Alexandria’s government offices will be closed on Friday, July 4, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t have a good time.
Here’s what you need to know about city services on Independence Day.
City Council
Alexandria’s plan for the development of its West End just won a top award from the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA).
After years of discussion, the City Council adopted the AlexWest Small Area Plan last December. With the massive WestEnd mixed use development working to unveil several new buildings, and Inova at Landmark poised to open in 2028, the plan recommends significant expansion of Dora Kelley Nature Park, a new public park adjacent to the Winkler Botanical Preserve, and a new park at the corner of Seminary Road and N. Beauregard Street.
The Alexandria Health Department lost dedicated federal COVID-19 grant funding earlier this year, and now the City Council will vote on a proposal for various health initiatives.
AHD is requesting one-time funding of $120,510 from the city to support the city’s Healthy Homes Action Plan for the current fiscal year, in addition to community health outreach, continued resource funding for immigrant and refugee programs, and expansion of the ALX Breathes program. The Healthy Homes program brings together dozens of city organizations to recommend home improvements.
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Gayle Reuter is retiring.
The news will travel fast around Del Ray, where the Alexandria Living Legend has lived and volunteered for decades. For the last five years, she’s also worked full-time as the accreditation manager for the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office (ASO).
City staff are recommending a phased transition to replace school buses for Alexandria City High School students with DASH buses.
The City Council asked staff in January to consider the transition for ACHS, Virginia’s largest high school with multiple campuses and over 4,500 students. Staff have returned with the recommendation for a three-phase approach that would kick off in the fall of the 2026-2027 school year.
Go to City staff want Alexandria City High School kids on DASH buses starting in fall 2026
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Robinson Terminal North, the last untapped area of Alexandria’s waterfront, just got unanimous approval for redevelopment by the City Council.
Property owner Rooney Properties wants to convert the 3.2-acre, two-block site into two mixed-use buildings with 73 luxury apartments, three restaurants, and more than an acre of open space along the Potomac River at historic West’s Point.
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) has removed from consideration a controversial request that would have granted school resource officers direct access to student records, according to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).
Following the grilling of Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire by the City Council, the School Board unanimously voted last Thursday to extend the soon-to-expire two-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ACPS and the police. The six-month extension means that Alexandria City High School and the city’s middle schools will continue with their assigned school resource officers as is, while the details of the draft MOU are ironed out.
The Alexandria City Council has mixed feelings about serving as a cosigner for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s plan to keep its senior residents in the city.
Faced with a $40 million budget shortfall, ARHA abandoned plans to replace the aging 11-story, 170-unit Ladrey Senior High-Rise with a six-to-seven-story 270-unit L-shaped building. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development subsequently ended its operating support for building management and maintenance, issuing vouchers for the relocation of Ladrey’s residents by the end of the year.
City Council formally recognized June as LGBTQ+ Pride month in Alexandria on Tuesday night (June 10).
“It’s very real that there are people in this country, and even in this city, who, because of who they are, don’t know if they’re going to be welcomed or not,” City Council Member R. Kirk McPike said before reading a city proclamation. “This is a difficult time for many people in our community, LGBTQ+ communities across the country.”
With 167 senior residents and a police officer being forced out of the Ladrey Senior High-Rise by the end of the year, Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority CEO Erik C. Johnson says there’s actually an opportunity to capitalize on the situation.
“This comes down to whether or not the city is going to support seniors the way that we want to support seniors,” Johnson told ALXnow. “We’re not asking the city to finance it, nor is the city taking a first position loss in the event that something goes wrong.”
Get your lawn chairs ready, because Alexandria’s birthday celebration is right around the corner.
On Saturday, July 12, the city will celebrate its 276th and the U.S.’s 249th birthdays along the waterfront at Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison Street). The free party includes food trucks, live performances by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, appearances by the town crier, poet laureate, and Mayor Alyia Gaskins, as well as cupcakes for thousands of attendees.