In a developed city like Alexandria, residents may soon be surprised to find four-legged landscapers wandering a West End park.
Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is launching a pilot program to bring 35 to 40 goats to All Veterans Park (4725 Duke Street). Starting Sept. 8, the herd of goats will be brought to graze on invasive plants on the slopes of the park. The invasive plants being targeted in the pilot program are kudzu, garlic mustard and multiflora rose.
Fairfax-based Van Metre Companies announced today (Aug. 18) the acquisition of a 110-townhome development site at Alexandria’s sprawling WestEnd development.
Van Metre bought the property last month for an undisclosed amount. On blocks L and M of the development at 5801 Duke Street, the three-level townhomes will feature front and rear terraces with private parking garages.
A hazardous materials spill onto Duke Street in the West End prompted a partial road closure and police and fire presence Monday morning.
Around 8:07 a.m., the Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Fire Department responded to a call in the 5300 block of Duke Street about white powder substance falling from a truck.
A man was shot and killed in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Alexandria’s West End on Wednesday night (July 15), and two suspects have been apprehended, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
Witnesses nearby reported that a single shot was fired around 11:15 p.m. in the 5300 block of Holmes Run Parkway, and that a man was found lying face down in the parking lot. Two suspects were arrested less than a mile away from the scene in front of an apartment building in the 5300 block of Duke Street. As of 12:50 p.m., APD was still combing the scene with a K-9 officer.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, on Thursday (July 9) unanimously approved a $15 million allocation toward the Duke Street Transitway Project.
With the allocation, NVTA has funded $102 million for the $102.5 million project, which will add more than four miles of bus rapid transit lanes along Duke Street between the King Street-Old Town Metro station and the city’s border with Fairfax County near the former Landmark Mall site. The project has been in the works for years and is in the design phase. The estimated completion date for the new lanes is Dec. 31, 2029.
Increased building height allowances and new areas for housing and open space along Duke Street are among the changes Alexandria staff plan to propose in the updated Duke Street Land Use Plan.
Alexandria City Council received an update Tuesday (May 26) on the plan, which will guide city officials in the development of the Duke Street corridor from the former Landmark Mall to Alexandria Union Station. The proposal includes areas deemed “opportunity sites” in industrial areas that city staff wants to redevelop, adding more housing supply and open space, with building heights of up to 150 feet.
A new “passport”-inspired promotion to generate support for Duke Street businesses has launched, the city announced Friday (May 22).
The program encouraging residents to shop local is a lighter side of the Duke Street Land Use Plan, a process updating the land use vision for the Duke Street corridor. Christian Brandt, an urban planner for the city, told ALXnow 19 businesses have signed up to participate in the Duke Street Business Passport Program, with more to be added. Businesses within a half-mile of Duke Street are eligible to join.
The Alexandria Fire Department rescued three people and a dog this morning (Friday) from a stalled elevator in a high-rise condominium building in the West End.
AFD was called just after 4:30 a.m. to a report of three people and a dog stuck in a blind shaft elevator near the fourth floor of a 16-story building in the 4600 block of Duke Street.
Alexandria is holding a public hearing tonight (Tuesday) on its plan to improve safety at a high-crash location on Duke Street while reducing neighborhood cut-through traffic.
The Duke Street and West Taylor Run Intersection Project has been in the design stage since 2024, with construction estimated to occur in 2027 and 2028. The final design of the project will wrap up this year, according to the city.
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.
The Twig organization has committed to giving $2 million toward the new medical campus at Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark.
Inova representatives say the hospital is on track to open by the end of 2028 and will name its conference center in honor of The Twig for the contribution. Since 1933, the nonprofit has served as the Junior Auxiliary of Alexandria Hospital and has provided more than $7 million to the hospital through its thrift shop at 106 N. Columbus Street and other fundraising efforts.
