Alexandria won its nearly two-year battle in Circuit Court today (Wednesday) against residents fighting the city’s massive Zoning for Housing/Housing for All overhaul.
Judge H. Thomas Padrick, Jr. granted the city’s motion for summary judgement and dismissed the case against the plaintiffs, a group of Old Town residents who had been fighting to reverse the zoning changes since they were approved by City Council in Dec. 2023.
The sale of two large Alexandria properties could settle millions owed to the government by real estate developer and former Connection Newspapers CEO Peter Labovitz, according to a report from the Washington Business Journal.
Similarly, if ALXNow hears anything from the DOJ or other governmental entities pursuing a case against Mr. Labovitz, and they happen to mention 1700 Diagonal, please inform them that he has no interests in that building and tell them to contact me at any of the contact methods in my below signature. I am more than happy to clear up any confusion.
A popular beer garden in Del Ray will remain open in the winter as its owners fight a legal battle with their landlords, who are seeking to evict them.
For the last five years, Jeremy Barber and Justis Frank, the owners of The Garden (1503-1505 Mount Vernon Avenue), shut down during the winter and reopened in the spring. Their landlord, Twenty-Third Street Corridor LLC, is seeking to evict them, and previously deferred their rent during those months, but no longer. With all parties returning to the General District Court on January 8, Barber and Frank will pay monthly rent and plan to keep a heated area in the back of the property open.
Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories of the week.
With less than a month until the Nov. 4 general election, this week’s most-read story is on the controversy surrounding Virginia’s Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones. The National Review broke the news last Friday (Oct. 3) that in August 2022, Jones sent text messages to Del. Carrie Coyner (R-75), “fantasizing about shooting then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children,” according to the Virginia Mercury story posted on ALXnow.
Next week, Sandy Williams IV will submit his proposal for an art installation in Alexandria to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Williams’ proposal for public art to adorn the courtyard of the Alexandria Circuit Court (520 King Street) from April to November must first receive approval from the city’s Commission for the Arts. The design is still under wraps, although the artist, who is known for creating pieces that defy convention, says that the issues the signers of the Declaration of Independence wrestled with in 1776 are similar to those faced by contemporary Americans.
Correction: The victim in this case is not the suspect’s wife. Police recovered a weapon at the suspect’s home, and spoke with the suspect’s wife. ALXnow regrets the error.
A 60-year-old Alexandria man will appear in court later this month after being charged with abduction, assault and battery, and brandishing a firearm in an incident that allegedly “stemmed from dropping ice cream,” according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the Sept. 19 shooting death of Jaylin Hartless in the Woodlawn area of Fairfax County.
The 21-year-old Hartless was found shot by his vehicle in the 3400 block of Buckman Road at around 4:45 a.m. and died at the scene. Following information relayed via the Fairfax County Police Department’s Crime Solvers tip line, detectives arrested Tavon Ferguson, 31, from the city of Alexandria, Tennida Ferguson, 49, of the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, and Tavon Lang, 32, also from the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.
The Alexandria General District Court held a preliminary hearing on Wednesday on the eviction lawsuit against the owners of a popular Beer Garden in Del Ray.
In late August, Jeremy Barber and Justus Frank, the owners of The Garden (1503 Mount Vernon Avenue) filed a lawsuit in the Alexandria Circuit Court against their landlord, who listed the property available for rent on Sept. 1. The landlord, Twenty-Third Street Corridor LLC, then filed an eviction lawsuit in General District Court. Barber and Frank want both cases heard simultaneously and contend that their case was filed before their landlord. The pair is trying to get their landlord’s case dismissed, and all parties will go back to General District Court on Friday, Oct. 10, Barber told ALXnow.
Here’s a rundown of our top stories.
Our top story this week is on the Thursday, Sept. 11, announcement that Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA) will expand its Alexandria headquarters and create 1,200 new jobs over the next five years as part of a $46.9 million investment across Northern Virginia. The defense contractor bought, and will renovate, a 239,000-square-foot office building at 2001 N. Beauregard Street. Attendees at the announcement included Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
A 35-year-old Dumfries man faces multiple charges related to a shooting last month at Ben Brenman Park (4800 Brenman Park Drive) in Alexandria’s West End.
The July 10 shooting was the result of an argument in a TikTok livestream between Aria and the male victim, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. Samir Ahmad Aria was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, shooting in a public place without injury, and pointing/brandishing a firearm — all Class 1 misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.
An Alexandria man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a “high-level drugs conspiracy that shipped significant amounts of narcotics” into Virginia, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
Adrian Bryce Roberts, 41, was sentenced to 12 years of active incarceration on July 28 after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, and transporting more than an ounce of narcotics into the state, according to Porter’s office.
