It was another busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top stories focused on development projects all over the city, from Old Town North to Carlyle and in the West End. News of the mixed-use projects comes as affordable housing advocates are protesting against being priced out and are asking for greater assistance from the city.
Politics-wise, City Council Member Alyia Gaskins celebrated two recent victories in her Democratic primary race for mayor. Gaskins is leading with fundraising, having raised $149,107 with $69,425 on-hand, according to quarterly campaign finance reports released Monday. Her opponent Vice Mayor Amy Jackson has raised $59,984 and has $22,682 on-hand, while former real estate developer Steven Peterson has raised $44,700 with $14,019 on-hand.
Gaskins also handily won the recent Alexandria Democratic Committee’s Straw Poll by 81%, followed by 16% for Jackson and 3% for Peterson. The primary is on June 18.
On Tuesday, we reported on a new movement to return Alexandria’s City Council to ward/district representation. While the nine-member Alexandria School Board is divided into three districts, the seven members of City Council are at-large, representing the entire city. The Communities for Accountable City Council is a self-described non-partisan group of city residents “exasperated with the intransigent Alexandria City Council that is unaccountable to communities and neighborhoods because of Alexandria’s At-Large election system.”
In our poll this week we asked whether City Council should return to a ward system. Out of the more than 500 votes, 57% voted yes and 43% voted no.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Notes: Old Town North building sold for $15.4 million to be turned into mixed-use apartment building (8413 views)
- Alexandria considering big plans for properties next to Eisenhower Avenue Metro station (4987 views)
- Alexandria City Council approves new ‘neighborhood’ at former Vulcan Materials site (4603 views)
- CVS set to close in Taylor Run neighborhood on Duke Street (3611 views)
- Affordable housing advocates rally outside Alexandria City Hall (3559 views)
- No arrest after fistfight leads to gunfire in Lincolnia (3351 views)
- Notes: Fundraiser for motorcyclist killed on Duke Street raises thousands (2390 views)
- Local organization forms to push Alexandria back to district/ward elections (2303 views)
- Mystic BBQ & Grill opens on Lee Street in Old Town (2235 views)
Have a safe weekend!
No arrests were made after a fight resulted in a single shot being fired from a gun in the Lincolnia area of Alexandria on Saturday afternoon, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
APD was notified of the gunshot at around 3:30 p.m. in a parking lot of an apartment complex in the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. Police were told that multiple males were fighting, and that the fight was broken up when the suspect fired the gun in the air.
A shell casing was found at the scene, according to an APD dispatch.
Minutes later, police pulled apart two men fighting a few blocks away in the area of Little River Turnpike and N. Beauregard Street. The men were briefly detained and then released.
Anyone with information on this incident can contact the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Officers are investigating the report of shots fired in the 6100 block of Lincolnia. No reported injuries and no suspects. pic.twitter.com/9t9m4k0Vuz
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 13, 2024
Traffic might be a little slower around Lincolnia and Landmark this week due to lane closures on Duke Street.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said in a release that there will be daytime closures on Duke Street between Oasis Drive and South Walker Street starting today (Tuesday) through Thursday.
“Single-lane closures along eastbound and westbound Duke Street will take place Tuesday between noon and 3:30 p.m.,” VDOT said in the release, “and Wednesday and Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day.”
The shift will allow the deck to be replaced on the eastbound side of the bridge over I-395, part of the rehabilitation of the Duke Street bridge. The improvements aim to extend the life of the bridge and boost safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.
The project’s website said improvements for the bridge include:
- Replacing the concrete bridge deck and beams
- Upgrading the westbound sidewalk to a shared-use path
- Widening the eastbound sidewalk
The project is scheduled for completion this winter.
According to the release:
Once the shift is complete, the eastbound Duke Street lanes over I-395 will be temporarily routed over the westbound side of the bridge alongside the westbound lanes. This shift will allow the deck to be replaced on the eastbound side of the bridge. In addition, as part of the shift, drivers along the northbound I-395 ramp to westbound Duke Street will temporarily encounter a stop sign instead of a yield at the end of the ramp. These traffic patterns are scheduled to be in place until mid-summer.
Alexandria: On Tue 4/11 from noon-3:30PM, and Wed 4/12-Thu 4/13 from 9:30AM-3:30PM each day, Duke St (Rt 236) will have single-lane closures at I-395 to implement a traffic shift as part of the bridge rehab project. More info: https://t.co/MHunSHokhi pic.twitter.com/ZNnT6ks3Kj
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) April 10, 2023
Image via Google Maps
Chicken restaurant Hot Lola’s is coming to the Lincolnia neighborhood just outside of Alexandria in Fairfax — that big place just west of the city.
Hot Lola’s currently has locations in Ballston and Rosslyn in neighboring Arlington, but the new location at 6544 Little River Turnpike will be the first outside of Arlington.
The menu features chicken at various levels of hotness, from “flipping hot” to “not hot”. The chicken is also available in a variety of types of sandwiches or at tenders, wings or drumsticks. Sides include fries, coleslaw pickles, toast or… another piece of chicken.
Hot Lola’s arrival could ruffle feathers as the restaurant fights for a spot in the pecking order already saturated with other local chicken chains.
There’s no word yet on when the new location will open.
Filipino chicken chain Jollibee announced that, after some earlier delays, the Lincolnia location is scheduled to open this Sunday, June 26.
The restaurant is opening at 4809 Beauregard Street in the Plaza at Landmark shopping center. The restaurant is scheduled to be open seven days a week from 9 a.m.-11 p.m, with both in-restaurant dining or to-go options.
In addition to chicken, the restaurant’s menu includes items from spaghetti to peach mango pie.
“We received an incredibly warm welcome last year when we first opened our doors in the DMV with our Wheaton, Maryland location,” said Business Group head Maribeth Dela Cruz in a release. “We knew immediately that we wanted to offer a convenient location on the southern side of D.C. so that those who live, work and play in Northern Virginia could enjoy their Jollibee favorites without having to travel far.”
The release noted that the Alexandria location is Jollibee’s 82nd location in the United States.
After missing a fall 2021 target for opening, regional taco chain Taco Bamba is planning to open later this month in the Landmark neighborhood.
The Taco Bamba is planned to open on Wednesday, April 20, at 6259 Little River Turnpike, on the west side of I-395 in the Lincolnia neighborhood — inside Alexandria’s boundaries by a hair’s breadth.
“Later this month, Taco Bamba Landmark will open its doors to the public in Alexandria, Va. on April 20,” the restaurant said in a press release. “Landmark will be the sixth Northern Virginia location.”
The release said Taco Bamba Landmark will be a 2,000-square-foot space with 42 interior seats and a covered patio.
In addition to the chain’s tacos and tostadas, Taco Bamba said the Landmark location will have an exclusive empanada on its menu and specific tacos celebrating nearby local restaurants. The restaurant will also feature a bar with agave cocktails.
“In addition to classic Mexican cocktails like the Margarita, Michelada, and Paloma, Taco Bamba beverage director Amin Seddiq has dreamed up a menu of original, agave-forward mixed drinks that can only be found at the Landmark location,” the release said. “Highlights include the Ho Chi Meen, a twist on the Last Word, which trades gin for mezcal and brightens it with a touch of lemongrass syrup for a light and refreshing tipple.”
The restaurant is still being referred to as Taco Bamba Landmark, despite the namesake Landmark Mall development getting a bizarre new rebranding.
A 20 year-old Alexandria man was shot to death in his car in Lincolnia, and a 20-year-old Fairfax County man and a 17-year-old alleged accomplice have been arrested for his murder.
The body of Ahmed Hasheem Ebrahim has still not surfaced since it was put in a dumpster on January 16, according to Fairfax County Police. He was last seen leaving his home for a friend’s house the previous evening, Saturday, January 15. Ebrahim’s car was found on January 18 in Alexandria and towed to an impound lot.
Detectives found blood inside the car, and then discovered that Joel Antonio Sarabia, 20, of Fairfax, was seen driving Ebrahim’s car shortly after his disappearance. Sarabia was arrested for unauthorized use of a vehicle and driving without an operator’s license, and detectives found that he knew the victim.
“Sarabia and a 17-year-old associate planned to rob Mr. Ebrahim on Jan. 16. Sarabia shot Mr. Ebrahim in the upper body while Mr. Ebrahim was in his vehicle in a parking lot near the 6200 block of Lachine Lane in Lincolnia,” Fairfax County Police said in a press release. “Sarabia and his associate then drove the victim in Mr. Ebrahim’s vehicle until they disposed of his body later on Jan. 17 in a dumpster.”
Sarabia, who is being held without bond in the Fairfax County jail, was later charged with first degree murder, robbery resulting in death, concealment of a dead body and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was arrested with a firearm, and police are searching for a second gun, “which is believed to be in the City of Alexandria,” according to Fairfax County Police.
The juvenile, who is being held in the Juvenile Detention Center, was arrested on January 25 and charged with robbery resulting in death and concealment of a dead body.
The dumpster where Ebrahim’s body was placed has been identified, but the body has not been found, police said.
“Detectives identified the dumpster where Mr. Ebrahim’s body was disposed,” police said. “They have since been in contact with the disposal services company to determine the potential location where Mr. Ebrahim’s body may have been taken. Detectives have coordinated several searches with our Search and Rescue Team to locate Mr. Ebrahim.”
This is the second murder of the year in Fairfax County.
Wegmans hiring event Tuesday for new Alexandria store — “Wegmans Food Markets is hosting a virtual hiring event Tuesday, Oct. 12, seeking to fill more than 350 part- and full-time positions across 14 stores throughout the Virginia area, including the Wegmans opening in spring 2022 at 150 Stovall St., in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood, the company announced.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Vehicle overturned in Lincolnia, found empty — “4900 Bl. of Manitoba Dr. Alexandria, V.A. Fairfax Cty Fire on scene of a single vehicle overturned collision with no occupants found inside the vehicle. Occupants are believed to have fled the scene.” [DC Realtime News]
AWLA gets most long-time resident cat a forever home — “When we posted Sadie’s story last week, she received an outpouring of support. So, we’re very happy to share that she has found her new family who plans on making sure she continues to be loved.” [Animal Welfare League of Alexandria]
Del Ray Artisans looking for help running Facebook page — “Seeking volunteers to help manage Del Ray Artisans’ Facebook page. Post a few times each week to get the word out about our exhibits and programs.” [Del Ray Artisans]
Alexandria Police are investigating a reported robbery of a cell phone in the Lincolnia area.
The incident happened around 2 p.m. on the 400 block of N. Armistead Street.
A person who was selling a mobile phone via an online advertisement was robbed of the phone by a suspect with a gun, according to scanner traffic. The suspect then reportedly fled in a vehicle, heading northbound on I-395.
No one was injured, police said.
NOTIFICATION :: The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a robbery from person in the 400 block of North Armistead. Street. There were no injuries. Expect police activity in the area.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) October 3, 2019
File photo
