Seminary Road | ALXnow

Local Facebook Watchdog Former Administrator Bill Rossello Announces Run for City Council

Published February 18, 2021 at 1:45PM | Updated March 1, 2021 at 11:53AM

(Updated at 12:15 p.m. on 2/25/21) Bill Rossello, one of the early members and administrators of the 2,200-member-strong Bring Integrity Back to Alexandria Facebook group, has announced that he will be running for City Council in the June 8 Democratic primary.

Rossello, who works as principal at Greenhouse Consulting LLC according to his LinkedIn profile, has been active in neighborhood advocacy for a few years, but said in earlier interviews that the Seminary Road debate was when he really threw himself into it.

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Morning Notes

By Vernon Miles

Published December 1, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated December 1, 2020 at 9:24AM

WMATA Considers Closing Two Alexandria Metro Stations — “The 19 stations that could face closure include those that are within one mile of other stations and those that are seeing the lowest usage. In Alexandria, that means the Eisenhower Station and Van Dorn Street station are on the list.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

Local Program Supports Artists With Disabilities — “Coletta Collections, an artisan program for people with disabilities, is helping Alexandrians celebrate the holidays safely and sincerely.” [Zebra]

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published October 16, 2020 at 9:00AM

Seminary Road Sidewalk to Remain Incomplete — “VDOT denies Alexandria’s grant request for the $1 million sidewalk.” [Alexandria Living]

Alexandria Now Has 4,077 Cases of COVID-19 — “The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Alexandria is now 4,077, including 73 fatalities. Detailed data, including data on age, race and ethnicity, is available through links at alexandriava.gov/Coronavirus.” [City of Alexandria]

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published June 10, 2020 at 9:00AM

Beyer Supports Justice In Policing Act — “George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and too many others should still be alive today, and the fact that they are not is a deep injustice that should outrage us all. We need reform now. I’m an original cosponsor of the #JusticeInPolicing Act, and look forward to helping pass it soon.” [Twitter]

Mayors and Chairs in Northern Virginia Decry Systemic Racism — “As the Mayors and Chairs of Northern Virginia, we raise our collective voices on behalf of the more than 2.5 million residents of our region to express our sorrow for the decades of injustices that have befallen the African American community in America.” [Gazette]

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Citation of Seminary Road Protest Sign Being Appealed Next Week

By Vernon Miles

Published June 1, 2020 at 3:30PM | Updated June 1, 2020 at 4:56PM

(Updated 4:55 p.m.) With coronavirus, national outrage over police violence against black Americans, and a host of other issues taking center stage in 2020, the debate over Seminary Road that dominated discussions last year got pushed to the back burner, but the issue is making a small comeback at a Board of Zoning Appeals meeting next week.

A sign saying “Take Back Seminary Road #JustinsTrafficJam” was prominently displayed at 1420 Key Drive but has been cited by the city as being in violation of zoning ordinances. An appeal of that citation is scheduled for review at the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting on Monday, June 8.

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Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Published February 24, 2020 at 8:00AM

The Mount Vernon Trail (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Fire Officials Deny Seminary Road Political Pressure — “The AFD representatives… pushed back on allegations that the city had strong-armed the fire department into supporting a certain stance. ‘No one is going to force me… to put people in harm’s way – the first responders or the people that we’re charged to protect,’ Smedley said. ‘That’s my number one goal, and that goal can be accomplished with however many lanes are on the roadway, as long as certain measures are in place. If that is being jeopardized, I will dig in hard.'” [Alexandria Times]

Resident: New Seminary Road is an Improvement — “As someone who lives on a small cul-de-sac off of Seminary Road, I am a daily user of Seminary Road. I use the road several times every day as either a driver, walker, cyclist, or simply as a resident. The new Seminary Road is beneficial to me and to my neighborhood. We are able to live with greater safety no matter how we use the road. We are people who live here — not just drive through to some other location.” [Gazette Packet]

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Morning Notes

By ALXnow.com

Published February 19, 2020 at 8:00AM

Old Town Theater Sign May Be Removed — “The Board of Architectural Review is set to consider allowing the removal and relocation of the Old Town Theater sign and other exterior changes as the space is set to become a Patagonia retail store. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Council Chamber at Alexandria City Hall.” [Patch]

APD Investigates Gunshots in Landmark — “The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a ‘shots fired’ call for service in the 200 block of South Whiting Street. Expect police activity in the area.” [Twitter]

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Anti-Seminary Road Facebook Group Rebranded to Tackle Citywide Issues

By James Cullum

Published February 18, 2020 at 3:15PM

After months of activism over the much-maligned Seminary Road Diet, the Facebook group dedicated to opposing the lane reduction has rebranded itself and broadened its focus.

On Sunday, the Alexandria Residents Against the Seminary Road Diet Facebook group was renamed “Bring Integrity Back to Alexandria! End Seminary Rd Diet & Other Bad Ideas.”

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City’s Seminary Road Traffic Data Shows Only Small Increase in Wait Times

By James Cullum

Published February 12, 2020 at 2:45PM | Updated February 12, 2020 at 10:22PM

Traffic along Seminary Road (Photo via Alexandria Residents Against the Seminary Road Diet/Facebook)

Seminary Road has experienced some delays since the city implemented the contentious “road diet” last fall, Alexandria officials acknowledged at a Tuesday night city council meeting.

After months of pressure from an extremely vocal group of city residents on Facebook, council members peppered staff with questions about the road diet — a reduction of a 0.9 mile stretch of Seminary Road between N. Quaker Lane and Howard Street from four to two lanes, plus the addition of bike lanes on both sides, a center turn lane, crosswalks and medians.

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Hal Hardaway: New Online Activist Groups Good For Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published February 10, 2020 at 3:35PM | Updated February 12, 2020 at 11:52PM

Don’t worry. Even though Hal Hardaway just closed on a house in Williamsburg, he’ll still be around half the time.

If you don’t know the 70-year-old Hardaway by sight, you might know his famous garage, or the emails the Old Town resident sends to more than 1,000 people on a daily basis railing about the Alexandria waterfront or videos he shares of electric scooter violators.

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Some People Like the Seminary Road Diet, Actually

By James Cullum

Published February 5, 2020 at 3:30PM | Updated February 6, 2020 at 11:49AM

Nicole Radshaw is all in favor of the much-maligned Seminary Road diet.

Three years ago on Halloween, the Seminary Valley resident was hit by a driver as she biked to work at a preschool on Seminary Road. Radshaw didn’t break any bones, but her bike was totaled, she spent a year in physical therapy, and saw a counselor to help deal with the trauma and anxiety of being hit by a car.