A long public hearing — and extended public debate in online forums and city meetings — over the controversial Heritage project ended with an unanimous vote approving the project.
Many on the City Council expressed reservations, including issues of size, increased traffic and additional burden on schools. Ultimately, however, the addition of new affordable housing units was an offer the Council felt it couldn’t refuse.
The Alexandria Drive-In Theatre is returning with 10 movies in March, including cult classics like Jurassic Park, The Princess Bride and Remember the Titans.
All proceeds go to Athena Rapid Response Innovation Lab and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner has lived in Old Town for 35 years, and on a freezing Monday morning he learned about the lives of enslaved and free Blacks via a tour with Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman.
“We have to tell the whole story — the good, the bad, the ugly,” Warner told ALXnow. “I’ve lived in Alexandria for 35 years and I’m hearing some of these stories for the first time.”
Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority reopened its waitlist for affordable housing in the city and within two days the organization said around 45,000 individuals had applied.
The surge in demand for affordable housing comes after months of job loss and high unemployment. Those numbers are gradually recovering, but are still significantly higher than pre-pandemic figures. The opening also comes after almost a decade of the organization sorting through a backlog.
There have been three more coronavirus-related deaths in Alexandria, and the case count has reached 10,186, according to the Virginia Department of Health.
That’s 149 cases since Monday, continuing a downward trend in cases. Two of the deaths were in their 80s and one was in their 60s. One victim was a woman and two were men.
Beyer Praises U.S. Rejoining Paris Climate Agreement — “Excellent news. At last!” [Twitter]
Alexandria library Launches Mobile App — “Library access is now available everywhere you go. Alexandria Library today launched its new mobile app, making their whole catalog and more available on your smartphone.” [Zebra]
It was a cold and snowy week in Alexandria.
Our top story this week was on plans to redevelop the GenOn power plant in Old Town North. It looks like deconstruction of the plant will start in 2023 and developers are looking at converting it into an urban, mixed-use property with housing.
After 16 months in operation, the Alexandria Drug Treatment Court has its first graduate. The program, which the Alexandria Commonwealth Attorney’s Office started with little funding, also just got a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The Treatment Court launched in September 2019 as an alternative to jail for individuals with substance abuse issues. Most participants have been to jail multiple times. Participants usually meets every Thursday in the Alexandria Courthouse, although the building at 520 King Street is largely shut down now due to COVID-19 and meetings have been held virtually.
Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson wants Governor Ralph Northam to include retail, personal care and restaurant workers in phase 1B of coronavirus vaccine distribution.
“Not only are these workers vital to the economic health and vitality of our communities, but the are, more often than not, those in our community who are bearing the burden of COVID-19 more acutely than others,” Wilson wrote in a letter to Northam.
Alexandria got a few inches of snow Thursday and this morning, and ALXnow took to the icy streets to get some images before it all melted.
The city is no longer under a winter storm warning, although the National Weather Service predicts a slight chance for a winter storm late Sunday night and going into Monday for northern Maryland.
The intersection near the George Washington National Masonic Memorial is a mess, and city staff are hoping to give the traffic-logged crossing an overhaul to make things run a little more smoothly.
There are three alternative plans presented for the access street that runs parallel to the west of Callahan Drive. Staff’s recommendation is to convert the lane into a one-way, southbound street that allows traffic headed down to Duke Street a left turn before the main intersection.
