast-moving vehicular traffic, has very few pedestrian crossings despite a robust crossing demand, and has no bicycle facilities,” a city report said. “This corridor has gradually been redeveloping into a higher-density neighborhood conducive to non-automobile travel, but the existing street design is challenging and hostile for people walking, biking, and taking transit.”
The road, currently four lanes, could be cut to two lanes for car traffic, one center-running turn lane, and a protected bike lane on each side of the street.
The report said “no significant differences in traffic operations” was expected based on a traffic analysis.
Other proposed changes include:
- Dedicated center turning lane
- Posted speed limit reduction to 25 mph
- New pedestrian crossings at key locations
- Traffic calming measures
- Upgrades to pedestrian ramps
- Lead Pedestrian Intervals and no turn on red restrictions at signalized intersections
Feedback can be submitted online until May 5. A virtual community meeting on the project is scheduled for Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The meeting ID is 968 5930 1979 and the passcode is 968 5930 1979.
Following community feedback, the city said recommendations will be sent to the Traffic and Parking Board later this spring or this summer.
Image via Google Maps
Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Expect sunny skies with a high temperature near 66 degrees and a northwest wind at about 8 mph. Monday Night will be mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 40 degrees. The northwest wind will ease to around 5 mph before becoming calm in the evening.
🚨 You need to know
If you’ve been cruising around Alexandria without paying for car insurance, it’s time to start shopping around with insurance companies.
Starting July 1, a new law passed in 2023 eliminating the “uninsured motor vehicle” option will take effect.
Previously, drivers could pay a $500 fee and drive without insurance. 13 News Now reported that around 12% of Virginia drivers are uninsured, slightly lower than the national rate of 14%.
📈 Friday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 19, 2024.
- Alexandria considering big plans for properties next to Eisenhower Avenue Metro station (2728 views)
- Alexandria City Council approves new ‘neighborhood’ at former Vulcan Materials site (1063 views)
- Del Ray bank closes after incident with fired employee (526 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
It was another busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top stories focused on development projects all over the city, from Old Town North to Carlyle and in the West End. News of the mixed-use projects comes as affordable housing advocates are protesting against being priced out and are asking for greater assistance from the city.
Politics-wise, City Council Member Alyia Gaskins celebrated two recent victories in her Democratic primary race for mayor. Gaskins is leading with fundraising, having raised $149,107 with $69,425 on-hand, according to quarterly campaign finance reports released Monday. Her opponent Vice Mayor Amy Jackson has raised $59,984 and has $22,682 on-hand, while former real estate developer Steven Peterson has raised $44,700 with $14,019 on-hand.
Gaskins also handily won the recent Alexandria Democratic Committee’s Straw Poll by 81%, followed by 16% for Jackson and 3% for Peterson. The primary is on June 18.
On Tuesday, we reported on a new movement to return Alexandria’s City Council to ward/district representation. While the nine-member Alexandria School Board is divided into three districts, the seven members of City Council are at-large, representing the entire city. The Communities for Accountable City Council is a self-described non-partisan group of city residents “exasperated with the intransigent Alexandria City Council that is unaccountable to communities and neighborhoods because of Alexandria’s At-Large election system.”
In our poll this week we asked whether City Council should return to a ward system. Out of the more than 500 votes, 57% voted yes and 43% voted no.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Notes: Old Town North building sold for $15.4 million to be turned into mixed-use apartment building (8413 views)
- Alexandria considering big plans for properties next to Eisenhower Avenue Metro station (4987 views)
- Alexandria City Council approves new ‘neighborhood’ at former Vulcan Materials site (4603 views)
- CVS set to close in Taylor Run neighborhood on Duke Street (3611 views)
- Affordable housing advocates rally outside Alexandria City Hall (3559 views)
- No arrest after fistfight leads to gunfire in Lincolnia (3351 views)
- Notes: Fundraiser for motorcyclist killed on Duke Street raises thousands (2390 views)
- Local organization forms to push Alexandria back to district/ward elections (2303 views)
- Mystic BBQ & Grill opens on Lee Street in Old Town (2235 views)
Have a safe weekend!
All of Bishop Ireton High School skipped classes today for a good cause.
More than 700 students, teachers and administrators participated in a cleanup of 30 sites in and around Alexandria, including along the city’s waterfront, Holmes Run and Four Mile Run Park.
Sophomore Trevor Pickard spent four hours picking up trash along the Potomac River waterfront. He said he picked up a lot of plastic bottles, tennis balls, diapers, cigarette butts and a lot of disposable vaporizers.
“Obviously not going to school is nice, but it was good to help on our community and beautify these parks for the people in Alexandria,” Pickard said.
B.I.’s Head of School Kathleen McNutt said that the school’s theme this year has been about giving back, and that the cleanup will be repeated next year. The effort meant 25 buses full of students, as well as coordination with parks and churches in the city, Fairfax County and Arlington.
“We wanted to be able to go out into the community as an entire group,” MCNutt said. “We feel like we’ve accomplished that today.”
Senior Zoe Falcone said that the effort was a fun reminder to not litter.
“I think it’s important that everybody start thinking about that, because it’s like a communal area and a shared space,” she said.
Bishop Ireton’s cleanup included:
- Holmes Run
- Ben Brenman and Booth Parks
- The Old Town Waterfront (Windmill Hill Park, Point Lumley, The Marina, Oronoco Park)
- Fort Ward Park
- Four Mile Run Park
- Chinquapin Park
- Dora Kelly Nature Center
- Gil McCutcheon Park (Fairfax County)
- Franconia Recreation Center (Fairfax County)
- Rising Hope Mission Church
- St. Martin de Porres Senior Center
- Sunrise of Springfield (Fairfax County)
- Good Shepherd Parish (Fairfax County)
- Community Lodgings
- Alternative Paths Training School (Fairfax County)
- Arlington Cemetery Kitchen Gardens (Arlington County)
Incidentally, Alexandria’s Earth Day celebration is this Sunday.
