The Alexandria School Board approved the “Option A – Open Heart” concept for the modernization of George Mason Elementary School.
While the Board voted 7-2 for Option A, it was a contentious vote that saw two abstentions from Members Jacinta Greene and Abdel Elnoubi, who both said that the Board and ACPS staff did not do their “due diligence” in finding the best options to replace the 85-year-old school. They are also both running for City Council in November.
Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark broke ground today, marking a momentous occasion for the city’s West End.
When completed, the 1.1 million square-foot project at the former Landmark Mall (just off Interstate 395 at Duke Street) will include a 569,000 square-foot hospital center with 192 beds, a 111,000 square-foot cancer center, an 83,000 square-foot specialty care center and a retrofitted 550-space parking garage. A 1,488-space below-grade parking garage is also planned with at least 19 parking spaces set aside for electric vehicle charging.
Alexandria’s credit is still good.
On Tuesday, the city announced that S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service reaffirmed its ‘AAA’ bond rating. The move means that Alexandria can get low-interest rates from bond investors to provide funding for expensive capital improvement projects.
City Council will soon consider a proposal to approve $10 million in bond financing to fund development of the massive Mount Vernon-Glebe Arlandria Project that city staff consider to be Alexandria’s “highest housing priority.”
Two developments that could further transform Alexandria’s Mark Center area will be unveiled next month.
The Beauregard Design Advisory Committee will get a first glimpse on Sept. 9 of the multi-use developments at 1900 N. Beauregard Street and 4880 Mark Center Drive. The meeting will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. at Patrick Henry Recreation Center (4653 Taney Avenue).
Fast food is poised to get a little faster in Alexandria’s West End, as a new drive-thru is being proposed for a McDonald’s on Duke Street.
It’s not a big change, but the McDonald’s restaurant at 3510 Duke Street is asking the city to approve a special use permit to build a third drive-thru window with a canopy, as well as construction of a new sidewalk in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Alexandria Police Department identified 29-year-old Luis Cardona Cerezo as the victim of last week’s death at the Inova at Landmark construction site.
APD has not released the circumstances surrounding Cerezo’s death, except to say that he was “fatally struck by a vehicle.”
The Alexandria City Council upheld the certificate of appropriateness for a contentious development in Old Town after an appeal was filed by residents claiming that it will be an eyesore that destroys the historic nature of the area.
Council voted 6-1 upholding the certificate of appropriateness approved by the Board of Architectural Review in May, with small conditions.
Nine new townhomes and four semi-detached dwellings are being proposed for a half-acre property used for an office building and warehouse in the Old Town Historic District.
The Alexandria Planning Commission will be presented with the proposal to build on the two parcels at 107 and 125 N. West Street. The location is about a half-block from King Street, and is near Jefferson Houston Elementary School and the King St. Metro station.
Bad news for Alexandrians pining to dunk local politicians in the frigid depths of the dunking tank at the annual July 4 celebration in the city’s Rosemont neighborhood. Due to a construction project that will replace all exterior windows at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School, the event has been canceled.
The celebration is traditionally held in the playground and athletic field area of the school.
The owner of a nine-acre property says that their mixed-use development on Eisenhower Avenue was held up by the pandemic, and is asking the city for a three-year extension.
The development special use permit (DSUP) on the property at 2927 Eisenhower Avenue expires later this month.
