City Council | ALXnow

City Council takes rare step and strips local business of special use permit

Published March 15, 2021 at 2:30PM

A year of family drama behind the scenes of a car dealership ballooned to such a point that the City Council took the incredibly uncommon step this weekend of stripping the business of its Special Use Permit.

M&B Auto Sales (26 S. Dove Street) has been in hot water with multiple neighbors over the last year, with 37 calls for service over the last year for everything from fighting and drug use to “mob activity.” The most recurring issue noted by staff was parking violations, with the business parking vehicles in the public right of way.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published March 15, 2021 at 5:00AM

Nothing Bundt Cakes opens in West End — “Nothing Bundt Cakes sells a variety of bundt cakes, bundt cake towers, mini bundt cakes and bite-size bundt cakes. There are nine basic flavors, including traditional vanilla and chocolate, plus marble, confetti, red velvet, pecan praline, white chocolate raspberry, carrot cake and more.” [Alexandria Living]

Councilman Canek Aguirre kicks off reelection campaign — “We have to invest in our school buildings. We have to invest in our city buildings. And that’s definitely something that we have to continue to do because it’s just going to get more expensive.” [Alex Times]

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published March 12, 2021 at 3:30PM

What an eventful week in Alexandria.

Thursday, March 11, marked the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic in Alexandria. As the vaccine rollout slowly improves, the most recent news is the allowance of restaurant workers to get the vaccine. Just over 38,000 doses have been administered in the city, and of that 14,661 residents have been fully vaccinated. The city also wants 80% of residents vaccinated by July 31.

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City Council member and Environmental Commission join opposition to Taylor Run Restoration

By Vernon Miles

Published March 11, 2021 at 3:30PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

Critics of the city’s plans to restore Taylor Run secured a new voice — City Councilwoman Amy Jackson — to their side when the Environmental Policy Commission (EPC) of Alexandria recently announced its opposition to the current project.

The EPC is an independent body established by the city in 1970 and reviews issues like water quality and environmental conservation.

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Beyer Throws Weight Behind Labor Unions as Council Punts Collective Bargaining Debate

By James Cullum

Published March 10, 2021 at 3:45PM | Updated March 10, 2021 at 4:06PM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

After a long meeting that stretched into the early hours of Wednesday, the Alexandria City Council punted on a collective bargaining ordinance to an upcoming special meeting.

The meeting, which is not yet officially set, is intended to allow Council members to go through issues line by line. The establishment of a community police review board was also pushed to the same meeting.

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Development Questions Remain for New Braddock West Project Headed to City Council

By Vernon Miles

Published March 10, 2021 at 2:30PM

Braddock West will transform the view of Alexandria from the Braddock Road Metro station, but some of the specifics of that arrangement and the impact on neighbors is unclear as the project heads to City Council review on Saturday, March 13.

Unlike some developments in Alexandria, Braddock West is moving forward with support from neighborhood organizations like the Braddock Implementation Advisory Group and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA). The Planning Commission also recommended approval, though with some lingering questions about who will pay for the sewer work required by the city.

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Civic Activist Bill Rossello Focusing on Overhauling City Government in City Council Campaign

By Vernon Miles

Published March 10, 2021 at 10:45AM

Over the next few weeks, ALXnow will be interviewing the various candidates for City Council participating in the Democratic Primary on June 8.

It’s no secret that Alexandria is politically blue, but Bill Rossello is evidence that being a Democrat-heavy city doesn’t mean the local political figures are in ideological lock step.

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Alexandria Takes Stock of Millions in Lost Sales Tax Revenue

By Vernon Miles

Published March 9, 2021 at 4:30PM

In the middle of the ongoing budget season, the City Council is looking back at the dramatic drop-off in tax revenue over the last year, yet another reflection of the dramatic toll of the coronavirus pandemic.

A financial report to the City Council includes a summary of the $17.4 million consumptive tax revenue — taxable revenue from the sale of goods or services, like sales taxes — lost since March 2020.

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Unions: Alexandria Collective Bargaining Proposal Not Ready for Prime Time

By James Cullum

Published March 9, 2021 at 3:30PM

Alexandria City Hall sign (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria’s unions want to widen the scope of the city’s proposal for a collective bargaining ordinance, and are telling City Council to allow city employees more negotiating room in regard to wages, hours worked, personnel policies, retirement and disciplinary procedures.

“This is about our voice,” said Josh Turner, president of the Alexandria Fire Fighters Inc. and International Association of Firefighters Local 2141. “We’ve struggled for a long time in having a voice and being able to bring our expertise to the table with the city to talk about really what’s best for the community.”

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ALXnow’s Top Stories This Week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published March 5, 2021 at 3:30PM | Updated March 6, 2021 at 10:32PM

Danielle Romanetti (left) and Vice President Kamala Harris (right) (photo via Peter Velz/Twitter)

What a busy week in Alexandria.

Our top story this week was on Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Old Town shop fibre space on March 3. It was Harris’ first official visit outside of the White House since she was inaugurated, and she spoke about the American Rescue Plan with shop owner Danielle Romanetti.

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City Could Help Turn Hotels Emptied by Coronavirus Into Affordable Housing

By Vernon Miles

Published March 4, 2021 at 4:45PM

Regional losses to tourism and the hotel industry could be an unexpected windfall for Alexandria’s ongoing efforts to find affordable housing.

During a presentation to the City Council last week, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) President and CEO Stephanie Landrum said that the city could look at streamlining some rezoning to help transform hotels emptied by COVID into affordable housing units.