July is packed with holidays in Alexandria: Independence Day, the city’s birthday, and most importantly peak street repaving season.
The Department of Transportation and Environmental Services unveiled the latest batch of streets targeted for resurfacing and maintenance over the next two weeks, many of them around the Seminary Hill and North Ridge neighborhoods:
A 34-year-old Alexandria man was arrested for a domestic dispute with a woman on the evening of April 11 (Monday) in the city’s North Ridge neighborhood, and was charged with strangulation, assault and battery and public intoxication.
The incident occurred outside in the 1400 block of Dogwood Drive, and the 26-year-old female victim was injured and did not immediately seek medical attention after the incident, according to police.
A new report from the Office of Historic Alexandria outlined the fascinating and tumultuous lives of the Black residents who carved out a life for themselves in the city after the Civil War — and whose home (506 N. Overlook Drive) could soon be faced with demolition and redevelopment.
There were a lot of unanswered questions and urban legends about the Hampshire Fractious house in North Ridge when redevelopment of the property started working through city bureaucracy, starting with approval of a plan to subdivide the property. Walt Whitman, for instance, was rumored to have worked at the house, but there’s no evidence to support this claim.
What a week in Alexandria. Here are some of the highlights.
The Alexandria City Council on Wednesday approved its Fiscal Year 2022 $770.7 million budget on Wednesday, and it includes a 2 cent real estate tax reduction. It’s the first time that’s happened in 15 years, and the budget also fully funds Alexandria City Public Schools’ request and includes a 1% raise for city and state employees.
(Updated 2:30 p.m.) A fight to save a 19th century home in the North Ridge neighborhood is about to head to the City Council after nearby residents appealed an earlier Planning Commission decision.
The owner of the house at 506 N. Overlook Drive is seeking a permit to adjust the property lines for two parcels on the site, the first steps toward what will eventually involve tearing down the house on the property.
A subdivision that could lead to the demolition of a 19th century Alexandria home got its recommendation of approval from the Planning Commission Thursday night, but included a Death Star exhaust port-type hole that could blow up the process down the road.
The owner of the house at 506 N. Overlook Drive is seeking a permit to adjust the property lines for two parcels on the site, the first steps toward what will eventually involve tearing down the house on the property.
The North Ridge Citizens’ Association has launched a Change.org petition to save a 100-year old home in the neighborhood from development.
The home tucked away behind some trees at 506 N. Overlook Drive was built sometime in the late 19th century, although exactly when is a matter of some disagreement. The home was owned by Hampshire Fractious (page 12), a freed Black man who lived in the city sometime in the late 19th century.
The Lindsay Cadillac dealership (1511 N. Quaker Lane) straddling Kenwood Avenue near North Ridge could soon be demolished and rebuilt as a new Volvo and Lexus dealership — with a few additional public improvements.
In an application headed to the Planning Commission on Tuesday, Jan. 5, the Lindsay Company is proposing to replace the existing lot and buildings with three new buildings along with surface, underground, and rooftop parking decks. The buildings will replace a dealership built in 1949 and an office building built in 1967.
(Updated 10:50 p.m.) When the City of Alexandria builds new schools, a new ordinance change (Item 9) could mean they’re a little larger than they used to be.
A new ordinance proposed for the Tuesday (September 1) Planning Commission meeting would “streamline and modernize the zoning regulations,” according to a staff report.
Opponents of the Alexandria Presbyterian Church’s expansion went into Saturday’s public hearing knowing it was an uphill fight, and ultimately the City Council unanimously struck down the appeal.
The City Council voted unanimously to uphold the Planning Commission’s ruling in November that Alexandria Presbyterian Church could expand by-right from a 3,400 square foot building that can’t hold its congregation to a 22,794 square foot gothic-inspired church.
It’s been a long time coming, but Fire Station 203 (2801 Cameron Mills Road) in North Ridge is finally coming down.
The 71-year-old station is being replaced by a modern, 15,000 square-foot, two-story station. The new station is planned to have two and a half operational bays to house a fire engine and medical units, according to the city’s website.
