It was a fast week in Alexandria! Welcome to ALXnow’s Friday recap of top stories.
This week started as the city cleaned up from last Friday’s damaging storm that knocked over trees, closed roads and disrupted power for thousands. Our top story was on the report of a suspected car thief who ended up in the hospital with serious injuries after a high-speed chase ended in a crash early Monday morning.
A covered patio and plaza venue are planned for the proposed pump station at Alexandria’s Waterfront Park.
The city’s proposal to combat flooding in Old Town will close Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park from the fall of 2026 until the fall of 2028 to rebuild segments of the sea wall and install a pump station to recirculate water in flood-prone areas back to the Potomac River. The pump station plans are heading to the Board of Architectural Review on June 5.
Good Thursday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 5 p.m. Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 80 degrees. Southwest wind 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%.
City officials are preparing to showcase updated designs for the ongoing Waterfront Flood Mitigation Project at a series of public meetings scheduled throughout May and June.
Residents will have multiple opportunities to view and learn about the latest plans for protecting key areas, including Point Lumley Park, Waterfront Park, and the King Street waterfront area, starting with a presentation to the Board of Architectural Review on May 7th.
The City of Alexandria wants Betsey and H.J. Rosenbaum to know that there will still be a botanical garden built in their honor at Point Lumley Park, despite not being included in site concept plans.
The Rosenbaum family has lived near the waterfront for decades, and several years ago, the couple bequeathed $2.5 million to the city to build the garden at the park. They were surprised, however, when they saw new concept designs published by ALXnow that didn’t include a botanical garden. The plans are headed to the city’s Board of Architectural Review on May 7.
Redevelopment plans for Point Lumley Park on the Alexandria waterfront are heading to the Board of Architectural Review.
The BAR will review the first concept for a reimagined Point Lumley Park at its meeting on Wednesday, May 7. The city plans to close Point Lumley Park and Waterfront Park from fall 2026 to fall 2028 to rebuild segments of the seawall.
We made it to Friday in Alexandria! Here’s a look at our top stories of the week.
Our top post was on the plan to close Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park for two years. It’s part of the city’s efforts to fight flooding by rebuilding sections of sea wall and installing a pump station to recirculate floodwaters to the Potomac River.
Alexandria’s Waterfront Park will showcase a new art installation in 2026.
Artist Alicia Eggert was chosen on Tuesday (April 15) by the Alexandria Commission For The Arts to bring her vision for the public art installation “Site See: New Views in Old Town” to life.
A sweeping plan to redevelop two popular parks on the Alexandria waterfront is heading into the city review process.
Waterfront Park (1 Prince Street) and Point Lumley Park (1 Duke Street) in Old Town flood frequently. The city wants to close both parks from the fall of 2026 until the fall of 2028 to rebuild segments of the sea wall and install a pumping station to recirculate floodwaters back to the Potomac River.
It’s no good to raise the elevation of Alexandria’s waterfront along the Potomac if it means the flood water that does get over the top just gets stuck inside that barrier. The solution: a new pumping station that city staff would help “drain the bathtub.”
The proposed pumping station is part of an extensive plan to fix flooding at the end of King Street, where high tides regularly turn the area around the Torpedo Factory into a Venetian canal system (complete with boats).
It was quite a weekend in Alexandria.
Alexandria’s Scottish Christmas Walk weekend started Friday (Dec. 6), where hundreds attended the decadent annual Taste of Scotland fundraiser for the Campagna Center at The Atrium building in Old Town.
