The Alexandria Fire Department rescued three people and a dog this morning (Friday) from a stalled elevator in a high-rise condominium building in the West End.
AFD was called just after 4:30 a.m. to a report of three people and a dog stuck in a blind shaft elevator near the fourth floor of a 16-story building in the 4600 block of Duke Street.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins says her participation in a recent gathering of local leaders around the world at Harvard University was “transformative” and shared a story about confronting a property manager over mold.
From April 12-14, Gaskins was included in the ninth cohort of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, joining leaders from 45 cities and 16 countries to exchange insights on local governance. She now says that the initiative has inspired her to focus more of her efforts on workforce development. Alexandria was also chosen for an “innovation track,” through which city staff will have the opportunity to learn how to better use data and innovation to work with residents and employers to enhance existing workforce strategies and explore new ones.
Alexandria’s median apartment rental rate in March was up 2.5% during the first quarter of 2026 but remains 2.7% below where it stood a year ago.
The median citywide rental rate was $2,032 for one-bedroom units, $2,497 for two bedrooms and $2,219 overall, according to figures reported March 30 by Apartment List.
Firefighters responded to an early morning fire today (Tuesday) that was contained to a high-rise apartment in the Eisenhower Avenue corridor, according to Alexandria Fire Department radio dispatches.
Around 4:02 a.m., units responded to a 22nd-floor apartment in the 2800 block of Telek Place, according to the IAFF Local 2141. According to the scanner traffic, firefighters arrived to find a fire on the kitchen stove. The building’s sprinkler system contained it to the units, and a smoke detector activated.
A 33-year-old Alexandria man is facing a felony charge after allegedly shooting a gun in his Landmark area apartment last month.
The man was arrested Feb. 13 and charged with unlawfully discharging a firearm in an occupied building, in connection to an overnight incident reported at his residence in the 100 block of S. Van Dorn Street.
A new senior living community opened today in Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood.
The Riviera, a new 129-unit senior apartment building located at 2700 Main Line Blvd, held a grand opening today (Monday) for its facilities, which are owned by Texas-based Silverstone Senior Living. The property is located next door to its sister senior community, The Landing, which opened in 2022 and offers “luxury assisted living and memory care rental retirement options.”
A springtime uptick is expected, but for now, Alexandria apartment rental costs are running below last year’s rates.
The median apartment rental cost of $2,187 in the city was down 2.8% year-over-year in February, according to data reported by Apartment List. Median city rental rates were $2,003 for one-bedroom units and $2,460 for two bedrooms.
Alexandria appears to be closing the gap with neighboring Arlington for priciest apartment rentals in the region, according to one data analysis.
The median Alexandria apartment asking rent of $2,200 for one-bedroom units was up 5.3% year-over-year, while the median $2,740 for two bedrooms was up 3.8%, according to figures reported on Tuesday by Zumper.
Despite a year-over-year decline, apartment rents in Alexandria remain above the regional average, according to new data.
The overall median rental rate of $2,166 in the city was down 2.7% year-over-year in January, according to figures reported Jan. 28 by Apartment List. But it remained 2.3% above the median metro-area rate of $2,116 for the month.
Alexandria closed out 2025 with median apartment rental rates down 2.5% from the start of the year — the first annual decline in five years.
The 2.5% dip is more than twice the rate of decline across the metro area, with Alexandria pushed down in part by a 1.1% drop in median rents from November to December.
Alexandria city staff want to establish a standard permitting process for commercial-to-residential conversions.
Amid a struggling office real estate market, the city has seen a number of old office properties convert to residential use over the last several years. The proposal to create a special use permit (SUP) process for the conversions will head to the Planning Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
