development | ALXnow

Flooding, traffic concerns raised at Braddock Road Metro redesign hearing

Published April 22, 2026 at 1:45PM

Councilman Canek Aguirre, an alternate director at WMATA, and WMATA project manager Andrew McCray at WMATA's Braddock Road Metro public hearing (via WMATA)

Residents expressed concerns about flooding and road impacts around the Braddock Road Metro station at a public hearing Monday on the proposed reconfiguration of the kiss-and-ride lot to accommodate future development.

The Braddock Road Metro station, which opened in December 1983, has a bus bay loop and kiss-and-ride area with bicycle parking on Metro-owned property. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is proposing to move the kiss-and-ride area to the street and reconfigure the bus loop, making room for future mixed-use development.

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City Council backs plan to replace Old Town office with 32 townhomes

By James Cullum

Published April 21, 2026 at 11:45AM | Updated April 22, 2026 at 10:20AM

Proposed townhomes at 333 N. Fairfax Street in Old Town (courtesy of EYA, LLC and Simpson Development)

On Saturday (April 18), Alexandria City Council approved an office-to-residential conversion that will bring 32 four-story townhomes to Old Town.

Without discussion, City Council unanimously approved the Planning Commission’s recommendation to tear down the Essex Building — an office building at 333 N. Fairfax Street built in the 1970s — and replace it with townhomes. A parking garage and lot will also be demolished. Plans for the 1.4-acre site from EYA and Simpson Development reveal four-story homes with two-car garages and roof decks just a few blocks from King Street and the Potomac River waterfront.

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City Council to hold public hearings on Sunday parking fees, more budget decisions

By James Cullum

Published April 17, 2026 at 3:45PM

An Alexandria parking enforcement vehicle (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Council has a full docket at its upcoming meeting Saturday as final budgetary decisions approach.

City Council will conduct a number of public hearings, including setting the real estate and personal property tax rates for the next fiscal year, additions and deletions to City Manager Jim Parajon’s proposed $977 million Fiscal Year 2027 budget, an increase to the stormwater utility fee, new parking fees and the addition of paid metered parking on Sundays.

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Braddock Road Metro kiss-and-ride overhaul heads to public hearing next week

By Emily Leayman

Published April 16, 2026 at 10:30AM | Updated April 21, 2026 at 1:26PM

Braddock Road Metro station proposal (via WMATA)

The proposed redesign of the kiss-and-ride area at the Braddock Road Metro to accommodate future redevelopment is heading to a public hearing Monday, April 20.

The 21-space kiss-and-ride area at the 3.6-acre Metro-owned site would be replaced with 14 to 18 pickup and drop-off spaces on E. Braddock Road and N. West Street. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority proposes to reconfigure the five-bay bus loop at the existing location, eliminating a recirculation lane and adding a future signal where the bus bay meets E. Braddock Road. The 65 bicycle racks, six double-sided bicycle lockers and an on-site Capital Bikeshare station would remain.

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Community meeting lined up for power plant site’s mixed-use plan in Old Town North

By James Cullum

Published April 14, 2026 at 1:45PM

The overall view of Block B looking west along the Potomac River, at the former Potomac River Generating Station (via City of Alexandria)

The owner of the dilapidated former Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town is hosting a community meeting next month on mixed-use redevelopment plans for part of the site.

HRP Group‘s virtual community meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, May 4 from 6-7 p.m. Under discussion will be the special use permits for Block B and Block C (both submitted in July 2025), as well as open space along the waterfront and Norfolk Southern rail corridor.

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Alexandria asks NVTA for nearly $37M to fund transportation projects

By James Cullum

Published April 2, 2026 at 1:45PM

Traffic backup heading eastbound along Duke Street (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria is seeking more than $36 million to fund two transportation projects as part of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority‘s six-year program.

The total funding amount in NVTA’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026-2031 Six Year Program is $1.265 billion. Alexandria’s share includes $15 million for bus rapid transit improvements in the second phase of the Duke Street Transitway, and $21.86 million for pedestrian and bicycle improvements at Eisenhower Avenue and S. Van Dorn Street. NVTA adopts its six-year program every two years, allocating regional tax revenues to multimodal transportation projects.

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JUST IN: WMATA pitches Braddock Road Metro changes to allow for potential development

By James Cullum

Published March 23, 2026 at 2:45PM | Updated March 23, 2026 at 3:58PM

Braddock Road Metro station proposal (via WMATA)

Big changes are being proposed for the Braddock Road Metro station that could pave the way for mixed-use development.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced today (Monday) that it will hold a public hearing next month on a proposal to demolish the kiss-and-ride area in front of the Braddock Road Metro station, replace it with a new plaza and redirect the bus loop. The kiss-and-ride lot would be replaced with short-term pick-up and drop-off parking spaces on Braddock Road adjacent to the station.

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Townhouse development pitched on vacant lot, barbershop site in Parker-Gray

By James Cullum

Published March 18, 2026 at 2:45PM

Rendering of new development proposed for 724, 726 and 728 N. Patrick Street in the Parker-Gray District (via City of Alexandria)

A proposed conversion of a vacant lot and a one-story barbershop in the Parker-Gray Historic District into five four-story townhomes is headed to city review.

Eric Bernstein and Kirby Holdings are proposing to build the homes at 724, 726 and 728 N. Patrick Street, located at the intersection with Madison Street. The Alexandria Board of Architectural Review will conduct a public hearing on the concept review proposal at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, at Charles Houston Recreation Center, which is directly across the street from the site.

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Alexandria joins N. Va. opposition to bill that would allow by-right housing in commercial zones

By Emily Leayman

Published March 3, 2026 at 3:45PM

Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (staff photo)

Despite opposition from Alexandria and other Northern Virginia localities, bills permitting by-right multifamily development in commercial zones are advancing in the Virginia General Assembly.

HB 816 by Del. Dan Helmer (D-10) and SB 454 by state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-16) would require local zoning ordinances to permit by-right multifamily and mixed-use residential development on a portion of commercial or business zoning district land. The amended bills calls for localities to allow by-right development on at least 50% of commercially zoned land, which is less than the 75% originally proposed.

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Alexandria residents fuel 3.4% rise in tax base, new assessments show

By James Cullum

Published February 27, 2026 at 12:15PM | Updated February 27, 2026 at 12:36PM

A street lined with American flags in Old Town, Alexandria. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The gap between Alexandria’s residential and commercial tax bases continues to grow, with residents shouldering more of the city’s tax burden, according to the city’s released real estate tax assessments.

As of Jan. 1, Alexandria’s overall tax base increased by 3.4% in value, or nearly $1.7 billion, to reach $51.4 billion in 2026. The city’s residential tax base increased by 4.4% in value, or $1.4 billion, while the commercial tax base gained $334.8 million in value, up 1.9%, and the non-locally assessed tax base declined by $20.5 million, dropping 2.8%.

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Nonprofit requests extension for 91-unit affordable housing redevelopment in Arlandria

By James Cullum

Published February 26, 2026 at 3:31PM | Updated February 27, 2026 at 12:21PM

Elbert Avenue Apartments (via Google Maps)

Housing nonprofit Community Lodgings, Inc. (CLI) is asking for an extension to redevelop an existing 28-unit affordable apartment building in the Arlandria neighborhood with more housing.

CLI is planning to construct a six-story, 91-unit affordable apartment building at 3908 Elbert Avenue, more-than tripling the amount of units the property currently has. The nonprofit, which received approval for the project in February 2023, previously said in its application that it wouldn’t have been able to break ground before the expiration of its development special use permit, which passed yesterday (Wednesday).