Alexandria Fire Chief Corey Smedley and acting Police Chief Don Hayes with neighborhood kids at National Night Out at Charles Houston Recreation Center in the Parker Gray neighborhood on Tuesday, August 3, 2021. The pair traveled to multiple cookouts around the city. "It's good because people are coming out, and we're glad to tell them that the police department is here for them," Hayes told ALXnow. (staff photo by James Cullum)
Capitol officer who committed suicide was from Alexandria — “Very sad news: @MikevWUSA @wusa9 reports MPD Officer Kyle DeFreytag died by suicide in July after defending the US Capitol on January 6. His obituary says he was a hiker, drummer, motorcyclist, and resident of Alexandria, who served with MPD for five years” [WUSA9]
Alexandria, neighboring health directors recommend wearing face masks indoors — “Today, all five Northern Virginia Health Directors issued a joint letter of interim recommendations for mask wearing in Northern Virginia. The letter was issued by Health Directors from the City of Alexandria, as well as Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties to Northern Virginia Mayors, Chairs and Chief Administrative Officers with the recommendation that individuals wear masks while indoors in government and other public settings, regardless of vaccination status.” [City of Alexandria]
Fingerprints have linked a 59-year-old Alexandria man to a February 25 robbery at the 7-Eleven at 3412 Mount Vernon Avenue in the Arlandria area.
The same suspect, Stanley Rivers, was already in jail for allegedly burgling the 7-Eleven down the road at 2108 Mount Vernon Avenue on Friday, Jan. 22. He was arrested on June 16, nearly five months after DNA evidence linked him to the January incident.
Dining area: The main level’s open layout runs from the dining area toward the kitchen and the back of the house.
Front exterior: The attached homes at 31 and 29 E. Reed Ave., each with its own entrance off a shared front porch.
Kitchen: A large island with seating, a gas range, and stainless steel appliances anchor the kitchen.
Primary living area: Sliding glass doors open from the main level to the patio and backyard.
Primary bedroom: A tray ceiling and windows on two sides give the primary bedroom plenty of natural light.
Primary bath: Dual vanities and a walk-in tiled shower with a bench.
If you’re looking for a brand-new home that lives like a single-family house, with no HOA and an easy walk to Potomac Yard, your search may end on E. Reed Ave. Located at 29 and 31 E. Reed Ave. in Arlandria, these two attached homes bring modern design and everyday convenience to a residential block between Potomac Yard and Del Ray.
Brought to you by Midtown Partners, a multifamily and boutique home builder rooted in the Northern Virginia real estate landscape since 2010, the homes were built with practical, well-considered layouts in mind.
Easy to Get Around
E. Reed Ave. puts a lot within reach on foot:
5-Minute Walk: Potomac Yard Center for groceries, dining, and shopping.
Walkable to Metro: The Potomac Yard Metro station for commuting into the District and beyond.
Nearby Neighborhoods: Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria and the shops and restaurants of Del Ray are a short trip away.
Trails: The Potomac Yard Trail and Four Mile Run Trail are close by for walking, running, and biking.
Regional Access: Route 1, National Landing, Reagan National Airport, and Washington, DC are all within easy reach.
Designed for Everyday Living
Each priced at $1,324,000, the homes offer about 3,185 square feet across three finished levels:
4 Bedrooms & 4.5 Baths: Three bedrooms upstairs, each with its own private bath, plus a fourth bedroom suite on the lower level with a walk-in closet.
Flexible Main Level: A private study, a powder room, and an open layout connecting the kitchen to the dining and living areas, well suited to hosting.
Kitchen: A large island, stainless steel appliances, and a gas range.
Primary Suite: A large walk-in closet and a bath with dual vanities and an oversized shower.
Finished Lower Level: A recreation room, a wet bar, and a flex space that could be a gym, media room, or playroom.
Light and Space: 9-foot-plus ceilings, recessed lighting, and a fireplace.
Upstairs Laundry: Washer and dryer hookups on the bedroom level.
Off-Street Parking: One dedicated space.
No HOA Fees: No monthly association dues.
Built by Midtown Partners
With projects across Alexandria and Arlington, Midtown Partners focuses on well-built homes in walkable, established neighborhoods. The E. Reed homes continue that approach: new construction designed to fit the way people live today.
Only two homes are available. Schedule your private tour today.
A cutout of Noah Lyles with his mother, Keisha, and brother, Josephus, at an Olympic watch party Alexandria City High School on Monday, August 2, 2021. (staff photo by James Cullum)
(Updated 9:30 p.m.) After advancing in two straight preliminary races, Noah Lyles will run for the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday.
Lyles’s family is staying at a hotel in the area to watch the gold medal match, his mother Keisha Bishop said at a watch party at Alexandria City High School on Monday night.
At its October general membership meeting, the NAACP Alexandria Branch 7043 Nominating Committee presented its slate for the 2027–2028 term and named John Hopkins-Gillispie as its nominee for Branch President.
Hopkins-Gillispie is a life member of the branch. He has chaired the Freedom Fund Dinner for the past two years, and this year’s dinner raised more than $40,000 for the branch. He serves on the Legal Redress Committee, reviewing discrimination complaints brought to the branch. He has provided input on issues from the Alexandria Police Department’s hate crimes policy to the proposed Edsall Road data center. He also represents the branch as co-chair of the host committee for the 2027 Virginia State Conference convention.
Last year marked the first time in 14 years that ACPS saw an enrollment decrease, and with schools headed back to in-person teaching at the end of the month it’s likely that the school system could see enrollment increases in the years to come.
Throughout July, we highlighted a number of recently sold properties in Alexandria. Now, we’re taking a look back at some of the most expensive homes sold throughout the month.
But first: As of July 25, 503 homes are listed for sale in Alexandria, according to Homesnap. That includes 331 condos, 65 detached homes and 107 townhomes. The median list price is $516,900 and the median sales price is $621,500. In the past four weeks, there have been 286 homes sales.
Exercising along the Mount Vernon Trail in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)
The good news for users of the Mount Vernon Trail is that a proposed widening project was selected for state funding. The bad news? It will be 2026 before work even starts on the project.
As anyone who has bicycled or walked along the popular trail could likely attest, there are parts that can feel dangerously narrow. Last year, the National Park Service released a report recommending widening. The report noted that there were 225 reported bike and pedestrian crashes on the trail between 2006 and 2010, many of them at crash hotspots near National Airport and the 14th Street Bridge.
An 18-year-old Alexandria man has been arrested for allegedly firing a gun at the exterior of an apartment building in the West End on Thursday, July 29.
Mauricio Urquilla Escobar was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, illegally discharging a weapon and drug possession with the intent to distribute. Shell casings were recovered at the scene, according to police.
A cutout of Noah Lyles with his mother, Keisha, and brother, Josephus, at an Olympic watch party Alexandria City High School on Monday, August 2, 2021. (staff photo by James Cullum)
Vacant lot in Eisenhower could become pop-up events and market space — “At 2425 Eisenhower Ave., there’s more than 18,000 square feet of open, grassy space. Until recently, the lot, which is owned by Rubenstein Partners LP, has remained unused except for the occasional dog romping with its owner. The Eisenhower Partnership is working with the site owners to bring fresh life to the lot by creating a pop-up space that could be used for food trucks, markets, arts, musical performances and other recreational uses according to a recent application filed with the City.” [Alexandria Living]
There’s a new mural in Old Town — “When Erik Muendel took over the ESP Tea and Coffee Shop at 1012 King Street, he not only revitalized the hip location with a new spin on the name and increased offerings, the wanted to make a splash on the outside as well.” [Zebra]
As the city and schools prepare for the process of overhauling Minnie Howard as part of the expanded Alexandria City High School, the Parks Department braces to go two years without access to one of the city’s most well-equipped fields on the school grounds.
At a meeting of the School Board and City Council, Jack Browand, division chief of Parks and Cultural Activities, fielded questions from City Council member John Chapman and Mayor Justin Wilson about how the city will fare without one of the most heavily used fields.
Revolutionary Fitness, the strength and longevity training studio for people over 50 at 215 N. Payne St., is opening 5 spots in its members-only year-end challenge.
Every year, the stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s knocks people off track. Workouts get skipped, schedules fill up, and the plan becomes “I’ll start in January.”
