Alexandria City Council will vote Tuesday on permanently closing the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic, following a pilot program that drew overwhelming public support.
The ordinance, which will receive its first reading at Tuesday’s meeting, would make the closure permanent beginning Oct. 1. A public hearing and final vote are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13.
We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at our most-read stories this week.
Our top story is on a new speakeasy Bar 86 opening next month at Café du Soleil (215 S. Union Street) in Old Town. The Tiki bar has been in development for a year, and is the work of owner Chef Samuel Darlo and consultants Jacob Sunny and Kelvin Sone.
A new speakeasy is opening next month in Alexandria.
After a year in development, Bar 86 will open next month at Café du Soleil. The Tiki bar is the work of owner Chef Samuel Darlo and consultants Jacob Sunny and Kelvin Sone, the latter two having recently finished work at the new Madam Coco Emporium at 115 S. Royal Street.
A proposal for an office-to-residential conversion in Old Town is heading to the Alexandria Planning Commission.
The two-building offices at 601 Wythe Street is home to the American Water Federation, which bought the property in 1985, according to city records. Now AWF wants to convert the five-story commercial complex into a mixed-use property residential apartments. The proposal will go to the Planning Commission on Oct. 9 (Thursday).
The owners of a historic townhouse in Old Town with ground floor retail want to expand the property with a 700-square-foot addition and use it as their primary residence.
Plans to redevelop 107 N. Fairfax Street will head to the Planning Commission on Thursday, Oct. 9. The four-story townhouse was built in 1800, and is located in the city’s Old and Historic District. It’s located directly across from City Hall (301 King Street), and the first floor is home to dessert and coffee shop Dolci Gelati.
There’s a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 12 for a new audiologist (ear doctor) office in Old Town.
Northern Virginia Audiology Doctors formally opened their Alexandria Hearing Studio (918 Prince Street) to the public at the end of July. They will hold a ribbon cutting on Friday, Sept. 13, from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m.
Old Town Sandwich shop will reopen soon after undergoing a two-week interior renovation.
The longstanding business at 127 S. Peyton Street closed for interior work on Friday, Aug. 22, and will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 2, according to a note left on the front door.
There’s a new Vietnamese coffee and bubble tea shop in Old Town.
Last month, Bloom Tea formally opened its doors to the public at 425 S. Washington Street. Getting city approval, renovating the space, and opening took more than two years.
An Alexandria-based frozen custard shop has been announced in the fifth-annual American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation‘s “Backing Small Historic Restaurants program.”
Goodies Frozen Custard & Treats is situated in a historic ice house at 200 Commerce Street in Old Town and is one of four local businesses to receive the $50,000 grant.
It’s been an intense week in Alexandria. Here’s a look at our top stories.
Our most-read story is on a woman found dead outside her apartment during an eviction process on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office reported on social media that deputies were conducting an eviction at an apartment at 400 Madison Street at around 9 a.m., when they found the adult woman dead outside the building. The woman’s identity and the circumstances surrounding her death have not been released.
More than a dozen current and former Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA) tenants protested unfair treatment from their landlord at ARHA headquarters (401 Wythe Street) Wednesday, Aug. 20.
The protestors held signs and shouted at ARHA CEO Erik Johnson and his staff. Johnson, who made a statement addressing resident concerns last week, told ALXnow that he inherited the organization’s problems when he started the job 11 months ago. He also acknowledged that residents have faced challenges, including delayed rental payments from ARHA to landlords, paperwork backlogs, caseworker abandonment, and more.
