A major rail infrastructure project and a 450-unit development highlight Tuesday’s packed Alexandria City Council agenda, with several other significant funding and infrastructure items also up for consideration.
Council will consider authorizing temporary construction easements to the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority for the Alexandria Fourth Track Project, a nearly six-mile rail expansion designed to boost passenger capacity and reduce regional traffic congestion.
Gayle Reuter is retiring.
The news will travel fast around Del Ray, where the Alexandria Living Legend has lived and volunteered for decades. For the last five years, she’s also worked full-time as the accreditation manager for the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office (ASO).
Alexandria City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to provide a moral obligation backing the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s plan to acquire The Alate senior living facility for $56 million using Virginia Resources Authority bonds.
The 7-0 vote authorizes ARHA to purchase the 110-unit building at 1122 North First Street to relocate age-eligible residents from the deteriorating Ladrey Senior High-Rise at 300 Wythe Street. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has terminated operating support for Ladrey and issued vouchers to relocate its 168 residents.
The Alexandria City Council received a comprehensive update on Tuesday night (June 24) regarding a proposal to transition Alexandria City High School students from traditional school buses to the city’s DASH public transit system. City Manager James Parajon recommended a three-phase implementation, beginning in the 2026-27 school year.
The initiative, which has been under study for five months through a joint City Council and School Board subcommittee, aims to provide student transportation that is safe, reliable, effective, and efficient while supporting environmental goals and potentially reducing costs.
The Alexandria Archaeological Commission received the city’s 2025 Commission of the Year Impact Award at Tuesday night’s (June 24) City Council meeting, recognizing the group’s 50 years of work preserving and protecting archaeological artifacts throughout Alexandria.
Councilman John Chapman presented the award to the commission, which was established in 1975 as the first archaeological commission in the country. The recognition celebrates both the commission’s milestone anniversary and its ongoing impact on the city’s historical preservation efforts.
A joint meeting between the Alexandria City Council and School Board members scheduled for Monday evening was abruptly canceled due to mechanical problems at the ACPS Central Office building.
The City of Alexandria announced the cancellation Monday afternoon, citing “issues with the HVAC system” at the Alexandria City Public Schools headquarters where the 5 p.m. subcommittee meeting was set to take place.
City staff are recommending a phased transition to replace school buses for Alexandria City High School students with DASH buses.
The City Council asked staff in January to consider the transition for ACHS, Virginia’s largest high school with multiple campuses and over 4,500 students. Staff have returned with the recommendation for a three-phase approach that would kick off in the fall of the 2026-2027 school year.
Robinson Terminal North, the last untapped area of Alexandria’s waterfront, just got unanimous approval for redevelopment by the City Council.
Property owner Rooney Properties wants to convert the 3.2-acre, two-block site into two mixed-use buildings with 73 luxury apartments, three restaurants, and more than an acre of open space along the Potomac River at historic West’s Point.
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) has removed from consideration a controversial request that would have granted school resource officers direct access to student records, according to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).
Following the grilling of Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire by the City Council, the School Board unanimously voted last Thursday to extend the soon-to-expire two-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ACPS and the police. The six-month extension means that Alexandria City High School and the city’s middle schools will continue with their assigned school resource officers as is, while the details of the draft MOU are ironed out.
Alexandria City Council held its second City Council Town Hall of the year on Thursday (June 12).
Approximately fifty people were present at the Charles Houston Rec Center Gymnasium as City Council members answered questions submitted by both the in-person and virtual audience.
The Alexandria City Council has mixed feelings about serving as a cosigner for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s plan to keep its senior residents in the city.
Faced with a $40 million budget shortfall, ARHA abandoned plans to replace the aging 11-story, 170-unit Ladrey Senior High-Rise with a six-to-seven-story 270-unit L-shaped building. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development subsequently ended its operating support for building management and maintenance, issuing vouchers for the relocation of Ladrey’s residents by the end of the year.
