The Alexandria City Council is set to make final approvals this week on a plan to transform a former motel property on N. Washington Street into a mixed-use multifamily apartment building and townhouse.
Maryland-based PT Blooms is asking the city to approve plans to redevelop the property at 802 and 808 N. Washington Street into The Whitley—Phase 2, a 48-unit building with one- to three-bedroom condos. That’s the former Old Towne Motel property, which has been closed for years.
An Alexandria Police Department officer has been awarded full compensatory damages in his racial discrimination lawsuit against the city.
Delton Goodrum and his family erupted in tears of joy after the verdict was read. After a four-day-long trial before U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles, the jury deliberated for less than three hours to find that then-Police Chief Don Hayes, who is Black, racially discriminated against Goodrum, who is also Black, in his years-long bid to be promoted to Captain. The jury found that Goodrum’s rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were violated and ordered that he be compensated $7.25 million, although awards in discrimination lawsuits under Title VII are capped at $300,000.
Welcome to Friday! Here’s a look back at our most-read stories of the week.
Our top story this week is on Episcopal High School being named a training site for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. To accommodate an international soccer team with a home-away-from-home atmosphere, the private school is asking the city for permission to install field lighting with 47 light poles between 40-to-100-feet-tall.
The developer behind plans to build a five-story, 142-space automated parking garage and a 16-unit mixed-use apartment building with ground floor retail in Old Town is asking the city for an extension.
Galena Capital Partners says that its plans to build the project were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a legal dispute that was settled with a neighbor, new staffing in the city and more. The project was approved in 2022, and the development special use permit approvals expire in July.
A proposal for a new French bakery in Old Town will be submitted to the Board of Architectural Review on Wednesday (May 7).
Arlington-based Eclairons Pastry and Coffee House wants to open at the old Firehook Bakery at 430 S. Washington Street. The location was Shuman’s Bakery for more than 30 years before Firehook Bakery took over in 2004.
Episcopal High School is about to get a lot brighter.
The private high school at 1200 N. Quaker Lane has been approved to serve as a training site for a team participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and now the school wants to install field lighting with 47 light poles between 40-to-100-feet-tall.
A 60-year-old apartment complex in the West End is about to get a little bigger.
On Tuesday, the Planning Commission will review a special use permit to add 19 apartments to The Alante Apartments, a 296-unit complex next door to the Seminary Towers Apartments and Francis C. Hammond Middle School, and is bounded by N. Van Dorn Street and Seminary Road.
After a firestorm of criticism from city leaders and student journalists over proposed oversight changes to Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper, Theogony, this morning (May 2), the Alexandria School Board’s Governance Committee returned to the drawing board.
From reporting on a transportation controversy to investigations into the School Board, transgender policies, or even lampooning metal detectors in cartoons, Theogony student journalists take their roles seriously. Now, with City Council members warning of potential “censorship” and “authoritarian” behavior from the school system, student journalists are alleging a concerted effort from the administration of Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt to suppress touchy or controversial stories from appearing in the monthly publication.
It’s been an intense week in Alexandria.
Here’s a look back on this week’s top stories. Our most-read post was on the shooting of three men in Arlandria on Sunday night (April 27). Police found the victims with gunshot wounds shortly after being called at around 9 p.m. They were transported to area hospitals, and no arrests have been announced. Witnesses heard a barrage of gunfire, and the Alexandria Police Department is asking for help in the investigation.
Against a backdrop of political and economic uncertainty, Alexandria’s City Council unanimously adopted its $956.5 million operating budget.
City Manager Jim Parajon said it was challenging crafting a budget that keeps city services without increasing real estate or property taxes. The city’s budget grew 3.2% over the current fiscal year, with its largest line item being a fully-funded Alexandria City Public Schools, as well as significant stormwater management funding for the city’s $2.1 billion FY 2026 – 2035 Capital Improvement Program.
