Officials kicked off the residential conversion of the long-vacant Victory Center yesterday (Wednesday) with a symbolic wall demolition, as the site is expected to welcome hundreds of housing units along Eisenhower Avenue.
The project at 5001 Eisenhower Avenue by property owner Stonebridge, the City of Alexandria and Amazon’s Housing Fund promises to bring 377 housing units to the 9.73-acre Victory Center property, including committed affordable and workforce units.
The 2026 congressional primaries in Alexandria and the rest of Virginia will be delayed until August, leaving more time for candidate filings after the fate of mid-decade redistricting is decided.
Alexandria’s General Registrar Angie Maniglia Turner confirmed to ALXnow that the city will have its primary elections on Aug. 4. According to Maniglia Turner, the city’s only primaries in 2026 are Sen. Mark Warner (D)’s U.S. Senate seat and U.S. House of Representatives.
Black History Education Bill Introduced — “Members of the House of Delegates are considering a bill that would allow more students to take Black history courses. More than 400 years ago, a privateer ship called the White Lion brought the first enslaved people to Virginia. That’s part of a legacy that Delegate David Reid thinks should be taught in Virginia schools.” [WVTF]
Low Passenger Count at DCA — “Reagan National Airport recorded its lowest annual passenger count in three years in 2025, even as Dulles International Airport set an all-time record. Just under 24.9 million passengers traveled through DCA last year, down 5.3% from 26.3 million in 2024, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) reported yesterday (Tuesday) — confirming preliminary numbers released last month.” [ARLnow]
Good Wednesday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Feb 25, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Rain and snow are likely before 10am, followed by a chance of rain between 10am and 4pm. Expect mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature of about 45°F, along with a gentle 3-6 mph northeasterly breeze. The precipitation probability stands at 50%. For Thursday night, anticipate partly cloudy conditions and a low temperature near 32°F, accompanied by calm winds. See more from Weather.gov.
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”
– Sam Levenson
Thanks for reading!
Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon unveiled his proposed $977.3 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget last night (Tuesday).
While the budget is a 2.2% increase from the current FY 2026 budget, Parajon’s proposal keeps the real estate tax rate of $1.135 per $100 of assessed value, and does not change the city’s refuse rate. He was able to achieve the feat through $9 million “in efficiency reductions, cost cutting savings, and vacant position reductions to balance the budget.”
A process to select a new operator for the Torpedo Factory Art Center is moving forward, and the option to display remains of an 18th century ship could potentially be part of operators’ plans.
On Saturday, Alexandria City Council gave final approval to a procurement process to select a new operator for the Torpedo Factory Art Center at 105 N. Union Street. Council previously delayed approval of the procurement process to add a provision about exploring displays of historical archaeology artifacts.
The National Park Service has denied approval to build a pump station at Waterfront Park, the City of Alexandria has confirmed today (Wednesday).
The Alexandria Times was the first outlet to confirm the news. NPS sent the city a letter on Feb. 20 “indicating a reversal of their previous position on the City’s Deed Modification request for the Waterfront Flood Mitigation Pump Station,” according to the city website.
A plan to convert a two-story office complex into a residential community with 37 townhomes on Eisenhower Avenue is headed to the Planning Commission in April.
D.C.-area homebuilder Tri Pointe Homes is asking for permission to convert property at 4701 and 4801 Eisenhower Avenue into a residential development with 80 back-to-back units and 24% ground-level open space. The proposal, considered “phase 2” of the existing Eisenhower Pointe housing development, is expected to go before the commission on Tuesday, April 7.
The City of Alexandria is expected to provide an update next week about ongoing plans to replace the Old Town Pool.
City staff will share updates on the project’s design and construction timeline, and attendees will be able to provide feedback at the meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at the Oswald Durant Center (1605 Cameron Street).
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board was served with a $4.5 million lawsuit by its former CEO Erik Johnson on Monday.
ARHA’s former board fired Johnson in September after it was revealed that he and his family were living in an ARHA property in Old Town. Johnson’s filing alleges that, with the blessing of the previous board, ARHA staff selected a moving company for his family, chose a hotel for them to stay in and renovated the property.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On February 25, 1801, the town of Alexandria was formally and legally designated as part of the District of Columbia, the new national capital being developed on lands formerly within the states of Maryland and Virginia. Alexandria remained part of the capital city until the late 1840’s when the land on the west side of the Potomac was retroceded back to Virginia by an act of Congress.” [Historic Alexandria]
Duke Street Land Use Meeting Tonight — “The community meeting will include a presentation on community feedback gathered to date, proposed Draft Plan Districts, and a discussion of the upcoming next elements of the draft Plan. Before and after the presentation there will be an Open House with further information as well as an opportunity to interact with staff.” [City of Alexandria]
