City Council | ALXnow

Airports Authority says power plant redevelopment plans threaten DCA safety

Published July 5, 2022 at 2:45PM | Updated July 5, 2022 at 4:35PM

Updated 4:30 p.m. — A spokesperson representing Hilco Redevelopment Partners shared an email with WMWAA indicating that the Airports Authority “is comfortable that the City of Alexandria does not need to ‘defer’ decisions slated for this Application today; instead, the Authority welcomes the City’s expressed commitment in its decision to require increased coordination between MWAA and the City as this Application moves forward.”

The spokesperson also said that because no specific building heights are proposed, the building heights cannot be considered a threat to DCA safety

News

St. Rita Catholic Church comes to agreement on construction of Arlandria affordable housing project

By James Cullum

Published July 5, 2022 at 1:00PM

The Alexandria City Council is poised to approve an amended plan to build a 473-unit affordable housing complex in Arlandria, now that St. Rita Catholic Church has signed off on the project.

Citing safety concerns for parishioners and children, St. Rita Catholic Church and the Catholic Diocese of Arlington sought legal action against the City and the Alexandria Housing Development Corporation when the development was approved in January.

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City approves Business Improvement District guidelines with an eye to Landmark redevelopment

By Vernon Miles

Published June 29, 2022 at 1:45PM

Canadian Geese outside Landmark Mall. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The topic of Business Improvement Districts (BID) is back at Alexandria’s City Council and five years after one proposal was crushed, there are signs BIDs could be seen more favorably by a new Council.

BIDs are self-taxing districts established by property owners that aim to boost the economic vitality of the commercial area. There are a handful of BIDs in Arlington in areas like Crystal City, Rosslyn and Ballston. The BIDs organize activities and events in those districts, as well as handle amenities above and beyond what the city (or county, in Arlington’s case) would typically provide. The possibility of a BID in Old Town proved unpopular among many local businesses, however, who were concerned about the additional tax.

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Alexandria City Council meeting disrupted by anti-abortion activists

By James Cullum

Published June 29, 2022 at 10:45AM | Updated June 29, 2022 at 11:20PM

A.J. Hurley, national director of Survivors Of The Abortion Holocaust, being led out of the Alexandria City Council meeting while council discussed a resolution supporting abortion access, June 28, 2022. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

More than a dozen anti-abortion activists were individually led out of Alexandria’s City Council Chambers on Tuesday night (June 28), as Council unanimously approved a resolution to protect access to abortions in the city.

Members of the California-based group Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust sat in Council Chambers holding signs depicting graphic photos and drawings of aborted fetuses. The group spent the last several days demonstrating outside the U.S. Supreme Court leading up to last week’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, banning abortion in more than a dozen states.

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Tenant and worker groups voice opposition to power plant plans ahead of City Council review

By Vernon Miles

Published June 28, 2022 at 3:30PM | Updated July 5, 2022 at 12:54PM

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

The GenOn Power Plant redevelopment plans are headed to the City Council with the backing of staff and the Planning Commission but lingering concerns from local workers.

Hilco Redevelopment Partners’ plan is to replace the power plant on the 18.8-acre site with six blocks of new, mixed-use buildings of varying densities and heights and coordinated open space. The city is also planning to expand the boundaries of the Old Town North Arts and Cultural District to include the site.

News

City Council to adopt resolution to protect abortion access in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published June 27, 2022 at 3:30PM

Supreme Court (file photo)

The Alexandria City Council will vote on a resolution Tuesday night to protect access to abortions in the city.

The resolution, which was initially drafted by Councilman Kirk McPike, lays out several steps that the city will take.

News

JUST IN: Alexandrians react to Roe v. Wade being overturned by Supreme Court

By Vernon Miles

Published June 24, 2022 at 11:05AM

Supreme Court (file photo)

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade today (Friday) in a landmark decision that will effectively ban abortion in more than a dozen states.

While Virginia is not a state with any “trigger laws” that go into effect as a result of the decision, Alexandria has seen its share of back and forth over abortion. In March, the City Council withdrew a proclamation recognizing abortion providers, a decision some on the City Council said they later regretted. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has also expressed support for banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

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Alexandria seeking grant to overhaul most crash-prone intersections

By Vernon Miles

Published June 22, 2022 at 1:30PM

Intersection of Quaker Lane and Duke Street (image via Google Maps)

Alexandria is hoping to get federal funding for an audit of the city’s high-crash intersections to look for possible solutions.

The project, which includes the audit, public engagement and design, is estimated to cost $1 million. The grant would cover up to $800,000, with the city or the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority.

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Business Improvement District discussion to resurface at Alexandria City Council meeting

By Vernon Miles

Published June 22, 2022 at 10:45AM

Five years after the City Council struck down a plan to get a Business Improvement District (BID) up and running in Old Town, a discussion of BID frameworks is coming back to the city.

While the city earlier rejected the idea of a BID in Old Town, BID advocates managed to get the concept approved as part of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funding.

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City Council approves potential pay-by-phone parking increase in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published June 21, 2022 at 2:45PM

Street parking on Main Line Boulevard in Potomac Yard (staff photo by James Cullum)

Paying to park your car in Alexandria by phone could be getting more expensive soon.

Alexandria’s City Council voted unanimously on Saturday to enable staff to up the cost of pay-by-phone parking.

News

School Board updates its operating procedures and rules on media engagement

By James Cullum

Published June 17, 2022 at 11:15AM | Updated June 17, 2022 at 3:07PM

ACPS Headquarters in Alexandria (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Alexandria School Board approved changes to their operating procedures on Thursday night (June 16), and updated rules on engagement with the media.

The operating procedures are a guide for Members’ behavior in office — and state that comments made to media by Board members will “likely be interpreted by the public as an official statement of the Board,” and that all statements (when Members are designated to speak on behalf of the board) must be sent to the Board Chair and Superintendent. The changes now state that School Board Members must now avoid directly communicating with ACPS staff “about Division business”, and clarified language to say that Board members will now receive all written responses to media made by the Alexandria City Public Schools communications team.