(Updated 10:35 a.m.) Residents of the Liberty Row condominium community in North Old Town are upset that construction at the nearby Abingdon Place development has been shaking their walls.
“We’ve received several complaints from [other Liberty Row residents],” said Nathan Collins, a resident of Liberty Row and a member of the Liberty Row Condominium Association. “I contacted the city but basically got shuffled from department to department.”
After months of stalled discussions over the cost of adding southern access to the Potomac Yard Metro station, Mayor Justin Wilson said the city could start the process of financing it over again.
The Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Work Group “expressed a great amount of frustration at the amount of time we have spent working with WMATA and their contractor to come to an agreement on a potential change order for improved southwest access,” Wilson said at the City Council meeting last night (Tuesday). “The message that was crystal clear from PYMIG was to set a date to have pencils down regardless of where we’re at and pursue going back to market to bid out the improved southwest access.”
Alexandria may allocate $6 million to reopen closed portions of the Holmes Run Trail.
The trail, which was damaged in last July’s flash flooding after the Barcroft Dam overflowed, in addition to previous flood damage from 2018, is currently closed in four sections. City Manager Mark Jinks has proposed new capital funding to reopen all four sections.
The completion date for the King Street-Old Town Metro Access Improvements Project has been delayed, but it’s not clear for how long.
The project, which has nearly completely taken over the entrance to the Metro station, redirected bus bays and eliminated the metered parking and kiss & ride areas.
Taylor Run stream in pretty bad shape, but the City of Alexandria wants to revitalize it into a healthy stream rich with native vegetation.
“It’s in the design phase right now,” said Jesse Maines, division chief for Stormwater Management. Maines estimated the design was about halfway completed, but the department is still reaching out to local stakeholders and continuing internal discussions about the eventual design.
Work Starts on Potomac Yard Metro — “Monday afternoon workers prepared to clear brush and deliver fill for the new Potomac Yard Metro Station… Environmentalists are against the project because it calls for work in nearly 4-acres of wetlands north of Potomac Greens Drive and west of the George Washington Parkway. A permit was approved for the wetlands work on November 15.” [WJLA, Twitter/@ABC7TimBarber, Alexandria Times]
Crash on Telegraph Road — Alexandria police and firefighters responded to a potentially serious crash along Telegraph Road at Duke Street around noon on Monday. A driver, initially reported to be trapped and bleeding from the head, was rushed to a local hospital. [Twitter/@AlexandriaNow]
(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.
APD Officer Saves Man’s Life — “Last month, Alexandria Police Department Lieutenant Mike Kochis responded to a call in the Carlyle area and found an unconscious middle-aged man lying on the sidewalk… The man’s symptoms lined up with an opioid overdose, so Kochis turned the man on his side and sprayed a dose of Narcan into his nose.” [City of Alexandria]
Local Bride Meets Girl Whose Life She Saved — “Sarah Aiken from Alexandria was practicing walking down the pretend aisle in the back of the restaurant in Annapolis before her wedding rehearsal dinner. ‘I looked to the left and saw this family, her blond hair and I knew exactly who they were.’ Fourteen-year-old Kinley Strohl had flown in with her family from Ohio to attend the wedding of the woman who had given her a bone marrow donation seven years ago and saved her life.” [Gazette Packet]
(Updated 2:30 p.m.) Work on the new Wegmans in Alexandria is progressing as construction crews dig downwards.
Cranes and workers could be seen on the site near the Eisenhower Metro today (Thursday) that now resembles a five-acre dug-out after construction on the future $400 million mixed-use development kicked off in August, as reported by Alexandria Living Magazine.
‘Say Yes’ Star Opening Alexandria Salon — “The star of ‘Say Yes to the Dress Atlanta,’ Monte Durham, plans to open a hair salon in Old Town Alexandria, he announced this week. Durham, a resident of Alexandria, plans to call the salon ‘Monte.’ No word yet on an opening date.” [Alexandria Living]
APD Investigates Weekend Crashes — Alexandra police investigated a number of crashes over the weekend, including on the ramp to Telegraph Road from eastbound Duke Street, the intersection of North Beauregard Street and Seminary Road, the intersection of North Patrick Street and Madison Street, and the 500 block of North Columbus Street.
New Senior Care Center Set to Open in 2021 — “Construction is progressing quickly on a new senior care community in Old Town. Sunrise Senior Living broke ground on its new facility at the intersection of North Washington and Princess streets early this year. The McLean-based company is building a 93-room assisted living community.” [Alexandria Living]
Waterfront Construction Projects Well Underway — “Anyone living on Union Street in Old Town 10 years ago might not recognize it now… During the week, the street is crowded with construction vehicles, and there are several places where the sidewalk is temporarily blocked or under a protective awning because of the construction. Hardly the setting for tourists taking selfies.” [Gazette-Packet]
