Last week, Alexandria’s City Council voted to permanently expand the King Street pedestrian zone to encompass the waterfront block.
The change is the latest in a push for a more pedestrian-friendly King Street that started in 2019. Now, both the unit block (the one closest to the water) and the 100 block are closed to vehicle traffic except in emergencies, with the streetscape converted into a place for pedestrians to walk and local businesses to expand onto the sidewalks.
Five Guys is moving its corporate headquarters to Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood, according to the Washington Business Journal.
The burger chain, which opened its first location in Arlington in 1986, has been headquartered in Lorton for nearly a decade. It is moving to a 40,000-square-foot space on the fifth floor of 1940 Duke Street in the Carlyle Crescent building.
Curative COVID Testing Sites To Close In D.C. Area — “For much of the pandemic, Curative testing sites in D.C., Md. and Va. have been go-to locations for many residents to get quick COVID results on PCR tests. Now the company is shutting down all locations not just in the D.C. area, but nationwide.” [DCist]
What Opioid Lawsuits Could Mean for Virginia — “Money to fight opioid abuse is headed to Virginia under an agreement with CVS, Walmart and Walgreens to pay about $10 billion to states.” [Patch]
Old Town just got a little brighter.
On Saturday (Nov. 19), Santa Claus made his way to City Hall on the King Street Trolley to help members of City Council light the holiday tree at Market Square in front of City Hall.
No one was injured after shots were fired in a neighborhood near Potomac Yard on Sunday night.
The incident occurred at around 11:30 in a residential area in the 100 block of Luna Drive, which is near Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology.
Old Town could be getting a new Indian restaurant next year, replacing a sushi restaurant in the heart of Old Town.
According to a recently filed special use permit, Ichiban Sushi and Ramen at 211 King Street in Old Town could be undergoing a change to become a new Bollywood Masala.
(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) A West End man was arrested and charged with a parole violation, on Sunday (Nov. 13).
The 44-year-old man, a violent felon, was arrested after an incident at around 1 p.m. in an apartment in the 6300 block of Stevenson Avenue in the Landmark area. An allegation of sexual assault against the suspect is ongoing, according to police.
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.
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]
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.
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.
