The Alexandria City Council will consider making electric scooter rides cheaper in the poorest areas of the city at its meeting on Tuesday night (March 12).

Council will vote at City Hall (301 King Street) on allowing staff to apply for a $200,000 grant from the Better Bike Share Partnership’s Living Lab Program. The city would have to contribute $20,000 toward the effort, which is intended to increase the ridership with an outreach campaign and by lowering prices for electric scooters and e-bikes in Arlandria and the West End.

“The City will work with local community organizations to build awareness for micromobility equity programs and facilitate new member sign ups,” city staff wrote in a presentation going before Council. “This program would offset costs associated with Dockless Mobility trips that start or end within designated equity zones.”

Alexandria has tried to expand ridership in the two areas since launching its Dockless Mobility Program in 2019. Consequently, the city’s three permitted operators (Bird, Lime and Spin) must operate a percentage of their fleet within Arlandria (5%), west of Interstate 395 (10%) and between I-395 and Quaker Lane (15%).

Exactly how much riders who live in Arlandria and the West End will save is unclear, but the non-electric Capital Bikeshare has a program that allows low-income riders to ride their bikes for $5 per year.

The Living Lab Program is a partnership between the City of Philadelphia, the National Association of City Transportation Officials and the nonprofit People For Bikes. If the city is chosen for a grant, the program would be implemented this fall and run until Spring 2026, after which it would be evaluated, according to the staff presentation.

The city’s draft resolution is below.

WHEREAS, in 2021, the City Council of the City of Alexandria adopted a dockless mobility permit program that includes requirements to encourage equitable deployment and usage across the city; and

WHEREAS, in 2023 the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP) announced a Living Lab Program intended to address key barriers to access and use of shared micromobility; and

WHEREAS, City staff submitted a letter of interest and received an invitation to submit a full proposal; and

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Alexandria desires to submit an application to Better Bikeshare Partnership (BBSP) for up to $200,000 to participate in the BBSP Living Lab Program for 2024-2026; and

WHEREAS, these funds are requested to fund efforts to increase membership numbers in the Dockless Mobility and Capital Bikeshare equity programs, and to reduce the costs associated with dockless trips that either start or end within designated equity zones in the city.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Alexandria hereby supports this application for an allocation of up to $200,000 through the BBSP Living Lab Program for 2024-2026.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Alexandria City Council hereby grants authority for the City Manager to apply for funds, allocate an additional $20,000 as a required 10% local match, and execute project administration agreements, as well as other documents necessary for approved projects.

A two-story, single-unit accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on a Del Ray alley is heading to the City Council with a mixed reception from the community and the Planning Commission.

The project is located on a vacant lot at 404 East Alexandria Avenue, surrounded by single-unit, semi-detached, townhouse and multi-unit residential properties.

ADUs are smaller, independent residential dwelling units located on the same lot as single-family housing. In Alexandria, they can be used as short-term rentals, though not if the main house is also being rented out. Alexandria’s ADU policy has been revised over the years to scale back the requirements, hoping to avoid the lackluster ADU implementation in Arlington.

According to the city’s website, ADUs are prohibited for use as a short-term rental and the homeowner is required to maintain primary residence of the subject property at the time of ADU construction. ADUs are prohibited from being used for short-term rental for more than 120 days per year.

One of the main concerns raised through the bureaucratic process has been the use of the ADU as a rental despite the fact that the owner said they don’t live in the main building and intend to rent the site for long-term tenants. The Del Ray Citizens Association (DRCA) said they were surprised to learn there’s no method of determining primary residence.

According to the letter:

Requiring owner occupancy of either the primary dwelling or the ADU was of paramount importance when the DRCA originally supported the ADU ordinance. This was in order to control the use of the ADU and to discourage both units on a property being used for short-term rentals (VRBO and AirBnBs). Staff revealed that there was no formalized method for determining primary residence and that there was a Staff-level interpretation made on how to handle a proposal for both a new house and new ADU built on a vacant lot. It seems the primary residence requirement is effectively being ignored by this interpretation policy. This was quite a surprise to members of the DRCA and is something that needs clarification to both staff and the community.

According to the staff report, Planning and Zoning inspectors enforce regulations but “there are some enforcement challenges, particularly with the limitations imposed on accessory dwelling units.”

Applicant Eric Teran said that his plan is not to do short term rental for the ADU.

“Ideally our plan would be to rent it long-term,” Teran said. “That’s our plan. May things change? Possibly. But we’re not planning to do short-term rental.”

Several neighbors spoke in opposition to the proposed ADU at an earlier Planning Commission meeting. The Del Ray Civic Association recommended denial of the project.

According to a staff presentation, community concerns about the ADU included:

• Stormwater management and flooding
• Tree preservation
• Emergency an construction vehicle access
• Alley vision clearance and vehicular access for safety
• Use as a short-term rental and ADU primary residence requirement
• Street parking and a lack of street frontage

The Planning Commission recommended approval but in a divided 4-3 vote.

The staff report recommends approval.

Staff supports the applicants’ proposal. As required by Zoning Ordinance section 12-401(C), the proposed development would not impact light nor air supply to adjacent properties, diminish nor impair property values, and would be compatible with existing neighborhood character in terms of height, bulk, and design.

The proposal is scheduled for review at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 12.

Alexandria School Board Members went all-in Wednesday night in asking City Council to fund its budget by approving a massive tax increase.

Mayor Justin Wilson told the Board at a budget work session on Wednesday night that its fiscal year 2025 $384.4 million combined funds budget request would result in a historic tax increase. The Board, in turn, said that the funding could stem the school system’s staffing crisis.

“To be candid, the combination of the operating requests and the capital requests is probably about a 6 cent tax increase, which is not viable,” Wilson said, adding that it would be the largest tax increase since the 5.7 cent tax increase of 2017 raised the average residential property tax bill by more than $300.

The Board’s proposed budget, which was approved last month, surprised Wilson and other Council Members, who said they were left in the dark with its development.

“I’ve heard nothing around a strategic look at how we pay folks,” City Council Member John Taylor Chapman told the Board. “I know many of you personally. I know you care about what you do. I know you are professionals. So, when I say ‘Hey, I expect you to bring a great budget to Council and Council is going to fund it,’ I don’t expect you to be just willy nilly. I expect you to be focused and I think that’s who you are.”

School Board Chair Michelle Rief countered that the Board has been strategic in its thinking, and that she prioritizes the 2% market rate adjustment for staff as the most important addition that needs funding.

“In my opinion, to sort of go out publicly and tell us to fight for the thing that we need and then come here and tell us that we’re we’re asking for too much, I think might be a political strategy on your part,” Rief said.

Vice Mayor Amy Jackson, who is running for mayor, said that the city should raise taxes to fully fund the school system’s budget request.

“I know it’s a sacrifice for all of us,” Jackson said. “I mean, we all live here in the city, and raising taxes would be a sacrifice.”

Jackson was the only Council member to not criticize the school system’s budget during the meeting.

“I just feel like we need to get close to what they’re asking for, if not fully funded,” Jackson said. “I think raising taxes also will mean that hopefully we’re not cutting our services and that our services are remaining at the optimum level for our residents and our businesses, but also making sure that our schools are remaining competitive and keeping our community stronger.”

School Board Member Tammy Ignacio was brought to tears while recounting the stresses that staff and students are experiencing.

“We have got to be able to compete with our surrounding jurisdictions,” Ignacio said. “In my 32 years in education, I have never seen it this bad. I have never seen the level of kids in a classroom without a teacher in front of them.”

City Council will set a maximum tax rate next week, allowing the City Manager to pursue some of the Board’s proposed additions, which include $4.2 million for staffers who did not get step increases in fiscal year 2021 and a $5.4 million (2%) market rate adjustment for all eligible staff.

Council Member Alyia Gaskins, who is running against Jackson in the Democratic mayoral primary, said she is in favor of advertising a higher tax rate to consider the additions.

“We have to deliver a balanced budget that responds to the needs of our community and that means doing right by our teachers and students,” Gaskins said. “If in the end we decide an increase is necessary, then I will be leading the charge to figure out relief for those who cannot keep affording these increases, like seniors on fixed incomes or others who are one tax increase away from not being able to afford to live here.”

School Board Member Abdel Elnoubi, who is running for City Council, said that he’s asking them to make an unpopular decision during an election year.

“It’s your decision to decide whether you want to raise taxes or not,” Elnoubi said. “If you do that, if you decide to raise taxes, I’m 100% with you… Let me just address the elephant in the room. It is an election year and as a School Board Member I’m in a less tough position.”

Four City Council Members are seeking reelection, and two members are running for mayor. Elnoubi and School Board Member Jacinta Greene are also running in the June 18 Democratic City Council primary.

Elnoubi said that from Council’s perspective, the Board gets to take credit for the increased funding while City Council has to deal with the consequences of raising taxes.

“That’s very viable, that is the political reality of things,” Elnoubi said. “What I will tell you is we are doing what we think is right for the school system… I would be derelict in my duty if I don’t ask you for what we need, understanding full well you may not be able to give it to us, which is fine.”

Wilson said that the Board needs to work closer with Council to craft not only this budget, but future budgets.

“It is impossible for us to resolve the gap on both the capital and operating side,” he said. “So we are going to pick a number and to come to some conclusion to our process, and it’s going to be challenging to arrive at that number without some really good input from the School Board as to what that should be.”

School Board Member Tim Beaty said that living in the city is becoming more expensive, and that the additions are focused on teacher retention.

“We were doing what we thought was best in order to keep the quality of what we’ve got,” Beaty said. “I’m frustrated that this leads to this huge difference between what we need and what’s available in the budget.”

City Council will adopt its final budget on May 1.

ALXnow will be running a series of City Council candidate interviews through the local election filing deadline on April 4.

The economic potential for the $2 billion Potomac Yard arena deal is maintaining the interest of Alexandria City Council Member Alyia Gaskins.

Gaskins is running for mayor and says that a good deal for Alexandria means more city representation on the Virginia Stadium Authority board, which would own and finance the future home of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals.

Gaskins says that she’ll carefully dissect the proposal “if and when” it comes before City Council and that her four key issues are on the city’s representation on the Virginia Stadium Authority board, as well as how the project impacts labor, housing, and transportation.

“A good deal is one that has strong labor protections, a commitment to affordable housing and new transportation investments,” Gaskins told ALXnow. “It is also one in which we have the majority of authority on the, but the majority of seats on the stadium Authority Board.”

A House version of the bill to create the board was approved earlier this month, but the Senate version of the bill is currently stalled.

“As you know, I’m the one who’s going to be in the weeds going through each and every page to really evaluate what has come to us and is it something that’s going to deliver for Alexandria,” Gaskins said. “I can’t speculate now until I see specifically where we are on each of those areas, because I don’t think it works without all of them.”

On the issues

Gaskins said she had to take a pause and that she was disappointed after seeing the Alexandria School Board’s recent budget request. The Board asked for $21 million more than what was allocated from the city in last year’s budget, prompting an outcry from Mayor Justin Wilson, and a fiscal year 2025 budget proposal from the City Manager that does not include $10 million in additions from the School Board.

Gaskins said that City Council was briefed in the fall about a potential reduction in real estate values, and that the decline would mean a substantial revenue reduction in the city, potentially resulting in cuts to city services.

“I thought seeing then a budget that calls for such an addition at a time when we are facing some tough economic situations was really a little disappointing,” she said. “At the same time, we all are fighting for the same thing. We want our teachers to be the best paid, and to be the most supported in the region. We want our kids to have the greatest academic outcomes that they can achieve. Our two bodies will have to figure this out, starting tonight at our work session.”

Gaskins also said that the city needs to pause as it evaluates the second phase of its zoning for housing initiative. Last year, City Council controversially its upended its residential zoning policies  by eliminating single family zoning. She said that the first phase focusing on housing production and that the city also needs to look at homeownership programs, tenant protections and preventing housing displacement should be refined.

“I don’t think we need to add anything else,” she said. “We need to focus on doing that and doing that well.”

On the double-digit Virginia American Water rate hikes, Gaskins said that she wants to get retroactive refunds for residents who may see their water bills significantly hiked.

“I think it’s excessive and it could be harmful to our residents,” Gaskins said of the increase. “The numbers I’ve seen show that if this rate goes through as planned, some of our residents could see upwards of a 50% increase in their bills.”

On public safety, Gaskins said that the citywide uptick in violent crime is “unacceptable,” and that the Alexandria Police Department needs to create a strategic plan that “clearly articulates” how it is being tackled. She also said that the recently released community crime map will help residents understand what’s happening.

“It’s not just uncomfortable, I think it’s unacceptable,” Gaskins said. “And I think that communication between our public safety professionals and our residents is an important piece of our crime prevention strategy that has to be strengthened.”

About Alyia Gaskins

Gaskins, who was elected to City Council in 2021, is running in the Democratic primary on June 18. She’s married with two young children and moved to the with her family from Fairfax County in 2016. She’s been a senior program officer at Melville Charitable Trust for three-and-a-half years, before which she worked as a a public health strategist with the Center for Community Investment and the National League of Cities.

She’s a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was raised by her single mother, Francine Smith, and her paternal grandmother Marilyn Parker. Gaskins said that her mom regularly worked two or three jobs at a time, mostly as a paraprofessional and librarian at Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Parker died last month, and Gaskins said that the loss has been difficult.

“It’s definitely been hard, because every big moment I can think of in my life, my grandma has been by my side,” she said. “I think the only kind of saving grace is she taught and she instilled in me a faith and a joy that surpasses understanding. And so when the days are hard, I can still smile because I know I know she’s with me.”

If elected, Gaskins will be the first Black female mayor of Alexandria.

“When I think about what it would mean to be the first Black female mayor, honestly, sometimes I can’t even put it into words, like it’s something that is overwhelming,” she said. “It’s something that is humbling, and it’s something that would fill me with tremendous joy.”

Gaskins has a bachelor’s degree in medicine, health and society from Vanderbilt University, a master’s in urban planning from Georgetown University, and a master’s of public health from the University of Pittsburgh and a certificate in municipal planning from the University of Chicago.

She was elected to City Council in 2021, and previously served on the city’s Transportation Commission, where she said that her experience with the Seminary Road bike lane controversy convinced her that the city needs to improve outreach to impacted communities.

Communication-wise, Gaskins said she had no notice from Mayor Justin Wilson when he announced he wasn’t seeking reelection on Dec. 1. She announced her intention to run on Dec. 4, as did her fellow Council Member Vice Mayor Amy Jackson.

“I had no special inside knowledge or anything like that,” Gaskins said. “What I watched over the past several months is what Justin has said, that he’s thinking about it and we’ll find out the decision. I thought to myself, I’m going to be ready no matter what that decision is. I want to be ready to run.”

Gaskins is leading in fundraising among her Council colleagues, raising $46,000 with $34,000 on-hand as of Dec. 31, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Jackson has raised $16,900, and has $15,800 on-hand. The next financial disclosure deadline for the candidates is at the end of this month.

Gaskins says that she gets four-to-five hours of sleep on a good day, and that her family is committed to seeing her conduct city business.

“What I do think I’ve been able to create in my life and will do as mayor is a harmony where I have found a way for all of the pieces to work together,” she said. “I recognize the demands that will be on my time, then it makes sense that will be on my family’s time. But this is something that we are fully committed to doing as our unit and making sure that as a unit we can serve and continue to deliver.”

The Democratic primary is June 18.

I'm running for Mayor to build an Alexandria that works for all of us. Watch, share, and join our grassroots campaign today! pic.twitter.com/hGf80NTjDV

— Alyia Gaskins (@Alyia4ALX) December 4, 2023

Join hosts Pat Miller & Gayle Reuter for a kid-friendly Meet & Greet in Del Ray with Alyia this Saturday, March 9th. RSVP at https://t.co/haTJBmQ3qX and let's discuss the future of our community together! #DelRay #MeetAndGreet pic.twitter.com/dW3PUzB3JA

— Alyia Gaskins (@Alyia4ALX) March 6, 2024

We've been loving the doors on the West End! Join us this Saturday morning at 9:00 to share Alyia's message of a safe, accessible, and affordable Alexandria. Sign up at https://t.co/lOZLj2DY0p. #everyweekendeverydoor pic.twitter.com/I6OfVIZE45

— Alyia Gaskins (@Alyia4ALX) March 5, 2024

The weather was overcast and cool on Saturday — ideal for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Longtime Alexandria business owner “Mango” Mike Anderson was the parade marshal, and there were notable appearances from a number of recognizable figures, including local politicians, Clan Bell (which always dresses as Star Wars characters) and G-Wiz, the mascot for the Washington Wizards.

The Ballyshaners (Old Towner’s in Gaelic) bring the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to Alexandria every year.

The next parade, Alexandria’s annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade, is nine months away.

ALXnow will be running a series of City Council candidate interviews through the local election filing deadline on April 4.

City Councilman John Taylor Chapman says that he wants small businesses to come out on top, regardless of where the city lands with the $2 billion Potomac Yard arena deal.

Chapman says that it’s “interesting” that Alexandria is being considered for the arena, but that the deal has to be right for the city.

“I think we need to be poised, however we deal with the arena question, to attract business,” Chapman said in a recent interview. “We’re going to have the catalyzation of Potomac Yard. You’re going to be able to have smaller businesses and brands there, not just the national brand or the franchisee.”

He continued, “You are going to have people take a chance on Potomac Yard as a business concept. You don’t have to go very far to the Water Park development that JBG Smith just opened up in National Landing. That’s nothing but small businesses that came to the area. So, opening up opportunities for them happens when you have the catalyzation of that area.”

Like his Council colleagues, Chapman wants more city representation on the Virginia Stadium Authority board, which would own and finance the future home of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals. A House version of the bill to create the board was approved earlier this month, but the Senate version of the bill is currently stalled.

“We’ll see if it gets passed in the General Assembly,” Chapman said.

With 12 years of Council experience under his belt, Chapman is running for a fifth three-year term. Winning in the June 18 primary and general election in November would make him the senior member on the seven-person body.

“As Tysons Corner grows, how do we compete?” Chapman said. “As MGM and National Harbor grow, how do we compete? As tourism becomes more complex in the region, how do we compete? With the the challenges with office, how do we retain them? I think that’s the fight that we continue to be in.”

The Alexandria native said at his campaign kickoff last month that he’s a product of the rich and poor parts of the city. Chapman grew up with his single mother in public housing in Old Town, and also attended St. Stephens and St. Agnes School throughout middle and high school. He said that his upbringing reinforced a perspective that the city needs to protect its poor and elderly residents.

“I got to see the different side of Alexandria that many of us don’t really get to see and be a part of,” Chapman said. “During the day I went to school with some of the more wealthy folks in our community, and I was also in a community of folks who were trying to make ends meet.”

Chapman said that the city’s recent property tax assessments will mean that Council will have to consider cutting city services in the upcoming fiscal year 2025 budget. He also says that the city will have to keep converting office buildings into apartment buildings.

“It means for this year’s budget that we’re gonna have to look at cuts around city services,” Chapman said. “We need to continue to press on how we deal with losses in the commercial, particularly the office building, sector. We’ve converted a number of old office buildings to residential, and I think that’s something that’s going to continue. I’m not sure that’s in the long-term best interests of the city, because we the cyclical nature of things, but where we are right now, I think it is how you decrease the pain of falling office values.”

Some of that pain could get eased with the right kind agreement on the Potomac Yard arena, but Chapman said that the project has to meet a number of benchmarks.

“I think it’s a project that like many others, hits on the value system of the city,” he said. “Whether it’s aligned with some of our climate goals, whether it’s aligned with our kind of multimodal way that we look at transportation, brings in appropriate revenue and catalyzes the opportunity to have different amenities and municipal supports like schools and affordable housing within a neighborhood, attracts small, medium and large businesses, ensures that the process has resident input and residents can see the changes made through their input, and I think is an overall win for the city.”

By day, Chapman is a community use specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools. A West End resident, he says that the biggest changes in his life since being elected in 2012 have been his marriage and the birth of his son.

He also founded the Manumission Tour Company in 2016, and provides walking and bus Black history tours around the city. He says that after this election year that the tours will expand to include the West End, as well as a more in-depth look at the city’s African American churches.

On public safety, City Council will eventually consider City Manager Jim Parajon’s choice for the open police and fire chief positions.

On hiring a new police chief, Chapman said that the city manager needs to look for community focused candidates who are diverse, policy driven and able to communicate well with city hall.

“I think you need somebody that is able to communicate with all of our communities,” he said. “I’m not looking for a specific background, but I’m looking for that ability.”

Chapman said that the city is losing a responsive communicator in outgoing Mayor Justin Wilson, and that the next mayor needs to be a collaborator who knows how government works and can bring together the city’s business and residential communities.

“Relationships mattered, particularly during the pandemic,” Chapman said. “And the ability for our mayor to get on the phone with the chair of Arlington and the chair of Fairfax County to talk about what the region needs and then being able to lean in as a region and say, ‘This is who we are, this is what our challenges are, this is what we need. How do we work together to solve that, you know, bringing, you know, internally within the city, bringing partnerships together.”

Chapman is also the unofficial “Night Mayor” of Alexandria, a position he styled for himself after D.C. and New York City’s nightlife mayors were hired to improve the night lives in their respective cities. He says he will focus more on the city’s nightlife after the election.

“Once this election is over, I think the focus is back on what does what does evening look like for Alexandria?” he said. “How do we maximize the experience for folks who don’t want to go home at 8 p.m.?”

One way, potentially, could be Chapman’s idea to open up the 200 block of King Street as a pedestrian-only zone. The move would mean expanding the pedestrian-only zone at Alexandria’s waterfront and going all the way up to City Hall’s Market Square (301 King Street). Chapman wants to introduce the measure into the FY 2025 budget.

“We’ve done the zero block and the 100 block (of King Street), and the 200 block is the next step,” Chapman said. “Now I’m talking to those retailers to see if I can get their buy-in.”

As Alexandria’s City Council and School Board work to reconcile their budgets, Mayor Justin Wilson scolded School Board leadership for not taking a longer view of budgets and planning.

Alexandria’s School Board is asking for $21 million more than it received in the previous budget — for a total of $384.4 million — with School Board members adding $10 million in additions to Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt’s proposed budget. City Manager Jim Parajon fully funded the Superintendent’s budget, but did not include funding for the additional $11 million requested by the School Board.

The issue started with 1703 N. Beauregard, a swing space building to be used for George Mason and Cora Kelly students while those schools undergo renovation. But as the School Board asks the City Council for more funding to address capacity issues, Wilson said it’s frustrating not to see a longer term plan for what happens to that building after it’s finished as a swing space in 2029.

“I want to be able to tell people 1703 N. Beauregard is going to be swing space and then it’s going to be this, whatever this is,” Wilson said. “I saw from staff they say it’s going to be a middle school, you [School Board chair Michelle Rief] say it’s going to be Chance for Change, I hear from other board members it might be an elementary school.”

Wilson said that the City Council, which is dealing with its own budget woes, needs to see a clearer vision from the School Board as the two bodies collaborate on long-term planning.

“At some point, the Board needs to make a long-term set of decisions bout how we’re going to configure and align capacity,” Wilson said. “I recognize things are going to change and we need to evolve and adapt, but we need a direction. It can’t be nine people saying ‘maybe we will do this’ but we need to make decisions.”

Rief answered that the School Board is hesitant to plan too far in advance given how quickly some of the major issues can change.

“If you look back at 2019, we didn’t know the pandemic was going to hit,” said Rief. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the arena deal. I remember back when we had this conversation in November, you were asking about how we plan after ten years… When you get beyond five to seven years it gets harder to plan. I think situations and circumstances change.”

Wilson called Rief’s answer “unacceptable”:

The answer that we can’t plan past five or seven years is not an acceptable for me. We have to. We have to figure that out.

These are generational investments. We are spending a generational amount of money. It takes us five to seven years in order to even plan and budget for a project of this size.

Think about how long Minnie Howard was in the plan. Think about how long Douglas MacArthur was in the plan. The MacArthur funding, which just opened, was a decision we made in 2016.

This stuff takes a long time. I agree that we have to be flexible and adapt and change, but we need to at least have a vision for what this is going to look like.

If you’re expecting us to raise billions over a period of time, we need the runway to be able to do that.

Battles between the two governing bodies, particularly over the budget, aren’t uncommon.

When it came to cost cutting, the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) said one of the biggest areas schools could cut is on “green building” initiatives. The tradeoff there, staff said, is that what’s gained in capital funding may be lost in long-term operating costs.

“The expectation is that we are meeting the City’s Green Building policy and Net Zero… we cannot do that with a $20 million reduction,” Kay-Wyatt said.

ACPS staff said geothermal wells could be removed from new schools, saving millions in capital costs, but it’s unclear how that would impact long-term operating costs.

While those cuts to the environmental efficiency of the buildings would still need to be studied and considered, City Council leadership said the top priority in those buildings needed to be on providing educational space.

“When we’re talking about schools and sustainability and green buildings and how much those things cost,” Vice Mayor Amy Jackson said, “I’ll be the other side right now and say: our education of our kids is really what the need is in these buildings; first and foremost.”

Within days of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, Alexandria’s City Hall was lit up with the colors of Israel. But after months of mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, a push for Alexandria to join cities calling for a ceasefire has faced significant opposition in City Hall.

A resolution calling for a ceasefire was raised as a recommendation at a Human Rights Commission (HRC) meeting earlier this month.

According to the city website, the HRC “works with businesses, community groups and individuals to facilitate understanding of rights and responsibilities; advises City Council and the City Manager on human rights issues; and holds public hearings on specific complaints.”

The recommendation condemns the “tragic loss of Israeli life on October 7 and we also denounce the indiscriminate retaliation by the state of Israel, enacting collective punishment on the people of Gaza.”

Alexandria City Hall is lit in the Blue and White as we stand with Israel and against the murderous terrorism of Hamas. pic.twitter.com/qLVwx8Oevr

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) October 11, 2023

The resolution notes that Alexandria is home to a number of Biden Administration and Congressional staff, making the city uniquely positioned to apply pressure.

The resolution was not voted on after city staff said it was not within the purview of the HRC.

The central arguments against the resolution are that:

• Commissions cannot pass resolutions, they can only make recommendations to the city
• Taking a stance on an international conflict is outside of the scope of Alexandria’s Human Rights Commission

HRC members during the meeting expressed frustration with the first point and argued that, had City Attorney Cheran Ivery told that to the HRC with enough time before the meeting, the resolution could have been adjusted to match the required wording.

The main issue, however, was that city staff said some in city leadership didn’t want the ceasefire resolution to get to the dais.

In an audio recording of the meeting obtained by ALXnow, Jean Kelleher, director of the Office of Human Rights, said three elected officials told her they didn’t want the resolution to get to them.

“You may send something to City Council and ask them to consider it,” Kelleher said. “One of the issues was: there were three different elected officials who came to me and asked for the Commission not to send a specific resolution on an international issue.”

Kelleher said the frustrations from city leadership were that they saw the ceasefire as being outside of the HRC’s authority. A proclamation for Human Rights Month in October omitted references to Israel or Palestine in earlier drafts.

While resolutions on international incidents are rare, the City Council previously considered resolutions condemning the Iraq War and the genocide in Darfur.

“There was one flip comment at an executive committee meeting when I expressed that I had been asked by several members of the City Council to convey to the Human Rights Commission that they believe this was outside of the scope of the Commission and please not put forward a resolution on any issue related to an international issue,” Kelleher said.

Kelleher also said that she was asked by an HRC member “What can they do?” if the HRC sends the resolution to them anyway, and Kelleher said she told him that the Council could “fail to appoint you next time.” Kelleher said one City Council member flippantly repeated “well, we could fail to appoint someone.”

Multiple HRC members told ALXnow they interpreted the message as a threat against their positions on the Commission if they sent the resolution forward.

“I do not believe any City Council member in an election year would say that; that’s bologna,” said one HRC member. “I don’t think this was an above-the-board operation.”

Some at the meeting argued it was hypocritical of the City to light up City Hall in support of Israel and then say Alexandria doesn’t weigh into international politics when Palestinians are killed.

Not all members of the HRC agreed that the Commission should consider a ceasefire resolution.

“Our focus is on human rights within the city,” another commissioner said. “This is so outside of our wheelhouse.”

The City of Alexandria did not respond to a request for comment. Mayor Justin Wilson said he didn’t believe the city should weigh in on international conflicts.

Wilson sent ALXnow a message he said he sends to everyone who has written to him on the issue:

I generally don’t think the Alexandria City Council should be in the business of weighing in on the conduct of international conflicts. It’s not something we have expertise in, not something we have a professional staff to advise us on, and generally not all that productive. These are issues that are properly before our Federal policymakers and I am confident that Senator Warner, Senator Kaine and Congressman Beyer would welcome your input.

The City has condemned bigotry, discrimination, and violence against our Muslim and Palestinian brothers and sisters in the past by resolution and the commitments to stand with those who are victimized in our City.

What I will do is continue to advocate that those who do have the power to influence the conduct and outcome of international conflicts act to protect lives, free those unjustly held, and minimize displacement.

I certainly condemn attacks on civilians by both sides of this conflict, and would hope that the diplomatic efforts designed to release all hostages and dramatically increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza are fruitful in the very near term. My heart breaks for the families of Gaza uprooted, injured, and killed by this violence and the Israelis who have been killed, maimed and traumatized. The trauma on both sides of this conflict is unspeakable.

The City of Alexandria is fighting with residents over a new development in court, but the battle spilled over into a public comment section that ended with a rebuke from the dais.

A lawsuit filed with the Circuit Court of Alexandria calls for a special use permit approved by the City Council in January to be invalidated, alleging the decision is in direct contradiction to the city zoning ordinance.

The lawsuit was filed by seven nearby residents who allege that the new development at 301 N. Fairfax Street will devalue their properties and ’cause wear and tear and damage’ to infrastructure.

The property is currently an office building constructed in 1977 and the lawsuit notes that, prior to the City Council vote on Jan. 20, it was zoned as ‘commercial downtown’ in the Old and Historic District, rezoned in that meeting to commercial residential mixed use/high. The new development will be a residential building with 48 units.

The crux of the lawsuit is that the rezoning makes the property mixed-use — with a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 2.5 — but plans for the site indicate the use will be entirely residential — which has a maximum permitted FAR of 1.25

Section 5-305(C) provides under “mixed use or residential/SUP” that “if at least 50 percent of the floor space of the proposed development is for residential use and if the commercial use within such a development does not exceeed a floor area ratio of 1.25, then, with a special use permit, the maximum permitted floor area ratio may be increased to an amount not to exceed 2.5.” Zoning Ordinance 5-305(C).

Clearly referenced in this subsection is the mixed use of a proposed development, and the authorization of special use permits for up to 2.5 FAR where there is at least 50 percent residential use and “the commerical use” does not exceed a FAR of 1.25. Absent from that section is the language “a commercial use” or “any commercial use”.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare the special use permit ‘void ab initio’ and “enjoin the City from issuing any permits for the 301 North Fairfax Project or from taking any further action pursuant to the SUP.

Even as the lawsuit is working through courts, Alexandria’s City Council voted on Saturday in favor of an ordinance to amend the Old Town Small Area Plan and to amend the Official Zoning Map to reflect the mixed-use zoning for 301 N. Fairfax Street.

It was a largely administrative follow-up to the earlier rezoning, but it drew some heated back-and-forth during the public comments.

Several nearby residents in opposition to the development spoke and expressed their frustration with the city’s rezoning of the parcel.

“Why have a City Council that continually ignores the concerns of your own constituents,” said nearby resident Anna Bergman. “You’re knowingly turning the Old and Historic District into the architectural banality that is North Old Town.”

“Most of you are on your phones, not even looking up, rolling your eyes,” said resident Nanci Petit. “How can you be so disconnected with what you’ve heard over eight months and others today wanting to stop the arena. The only thing I can come up with is a lack of oxygen because you have your head so far up the developer’s abacus worried about their profit margins that you can’t see straight.”

After attorney Cathy Puskar, representing the developer, spoke, several members of the audience hissed in response, sparking a reprimand from Mayor Justin Wilson and others on the City Council.

“Please, guys, literally come on,” said Wilson. “I spent like an hour with a bunch of preschoolers yesterday and they were better behaved than this.”

City Council member John Chapman was the lone vote against the zoning change in January and voted against the changes at the Saturday meeting, but also expressed frustration at the way members of the public spoke about City Council members and city staff.

“I do not take lightly the kind of personal attacks against the character of any member of this body,” Chapman said. “One of the more recent speakers spoke to why you might not see us looking up. I know the Council member on my right (Sarah Bagley) takes notes on everyone who speaks. She might not look up at you, she has notepad after notepad on each individual’s comments. We listen with our ears, that’s what we’re doing.”

The planning and map amendments were passed in a 6-1 vote.

James Cullum contributed to this story

The Alexandria School Board approved its fiscal year 2025 $384.4 million combined funds budget request on Thursday night and it is asking City Council for $21 million more than the previous budget. If it goes forward, Mayor Justin Wilson says that the request could mean a reduction in city services.

School Board Members tacked on more than $10 million in additions to Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt’s proposed budget, a move that prompted Board Members Meagan Alderton and Chris Harris to vote in opposition to it.

Alderton said that the budget is difficult for the Board to defend.

“For our add/delete session, the board essentially doubled the superintendent’s proposed increase, shifting our ask to an 8.1% city appropriation,” she said at the Board meeting. “City appropriations for the operating budget are not one-time asks when you’re asking for an additional appropriation in any fiscal year. You’re also asking for a promise that this level of funding can be sustained every fiscal year thereafter. So, an additional $10 million dollar promise is one thing, but the additional $21 million promise changes the game entirely.”

City Manager Jim Parajon’s draft FY 2025 budget will be unveiled next Tuesday.

Wilson said that he has not yet reviewed the ACPS budget, but said that the city must be clear about the details of this year’s budget process.

“The School Board’s recent budget decisions more than doubled the superintendent’s request for additional City appropriation, without any offsetting spending reductions in other areas of the budget,” Wilson said. “Funding that increase will require deep spending reductions to other critical services (public safety, human services, transportation or infrastructure), significant tax increases, or both. I look forward to dialogue with the School Board about the details of their request, and the options available for the two bodies as we begin our budget process next week.”

School Board Chair Michelle Rief said that the budget underscores the Board’s commitment to students and staff.

“This budget is a testament to our collective vision for growing a thriving educational community that supports staff and prepares our students for the future,” Rief said.

Wilson said that in the fall, City staff was projecting that Alexandria’s real estate tax base would increase 2.4%, which would have resulted in a $20 million budget shortfall if the School Board had approved what the Superintendent’s budget proposal included. But instead, the real estate tax base grew by 0.33%, the smallest rate of increase in 15 years.

“So, that gap of $20 million is in fact, much larger,” Wilson said.

Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt thanked the Board for their approval, and said that her proposed budget focuses on retention, with a full step increase and a 2% market rate adjustment for eligible staff. The school system is experiencing a staffing crisis, and the budget increases bus driver salaries to $24 an hour for new drivers and more than $47 per hour for senior drivers with more than a decade experience with the school system.

“I truly value the collaboration between the division and the Alexandria City School Board, and would like to thank them for their approval of the FY 2025 Combined Funds budget,” Kay-Wyatt said in a statement. “I also want to express my appreciation for our dedicated Financial Services team for continuing to work to find innovative solutions to the complex budget challenges the division faces. Together we will continue to advocate and work to produce a budget that best supports our students and staff until it is fully adopted in the spring.”

City Council Member John Taylor Chapman said that he wants to see how the Board has prioritized its allocations.

“Conversation is key for our school system, and getting good teachers,” Chapman said. “Past School Boards have been able to turn in a budget that is able to compete with getting good school teachers, balancing priorities and understanding the greater stake in the city’s financial picture. I would assume that is happening this year as well.”

Additions to the budget include:

• $4.2 million for staffers who did not get step increases in fiscal year 2021 (sponsored by Member Abdel Elnoubi)
• $307,000 for two deans of students at George Washington and Francis C. Hammond Middle Schools (sponsored by Tammy Ignacio)
• $125,000 for a college and career counselor at ACHS (sponsored by Member Jacinta Greene)
• $125,000 for a psychologist at ACHS Minnie Howard Campus (sponsored by Member Abdel Elnoubi)
• $115,000 for an athletic trainer at ACHS (sponsored by Member Chris Harris)
• $65,000 for a Dari/Pashto/English fluent-speaking family liaison (sponsored by Harris)