The final community meeting about a proposal to add lights to multiple athletic fields is coming up later this month.
The City Council has approved funding for lighting of two athletic fields, pending the permit approval process, with other locations open for consideration down the road.
Alexandria Metro riders will be cut off from the rest of the system starting next Saturday (Sept. 10), the start of a series of Metro closures planned through early next year.
The worst of it for Alexandrians will be the stretch from Sept. 10 through Oct. 22 as WMATA works to bring the new Potomac Yard Metro station in line with the rest of the system. After that, the Yellow Line Tunnel connecting the Pentagon station to L’Enfant Plaza will be closed for repairs until spring 2023.
Developer Stonebridge has filed for plans to demolish the Victory Center (5001 Eisenhower Avenue) but is facing pushback from city staff that would rather see the existing building converted.
The Stonebridge proposal would see the long-vacant office building replaced with townhouses, similar to the new development just west of the building.
Several vacancies have popped up across a dozen of Alexandria’ various boards and commissions — bodies that ultimately help to shape the future of the city.
Some of those boards have more sway than others, like the Board of Architectural Review or the Waterfront Commission.
One of the very first stories on ALXnow discussed — maybe too snarkily in hindsight — the distinction between the City of Alexandria and the areas of Fairfax south of Cameron Run sometimes referred to as Alexandria.
This past week, two businesses opening this month — a cannabis dispensary and a metal supermarket — identified themselves as “Alexandria” branches of their respective chains despite the fact that both are opening in Fairfax.
The pandemic brought on several temporary changes to make life easier on locals, from individuals to businesses, but with things somewhat normalizing the city is starting to put some of those cats back into the bag.
In 2020, the city relaxed its restrictions on King Street restaurants utilizing the sidewalks for outdoor dining. The move was part of an effort to try and mitigate the health and economic impacts of the pandemic by giving customers space to distance themselves from one another.
The City of Alexandria said the results from traffic changes piloted on Duke Street earlier this year were promising, with the city starting to plan out Phase 2 next month.
The pilot changed signal timing, adding green time on Duke Street and Quaker Lane from 4-6 p.m. to encourage drivers to stay on the arterial roads.
Alexandria’s birthday celebration was this past weekend, and the annual holiday wouldn’t be complete without a somewhat petty post noting that the City of Alexandria predates the United States.
It was the city’s 273rd birthday, recognized as July 10, with the country’s more obscure 246th birthday being placed around July 4.
Earlier this week, Alexandria’s City Council approved two major steps forward for plans to redevelop an abandoned power plant at the north end of Old Town’s waterfront.
The project faced some pushback from tenants and worker unions and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), but ultimately the city voted to approve a master plan amendment for the site and a coordinated development district (CDD) to encompass the project. The master plan amendment was unanimously approved, but the CDD was approved in a 6-1 vote with Council Member Alyia Gaskins voting against it.
Alexandria’s City Council recently approved guidelines for the creation of new Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), self-taxed commercial areas where a new organization could be dedicated to turning the area into a commercial destination.
The approval comes five years after a proposed BID in Old Town divided local businesses and was ultimately sent back to the drawing board by the City Council.
Auxiliary housing hasn’t taken off like the City of Alexandria hoped, but city staff are hopeful loosening some restrictions — including parking — could kick the housing type into gear.
The goal is to provide a boost to market-rate affordable housing which has been in freefall in Alexandria for years. While auxiliary housing hasn’t been as widespread as city officials might have hoped, a staff report prepared for an upcoming Planning Commission indicated that city staff are hopeful that eliminating parking requirements for auxiliary housing in “enhanced transit areas” could incentivize more commercial property owners to add residential units.
