Justin Wilson | ALXnow

Collapse of hotel tax revenue could put more pressure on Alexandria residents

Published February 2, 2022 at 3:30PM

In a glimpse at financial assessments for 2022, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said on Twitter that declining hotel revenue — and thus taxes paid to the city — will put more of the city’s tax burden on residents.

The decline of tax revenue for the City of Alexandria is just one part of a difficult financial recovery from the pandemic — one exacerbated by the omicron surge earlier this winter. While sales and meals tax have rebounded slightly, the dearth of hotel funding has even led the city to consider investing in a new hotel.

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Turkish Coffee Lady opens in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published January 24, 2022 at 1:00PM

Mayor Justin Wilson (center) at the opening of Turkish Coffee Lady at 1001 King Street, Jan. 22, 2022. (Courtesy photo)

There’s a new coffee shop on King Street. Turkish Coffee Lady officially opened its doors at 1001 King Street in Old Town, joining a handful of neighboring coffee-inspired hangouts.

The space at the corner of Patrick Street (also Route 1) and King Streets is the former location of Blüprint Chocolatiers, and the second floor was notoriously once home to white nationalist Richard Spencer.

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Alexandria listed among 70 “better’ cities for pets by Mars Petcare

By James Cullum

Published January 20, 2022 at 10:45AM

Onyx, an eight-week-old American bull dog mix, getting water in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria went to the dogs long ago, and has been listed as one of 70 cities in the country as a Better City for Pets by Mars Petcare.

The certification takes a number of factors into account, including the number of dog parks, veterinarians, and pet-related businesses. There are an estimated 80,000 pets in the city with a population of 160,000.

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Alexandria Mayor asks city to ‘step up our masking game,’ but says mask mandate has to come from state

By Vernon Miles

Published January 10, 2022 at 2:30PM

Fresh from a bout with Covid that left Mayor Justin Wilson isolating in Spain, Wilson’s first virtual town hall of 2022 launched with a discussion of the current situation with COVID-19.

Alexandria has seen record-high levels of confirmed Covid cases thanks to the highly infections omicron variant. Wilson implored locals to swap out the simple cloth masks for more effective N95 or KN 95 masks.

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Alexandria mayor and new City Council virtually sworn into office

By James Cullum

Published January 4, 2022 at 10:00AM | Updated January 4, 2022 at 11:02AM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson is sworn into his second term, Jan. 3, 2022. (Via Zoom)

After nearly two years under COVID-19, the new Alexandria City Council was sworn into office Monday night (Jan. 3).

Monday’s snow storm and rising COVID numbers made the ceremony a virtual event. The specter of COVID loomed large over the ceremony, too, as Mayor Justin Wilson took the oath from Spain, where he has been stuck since contracting the virus during a holiday trip with his family.

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Alexandria City Council and School Board induction ceremonies impacted by COVID and weather

By James Cullum

Published January 3, 2022 at 4:15PM

Alexandria City Hall (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Due to Monday’s snowstorm and rising COVID infections, the induction ceremony for new members of the Alexandria City Council has shifted to a virtual-only format. The School Board’s induction ceremony has been moved to a larger building for distancing.

Mayor Justin Wilson, who is stuck in Spain after contracting COVID, will be sworn in with City Council at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Councilman-elect Kirk McPike also recently tested positive for COVID and is isolating at home.

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Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson trapped in Spain with positive COVID results

By Vernon Miles

Published December 30, 2021 at 3:50PM | Updated December 30, 2021 at 4:17PM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson on the dais in Council Chambers, July 6, 2021. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson’s vacation to Spain just got extended a few days due to a positive COVID-19 test.

Wilson is isolating in Spain, where he was with his family on vacation. His family has since returned to the United States after testing negative, Wilson said on social media.

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Alexandria Mayor outlines areas of cooperation with Governor-Elect Youngkin

By Vernon Miles

Published December 22, 2021 at 10:05AM

Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson waves as he marches with other local politicians at the 50th annual Scottish Christmas Walk Parade in Old Town, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. (staff photo by James Cullum)

In a letter to incoming Governor Glenn Youngkin, Mayor Justin Wilson outlined some areas of potential cooperation between state and local leadership, despite a wide political gulf.

It’s no secret that there’s nervousness in the all-Democrat Alexandria leadership about the incoming Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. For the past four years, the city has been “playing with house money” in terms of state support for local projects.

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Alexandria leadership lay out next steps in Torpedo Factory overhaul

By Vernon Miles

Published December 20, 2021 at 3:30PM

The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria leadership are sticking to their guns on changes planned for the Torpedo Factory Art Center as it looks at building a new governing structure to plan out the art center’s future.

At a City Council meeting last week, the Council and Deputy City Manager Emily Baker discussed evolving plans for the Torpedo Factory and what direction the city should take. The art center is one of the most popular destinations in Alexandria, attracting an estimated 500,000 visitors a year.

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Clarence Tong won’t seek reelection as chair of Alexandria Democratic Committee, Sandy Marks gets key endorsements

By James Cullum

Published December 7, 2021 at 11:00AM

Clarence Tong won’t seek reelection for a fifth two-year term as chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, he announced in a virtual meeting with the organization’s members on Monday (Dec. 6).

Tong says he didn’t know a single Alexandria Democrat when he went to his first ADC meeting a decade ago with the intent to do his part to reelect then-President Barack Obama.

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Construction begins for Inova’s massive Oakville Triangle project

By James Cullum

Published November 16, 2021 at 9:45AM

(Left to right) Alexandria Vice Mayor-elect Amy Jackson, Mayor Justin Wilson, Stonebridge Principal Douglas M. Firstenberg and Inova Alexandria Hospital President Dr. Rina Bansal at the groundbreaking for Inova Oakville at Potomac Yard, Nov. 15, 2021. (staff photo by James Cullum)

It wasn’t so much a groundbreaking as it was a wall-breaking, as local dignitaries smashed their way to a new future at the new Inova Oakville at Potomac Yard on Monday (Nov. 15).

After years of development, construction officially began on the $300 million project at the corner of Swann Avenue and Richmond Highway — just down from National Landing and the Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus. The project and includes more than 1 million square feet of residential space dedicated to apartments, a new 93,000-square-foot Inova HealthPlex with a comprehensive emergency room and 55,000 square feet of retail. The facility is planned to open in fall 2023.