Justin Wilson | ALXnow

City Council Recognizes Alexandria Police 150th Anniversary

Published January 21, 2020 at 5:15PM

Alexandria’s finest were recognized by the City Council last week. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Alexandria Police Department, and Mayor Justin Wilson honored the department with a city proclamation in council chambers.

“The most important role of local government is to protect public safety, and we are fortunate that the residents of the city are able to rely 24/7 on the best police department on the planet, the Alexandria Police Department,” Wilson said. “Every day you confront danger so our residents do not have to. You keep our residents safe, and you do it with a smile and incredible customer service.”

Opinion

Poll: Should the City Rethink the Seminary Road Diet?

By ALXnow.com

Published January 14, 2020 at 9:30AM | Updated February 5, 2020 at 3:27PM

Traffic on Seminary Road as of 8:45 a.m. Tuesday (via Google Maps)

Three months after a portion of Seminary Road was re-paved and re-striped to reduce it from two vehicular lanes in each direction to one lane, a turn lane and bike lanes, the debate over the “road diet” still rages on.

On the now-private Alexandria Residents Against the Seminary Road Diet Facebook group, numerous posts per day bemoan the state of rush hour traffic along Seminary Road, report on cut-through traffic on nearby roads, and rip Mayor Justin Wilson for his support of the project. (Wilson, a member of the group, often politely replies to the invective.)

News

City Council to Weigh Relieving Regulatory Burdens for New Businesses in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published January 3, 2020 at 3:30PM

Starting a new business can be tricky, and the Alexandria City Council is working to make it easier for a number of establishments to open faster.

This spring, the Planning Commission and City Council will vote on a package of regulatory changes that will speed up the approval processes for a number of new businesses.

News

Southern Entrance Debate Resurfaces at Potomac Yard Metro Groundbreaking

By Vernon Miles

Published December 19, 2019 at 3:40PM

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam gestures while delivering remarks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Potomac Yard Metro Station in Alexandria (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) After 20 years of planning, work has started on the Potomac Yard Metro station.

Officials past and present came together at 2 p.m. today (Thursday) at the future Potomac Yard Metro station, currently the parking lot of Regal Potomac Yard movie theater.

News

Seminary Road Facebook Group Unites Democrats and Republicans But Splits Community

By Vernon Miles

Published December 18, 2019 at 9:30AM | Updated December 18, 2019 at 4:38PM

Seminary Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

It’s rare for a Facebook group to be the topic of discussion at the City Council dais, but Alexandria Residents Against the Seminary Road Diet is no ordinary page.

The group started as a small forum for drivers and residents to express their frustration over the city’s change to a portion of Seminary Road — reducing vehicle travel lanes from four lanes to two, with a turn lane in between, to allow for greater pedestrian and bicycle space.

News

Alexandria’s Largest Infrastructure Project is Getting More Expensive

By Vernon Miles

Published December 12, 2019 at 10:30AM

As Alexandria’s Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) project RiverRenew starts making progress, it’s looking increasingly likely the project’s cost will approach the half-billion dollar mark.

During an update at the City Council meeting on Dec. 10 (Monday), Mayor Justin Wilson said the price will be towards the upper end of the $370 to $555 million price range.

News

Tensions Flare on City Council as One Member Fights to Reverse Seminary Road Decision

By Vernon Miles

Published December 11, 2019 at 11:45AM | Updated December 12, 2019 at 10:33AM

Seminary Road (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated 12/12) In the last thirty minutes of last night’s City Council meeting, the typically uneventful oral reports escalated into a verbal brawl over the Seminary Road diet.

The controversial lane reduction is part of the city’s Complete Streets project, which aims to change the city’s car-crowded roads into a more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly streetscape. On Seminary Road, that meant taking the formerly four-lane Seminary Road down to one travel lane in each direction with a turn lane/emergency vehicle lane separating them, and the addition of bicycle lanes on the side of the road.

News

City Touts ‘Lowest-Ever Interest Rate’ on New Bonds

By ALXnow.com

Published December 9, 2019 at 4:25PM

The City of Alexandria is borrowing money for school projects and the new Potomac Yard Metro station at the lowest interest rates in its history.

The city received just over $200 million in bonds at a 2.67% interest rate, it said in a press release Monday.

News

Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Published December 9, 2019 at 7:55AM

Historic Del Ray (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Catch on the Avenue Closing — “In a quick social media post on Sunday, December 8, 2019, Catch on the Avenue, 2419 Mount Vernon Avenue, announced it is closing. ‘It is with regret that we announce the permanent closing of Catch on the Ave. Thank you for all your support. We look forward to seeing you at our other locations.'” [Zebra]

Some Residents Want to Ban Waze — “A few residents asked why Alexandria can’t just ban Waze and other congestion-avoidance apps from allowing commuters through certain parts of the City where cut-through traffic is the worst. The reason Mayor Wilson gave: free speech. Other municipalities that have tried to block Waze have lost in court on the premise that Waze is simply providing data to the public and thus has some protection.” [Alexandria Living]

News

More Work on Seminary Road This Spring If the State Will Pony Up the Cash

By Vernon Miles

Published December 5, 2019 at 2:00PM

As part of its controversial efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to Seminary Road, the city is planning to install a sidewalk on the north side of the road — if it can get the money.

Much of the Complete Streets project on Seminary Road has been completed but the city is still hoping to add a new sidewalk next to the seminary from which the road draws its name.

News

City Lowers Public Benefit Expectations for Municipal Fiber Plans

By Vernon Miles

Published December 2, 2019 at 11:45AM

Less than a month after the initial announcement of bidding for a new municipal fiber network, the city is saying people may have let their expectations run a little too rampant.

The city is hoping to build a broadband network for its facilities, but Craig Fifer, a spokesman for the City of Alexandria, clarified that the side benefit of increased consumer choice in cable, voice and broadband services is still conditional.