Plans for Robinson Terminal North — the last major piece of waterfront development in Old Town — should be heading to the City Council for review this spring.
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley said at the City Council meeting last night (Tuesday) the Waterfront Commission received an update about the project earlier this month at a meeting.
While the City Manager’s proposed budget included no tax rate increase, the average real estate tax bill in Alexandria will go up by $353 this year and there was a lot of nervous talk about the region’s future.
City Manager James Parajon presented a budget to the City Council last night defined mostly by budget reductions and a wary eye toward the future of the region given the turmoil in the federal government.
Alexandria City Manager James Parajon presented the FY 2026 budget to City Council tonight (Tuesday) but one of the major items was something not included in the budget: the conversion of Jefferson-Houston K-8 School to a middle school.
The budget included $21 million to Alexandria City Public Schools in capital funding — funding devoted to major development projects in a capital budget. In a release, the City of Alexandria said the funding was in line with the funding level requested for FY 2026 in the School Board capital funding request.
Alexandria relies on federal funding for a lot of projects, from housing and pre-k programs to transportation improvements. But with the new administration spearheading an effort to slash that funding, local leaders say the city is watching closely to see how those cuts will affect Alexandria projects.
The discussion took place on Tuesday night during the City Council’s discussion of the Long-Range Planning Interdepartmental Work Program.
In the middle of an uproar over the planned elimination of Alexandria’s K-8 schools, a discussion at Alexandria’s City Council meeting last night (Tuesday) may have gotten the ball rolling for a new local middle school.
City Council member John Chapman asked, during a discussion of the Long-Range Planning Interdepartmental Work Program, whether the City could revisit Long Range Educational Facilities Plan — which spells out plans to improve facilities planning and accommodate the growing student population.
As Alexandria’s City Council mulls over an expensive revamp of City Hall, one of the major changes could be a move away from the current historic chambers into a more accessible first-floor room.
The City of Alexandria is working through a year of public engagement that could reshape not only City Hall but Market Square outside the building. The proposal will come back to the City Council for a vote in July.
Alexandria’s City Council is considering a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, citing environmental and health concerns.
During a legislative meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, Council members discussed potential regulations and a phased approach to implementation.
The Alexandria City Council disapproved a plan to reconfigure the city’s Independent Community Policing Review Board (ICPRB).
On Saturday, Council unanimously reversed a November 2024 decision that would have dramatically altered the rules and authority of the board and eliminated its subpoena power. The decision was made after considerable pushback during the public hearing, including from the ICPRB chair and vice chair, who are unhappy with the proposal.
In a bid to reduce noise and air pollution, the Alexandria City Council will consider a total ban of gas-powered leaf blowers in its meeting next Tuesday (Jan. 28).
City staff will present a number of options for Council to consider on the noisy machines, including a total ban, an ordinance change, and a multi-year phase-out period similar to the enforced bans in D.C. and Montgomery County. There is a $500 penalty for a violation in both localities.
Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt will unveil her fiscal year 2026 budget this week, and the city is asking the school division to keep the budget increase over last year’s budget modest.
In his budget presentation to the City Council in November, City Manager Jim Parajon outlined a 2%, or $5.5 million, combined funds budget increase for ACPS amounting to $278.5 million.
Alexandria City High School (ACHS) students’ days of taking the school division’s yellow school buses to and from school may be numbered.
A memo from new City Council member Abdel Elnoubi and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley asks city staff to explore the feasibility of transitioning transportation of high school students to the city’s DASH bus network.
