Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Beginning in May, residents will see more tree trimming along city streets.
For the next few months, City of Alexandria residents will see increased activity along many city streets associated with the implementation of the city’s Urban Forestry Master Plan. The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities is launching a proactive tree maintenance program to enhance its efforts to prune dead or broken limbs from trees, and to remove hazardous trees where necessary. Roadways covered by this work plan include King Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Mt. Vernon Avenue, U.S. Route 1, Washington Street and several thoroughfares in Warwick Village. Overhanging limbs and leaning trees along South Van Dorn Street and Timber Branch Parkway also will receive trimming. Watch the short video of tree trimming at Peyton and…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
WMATA's North Old Town bus depot starts to see movement in the transit authority's efforts to move it to Fairfax County.
Plans to move the Metro bus depot from North Old Town to Fairfax County are once again underway after several years of litigation appear to have come to a close. The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) has been planning to move the depot, but a lawsuit by a homeowners association in Fairfax County clogged its progress. The case was ruled in favor of moving the depot, but the decision was appealed. In mid-April, the Virginia Supreme Court made a ruling allowing the bus depot to proceed with moving from its prime real estate location in one of the most expensive parts of Alexandria. Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille said he’s pleased that the depot will be moving from Old Town as he’s been advocating for that since he joined WMATA’s…
Monday, May 13, 2013
Mayor Bill Euille says there is a chance to fix an issue caused by a misunderstanding between city staff and council during the budget approval process.
Alexandria City Council eliminated the mechanism of set-aside funding for affordable housing and open space acquisition when it adopted its fiscal year 2014 budget last week in a move that is being chalked up to miscommunication between city staff and council. • See: Alexandria, Your Average Tax Bill Is Increasing $314 “If this was a misunderstanding or miscommunication, we still have a chance to go back and fix it,” Mayor Bill Euille said Friday. “We’ll have more conversations about this at Tuesday’s meeting.” The city takes a percentage of the real estate tax rate for both affordable housing and open space funds. Throughout budget work sessions, some councilmembers expressed a desire to move away from dedicated funding mechanisms, …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
The city and the developers of the Harris Teeter Development project are hosting a community meeting to discuss changes on Montgomery Street.
Learn about upcoming improvements to Montgomery Park in North Old Town as part of the Harris Teeter Development Project. The public is invited to attend an informational meeting May 22 at 7 p.m. It will be held onsite - rain or shine - at the Montgomery Park gazebo, 901 N. Royal St. The purpose of the meeting is to provide residents the opportunity to learn about upcoming improvements that are being funded and constructed by Buchanan Partners, who are the developers for the Harris Teeter Development project. City staff and the developer will be available to answer questions. Featured park improvements include realignment and expansion of the existing dog park, new dog park site furnishings, tree plantings and a new park access from Fairfax…
Friday, May 10, 2013
Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille says Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli's tax plan would have negative impacts on local government.
Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille criticized Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli’s tax plan Wednesday in a release from the Democratic Party of Virginia, saying it would hurt “Virginia’s strong reputation for fiscal management.” “Ken Cuccinelli’s tax plan is not a plan at all,” Euille said. “It is an unrealistic ideological proposal that would have serious negative impacts on local government, including Alexandria.” Under Cuccinelli’s “Economic Growth and Virginia Job Plan” proposal, the income tax rate would drop from 5.75 percent to 5 percent over four years starting in 2014, and the corporate income tax rate would drop from 6 percent to 4 percent, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. From The RTD: Cuccinelli said roughly …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Alexandria Planning Commission OKs proposal to raze market to build a four-townhome development named after Kate Middleton.
The days are numbered for the Royal Market, as a plan to raze the Old Town convenience store and an adjacent shuttered laundromat and replace them with a group of residential structures with a similarly regal name has received the go-ahead. Alexandria’s Planning Commission approved plans Tuesday for The Middleton, a row of four, three-story townhomes named after the duchess of Cambridge because of its location at the corner of Royal and Princess streets. Applicants Scott Mitchell and J. Lawrence Hirsch plan to consolidate the market and the laundromat parcels, then subdivide the new larger parcel into a site plan for four homes. The streetscape will be restored with sidewalks and street trees. According to the planning staff’s report on …
Richmond representatives to discuss upcoming changes to state laws.
The Alexandria Democratic Committee will host a 2013 legislative review session with the five elected officials who represent Alexandria in the Virginia State Capitol on Tuesday, May 14, at George Washington Middle School on Mount Vernon Avenue. State Sens. Dick Saslaw (D-35th), George Barker (D-39th) and Adam Ebbin (D-30th) along with Dels. Charniele Herring (D-46th) and Rob Krupicka (D-45th) will discuss the 2013 session and upcoming changes to state laws. Attendees will also be given an opportunity “to talk to their elected officials about what’s important to them and the local community,” according to a press release. Saslaw is the leading Democrat in the Senate, while Herring is the House Minority Whip. The event is scheduled to …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Norfolk Southern is seeking a state permit to increase offloading from 14 to 30 rail cars per day at its Alexandria facility.
Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille said Tuesday he plans to do everything within his power to oppose Norfolk Southern's request to double the number of rail cars offloaded per day at its ethanol transfer facility near the Van Dorn Street Metro station. Norfolk Southern filed for a permit with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to increase offloading from the current 14 rail cars to 30 cars per day. Increased emissions under the plan mean Norfolk Southern will need an air quality permit to expand the scale of operations at the facility at 1000 S. Van Dorn St. Euille said he plans to bring a resolution before City Council next month opposing any expansion, then meet with Norfolk Southern and Virginia environmental officials to make …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Virginia Republican Party will nominate candidates during a convention in two weeks, and some experts have weighed in on the system.
When Virginia’s Republican Party made a last-minute decision to nominate candidates for the 2013 election in a convention instead of a primary, it prompted Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to withdraw his name from the race for governor. The move made Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s current attorney general, the GOP’s de facto nominee for governor. He's expected to be officially nominated during the Virginia Republican Convention May 17 and 18 in Richmond. (See our guide to the convention right here.) See Also: Poll: Does the Virginia GOP Convention Represent True Democracy? Bolling said he dropped out of the race because he didn’t agree with the convention system, arguing that it made the nomination exlusionary. “Conventions are by their very nature …
Alexandria facility has had spills in the past.
City Manager Rashad Young is criticizing a request from Norfolk Southern for a permit to increase the number of rail cars containing ethanol that can be offloaded at its Alexandria facility. In a letter to the director of the Northern Regional Office, Thomas Faha, Young said the city has “longstanding serious concerns about the operations at this facility. This proposed expansion would undoubtedly increase the risks from the facility and raise the concerns from the community.” Alexandria City Council and community leaders received the request Monday afternoon from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Norfolk Southern wants to increase the offloading rail cars from the current 14 cars to 30 cars per day, according to a city …
OT insider
8:24 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
This (like the Harris Teeter site) is one of those head scratchers where I don't see how anyone who lives in OT North and deals with this every day has any other opinion than this is a great change. This site is a horrible, pollution-producing eyesore. I lived a half a block away from it for 14 years and always hoped this day would finally come. I can certainly see how some would debate retail vs… more ›