City Council | ALXnow

Alexandria retunes financing as Landmark Mall site infrastructure costs jump 40%

Published May 23, 2023 at 3:30PM | Updated May 24, 2023 at 3:39PM

Concept map for new Landmark Mall development (image via City of Alexandria)

Updated at 3:30 p.m. on May 24 — The estimated costs of the total infrastructure improvements at the former Landmark Mall site have ballooned 40% since City Council signed off on the project in 2021, forcing the city to get creative with its financing.

Tonight (Tuesday), the City Council will vote on directing City Manager Jim Parajon to execute an agreement between the city, Landmark Land Holdings (a joint venture between Foulger-Pratt, The Howard Hughes Corp. and Seritage Growth Properties.) and Inova Healthcare Services to address the $62 million shortfall.

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Del Ray residents converge over Preservation Virginia’s ‘endangered’ designation

By James Cullum

Published May 19, 2023 at 2:30PM

Residents hear about Preservation Virginia's declaration of Del Ray in its annual list of endangered communities, May 18, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

About 50 people gathered in Del Ray early Thursday evening to decry increased development and to hear about a recent “endangered” designation within the neighborhood.

Preservation Virginia recently designated The Town of Potomac — once an independent and racist town and now a sub-neighborhood within Del Ray — in its annual list of endangered historic sites. The Town of Potomac was created in 1908 as a white-only community in Arlington County. It was annexed into the Alexandria in 1930, after which it “ceased to exist,” according to the city.

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Alexandria School Board to present Council with staggered terms proposal this fall

By James Cullum

Published May 18, 2023 at 3:30PM

ACPS Headquarters in Alexandria (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Some big changes are coming to the Alexandria School Board.

Tonight, the Board will conduct a work session on whether to stagger the election cycle for its members, as well as reducing the number of members. There are currently nine Board members serving three-year terms in Districts A, B and C, and their elections run concurrently with City Council.

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Office of Historic Alexandria provides guide to city’s Confederate street names ahead of renaming

By Vernon Miles

Published May 18, 2023 at 2:50PM

N. Early Street (image via Google Maps)

Jubal Early was a Confederate military leader who not only fled the country to avoid surrendering but eventually came to be one of the early vocal proponents of the Lost Cause myth and an outspoken white supremacist.

N. Early Street — a road between Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus and, ironically, the Union’s Fort Ward — honors Early. It is one of the 41 roads throughout Alexandria confirmed in a new report to be named for a Confederate leader.

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Waterfront flood mitigation plan heads to City Council for next steps

By Vernon Miles

Published May 18, 2023 at 1:30PM

Flooding on lower King Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

After years of planning, the flood mitigation plan for Alexandria’s waterfront is making some progress.

The Waterfront Implementation Program is heading to a public hearing for procurement and proposals on Tuesday, May 23 — the next major step along the costly road toward getting a new bulkhead and other waterfront infrastructure built.

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Alexandria City Council unanimously endorses energy plan for former power plant in Old Town North

By James Cullum

Published May 15, 2023 at 3:45PM | Updated May 15, 2023 at 4:10PM

Exercising near the closed Potomac River Generating Station in Alexandria near the Potomac River (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Alexandria is one step closer to the demolition of the NRG Potomac River Generating Station site in Old Town North.

On Saturday, City Council unanimously endorsed the plant owner’s Coordinated Sustainability Strategy, which outlines a plan to electrify the future mixed-use development slated to be built there.

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City Council approves modifications to Old Town home with strange architectural history

By Vernon Miles

Published May 15, 2023 at 3:20PM

114 N. Payne Street (image via Google Maps)

In April 1979, the City of Alexandria listed 114 N. Payne Street in Old Town as a historic building due to its unique architectural roofline.

One month later, the city approved a permit to destroy that roofline.

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Alexandria’s transient lodging industry slowly climbing out of the pits of 2020

By Vernon Miles

Published May 10, 2023 at 3:55PM

Alexandria’s transient lodging, from Airbnb to hotels, famously took a hit back in 2020, but there’s some good news.

At a meeting of the City Council last night celebrating some of the work of Visit Alexandria, Mayor Justin Wilson noted that transient lodging has continued to climb and overall consumption tax revenue now exceeds pre-pandemic levels.

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ACPS unveils new two-year agreement with police department for school resource officers

By James Cullum

Published May 8, 2023 at 3:30PM

Alexandria Police at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus. (staff photo by James Cullum)

After years in development, a new agreement was released between Alexandria City Public Schools and the Alexandria Police Department to provide school resource officers (SROs) at the city’s high school and middle schools.

The new memorandum of understanding between ACPS and APD has been a long time coming. SROs were defunded by the City Council in last year’s budget, and Alexandria City Public Schools spent the first few months of the 2021-2022 school year without the officers in its high school and middle schools. The officers were returned after ACPS pleaded with Council for their return in the wake of multiple incidents with weapons in schools.

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City Council budget approval funds ACPS, citywide pay increases and collective bargaining agreements

By James Cullum

Published May 4, 2023 at 3:45PM

Alexandria City Hall lit up (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon’s $884.3 million fiscal year 2024 budget was unanimously approved by City Council Wednesday night (May 4), backing citywide pay increases, a fully funded school system and collective bargaining agreements with the police and fire departments.

While the real estate tax rate remains unchanged at $1.11 per $100 of assessed value, city residents will have to pay $308.70 annually for the stormwater utility fee — an increase from $294 last year. The budget, which goes into effect July 1, is an increase of 5.4% over last year’s $839.2 million budget. About 47% of it ($398 million) is dedicated to paying the salaries of 2,765 city employees.

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City Council endorses EPA regulations to rid ‘forever chemicals’ from Alexandria’s drinking water

By James Cullum

Published April 28, 2023 at 2:30PM

Tap water in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s drinking water has an “actionable” level of Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), and the City Council just endorsed a plan to help clean it up.

The long-lasting substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” are hard to break down and pollute Alexandria’s drinking water to an “actionable” degree, Mayor Justin Wilson wrote in a letter unanimously supported by Council. PFAS are proven to weaken immune response, increase cancer risk and liver damage, and pose a risk to pregnant women and their babies.