city government | ALXnow

Alexandria Government Offices to Slowly Begin Reopening in July

Published June 26, 2020 at 10:25AM | Updated June 26, 2020 at 10:45AM

Alexandria City Hall (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria might be moving into phase three of reopening its economy on July 1, but it’s taking a slow approach to opening its facilities back up to staff and the public. City staff are planning on slowly getting back to their respective offices, and departments are looking at rotational staff schedules with the goal of starting the process in mid-July.

“We want to continue to minimize physical interaction (with the public) while gradually increasing those service offerings,” Terry Suehr, the city’s director of the Department of Project Implementation, told City Council earlier this week. “We will remain in partial opening all the way through to when this virus is more in a completely controlled it’s not a big threat to us.”

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City Leadership Says More Can be Done to Open Access to Summer Camps

By Vernon Miles

Published June 25, 2020 at 5:15PM

The city is rationing out spots in summer camp programs reopening soon, but even some in the city’s leadership are unclear on why space will be so limited while the city has a preponderance of unused space and resources.

“Summer camp programs are starting,” said Jim Spengler, director of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities in a recent joint meeting between the City Council and the School Board. “They are aimed at essential workers and will expand beyond essential workers based on enrollment.”

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Alexandria Preps for Phase 3 Reopening on July 1

By Vernon Miles

Published June 23, 2020 at 5:30PM

Gov. Ralph Northam announced today that Virginia will move into Phase 3 next Wednesday, July 1, and for Alexandria that means looser restrictions on retail, restaurant and entertainment venues.

The move puts Alexandria and Northern Virginia back on the same timeline as the rest of the state, which Mayor Justin Wilson attributed to the efforts at social distancing and proper hygiene of local residents.

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Photos: Gun Rights Protestors Rally Outside Alexandria City Hall

By James Cullum

Published June 15, 2020 at 2:15PM | Updated June 15, 2020 at 2:33PM

David Britt with his AR-15 at a gun rights protest organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League outside City Hall, June 13, 2020. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

Hundreds of gun rights activists met at protested outside City Hall on Saturday, some of them armed to the teeth with handguns, AR-15 assault weapons and even muskets.

The protest was organized by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, and demonstrators rallied against new ordinances proposed by the City of Alexandria to limit the carrying of guns on city property. Alexandria Police were on-hand during the event, and there were a few arguments that broke out between protestors and passersby.

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City Council to Consider Community Police Review Board and Condemn Systemic Racism

By James Cullum

Published June 9, 2020 at 10:15AM | Updated June 9, 2020 at 10:39AM

The Alexandria City Council will consider a resolution tonight (Tuesday) establishing a community police review board and condemning systemic racism.

Councilman Mo Seifeldein, who drafted the resolution, says he has support from his colleagues and that he envisions the board to have independent authority to review and investigate police misconduct and empower the community and law enforcement members to come forward with concerns without fear of retaliation.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 4, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated June 4, 2020 at 9:16AM

Regal Potomac Yard Movie Theater Closed for Good — “Regal Cinemas has scrubbed the 16-theater multiplex at 3575 Potomac Ave. from its list of Virginia locations on its website. Couple that with the fact Virginia Tech and JBG Smith Properties (NYSE: JBGS) plan to redevelop the North Potomac Yard site on an accelerated timeline, it’s likely the theater showed its last film months ago — when Disney’s “Onward” was No. 1 at the box office.” [Washington Business Journal]

Governor Releases ‘Forward Virginia’ Phase Two Guidelines — “Most of the state will enter phase two on Friday, June 5. Northern Virginia, including the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County, might enter about a week later — but only if local coronavirus and health metrics indicate it is safe to do so. The governor has not given Northern Virginia a projected date for entering the second phase.” [Alexandria Living]

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Alexandria Launches Grant Program to Help Profitable Local Businesses Recover

By Vernon Miles

Published June 1, 2020 at 4:45PM

Enjoying the weather and outside seating on lower King Street in Old Town. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) is starting a grant program later this week to help Alexandria businesses recover from coronavirus.

ALX B2B is a new grant program supported, in part, by the City Council as part of the CARES Act funding allocation that also included rental assistance for low-income households.

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Citation of Seminary Road Protest Sign Being Appealed Next Week

By Vernon Miles

Published June 1, 2020 at 3:30PM | Updated June 1, 2020 at 4:56PM

(Updated 4:55 p.m.) With coronavirus, national outrage over police violence against black Americans, and a host of other issues taking center stage in 2020, the debate over Seminary Road that dominated discussions last year got pushed to the back burner, but the issue is making a small comeback at a Board of Zoning Appeals meeting next week.

A sign saying “Take Back Seminary Road #JustinsTrafficJam” was prominently displayed at 1420 Key Drive but has been cited by the city as being in violation of zoning ordinances. An appeal of that citation is scheduled for review at the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Monday, June 8.

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Letter To The Editor: Making Light of the New Normal in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published May 28, 2020 at 5:45PM

The following Letter to the Editor was written by Alexandria City Councilman John Taylor Chapman, who also owns Manumission Tour Company.

As we progress through this quarantine, like many business owners, I was forced to figure out how to keep my business from permanently closing. Like many of the tourism industry, we have seen one of the best times of the year for our business become a time of great uncertainty.

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Mayor: Alexandria On Course For Phase I Reopening Next Week

By Vernon Miles

Published May 22, 2020 at 3:15PM

In his weekly virtual town hall, Mayor Justin Wilson said signs are good that Alexandria could be pulling out of the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our percent of positive tests have been going down for an extended period of time,” Wilson said on Thursday night. “Our new hospitalizations are either going down or level at the moment. There’s still a number of days to go, but we’re heading into a situation where we could be ready to go for phase 1.”

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Rental Support for Low-Income Communities Takes Spotlight in City Recovery Efforts

By Vernon Miles

Published May 13, 2020 at 3:30PM

Scenes at Southern Towers during a rent protest because of Covid-19 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

The City of Alexandria is working through a three-pronged approach to protect the city’s most vulnerable populations from the dire economic impact of COVID-19.

In a City Council meeting last night (Tuesday), the department heads who approached the city leadership at the April with an outline of their needs came back with plans on how to address housing challenges, food scarcity and keeping small businesses alive in the wake of the pandemic.