development | ALXnow

Local citizens association offering tours this week of what’s planned around Old Town North

Published September 21, 2021 at 10:45AM

GenOn Power Plant (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

There is lots of new development coming to North Old Town, and for locals interested in getting to know the area more, the North Old Town Independent Citizens Association (NOTICe) is planning a tour of what’s coming up.

The tour is scheduled to run from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23, followed by a social hour at the North Old Town location for St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub (529 Montgomery Street) from 7-8 p.m. The tour is self-guided but representatives will be on-hand at each of the locations to provide information on what’s planned.

News

West End apartment complex looks to replace parking with barking

By Vernon Miles

Published September 14, 2021 at 1:15PM

Park + Ford layout, via City of Alexandria

A former office building turned residential complex in the West End is headed back to the City Council on Saturday, Sept. 18, for some new amenities — like replacing a surface parking lot with a dog park.

The Park + Ford apartment buildings at 4401 Ford Avenue opened earlier this year but developer Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group is already back to the city looking to add to the project. The developer is proposing to replace a pair of parking spaces across the street from the building with a new amenity space and a dog park — both private, unfortunately for West End locals looking for an alternative to the Shirlington Dog Park.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published September 10, 2021 at 5:00AM

Gun used in murder belonged to suspect’s bondsman — “The homicide of Alexandria resident Karla Dominguez last summer sparked widespread uproar because her alleged murderer, Ibrahim Bouaichi, had been released on bond in April despite having been indicted for allegedly raping and assaulting Dominguez in October 2019. Now, new information reveals that the bondsman who posted bail for Bouaichi knew him beforehand and that both the vehicle and weapon Bouaichi used to commit the murder belonged to the bondsman, Man Nguyen.” [Alex Times]

Twenty years later, residents recall the September 11 attacks — “Two residents had been on the plane that hit the Pentagon and many more residents had friends and other people from their lives who had been killed or impacted by the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania. On Friday, Sept. 14, the city held a candlelight vigil at Market Square, with residents filling the area in front of city hall and overflowing onto King, Cameron and Fairfax streets.” [Alex Times]

News

Mark Center development plans head to Planning Commission this week

By Vernon Miles

Published September 7, 2021 at 2:15PM | Updated September 8, 2021 at 11:37AM

(Updated 9/8) Alexandria has many charming, attractive neighborhoods — the Mark Center isn’t one of them. But while it’s unlikely the highway-adjacent office park will be competing with Del Ray or Old Town anytime soon, a new pair of land-use changes could open the door down the road to the start of something of a transformation for the area.

Two parcels in the Mark Center Coordinated Development District (CDD) are headed to the Planning Commission on Thursday, Sept. 9 — the Hilton Hotel site at 5000 Seminary Road and the IDA site at 4880 Mark Center Drive. The applicants are asking for changes to open up some of the allowable uses on the site for future commercial and residential development.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 27, 2021 at 3:35PM

Alexandria Police lights (staff photo by James Cullum)

What a busy week in Alexandria. Here’s the rundown.

Alexandria City Public Schools reopened their doors to full-time in-person instruction on Tuesday, and there have been a few hiccups. On Friday, we published a video taken of a brawl inside Alexandria City High School, and a teenager was hit by a car while walking home from school in Del Ray on Thursday.

News

ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 20, 2021 at 3:30PM | Updated August 20, 2021 at 11:17PM

Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne in the alley behind his house after flooding in Del Ray. (Courtesy photo)

What a week in Alexandria.

Public uproar over Sunday’s flooding spilled out throughout this week, which continued to be threatened by near-daily flash flood advisories from the National Weather Service.

News

DSUPs are the basis of most development discussions, so what the hell are they?

By Vernon Miles

Published August 16, 2021 at 2:30PM

Development Special Use Permit (DSUP), via City of Alexandria

One of the most brought up terms in Alexandria development discussions is Development Special Use Permit — or DSUP — but despite being one of the building blocks for city planning is also one of the more confusing aspects of development.

Karl Moritz, Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Alexandria, said a DSUP is a type of permit that comes up whenever a development could be seen as having a substantial impact on the neighborhood around it.

News

Institute for Defense Analyses announces Potomac Yard move-in later this year

By Vernon Miles

Published August 13, 2021 at 11:30AM

IDA Potomac Yard headquarters, courtesy IDA

The lunch hour around Potomac Yard restaurants could get a little busier this fall.

Two years after the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) first broke ground on its Potomac Yard headquarters, the national security nonprofit announced plans to move into the headquarters by the end of the year.

News

The Four Mile Run Bridge in Arlandria will not fully reopen until fall 2025

By James Cullum

Published August 13, 2021 at 10:45AM | Updated August 16, 2021 at 11:54AM

(Updated 11:45 a.m. — The Arlington Ridge Road bridge referenced by the mayor in the article is the Four Mile Run Bridge.) Arlington County is planning on fully reopening the Four Mile Run Bridge in the fall of 2025, which will be more than six years after it closed due to structural problems.

The bridge is one of the five bridges that connect Alexandria to Arlington, and along with the West Glebe Roa d Bridge has been earmarked for repair since November 2018. The western portion of the Four Mile Run Bridge has been closed off to pedestrians since January 2019, and structural problems have restricted vehicles under five tons at the Arlington Ridge Road bridge.

News

ACPS wants more community input on Minnie Howard redesign

By James Cullum

Published August 10, 2021 at 1:00PM

Alexandria residents are being invited to weigh in Tuesday (August 10) on the design for the Alexandria City High School Minnie Howard campus.

The community will be provided a design update at 6 p.m. in a Zoom meeting with staff from the ACPS Office of Capital Programs, Planning and Design. The recently approved competition-sized swimming pool will also be discussed.

News

Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published August 10, 2021 at 5:00AM

A dog takes the back seat in the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria. (staff photo by James Cullum)

School year starts at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School — “With a little uncertainty and a lot of hope, Alexandria enters a new chapter for its students.” [Zebra]

Brokerage firm KLMB chosen to find tenants for Landmark Mall — “The first phase of the 4.2 million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment, to be anchored by a 1 million-square-foot Inova Health System hospital, isn’t slated to deliver until mid-2025. But KLNB and the development team, including Foulger-Pratt, Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC), and Seritage Growth Properties (NYSE: SRG), have started working on a retail master plan to identify potential anchor tenants — which they hope will then help draw smaller shops and restaurants to the development.” [Washington Business Journal]