Nobody knows where the styrofoam that washed up on Alexandria’s shore came from, but it was one part of the haul of debris that got swept up in a recent deep clean of Alexandria’s waterfront.
“We have a debris problem on the river,” said Jack Browand, division chief of Parks and Cultural Activities.
City Offers Free Tax Prep — “The City of Alexandria is offering free tax preparation to qualifying residents. Taxpayers are eligible if their income is below approximately $35,000 for individuals and $55,000 for families. Expert volunteers from Community Tax Aid, Inc. will ensure that taxpayers apply for all applicable credits and deductions — especially the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, which people often don’t realize they are eligible to receive.” [City of Alexandria]
More on King Street Pedestrian-Only Zone — “The pilot program is an opportunity to prioritize pedestrians while providing opportunities for the city to move towards urbanist goals like decreasing reliance on cars. It’s not the first time part of King Street was pedestrian-only. The idea was inspired in part by a previous effort, in 2006. Back then, the pilot program did not gain much traction as a permanent idea, though it was very popular with residents.” [Greater Greater Washington]
Alexandria is experiencing an affordable housing crisis, city officials say, and that means using school property to try to address the crisis should remain on the table.
School officials, however, are reluctant to rush through plans for housing at schools currently set for redevelopment.
Nobody on the City Council seemed particularly happy about transportation changes planned for Eisenhower Avenue, but at this point too much money has been invested to turn back, city staff argued.
The plan, which has been in the works since 2003, involves turning the traffic circle at the east end of Eisenhower Avenue into a T-intersection, adding turn lanes to the intersection with Mill Road, and widening Mill Road.
The City of Alexandria is hosting an open house this evening to help gather community input for plans to shape Arlandria and Del Ray.
The open house is scheduled to be held from 5-8 p.m. at Casa Chirilagua (4109 Mt. Vernon Avenue). The event will be an opportunity for people to share their thoughts before the start of the formal planning process later this year, according to the city website.
Even while the debate still rages on over the Seminary Road diet, the City of Alexandria is looking at other locations that could be altered to be more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly.
Several streets are scheduled for repaving, which the city uses as an opportunity to look at which ones could benefit the most from being redesigned with safety in mind, to align with the city’s Vision Zero plan — though some have questioned whether the redesigns make the streets safer.
Update on 1/22/20 –Craig Fifer, spokesman for the City of Alexandria, told ALXnow in an email: “Port City did not ‘snag away’ the parking lot from the City. When the City learned that an Alexandria business was attempting to purchase the lot, we discontinued our efforts to purchase it.”
Thanks to some new negotiations, 4001 Wheeler Avenue might become a place you’re happy to find your car, rather than an impound lot.
Improvements planned for the east end of Eisenhower Avenue have come back significantly over budget and city staff are working to find a new funding source.
The Eisenhower Avenue Roadway Improvement Project would add a left turn lane onto westbound Eisenhower Avenue at Mill Road — a site of frequent congestion as Mill Road leads up to the Beltway — and Mill Road would be widened. At the other end of the improvements, the traffic circle at the end of Eisenhower Avenue to the east would be replaced with a T intersection.
City of Alexandria facilities will be closed in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20.
All public offices will be closed, parking restrictions will be eased and trash will not be collected.
Absentee Voting Starts Today — “Absentee voting for Virginia’s March 3 Democratic Party Presidential Primary Election begins on Thursday, January 16. Many Alexandria voters are eligible to vote absentee.” [City of Alexandria]
Opening Nears for New Waterfront Coffee Shop — “According to Misha’s General Manager Graham McCulloch, the coffee roaster hopes to open their new waterfront location in April, weather and construction permitting. Misha’s new waterfront coffee shop, the company’s second location, will be at 6 Prince St., the former home of Olde Town Gemstones.” [Alexandria Living]
The City of Alexandria has agreed to purchase the Freedom House Museum, an unassuming brick building at 1315 Duke Street that was once the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the United States.
The museum is currently a museum about slavery run by the Northern Virginia Urban League, but years after buying and restoring the building in 1996, the Washington Post reported that upkeep for the building was too costly for an organization that primarily uses its funding for scholarships and civil rights issues.
