Old Town | ALXnow

Alexandria City Council unanimously backs expansion of parking enforcement pilot

Published October 29, 2025 at 5:40PM

A parking meter in Old Town Alexandria on King Street

Alexandria City Council unanimously expressed support Tuesday night for expanding the city’s parking enforcement pilot program after data showed substantial improvements in citation rates, response times, and revenue collection since contractors began supplementing city staff in December 2023.

The pilot program, which deployed contractors to enforce parking along King Street and adjacent blocks in Old Town, has increased monthly citywide citations by 61%, from approximately 5,000 to nearly 8,000, according to a presentation by Deputy City Manager Yon Lambert at the Oct. 28 council meeting.

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Q&A: Old Town tech firm founder wary of labor paradox posed by AI

By James Cullum

Published October 28, 2025 at 4:30PM

Abel Meri, CEO of Notice Enterprises in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Abel Meri wants to make life easier for his business clients, but at what cost?

Meri is CEO of the Old Town-based Notice Enterprises, an automation company he founded in 2019. Notice has seen exponential growth over the last few years by using artificial intelligence to revolutionize how small businesses manage nearly every aspect of their workflows, from AI receptionists to the composition of lengthy legal documents.

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Old Town property dispute, Alexandria firm wins DHS contract lead ALXnow’s top stories

By James Cullum

Published October 24, 2025 at 3:30PM

510 Wolfe Street in Old Town (courtesy photo)

It’s the end of the week, Alexandria. Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories.

The most-read story this week is about the potential sale of two large Alexandria properties that could settle millions owed to the government by real estate developer and former Connection Newspapers CEO Peter Labovitz.

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America 250 sculpture approved for Alexandria courthouse courtyard

By James Cullum

Published October 24, 2025 at 1:15PM

A rendering of the America 250 sculpture that will be erected in front of the Alexandria courthouse in Old Town (via City of Alexandria)

Sandy Williams IV’s proposal for an art installation in Alexandria to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence was approved this week by the city’s Commission for the Arts.

The work, entitled “10:00,” will feature 600 limestone rulers stacked into a 40-inch-by-48-inch-by-50-inch box. Williams has calculated that if you walk at a pace of 1 mile per hour, you cover 17.6 inches every second. Every ruler in the piece will be 17.6 inches long, and Williams says that it takes about 10 minutes (600 seconds) to read the Declaration.

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Alexandria City Council hosting town hall Nov. 5

By James Cullum

Published October 23, 2025 at 4:45PM

The Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center at 1108 Jefferson Street in Old Town (via Google Maps)

The Alexandria City Council will host a town hall meeting on Nov. 5 (Wednesday) at the Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center (1108 Jefferson Street) in Old Town.

“Members of the Alexandria City Council will be present to speak about the issues impacting you and your family. You can also get the latest news on upcoming projects and initiatives in Alexandria,” the city said in a release.

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City postpones Lee Street repaving to preserve Halloween tradition

By James Cullum

Published October 23, 2025 at 3:00PM

Beetlejuice and Lydia at Halloween on Lee Street in Old Town, Oct. 31, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Halloween will not be interrupted by repaving on S. Lee Street in Old Town.

Residents of Lee Street received a letter from the city today (Oct. 23) advising that all of S. Lee Street would be repaved from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3. Despite a plan for work crews to wrap up daily by 3 p.m., the repaving work would have coincided with the annual Halloween celebration on the roadway, which is attended by thousands of people every year. Now, the city has confirmed to ALXnow that the repaving will be rescheduled to the following week.

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Alexandria mom of four reinvents herself with virtual assistant company

By James Cullum

Published October 22, 2025 at 5:30PM

Gabriela Bell, CEO of Organized Q in Old Town (courtesy photo)

Nowadays it’s as if Gabriela Bell needs her own virtual assistant.

In 2016, the Alexandria-based mother of four kids was getting divorced from a 20-year marriage and needed extra income. As a military spouse, she tapped into her experience working as a virtual assistant and marketed herself as a cost-saving option for small businesses. The following year, she founded Organized Q virtual assistant services, scaling up incrementally until the pandemic in 2020 brought a wave of unexpected business.

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City to discuss proposed improvements to Powhatan Park in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published October 22, 2025 at 4:30PM

Powhatan Park at 1010 Douglas Street in Old Town (via Google Maps)

Alexandria is hosting an open house next month to discuss proposed improvements to a park in the northeast area of Old Town.

Plans to redevelop the 1.5-acre Powhatan Park (1010 Douglas Street) have been in the works for more than a decade. At 11 a.m. on Nov. 1 (Saturday), the city will host the event at the park to discuss three redevelopment options of “medium” importance — creating an ADA-compliant plaza with an entrance at the end of Douglas Street, repaving pathways ,and installing a shade structure and game tables.

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BAR holding work session tonight on City Hall and Market Square renovation

By James Cullum

Published October 22, 2025 at 1:45PM

Proposed aerial view of the City Hall and Market Square renovation (via City of Alexandria)

The Alexandria Board of Architectural Review (BAR) is conducting a work session tonight (Oct. 22) to discuss the certificate of appropriateness for the City Hall, Market Square, and parking garage renovation project.

The BAR approved demolition plans for the project last week, although it deferred the design approvals. The work session was scheduled after last week’s meeting, and city planners are operating on a tight schedule, hoping to break ground in the second quarter of 2026 with a completion goal of 2028, according to the city.

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TD Bank relocates to King Street, grand opening set for Saturday

By James Cullum

Published October 21, 2025 at 6:45PM | Updated October 26, 2025 at 2:10AM

TD Bank rendering at 515 King Street (via City of Alexandria)

TD Bank will reopen at its new location at 525 King Street in Old Town on Saturday (Oct. 25).

The bank is relocating from 119 S. Washington Street, and the grand opening at the new location on King Street will include brief comments from bank leadership, refreshments from neighbor Tatte Cafe and Bakery (535 King Street), a dog treadmill from The Dog Park (705 King Street), caricatures, and live music.

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Report: Alexandria real estate developer files bankruptcy, faces federal takeover of properties

By James Cullum

Published October 21, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated October 26, 2025 at 2:06AM

510 Wolfe Street in Old Town (courtesy photo)

The sale of two large Alexandria properties could settle millions owed to the government by real estate developer and former Connection Newspapers CEO Peter Labovitz, according to a report from the Washington Business Journal.

Similarly, if ALXNow hears anything from the DOJ or other governmental entities pursuing a case against Mr. Labovitz, and they happen to mention 1700 Diagonal, please inform them that he has no interests in that building and tell them to contact me at any of the contact methods in my below signature. I am more than happy to clear up any confusion.