city government | ALXnow

Alexandria to unveil improvements at Hooffs Run Interceptor and African American Heritage Park

Published June 2, 2025 at 12:00PM

The Hooffs Run Interceptor is complete (Via AlexRenew)

It took three years to finish, and on Saturday (June 7), Alexandria will officially recognize the completion of the Hooffs Run Interceptor and a rejuvenated African American Heritage Park.

The large project at 500 Holland Lane transports millions of gallons of raw sewage for processing at AlexRenew, and included a “full-scale restoration of the area surrounding Hooffs Run, including enhancements to the riparian buffer, the establishment of native trees and plants, and the creation of new wildlife habitats,” according to the city.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 23, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated May 23, 2025 at 5:03PM

Dominion Energy Power Outage Map on Friday, May 16 (screenshot)

It was a fast week in Alexandria! Welcome to ALXnow’s Friday recap of top stories.

This week started as the city cleaned up from last Friday’s damaging storm that knocked over trees, closed roads and disrupted power for thousands. Our top story was on the report of a suspected car thief who ended up in the hospital with serious injuries after a high-speed chase ended in a crash early Monday morning.

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Two new towers, 257 senior units planned for The View Alexandria in West End

By James Cullum

Published May 21, 2025 at 3:30PM

The View Alexandria by Goodwin Living is looking to expand with construction of two 14-to-16-story apartment towers (via City of Alexandria)

A senior living community in Alexandria’s West End is looking to expand by building a two-towered 14- to 16-story apartment building with 257 units.

The View Alexandria by Goodwin Living acquired the seven-acre property at 5000 Fairbanks Avenue and 5101 Fillmore Avenue from Hermitage Northern Virginia three years ago. It currently consists of a five-story medical building, surface parking and a six-story apartment building with 126 units for independent and assisted living care. Now Goodwin Living is asking the city for permission to approve a development special use permit for a 700,000-square-foot building by increasing its allowable height from 150 feet to 175 feet for the south tower, six feet on the North Tower (to 156 feet), a 30% bonus density and a reduction of off-street parking.

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Developer wants extension to build seven-story apartment building across from the Braddock Road Metro station

By James Cullum

Published May 21, 2025 at 2:30PM

The developer behind a seven-story apartment building in the Braddock area is asking the city for an extension of its developmental special use permit (via City of Alexandria)

The developer of a seven-story, 180-unit apartment building across the street from the Braddock Road Metro station is asking the city for an extension of its development special use permit.

West Street Acquisitions says a number of important steps have been made on the one-acre project at 727 N. West Street, which was denied by the City Council in March 2021 and then approved two months later. After some delays, including a legal battle with a neighbor citing city regulations prohibiting the Council from reviewing a denied application for a year, work on the four-year-old project has been slow, and the development special use permit is about to expire.

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Episcopal High School gets green light to build dozens of 40-to-100-foot-tall athletic field lights

By James Cullum

Published May 19, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated May 20, 2025 at 6:32AM

The athletic fields at Episcopal High School (via City of Alexandria)

Episcopal High School’s plan to install 47 light poles between 40 and 100 feet in height got unanimous backing by the City Council on Saturday (May 17).

The private high school at 1200 N. Quaker Lane will serve as a training site for a team participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the school is planning on adding 10 lights to three northern fields for that purpose on the property — the track field, the practice field, and the Hummel Bowl. Neighbors with the Seminary Hill Association, however, told City Council they were under the misapprehension that the scope of the project was limited to just those 10 lights, instead of what was presented to Council — a largely undefined plan allowing the school to erect dozens of light poles of varying heights on its other outdoor athletic fields and courts over the next decade.

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PLANS: Take a look at the renderings of the proposed pump station at Waterfront Park

By James Cullum

Published May 19, 2025 at 10:00AM

Rendering of the pump station at Waterfront Park in Old Town at night, seen here looking east down Prince Street (via City of Alexandria)

A covered patio and plaza venue are planned for the proposed pump station at Alexandria’s Waterfront Park.

The city’s proposal to combat flooding in Old Town will close Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park from the fall of 2026 until the fall of 2028 to rebuild segments of the sea wall and install a pump station to recirculate water in flood-prone areas back to the Potomac River. The pump station plans are heading to the Board of Architectural Review on June 5.

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ACPS staff won’t get 1% market rate adjustment due to budget shortfall

By James Cullum

Published May 15, 2025 at 4:06PM

George Mason Elementary School Principal Christopher Finan with students on the first day of school, August 21, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Facing a $3.25 million budget shortfall, Alexandria City Public Schools is planning on saving a good chunk of it by not giving staff a 1% market rate adjustment.

According to a budget memo, the school board will review the following at a work session tonight (May 15). In the memo, ACPS staff laid out the following budget adjustments before the Board approves the final FY 2026 Combined Funds (Operating, Grants & Special Projects, and School Nutrition Services) Budget:

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Plans to build mixed-use apartment building in Old Town North heading to City Council

By James Cullum

Published May 12, 2025 at 2:00PM | Updated May 12, 2025 at 5:19PM

The proposed conceptual design of The Whitley Phase 2, 802-808 N. Washington Street in Old Town North (via City of Alexandria)

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.

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BREAKING: ‘Shocking’ verdict after Alexandria Police Department officer awarded full compensatory damages in racial discrimination lawsuit against the city

By James Cullum

Published May 9, 2025 at 5:52PM | Updated May 10, 2025 at 2:34AM

Delton Goodrum (center) and his wife Lauren (on right) with the legal team after winning his racial discrimination case against the City of Alexandria, outside the Federal Courthouse in the city's Carlyle neighborhood, May 9, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

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.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 9, 2025 at 3:30PM

The athletic fields at Episcopal High School (via City of Alexandria)

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.

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Developer seeks extension to build automated parking garage in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published May 6, 2025 at 3:30PM

Parking garage for 116 South Henry Street, image via City of Alexandria

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.