poll

Opinion

Poll: Should Alexandria eliminate parking requirements for auxiliary housing units?

By Vernon Miles
Street parking on Main Line Boulevard in Potomac Yard (staff photo by James Cullum)

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.

Go to Poll: Should Alexandria eliminate parking requirements for auxiliary housing units? Read more
Opinion

Poll: Is increased car travel time on Duke Street an acceptable trade for better transit?

By Vernon Miles
Duke Street near Landmark and Cameron Run (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Updated 10:45 p.m. — The question should read “increased car travel time” rather than reduced.

Alexandria is in the process of planning an overhaul to Duke Street, and while part of the project goal is improved transit

Go to Poll: Is increased car travel time on Duke Street an acceptable trade for better transit? Read more
Opinion

Poll: Have you been impacted by Alexandria-Arlington bridge closures?

By Vernon Miles
West Glebe Road Bridge (photo via Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services)

Like a parachute, a bridge is one of those things you want to be able to rely on, but some of the crossings between Alexandria and Arlington have gotten to such a rough shape that one is now closed to vehicles for at least a year.

The poor state of the West Glebe Road bridge is so well known that federal and state officials from different political parties came together to tour the scene and marvel at the disrepair.

Go to Poll: Have you been impacted by Alexandria-Arlington bridge closures? Read more
Opinion

Poll: Have you ridden DASH since the pandemic started?

By Vernon Miles
A DASH bus on King Street in Old Town Alexandria

DASH has been on a roll recently with a variety of factors conspiring to push the bus service up to 300,000 total boardings in March, a 73% increase over ridership last fall.

Some of that’s thanks to changes within the DASH bus system: like eliminating fares and shifting toward a system that prioritizes frequent service in high-density corridors.

Go to Poll: Have you ridden DASH since the pandemic started? Read more
Opinion

Poll: How closely do you follow Alexandria’s budget process?

By Vernon Miles
Money on a table (staff photo via Vernon Miles/ALXnow)

Budget season is Christmas for local policy wonks with every week providing insight into where the city is and isn’t investing in its future. But municipal budgets can also be a famously boring topic.

The annual budget can include some insight into the city’s priorities. This year, for instance, the budget finally includes funding for a police body camera program after being proposed as far back as 2015.

Go to Poll: How closely do you follow Alexandria’s budget process? Read more
Opinion

Poll: Should Alexandria start reducing more speed limits?

By Vernon Miles
Traffic near the George Washington Masonic Memorial during a storm (staff photo by James Cullum)

This weekend, Alexandria’s City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that allows the city manager to further reduce speed limits. But should he?

The ordinance allows the city manager to “reduce posted speed limits to less than 25 miles per hour, but not less than 15 miles per hour on any city street located in a business or residence district.” The measure was supported by speakers at the City Council meeting and endorsed whole-heartedly by the Council, but the reaction online has been more mixed.

Go to Poll: Should Alexandria start reducing more speed limits? Read more
Opinion

Poll: What do you think of the new Waterfront Park art project?

By Vernon Miles
I Love You park design, via City of Alexandria

A new art project coming to Waterfront Park later this month is bringing a splash of pink to Old Town.

The project by Miami artists Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt was proposed last year and the city announced it will be officially unveiled on Friday, March 25.

Go to Poll: What do you think of the new Waterfront Park art project? Read more
Opinion

Poll: Have you attended any Alexandria parades since the pandemic started?

By Vernon Miles
American Legion Alexandria Post 24 marches in the George Washington Birthday Parade in Old Town, Feb. 21, 2022. (staff photo by James Cullum)

President’s Day in Alexandria was marked with the return of an annual parade celebrating George Washington’s birthday.

Parades are something of a fixture in Alexandria, from the (now delayed) St. Patrick’s Day parade to the Scottish Christmas Walk.

Go to Poll: Have you attended any Alexandria parades since the pandemic started? Read more
Opinion

Poll: Are you happy with the City Manager’s proposed budget?

By Vernon Miles

Alexandria’s new City Manager James Parajon presented his proposed budget last night to the City Council. While real estate property assessments are still pushing local tax bills up, there’s no tax rate increase proposed in the budget.

The budget is $829.9 million, or a 7% increase from the previous year’s budget. The budget increase is largely funded by the increase in assessments revenue, which comes out to an average $445 increase for the average Alexandria homeowner.

Go to Poll: Are you happy with the City Manager’s proposed budget? Read more
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