One person is fighting for his life after being shot in an alley, several blocks east of the Braddock Metro station.
The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m., in the alley along the 800 block of N. Henry Street. Initial reports suggest that the victim was shot multiple times, including in the head, by two suspects who were wearing hoodies and ski masks.
Multiple people witnessed the shooting, according to scanner traffic. A large police response shut down several roads in the area.
The victim was rushed to a local trauma center in critical condition. Alexandria police are seeking anyone else with information about the shooting, urging them to call 703-746-6225 with tips.
We had a serious shooting incident this afternoon in the 800 block of N. Henry.
This is a very active investigation. If you have ANY information or witnessed anything that might assist, please contact @AlexandriaVAPD https://t.co/4kCp4tE9zq
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) July 22, 2023
(Updated 1:35 p.m.) A man was robbed at gunpoint yesterday morning in the area of E. Braddock Road and Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray.
The victim called police from his car and reported that he was robbed of $947 in cash by two masked men in dark clothing, according to dispatch reports. No one was injured in the incident.
The victim reported that the suspects ran off in separate directions. A K-9 unit was deployed, but no arrests were made.
Anyone with information on this incident can call the Alexandria Police Department’s non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a shots fired incident on the 700 block of N. Fayette Street near the Braddock Road Metro station.
Multiple gunshots were overheard at the intersection of North Fayette Street and Madison Street, according to scanner traffic. The first call came in around 3:26 p.m.
Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett told ALXnow no injuries have been reported.
The shooting comes on the same block where the city has had multiple shots fired incidents recently.
Notification:: In response to a shots-fired incident, there is a moderate police presence in the 700 block of North Fayette Street. No injuries were reported in connection with this incident. APD is on the scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/0RMvNnFPMs
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) May 4, 2023
Image via Google Maps
(Updated 1:50 p.m.) Police are responding to a call for shots fired on the 1200 block of Madison Street, roughly a block away from the Braddock Road Metro station.
Alexandria Police spokesman Marcel Bassett said there are currently no injuries reported. The original call for service came in around 12:52 p.m., Bassett said.
Scanner traffic indicates that multiple gunshots were reported and shell casings were found on site. Witnesses told police that they saw two males trading gunfire.
At 1:40 p.m., police said over the scanner that at least multiple suspects were taken into custody. Police are combing the area near the Metro station for evidence.
“I been here three years next month, and counting today I’ve heard at least 160 gunshots,” one local resident told ALXnow. “It’s a lot, man. Right outside my back door. I have a four year old son and I had to train him to run upstairs and duck. I’m glad he’s in school right now. I feel like we’re sitting ducks. Something’s got to be done. I’m trying to get out of here. Nobody should have to live like this.”
Notification:: In response to a shots fired incident there is a moderate police presence in and around the 1200 block of Madison Street. No injuries were reported in connection with this incident. APD is on scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/2xKIAl3c8r
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 17, 2023
Vernon Miles and James Cullum contributed to this story
Image via Google Maps
A major affordable housing development in the city’s Braddock area is headed to the Planning Commission tonight.
Tonight’s meeting on the proposed Samuel Madden redevelopment comes after more than a year-and-a-half of back-and-forths between city staff and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority.
ARHA wants to demolish the existing 66 units of public housing in 13 two-story apartment buildings at 899 and 999 N. Henry Street and replace them with two new six-story apartment buildings (75 feet maximum height) containing 532 residential units. Of those, 326 units would be affordable and workforce housing for a period of 40 years, in order for ARHA to qualify for federal tax credits.
The current public housing units were built for defense workers during World War II in 1945. The 65 families currently living on the properties will be provided temporary housing, their moving expenses will be paid and they will have the option to move back to the property once construction is finished, according to a city staff report.
If approved, the development would also be home to 13,800 square feet of ground floor retail space, as well as a 13,540 square-foot Hopkins House early childhood center and a 500-square-foot Alive! food hub.
ARHA expects construction to take two years and is also applying for special use permit approvals for a potential restaurant with outdoor dining, an athletic club/fitness studio and a medical care facility.
If approved by the Planning Commission, the matter will be voted on by the Alexandria City Council at its public hearing on Saturday, Feb. 25.
The north building
The north building will be located at the highly visible intersection of N. Patrick and N. Henry Streets, and include 207 apartments. Residents will be able to parking in a single-level 127-space underground parking garage. The Alive! food hub would also be located on the ground floor of the building.
“The north building will include a 500-square-foot Alive Food Hub on the ground floor, which will function like a small market, allowing clients to shop for food, personal items, cleaning, and school supplies, and make connections to useful information/services,” according to a city staff report.
The City also wants ARHA to develop an oral history project for the site, and either contribute public art to the space or donate $54,000 to the city’s public arts efforts.
The south building
While the project is part of a single community, ARHA intends on selling the south building to a private developer.
“(D)ifferent entities will own the two buildings,” City staff noted. “ARHA will be the fee simple owner of the northern block, allowing for certain fee exemptions, while the southern block will be sold to a private developer.”
The south building is proposed to have 13,300 square feet of ground floor retail use, in addition to the 13,300-square-foot Hopkins House daycare, will have up to 150 students and 23 employees, according to the city. Also in the south property, ARHA has applied for SUPs for a restaurant with outdoor dining, a medical care facility and an athletic club/fitness center.
The Samuel Madden redevelopment project at the north end of the Braddock neighborhood is heading back to the community review process after a significant redesign.
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) is planning on tearing down a dozen aging townhomes at the north end of the Braddock Neighborhood, where Patrick and Henry streets reform into Route 1. They will be replaced with a new 500-unit multifamily residential development that would act — as it was called in some of the earlier meetings — as a gateway into Old Town.
The project had previously been lambasted by the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) for the neglect of the previous townhouse units, which were allowed to significantly deteriorate, and for seemingly giving little care to the architectural character of the townhomes the new development would be replacing.
The new version of the project doesn’t quite emulate the WWII-era design of the townhomes currently on the site, nor does it retroactively fix the years of neglect for the buildings by ARHA, but it did receive a more positive reception by staff and the BAR with inclusions like a new northern courtyard and more significant setbacks at the southern end of the site where it sits across from much lower-elevation development.
The new community meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. It will be both in-person and virtual, with the in-person side held at the Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe Street).
A release from the City of Alexandria said the development team will be available to offer updates on the project and explain some of the new uses coming in, including mixed-income rental housing, community services, and early childhood education programs.
Except for the shots fired in the Braddock neighborhood, it’s been a relatively quiet week in Alexandria.
The water was still settling on Monday after the big drop on Friday: the Potomac Yard Metro station was going to be delayed until sometime in 2023 and the shutdown affecting Alexandria would be continued into November.
Beyond that, the top stories this week were a revisit of some of the old hits: Landmark Mall development, on-street dining, speed cameras and flooding.
Top stories
- Developer opens up about next steps for Landmark Mall redevelopment
- Alexandria woman caught with gun at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport checkpoint
- No injuries or arrest after shots fired in Braddock area
- Alexandria looking to loosen up a little for on-street dining
- Alexandria’s first speed cameras headed to City Council review this month
- BREAKING: Potomac Yard Metro station opening pushed back to 2023
- New change to Alexandria manholes could help combat some stormwater flooding
- For fifth straight year, Alexandria makes Best Small City list by Condé Nast Traveler
- New e-bikes launch in Alexandria with $5 coupon
- Poll: Were you surprised by the Potomac Yard Metro station delay?
Things are about to slow down in school zones.
The Alexandria School Board on Thursday (October 6) unanimously approved a resolution requesting a reduction from 25 miles per hour to 15 mph in school zones.
“We are really making our students and our community safe,” said Board Member Abdel Elnoubi, who wrote the resolution. “We’re helping save lives here.”
The resolution now goes to City Council for approval.
The following school zones have 25 mph speed limits:
- N. Beauregard Street — Outside the John Adams Elementary School, William Ramsay Elementary School and Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School zones
- Braddock Road from N. Beauregard Street to Quaker Lane — Outside Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus school zone
- Seminary Road (Kenmore Avenue to N. Pickett Street) — In the Francis C. Hammond Middle School zone
- King Street — Alexandria City High School’s school zone
City Council will also review a plan to install Alexandria’s first speed cameras in school zones later this month.
The conversation over a speed limit reduction and cameras installation began after a nine-year-old girl was hit by a car and seriously injured just outside Jefferson-Houston Elementary School in March.
It’s been a rough week for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and to top things off: someone hit a Metro work vehicle in the Braddock neighborhood this afternoon.
The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. on Oronoco Street near the intersection with N Henry Street.
There were no injuries in the crash and Oronoco Street was not closed, though the lane closure did cause a significant backup — though at least this time WMATA isn’t to blame for the delay.
James Cullum contributed to this story
Alexandria Police are investigating a report of shots fired last Thursday night in the 700 block of N. West Street in the Braddock area.
No arrests have been made, and police said that evidence was found that multiple shots were fired at around 8:30 p.m. There were no injuries and a suspect description is not available.
The incident occurred near Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties.
Anyone with information on this incident can contact the Alexandria Police Department’s non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Notification:: There is a heavy police presence in the 700 block of North West Street. This is in response to a shots fired call for service. There are no injuries reported in connection to this incident. APD is on scene and investigating. pic.twitter.com/fkF2C5Vp4X
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) September 30, 2022
