city government | ALXnow

City Approves Visual Overhaul for Old Town Gas Stations

Published November 25, 2019 at 9:30AM

Shell station at 801 N. Washington Street (photo via City of Alexandria)

A few months after telling a pair of local companies to pump the brakes on plans to renovate three Washington Street gas stations, the Board of Architectural Review has approved changes to the facades.

The stations in question are the Shell station at 801 N. Washington Street and a pair of Exxon stations at 703 N. Washington Street and 501 S. Washington Street. There are assorted changes with the stations themselves, but the biggest changes for anyone driving down Washington Street will be the price signs that currently are manually set will be replaced by LED signs that can update as prices change.

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City Changing Streetlights to LEDs

By Vernon Miles

Published November 22, 2019 at 3:30PM

Alexandria’s lights are about to shine a little differently than most folks in the city might be used.

The City of Alexandria is working with Dominion Energy to retrofit the city’s streetlights with new LED lights. Currently, 150 lights have been swapped out, with the goal of replacing 2,500 by summer 2020. The city will have to replace 12 lights per day to reach that goal by June 20, the start of summer.

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Potomac Yard Metro Finishes Permitting, Moves Into Construction Phase

By Vernon Miles

Published November 22, 2019 at 10:40AM | Updated November 22, 2019 at 1:38PM

(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) With the acquisition of a Clean Waters Act permit, the Potomac Yard Metro station has been cleared to start construction.

On Friday, Nov. 15, the Army Corps of Engineers issued the final permit required for construction on the Metro station to start in the wetlands, staff said at a Nov. 19 meeting. The announcement was followed by a small round of applause from the Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Work Group (PYMIG), a group that’s been meeting since 2011 to consider issues related to opening a Metro station in Potomac Yard.

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Alexandria Gets Rolling on Plan to Create New Impound Lot Across from Port City

By Vernon Miles

Published November 21, 2019 at 10:30AM

It’s a problem for which sympathy may be difficult, but the City of Alexandria has too many impounded cars on its hands.

The city is considering purchasing 4001 Wheeler Avenue, a parking lot across the street from the Port City Brewing Company, and turning it into storage for impounded vehicles. The city would purchase the property from the Jeffrey Lee Yates Trust, which earlier this year received a go-ahead from city officials to open the long-awaited Yates Pizza at 3000 Duke Street.

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Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Published November 20, 2019 at 8:00AM

Shopping in Old Town (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

City Phone Service Restored — The City of Alexandria’s non-emergency phone lines are working again after service was restored Tuesday night. A cut to a fiber optic line caused the outage, a city spokeswoman said. [Twitter/@AlexandriaVAGov]

House With George Washington Connection on Airbnb — “George Washington may have slept here, and now so could you… in the heart of Old Town Alexandria in Virginia, where a house that once belonged to the first U.S. president is available to rent. The George of Old Town is a 6000-square-foot townhouse on Cameron Street, and it is available on Airbnb.” [WTOP]

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City of Alexandria Non-Emergency Phone Lines Are Down

By Vernon Miles

Published November 19, 2019 at 4:45PM | Updated November 20, 2019 at 8:55AM

If you’re trying to call a City of Alexandria and getting a dead line, you’re not alone.

The city’s inbound phone service is not available due to a problem with Verizon’s network, according to a press release from the City of Alexandria.

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Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Published November 19, 2019 at 8:00AM

Taking out the trash in Old Town (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Carpenter’s Shelter Getting Amazon Donation — “A nonprofit that is building a $2 million facility for the homeless in Old Town Alexandria says it has reached its fundraising goal after receiving $300,000 from Amazon, Inc… The donation from Amazon is the latest example of how the retail giant is trying to be a good corporate citizen in Northern Virginia.” [Washington Post, Patch]

Digital Plaudits for City — “Alexandria has been ranked the fourth top digital city of its size in the United States, according to the 2019 Digital Cities Survey… This is the 15th consecutive year Alexandria has been ranked in the top 10, including two years in first place.” [City of Alexandria]

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City Council Could Open New Senior Housing Option in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published November 15, 2019 at 2:00PM

Alexandria could open up new zoning options in the city for “continuum of care” facilities that would offer local seniors a new option to age in place.

While elder care homes, group homes for the elderly, nursing homes and hospice care are all included in sections in the zoning code, staff said in a report that there’s no definition for senior facilities that offer a “range of care options from independent living to assisted living, with or without memory care services, within one facility.”

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Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Published November 15, 2019 at 8:00AM

Residential Parking Permit Changes in the Works — “Changes to the city’s residential parking permit program are underway and both residents and businesses are concerned about what the proposed changes could mean… The most controversial change, which staff has since removed from its list of recommended changes, would have eliminated the three-hour parking option for non-permit holders in RPP districts.” [Alexandria Times]

Port City Brings Home Gold Medal — “Several Northern Virginia craft brewers brought home medals from the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, including two gold medals… Port City Brewing in Alexandria won a gold medal for its German Pilsner in the Kellerbier or Zwickelbier category.” [WTOP]

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Public Citizens Sought for Vacant Boards and Commissions in Alexandria

By Vernon Miles

Published November 14, 2019 at 10:35AM

A voter leaves City Hall after casting a callot (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

If you’ve ever wanted to get more involved in city governance, now is your chance.

There are several vacancies for boards in Alexandria. Many have certain requirements, like being a member of the Planning Commission or a representative of an impacted group, many groups also have public members who represent the community and are not required to be affiliated with any particular group.

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Alexandria Invites Bids for Construction of Fiber Network

By Vernon Miles

Published November 12, 2019 at 3:15PM | Updated March 15, 2024 at 2:39PM

The City of Alexandria is inviting companies to bid for the construction of a municipal fiber network, putting the city one step closer to breaking the current monopolies on television and telephone services in Alexandria.