News

ARHA renames headquarters to celebrate local civil rights champion

By Vernon Miles
A. Melvin Miller building (image courtesy ARHA)

Last week, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) gave its headquarters an official name — one honoring a local civil rights activist and affordable housing advocate.

The newly christened A Melvin Miller Building honors A. Melvin Miller. After serving two years in the army, Miller move to Alexandria in 1958. Miller launched a criminal law practice but worked pro bono on school desegregation issues. Miller served as spokesperson for The Secret Seven, a group of Black civil rights pioneers in Alexandria. Miller was chair of ARHA from 1970 to 1977 and from 2001 to 2012.

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Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Alexandria City Holds Off Colgan, Wins Va. Class 6 Volleyball Title — “Going point for point until the end, Alexandria City capitalized on Colgan’s short ball into the net and then won it with a Rex roll from the back row.” [Washington Post]

It’s Monday — Clear throughout the day. High of 50 and low of 25. Sunrise at 6:59 am and sunset at 4:52 pm. [Weather.gov]

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles
Lower King Street, closed to traffic (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

This week, Alexandria made some moves on new policy to liven up the city: permanently making the end of King Street a pedestrian zone and showing some growth in plans to add more arts uses around Old Town North.

Meanwhile, the city has also made some progress on affordable housing. A lottery is being held for new units near Potomac Yard and a new plan is in the works for a large-scale zoning overhaul.

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Old Town holiday tree lighting is Saturday night

By James Cullum
Alexandria's holiday tree outside City Hall in Old Town in 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Santa Claus will ride into Old Town on the King Street Trolley this Saturday night (Nov. 19) for the annual holiday tree lighting ceremony in front of City Hall.

The party starts at 6 p.m. at Market Square (301 King Street), where Santa and Mayor Justin Wilson will do their part to reduce seasonal darkness by lighting the 40,000 lights on the city’s 40-foot-tall holiday tree.

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Southern Towers residents and activists protest rent increases and lingering health issues

By Vernon Miles
Organizers outside Southern Towers lead residents in a protest against CIM Group (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

At a rally outside Southern Towers (4901 Seminary Road), residents and community activists shared stories of rent increases and poor living conditions, shouting slogans against property owner CIM Group.

CIM Group purchased the buildings in 2020. Relations between tenants and owners were already fraught after the pandemic left many residents in Southern Towers — one of the last bastions of market-rate affordable housing in Alexandria — without work. Since then, community activists have raced to try and support residents facing eviction after pandemic-related protections expired.

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Alexandria launching ambitious new zoning reform with a emphasis on affordable housing

By Vernon Miles
Homes along the waterfront in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria could be on the verge of some of its biggest steps yet in the fight to make housing affordable in a city where housing prices continue to outpace wages.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 22, the City Council could jump-start a process set to run through next year that could dramatically reshape pieces of the city’s zoning code in an effort to make land use more equitable and inclusive. The “Comprehensive Zoning for Housing and Housing for All Package” involves a full sweep of large swaths of city zoning to look for ways to rewrite them from the ground up with a new emphasis on affordable housing and equity.

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Police investigate early evening assaults and robberies near Holmes Run

By James Cullum

Alexandria Police are investigating two early evening robberies in residential areas near Holmes Run last Thursday (Nov. 10) and Saturday (Nov. 12).

On Thursday at around 5 p.m., a 24-year-old man told police that he was hit by a male suspect and robbed of cash in the 5300 block of Holmes Run Parkway. The victim told police that he was taking a walk when he was attacked. He did not go to the hospital.

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Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Duke Street Changes: Survey Results Mixed — “Several important groups were underrepresented in feedback on proposed changes to Duke Street.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

Family of Bijan Ghaisar Marks Five Years Since Fatal Shooting with Vigil — “Ghaisar died in a hospital on Nov. 27, 2017 — 10 days after two Park Police officers shot him nine times, concluding an extended chase from George Washington Parkway to the Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue intersection.” [FFXnow]

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Crooked Beat Records moving to basement beneath Cheesetique in Del Ray

By James Cullum
Crooked Beat Records is now closed at 802 N. Fairfax Street in Old Town. (Photo via Crooked Beat Records/Facebook)

(Updated 4:20 p.m.) Del Ray will soon have its own underground record shop, as Crooked Beat Records expects to reopen in a basement on Mount Vernon Avenue in February.

Owner Bill Daly has been looking for a new location for his new and used record store for more than a year, and found it in the basement of the same building that houses Cheesetique at 2411 Mount Vernon Avenue. The building is also home to to the Del Ray School Of Music and Piece Out Del Ray.

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‘Ghost scooter’ to be planted in West End for teen killed in August

By James Cullum
A "ghost scooter" will memorialize Miguel Ángel Rivera, who was killed on a scooter in August in the West End (courtesy photo)

A local nonprofit will leave a locked white “ghost scooter” at the corner of Sanger Avenue and North Beauregard Street this Sunday in memory of a 16-year-old killed at the intersection in August.

Miguel Ángel Rivera was riding an electric scooter when he was struck on August 27. He died four days later.

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