The Alexandria City Council on Tuesday approved a proposal to allow for more density at public schools under development.
Schools are still limited to six stories, as the height restriction of 60 feet remains unchanged, although floor acceptable area ratios of 0.60 have been increased to 0.75. In other words, schools might not be taller but they will take up more space.
Beyer, National Capital Region’s House Delegation Write Letter to White House Over COVID Outbreak — “This is no time for publicity stunts that put people at risk, or for playing down the seriousness of this pandemic. The American people will never trust the Administration to keep them safe if the White House cannot protect its own staff.” [Twitter]
City Offices Closed for Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 12 — “City government offices will be closed October 12 in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Trash and recycling will be collected one day later that week, and yard waste will not be collected on October 16.” [Twitter]
Kamala Harris’ Husband Douglas Emhoff Ecourages Voters in Alexandria — “Excited to welcome @DouglasEmhoff to Alexandria as he works to encourage voters to turn out and make his wife our next Vice President!34K+ ballots have been mailed.Nearly 8K in-person early voters….and we are just getting started!” [Twitter]
Councilman Chapman Takes Tour of Potomac Yard Metro Station Construction –“Some pictures from my tour this morning of the construction site of the Potomac Yard Metro!” [Facebook]
In response to the city’s second murder, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said the city must redouble its efforts to “get these dangerous criminals and their weapons off our streets.”
“I am saddened to hear that another Alexandria neighborhood has experienced this horrific violence,” Wilson told ALXnow. “I know that our Police Department is working around the clock to bring the perpetrator of this homicide to justice and I have every confidence they will be successful. I keep the victim and his family in my thoughts during this extraordinarily difficult time.”
The city will conduct a virtual presentation on the Taylor Run stream restoration on Tuesday, September 29, as a local group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to hire independent experts to review the city’s plan.
The Environmental Council of Alexandria is led by former Vice Mayor Andrew Macdonald and calls the stream a “natural gem.” The group states that 269 native trees will be cut down and that the proposed plan will destroy adjacent wetlands.
Gov. Ralph Northam and First Lady Test Positive For COVID-19 — “Gov. Ralph Northam and his wife, Pamela, have both tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Sept. 25 news release from the governor’s office.” [Alex Times]
Beyer Says Trump is Taking Dramatic Steps Toward Abolishing Obamacare — “No Supreme Court nominee has ever been confirmed so close to the election. Why are Senate Republicans in such a hurry to break their 2016 promises? They want the Court to side with Trump, strike down the Affordable Care Act, and wreck your healthcare. The case hits in November.” [Twitter]
Alexandria planning staff are crafting a proposal to make affordable housing contributions mandatory for developers, and they are reportedly not happy about it.
City staff are recommending that council adopt a commercial-to-residential conversion contribution policy (proposed at $1.53 per square foot) and senior housing contribution requirements.
Alexandria’s LaMonica Johnston says that the life of her infant son was put at risk when her home was flooded on July 8.
Johnston just put her son down in his Pack ‘N Play and was laying down on her couch when water rushed into her home, located near the Hooff’s Run Culvert, a large tunnel that has some of the worst stormwater management issues in the city and handles runoff from the Del Ray, Rosemont, Beverly Hills and Northridge neighborhoods.
The Alexandria City Council is expected to receive a city council resolution on race and social equity by the end of the year, and will receive recommendations on making the city’s diversity/inclusion statement more racially explicit.
“We’re thinking in working through how to draft a resolution as specific to race and social equity for Council’s adoption,” Jaqueline Tucker, the city’s racial and social equity officer, told Council on Tuesday night.
Alexandria’s consumption-based tax revenue took a 34% hit from February to July, according to a city monthly financial report.
Mayor Justin Wilson revealed the revenue loss on Facebook by posting a report showing the cumulative impact on consumer spending in calendar years 2019 and 2020.
(Updated at 11:45 a.m. on September 23) The Alexandria City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved extending the declaration of a local emergency due to the pandemic from the end of this month t0 March 31, 2021.
If approved, the city will end up being under a state of emergency for a little more than a year. It would expire at midnight on March 31.
