Getting hungry? A number of new restaurants are slated to open this year in Alexandria, according to the city’s tourism bureau.

Visit Alexandria highlighted many of these new businesses in their annual “What’s New in Alexandria” update, which was held Thursday morning (Dec. 27).

Below is a list with expected opening dates.

Old Town

• Umbrella Dry Drinks pop-up, February
• Hanks Oyster Bar in Old Town North, early 2022
• Mudhouse Coffee Roasters, opening to be determined (TBD)
• Lady Camellia Pastry & Tea Room, spring/summer opening
• Foxtrot, early 2022
• Bob & Edith’s Diner, TBD

West End

• Bonchon Chicken this month
• Roha Ethiopian Restaurant in the West End, opening TBD
• Beeliner Diner, early 2022
• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, summer

Del Ray

• Matt & Tony’s, March

Carlyle

• Nando’s Peri-Peri, August
• Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, TBD

With the opening of the Carlyle Wegmans right around the corner, the grocery store chain has kicked off a hiring spree for around 300 part-time positions.

The store is scheduled to open in May as part of the mixed-use Carlyle Crossing development. The Wegmans is one of the first grocery stores in the neighborhood.

“Opening this spring, Store Manager Mike Anthony and his team are preparing to hire nearly 300 part-time positions for the 81,300 square foot store located at 150 Stovall Street in Alexandria,” Wegmans said in a press release. “These openings span a variety of positions across every department in the store, from culinary roles to customer service representatives. In total, the store will employ nearly 450 people, most of whom will be new to the company and hired locally.”

A virtual hiring event is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20, from 1-5 p.m. Applicants can submit their information online and will be contacted via phone.

“While our opening is still a few months away, we are excited to begin training and building our team so that they’re fully prepared to deliver incredible customer service from day one,” said Carlyle Store Manager Mike Anthony in the release. “Wegmans has a long-standing reputation as an exceptional employer, with tremendous opportunity for career growth and development.”

A towering project that will bookend Eisenhower Avenue is going through some design changes as it heads through the city’s approval process, but the changes are facing objections from City staff.

The changes are scheduled for review at the Carlyle Design Review Board on Thursday, Jan. 20. Developer Carlyle Plaza LLC has proposed several architectural changes for the project, two connected towers at 765 John Carlyle Street and 1900 Eisenhower Avenue, but staff said virtually all of these changes are a downgrade from what was approved in November.

According to the staff report:

With this request, the Applicant proposes a number of revisions to both towers, including but not limited to changes in height, scale/proportionality, materiality, and general architectural character. The amendments to the approved design for each tower are discussed in more detail below. The changes proposed are not supported by Staff.

Staff outline several objections to the changes in the report, most notably the removal of a distinctive extended open parapet at the top of the northern tower.

“The elimination of the extended open-parapet has visually eliminated an additional perceived floor of the North Tower,” the report said. “Mechanical equipment is no longer screened to the former degree, and the trees at the terrace level have been eliminated.”

Several less notable but, according to staff, architecturally objectionable changes are also made to the south tower. The report said the changes remove depth from the facade and “signature architectural features.” To the untrained eye the changes to the South Tower seem minimal, but the report said the changes result in a “boxier expression” that gives the building a less rich texture.

Overall, staff said the changes from what was approved detract from the building’s design:

Staff find the changes to be significant alterations from the approved design. Chiefly, the loss of the strong vertical expression of the South Tower and the visual loss of three floors with the North Tower result in an undesirable urban design and architecture.

The city is looking for feedback on a planned new trail at the east end of the Eisenhower corridor in the Carlyle neighborhood, though the construction of the trail is still years away.

The plan is to build a half-mile shared use path between Hooffs Run Drive and South Payne Street. Another quarter-mile section will connect it to redevelopment between Mill Road and Hooffs Run Drive.

“This project will help address a major gap in the City’s trail system and provide a key link in the bicycle and pedestrian transportation system,” the city said on the project website. “The goal of this project is to create a more direct and conflict-free connection for people walking and biking between the Eisenhower East and Southwest Quadrant neighborhoods.”

The city was awarded $7.5 million in grant funding in 2016 to design and build the trail.

Construction of the project is still years away, with right-of-way acquisition scheduled to start in spring 2023 and construction not starting until spring 2025, finishing up summer 2028.

Hey, Alexandrians! Share your thoughts with us on the 60% design plans for Old Cameron Run Trail by December 22, 2021. View the updated plans here >>> https://t.co/tVBslR6McZ. pic.twitter.com/HABKNKZ7s7

— Alexandria T&ES (@AlexandriaVATES) December 13, 2021

Robert E. Lee home in Alexandria omits famous resident in new listing — “The Potts-Fitzhugh House in Old Town Alexandria is for sale for $5,995,000. The listing for the six-bedroom, five-bathroom, 8,000-square-foot mansion includes a thorough description of the place, but omits a key fact: It was the childhood home of Robert E. Lee.” [Washingtonian]

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin stops in Alexandria — “At an early Saturday morning campaign stop in Alexandria, Virginia, supporters for Youngkin told Fox News that family and education are top ticket items in their decision to back the GOP candidate.” [Fox News]

City to resume enforcement of vehicle registration decals and more Dec. 1 — “If you drive in Alexandria, this is news you need to know. Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 1, the city will resume the enforcement of state vehicle registration decals, expired driver’s licenses, and HOV lane restrictions.” [Zebra]

New development moves forward at Carlyle with ‘Air Rights’ changes — “The last undeveloped lot in the Carlyle neighborhood is taking another step closer to being developed with a rare subdivision of lots.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

Wegmans, the commercial centerpieces of the Carlyle Crossing development at 2495 Mandeville Lane, is starting a hiring spree as it inching closer toward a spring 2022 opening.

The 1.7 million-square-foot Carlyle Crossing development will be a mix of residential units and commercial space, with ground-floor restaurants along with Wegmans grocery store. The Wegmans is the first grocery store for the developing area near the Eisenhower Metro station.

Construction on the project started in 2019 and is scheduled to fully open next spring.

Wegmans is hiring for all positions in the new location, from line cook to managers and team leaders.

It was a busy fall week in Alexandria. Here’s the rundown.

Our top story this week was on a plan to completely close off the 100 block of King Street as a pedestrian-only zone. The plan has been in the works since 2019, and was put into action last year. ALXnow’s poll on the subject had very one-sided results, showing 91% (791 votes) in favor of a permanent change.

There was a momentous groundbreaking this week, as city leaders converged for the $454.4 million RiverRenew Tunnel Project. The project is a major overhaul to replace Old Town’s combined sewer system and prevent 120 million gallons of combined sewage from flowing into the Potomac River.

School violence has become a major issue in Alexandria, as videos of fights at schools are surfacing on the internet, there have been arrests at Alexandria City Public Schools, and protests in front of City Hall on Monday and Tuesday this week.

As for the Alexandria juvenile who was shot in the upper body at the McDonald’s in the Bradlee Shopping Center last week, police say that there have been no arrests yet.

Important stories

• AlexRenew breaks ground for massive Old Town RiverRenew project
• BREAKING: A bunch of student fights were recorded at George Washington Middle School and put on Instagram
• Last year’s Alexandria City High School class had the highest graduation rate and the lowest student dropout rate ever
• Union says low staffing within Alexandria Fire Department threatens to shut down a fire station
• Upcoming Alexandria City Council and School Board election forums announced
• School Board Chair Meagan Alderton says ACPS leadership will be challenged by high Board turnover
• First apartment building in massive Carlyle Crossing redevelopment starts pre-leasing
• DASH and city leaders celebrate launch of bus system overhaul
• Alexandria starts distributing COVID-19 booster shots
• City Manager lays out plan to push back on evictions in Alexandria

Top stories

1. City looks to permanently ‘pedestrianize’ a block of King Street
2. UPDATE: Alexandria man charged with homicide after stabbing at BJ’s Wholesale Club in Landmark area
3. Total Wine is taking shape in Potomac Yard
4. ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria
5. Man buys luxury car with fake driver’s license at Lindsay Lexus of Alexandria
6. Protestors rally to return police to Alexandria schools, but officials say behind-the-scenes talks have stalled
7. Man arrested for posting lewd photos of Alexandria stepsister on Twitter
8. Firecracker shuts down Alexandria City High School football game
9. Adoptable Chihuahua Dory only weighs 3.5 pounds
10. Mayor Wilson: Potomac Yard construction delay ‘could have nothing to do with Metro station’
11. Police: Juvenile shot at shopping center near Alexandria City High School

Have a safe weekend!

The sprawling Carlyle Crossing development that aims to completely transform Eisenhower East is inching closer to completion as the first of the apartment buildings starts pre-leasing.

The first of the properties to start pre-leasing at the property is Reese, a 161-residence tower at 2495 Mandeville Lane. The building will have a 3-acre, 60-foot-high elevated terrace park that connects to another residential building, Dylan. Reese opened for pre-leasing earlier this month, with residents starting move-in later this fall. A third apartment building, Easton, will open this winter and the Dylan is scheduled to open early next year.

Together, the three towers will have approximately 700 units.

Construction on Carlyle Crossing started in mid-2019 and is currently scheduled to be fully open by spring 2022. The development is part of a broader range of significant redevelopments underway near the east end of Eisenhower Avenue.

The overall Carlyle Crossing development from real estate development company Stonebridge is planned to have 1.7 million square feet of mixed-use development, with 210,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Perhaps most anticipated among the announced retail is Wegmans, which is scheduled to open in 2022.

The property is just north of the Eisenhower Metro station and next to the National Science Foundation.

Gun used in murder belonged to suspect’s bondsman — “The homicide of Alexandria resident Karla Dominguez last summer sparked widespread uproar because her alleged murderer, Ibrahim Bouaichi, had been released on bond in April despite having been indicted for allegedly raping and assaulting Dominguez in October 2019. Now, new information reveals that the bondsman who posted bail for Bouaichi knew him beforehand and that both the vehicle and weapon Bouaichi used to commit the murder belonged to the bondsman, Man Nguyen.” [Alex Times]

Twenty years later, residents recall the September 11 attacks — “Two residents had been on the plane that hit the Pentagon and many more residents had friends and other people from their lives who had been killed or impacted by the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania. On Friday, Sept. 14, the city held a candlelight vigil at Market Square, with residents filling the area in front of city hall and overflowing onto King, Cameron and Fairfax streets.” [Alex Times]

River Farm negotiations continue despite developer interest — “The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is claiming that a developer has given a letter of intent to purchase River Farm. The American Horticultural Society, which listed River Farm for sale in 2020, said it continues to only consider an offer from NOVA Parks.” [Patch]

Wegmans announces May 2022 opening in Carlyle — “Wegmans is building an 81,000 square-foot store in Alexandria just west of Hoffman Town Center off of Eisenhower Avenue. The grocery store at Carlyle Crossing is part of a mixed-use project on a 5-acre site.” [Alexandria Living]

Patrick Henry Recreation Center offers co-ed pick-up indoor futsal —  “All games have a running 8-minute clock, three goals to win, or the team ahead after 8 minutes stays on the floor. This drop-in program is free for City of Alexandria residents.Teens ages 12 to 15 meet every Saturday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Adults ages 16 and up meet every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.” [Facebook]

Today’s weather — “Mainly sunny. High 78F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph… A mostly clear sky (in the evening). Low 56F. Winds light and variable.” [Weather.com]

New job: Watch officer — “The Watch Officer oversees the Department of Emergency & Customer Communications (DECC) call center operations and provides supervision to the department’s Public Safety Communications Supervisors. This position is responsible for monitoring, analyzing and assessing the potential impact that local and national threats may have on City-wide systems and resources; maintains communication with stakeholders including departmental staff, local and regional emergency communications officials, and the public; manages the department’s quality assurance program and accreditation program; and serves as the notification point-of-contact for information responsible for managing the Employee and Public Alerting System utilized by the City.” [Indeed]