Updated at 7:45 p.m. —  The 1800 block of Mount Vernon Avenue has reopened after small sinkhole was discovered Thursday night.

The Alexandria Police Department shut down Mount Vernon Avenue between Duncan Avenue and E.Bellefonte Avenue at around 6:30 p.m. to await a representative from the city’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services.

As of 7:45 p.m., the roadway reopened and the sinkhole was covered by traffic cones.

Map via Google Maps

An annual holiday bar crawl will work its way through Del Ray on Saturday.

The seventh annual Candy Cane Bar Crawl will be held from 12:30 to 6 p.m., and the event includes trolley transportation between bars, raffles, trivia, costume contests and swag bags.

The event is hosted by the Del Ray Business Association and will raise funds for the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack.

Tickets range from $15 per person for those who register in advance and $25 on the day of the event. The first 250 registrants will get receive a swag bag, which includes a 16-ounce souvenir cup.

Participating restaurants include:

• Bella Napoli (1310 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Brewski’s Barkhaus (529 E. Howell Avenue)
• Cheesetique Del Ray (2411 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Del Ray Pizzeria (2218 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Elo’s Italian (1603 Commonwealth Avenue)
• Evening Star Cafe (2000 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• The Garden (1503 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Hops N’ Shine (3410 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Joy On The Avenue (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• KAiZEN Tavern (1909 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap (401 E. Braddock Road)
• Los Tios (2615 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Market to Market (116 E. Del Ray Avenue)
• Matt & Tony’s (1501 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Northside 10 (10 E. Glebe Road)
• Piece Out (2419 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Pork Barrel BBQ (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Spice Kraft (2607 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• Stomping Ground (2309 Mount Vernon Avenue)
• St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub (2300 Mount Vernon Avenue)

In case you missed it, the lighting of the Del Ray Christmas and menorah was packed on Sunday.

The evening was full of families and friends caroling with hot chocolate with marshmallows.

NBC$ Washington reporter Pat Collins made the countdown to light the 30-foot-tall tree at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square, along with Santa Claus, Kate Moran of the Rainbow Rock Band and members of the City Council. Santa Claus was escorted to the event by the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office.

“Who wants snow for Christmas? Collins said, and started to chant, “We want snow, we want snow!”

Collins said he’d see what he could do, and brought along the official Pat Collins Snow Measuring Stick for publicity photos.

“Who wants snow for Christmas? Collins said, and started to chant, “We want snow, we want snow!”

Collins said he’d see what he could do, and brought along the official Pat Collins Snow Measuring Stick for publicity photos.

With an assist from @AlexVASheriff, Santa arrived in style to Del Ray tonight to join Pat Collins for lighting the lush, full and downright thick Christmas Tree and Menorah in Pat Miller square. Happy Holidays! #alexandriava #IYKYK #happyholidays #treelighting pic.twitter.com/WFVGGCAA8k

— Sarah for Alexandria (@SarahforALX) December 5, 2022

Tonight we gathered in at Pat Miller Square for the the Del Ray Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting. pic.twitter.com/iONSx7CbhU

— Alyia Gaskins (@Alyia4ALX) December 5, 2022

ASO made sure a very special guest arrived safely to the Del Ray Holiday Tree & Menorah Lighting tonight! Thanks to @visitdelrayVA for putting on another outstanding community event! pic.twitter.com/NjVCuWJJGQ

— Alexandria Sheriff (@AlexVASheriff) December 5, 2022

The holiday season has begun in Del Ray.

Thanks to @patcollins4 for joining us and bringing the SnowStick.

This is the only time I want to see the SnowStick anywhere near Alexandria this year… pic.twitter.com/m0ZlcvHivQ

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) December 4, 2022

The Del Ray Menorah and Christmas tree lightings are back on Sunday.

Holiday carols will bring Santa Claus back to the neighborhood for the event, which starts at 6 p.m. at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square. The Avenue will also be lined with luminaries to honor the late Nancy Dunning.

It’s the 12th straight year that Homegrown Restaurant Group selected and cut down the tree at the Naughty Pines Nursery in Maryland, and last week it was picked up and given to the Del Ray Business Association. BMC Smoot provided the flatbed truck and a driver to haul the 30-foot-tall tree to Del Ray, and Mike Dameron of Windmill Hill donated his cherry picker crane to put it in place.

“Participants are urged to bring toiletries for Carpenter’s Shelter,” DRBA said.

Additionally, the Del Ray Candy Cane Bar Crawl is happening in Del Ray on Saturday, Dec. 10. The event will provide donations for Mount Vernon Community School’s Blessings in a Backpack program.

Bonaventure is pulling the plug on its plan to convert the old  Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services building at 2525 Mount Vernon Avenue into a four-story, mixed-use development.

Bonaventure’s attorney Cathy Puskar confirmed that the developer has put the project on hold indefinitely.

“Given the geometry of the site, the client needed some modifications from the Form Based Code in order to achieve an economically viable development that would provide the residential building with ground floor retail, enhanced streetscapes, open space and stormwater management envisioned in the Mount Vernon Plan,” Puskar said.

The development spurred a group of locals to launch the group Save Del Ray, which said that the development ignored the guiding principles of the city’s Mount Vernon Avenue Business Area Plan, which includes preserving the historic scale and character of the neighborhood and providing convenient parking and transportation solutions.

Bonaventure wanted to tear down the 88,500-square-foot former home of the Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services building and turn it into a four-story, 43-foot-tall building with 12,530 square feet of retail and 79 rental units. The company planned to take the plan to the City for review this month, followed by 20 months of construction starting in the final quarter of 2023.

It’s now unclear what’s next for the property.

“(B)ased on the significant feedback from the Del Ray Land Use Committee, some citizens and staff, the client (Bonaventure) decided to take a step back to determine whether to continue to pursue redevelopment or just leave the building as-is,” Puskar said.

Bonaventure bought a swath of properties along Mount Vernon Avenue in the summer of 2019. In addition to 2525 Mount Vernon Avenue, the company also bought the properties at 2401, 2403 and 2411-2419 Mount Vernon Avenue, and owns a 144-space parking lot across from Pat Miller Square on Mount Vernon and E. Oxford Avenues.

A 60% chance of rain might dampen this Saturday’s Art On The Avenue festival in Del Ray, but at least it’s not a hurricane.

Art On The Avenue was supposed to be held on Saturday, October 1, but was postponed due as the remnants of Hurricane Ian battered the East Coast. It was a good decision, since the entire weekend ended up being cold, wet and dreary in Alexandria.

“Postponing an event like this is very difficult,” said festival organizer Pat Miller. “We lost a few artists and we gained a few artists. The food is the same, some of the programming is a little different, but none of the musical acts dropped out.”

Art On The Avenue is historically the biggest day of the year in Del Ray, drawing tens of thousands to Mount Vernon Avenue to check out art from more than 350 artists.

Postponing the event also put some local restaurants in a bind. Del Ray Pizzeria made too much dough, and later sold out after making an appeal to its customers.

The event will not likely be postponed again, in the event of bad weather, Miller said.

“It gets to bee too cold,” Miller said. “That’s tough for a lot of artists and it’s tough for their art.”

The 2020 festival was virtual due to the pandemic, and last year’s event had perfect weather, but an unforced power outage prompted businesses along Mount Vernon Avenue to be shut down.

Clay Queen Pottery officially closed its doors last Monday, October 24.

The shop at 2303 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is nearly vacant, and small renovations are being made to the building interior.

The business closed due to the retirement of owner Renee Altman, as first reported by Alexandria Living Magazine. Clay Queen Pottery sold pottery and jewelry, and provided pottery classes.

There’s no word of what will go into the space, but Paul Haire, owner of The Dog Store — next door at 2301 Mount Vernon Avenue, would like to use the space for an expansion.

“I would love to use the spce for an expansion,” Haire said. “I’d like to do that. Let’s see what happens with that in the future.”

It was crisp, clear on Sunday in Del Ray — perfect for the annual Del Ray Halloween Parade.

Thousands of kids and adults marched in costumes for the event, including members of the Alexandria City Council and the Alexandria City High School ‘Zombie Band’.

It’s Visit Del Ray’s 26th year hosting the fun event, which it started at Mount Vernon Avenue and E. Bellefonte Avenue and ended with live music and prizes at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center athletic fields.

A beautiful day for the Del Ray Halloween Parade!

The @AchsBand “Zombie Band” is back and better than ever! pic.twitter.com/2WicONzLr2

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) October 30, 2022

ASO joined the Halloween festivities over the weekend at the annual Del Ray Halloween Parade! The fun continues this evening with trick-or-treating so please be extra careful driving and watch for little ones https://t.co/v1AIW2SMY1 pic.twitter.com/j36a0gTGp4

— Alexandria Sheriff (@AlexVASheriff) October 31, 2022

Happy Halloween! BPAC led our third annual Halloween ride through the spectacularly spooky streets of Del Ray this past Saturday. Read more at https://t.co/JGiEJZGcbe

— Alexandria Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (@AlexandriaBPAC) October 30, 2022

https://twitter.com/AchsBand/status/1586920821737627649

The spookiness is returning to Mount Vernon Avenue with the annual Del Ray Halloween Parade on Sunday, October 30.

It’s Visit Del Ray’s 26th year hosting the fun event, which it starts at 2 p.m. at Mount Vernon Avenue and E. Bellefonte Avenue and ends with live music and prizes at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center athletic fields.

The grand marshall of this year’s parade is a student from Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology.

Thousands are expected to attend the event.

The Del Ray Halloween Parade includes:

• Stroller and pet costume contests — Participants must register at 1:30 p.m. at the corner of Mt. Vernon and E. Howell Avenues
• Best Decorated House and Business contests — The nomination deadline is Sunday, October 23, at noon.
• Scavenger Hunt — Four winners will receive a $50 gift card to their favorite Del Ray business.

Visit Del Ray is also collecting Halloween costumes for kids at the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys & Girls Club, Community Lodgings, and the Alexandria Domestic Violence program.

Alexandria Hyundai‘s special use permit has been extended to 2045 — with conditions.

After nearly three hours of deliberation on Saturday (October 15), City Council approved three special use permit requests to allow the dealership to continue operating until 2045, with the caveat that Council will take another look in 2040 at the permit for a service and storage parking lot.

Kevin Reilly has run Alexandria Hyundai on two acres of land between the 1600 and 1800 blocks of Mount Vernon Avenue for more than 20 years. With Hyundai converting to electric vehicles, Reilly is forced to upgrade his dealership and get an extension to his SUPs, which previously expired in 2025.

Council voted 4-2 (with Council Members Sarah Bagley and Canek Aguirre voting no) approving the SUP for the 22,000-square-foot lot.

Last week, the Planning Commission approved the plan for Alexandria Hyundai to keep operating, but denied the SUP to extend the life of the lot, which Reilly says he needs to keep operating. The parking lot is prime real estate on Mount Vernon Avenue, and the Commission agreed with City staff in finding that it does not comply with the city’s master plan, which outlines more active and pedestrian uses for that stretch of the Mount Vernon Avenue.

Reilly said that he needs the parking lot to stay in business.

“You can’t run a dealership unless you are facility compliant,” Reilly said. “It’s really economically unviable, and if you don’t meet the manufacturer’s customer satisfaction scores. Part of that is if your vehicle is in there (in the dealership), we need to have your vehicle to you immediately. If there’s no there’s no customer satisfaction, I just can’t operate.”

Reilly, a former president of the Del Ray Business Association, was praised for being a good neighbor by Council, and his proposal had the backing of the DRBA, the Del Ray Citizens Association and the Del Ray Land Use Committee.

“When I first moved to Del Ray there were literally just a handful of businesses on the Avenue,” said DRBA’s Gayle Reuter. “We are so thankful that over 20 years ago Kevin Reilly made the decision to move to Del Ray… Many of the events the community loves so much — the Del Ray Halloween Parade, the farmer’s market, Art On The Avenue — wouldn’t have happened without his early support in getting them going.”

Vice Mayor Amy Jackson praised Reilly and thanked him for running his business in Alexandria.

“We do appreciate what you do for the community and in Del Ray,” Jackson said.

The project includes a new service drive-thru lane, service reception areas and the installation of four electric vehicle chargers for community use. The chargers will be installed by this time next year, Reilly said.

The plan also includes a 770-square-foot canopy for a new 1,730-square-foot service reception addition, as well as a 1,500 square foot service reception area.

Praveen Kathpal told Council that the property should be converted to housing or open space, and that keeping the dealership until 2045 on Mount Vernon Avenue is a long time.

“Our current mayor will turn 66 years old in the year 2045,” Kathpal said. “This year’s high school seniors will be unavailable for any 40-under-40 lists. Taylor Swift will be older than Kurt Cobain would be if he were alive today. We’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Coolio’s hit, ‘Gangsta’s Paradise.’ So, do we really want to be storing cars along Mount Vernon Avenue when all of that happens? I don’t think so.”