city government

Alexandria first responders, leaders mark 25 years since 9/11

Published September 11, 2026 at 2:45PM | Updated September 11, 2026 at 6:32PM

The 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the Alexandria Police Department headquarters, Sept. 11, 2026 (courtesy of Alexandria Police Department)

Alexandria leaders and first responders commemorated the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at Alexandria Police Headquarters this morning (Sept. 11).

Nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11 when terrorists flew commercial airliners into the Pentagon, the World Trade Center buildings in New York City, and into a field near Shanksville, Pa. On that fateful day, the Alexandria Police and Fire Departments and Sheriff’s Office responded to the Pentagon after it was struck by American Airlines flight 77.

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Alexandria City Council weighs car tax extensions for furloughed federal workers during shutdowns

By James Cullum

Published September 3, 2026 at 3:45PM

Money on a table (staff photo via Vernon Miles)

The Alexandria City Council will consider a measure to allow due date extensions for personal property tax payments from federal employees when furloughed by a government shutdown.

The item is on City Council’s Sept. 8 docket and would give federal employees impacted by a shutdown a 90-day extension to pay personal property taxes after the government reopens. The last government shutdown was from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, 2025, making it the longest in history, and in Alexandria it coincided with the personal property tax deadline. The measure also comes as Congress recently passed a short-term funding bill to avoid a shutdown until Dec. 11.

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St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School files paperwork to install athletic field lights

By James Cullum

Published September 2, 2026 at 2:45PM

An athletic field (via St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School/Facebook)

Friday night lights may be headed to St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School in Alexandria’s Seminary Ridge neighborhood.

A special use permit request to erect field lighting on poles in excess of 35 feet to light the football and soccer fields at the school at 1000 St. Stephens Road is heading to the city’s Planning Commission on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

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ACHS Minnie Howard athletic field named after former Mayor Kerry Donley

By James Cullum

Published September 2, 2026 at 1:45PM

The Kerry J. Donley Athletic Field Complex was named at the Alexandria City High School Minnie Howard Campus (staff photo by James Cullum)

Current and former city leaders met Tuesday (Sept. 1) to officially name the athletic field complex after former Mayor Kerry Donley.

Donley died unexpectedly in 2022 at the age of 66. He was on City Council for 18 years, and was mayor from 1996 to 2003. After a two-year stint as the chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, he was hired as the athletic director at ACHS, a position he held from 2005 to 2008.

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Asbestos abatement pushes back Alexandria City Hall reopening to fall 2028

By James Cullum

Published September 1, 2026 at 2:45PM

City Hall renovations (staff photo by James Cullum)

Major things are happening at Alexandria’s City Hall, as the city says that the last six months have been spent removing asbestos and other hazardous material from the building at 301 King Street.

In a release, the city also reported that the project has been pushed back 10 weeks due to unexpected areas needing asbestos abatement. Now with that part of the project complete, crews in September will start deconstruction of an addition to the building made in the 1960s.

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Property owner wants to build six townhouses in Old Town bank parking lot

By James Cullum

Published August 24, 2026 at 2:45PM

The parking lot of 330 N. Washington Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

The owner of an Old Town office building is asking the city for permission to modify its parking lot to make space for six three-story townhomes.

Merion Group, the owner of 330 N. Washington Street, will present plans to the Board of Architectural Review on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The building is home to a Wells Fargo bank, and Merion Group wants to eliminate two of the three drive-thru banking aisles to make way for six three-story townhomes with rear-loading parking garages and rooftop terraces.

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Alexandria prioritizes tree management as it battles invasive spotted lanternflies

By Scott McCaffrey

Published August 24, 2026 at 9:15AM

Spotted lanternfly (via U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Alexandria officials are working to get to the root of the problem — literally — as they battle the ongoing influx of spotted lanternflies.

The city is among those across Northern Virginia working to cull tree-of-heaven, a tree species that serves as a host to the spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest that arrived in the U.S. from China in 2014 and has been wreaking havoc since.

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Long-awaited splash pad to open in Del Ray in early September, city says

By James Cullum

Published August 20, 2026 at 3:45PM

The Colasanto Interactive Fountain at 2700 Mount Vernon Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria intends to open a long-awaited spray park in Del Ray early next month.

The Del Ray Gateway/Colasanto Interactive Fountain will open the week of Sept. 7, with operations continuing through October, the city told ALXnow in an email. The park is located at the triangle-shaped park at the corners of Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues.

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Alexandria wants feedback on updated design guidelines for historic districts

By James Cullum

Published August 17, 2026 at 2:45PM

Town homes in Old Town, Alexandria. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Plan to refurbish that creaky old porch or add an EV charger in a historic district? Consider holding off until at least Wednesday (Aug. 19).

That’s when the Board of Architectural Review Design Guidelines Committee is hosting a community meeting on updated design guidelines for the city’s Parker-Gray and Old & Historic Alexandria Districts. The meeting is open to the public, and the committee will receive public comments.

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Alexandria General District Court launches eviction diversion program

By James Cullum

Published August 4, 2026 at 1:45PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Tenants facing eviction in Alexandria have a new resource available.

The city’s General District Court launched an eviction diversion program on July 1, giving residents being evicted three chances to pay back rent to their landlords.

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Alexandria board OKs removing 20 Russell Road parking spaces, seeks solution for ACPS staff

By Emily Leayman

Published July 28, 2026 at 2:45PM

Proposed area to remove on-street parking along Russell Road in Alexandria’s Rosemont/North Ridge neighborhoods (via City of Alexandria)

Parking changes will be coming to Russell Road near Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School after action by the Traffic and Parking Board Monday.

The Traffic and Parking Board voted 5-2 to remove 20 parking spaces in several blocks of Russell Road. Board Member Dane Lauritzen made the motion to recommend more parking space removals than city staff had proposed. Staff’s proposal would have resulted in a net loss of two parking spaces.