Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Virginia's Supreme Court agrees to hear appeal to a Circuit Court decision on the city's waterfront plan and related zoning issue.
The Virginia Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal to an Alexandria Circuit Court decision on the city’s waterfront redevelopment plans. Three women who live near the city’s riverside — April Burke, Beth Gibney and Marie Kux — had sought to invalidate City Council’s 5-2 adoption of its waterfront small area plan and its accompanying zoning change that would allow development such as hotels. They say council must adopt a zoning change by a supermajority or 6-1 vote because a required number of property owners who live within 300 feet of the waterfront areas being rezoned signed petitions protesting the change. Old Town waterfront property owners attempted to file such documentation, but it initially was deemed not properly filed. …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Dismissal allows Virtue Feed & Grain to proceed with building a deck in the alley, if it desires.
The Alexandria Circuit Court has dismissed the Old Dominion Boat Club’s dispute over Wales Alley, allowing Virtue Feed & Grain to lease and expand the area for outdoor dining. “We are certainly disappointed in the Circuit Court’s dismissal of this case,” said Miles Holtzman, president of the Old Dominion Boat Club. “It is distressing that a court—any court—would allow a government to take private property and allow it to be used by another private owner.” Mayor Bill Euille praised the ruling for "providing clarity of property rights for the site for the city to do as it sees fit. ...The court says the alley belongs to the City of Alexandria. "It's time to put these things behind us and move forward on the future of the waterfront …
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Old Town resident Michael Peck is pleased with the Alexandria Circuit Court's decision on Wednesday.
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
Letter To The Editor: The people who play by the rules won an important legal battle against a predatory and rapacious city government Wednesday. In a valiant neighborhood-wide effort to defend basic property rights against the Mayor’s hidden eminent domain agenda, to ensure open city-wide resident access to as much of Alexandria’s waterfront as possible, and to push back against arbitrarily increasing ecologically and community destructive density to the benefit of special outside developer interests threatening those who live in what has become “waterfront harm’s way,” Wednesday’s court ruling by the Honorable Nolan Dawkins gives cause for hope. Judge Dawkins denied the Burke Respondents' Motion to Strike the City of Alexandria's Second …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Former Alexandria City Councilman David Speck will finish out Rob Krupicka's term, which ends on Jan. 1, 2013.
David Speck is the appointee to fill the vacancy on Alexandria City Council, he told Patch on Thursday afternoon. The vacancy was created on Sept. 11 when Rob Krupicka resigned from City Council following his election to the House of Delegates. Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Lisa Kemler made the appointment. He will take the oath of office Thursday and will be on the dais this evening for council’s second legislative meeting of month. Speck will serve out the remainder of Krupicka's term, which ends on Jan. 1, 2013. Speck served on council from 1991 to 1994 as a Republican. He switched parties in 1995 and served as a Democrat from 1996 to 2003. A longtime Alexandria resident, Speck is a managing director of investments with the Speck-…
Monday, September 17, 2012
Alexandria Circuit Court seeks to fill Council seat temporarily.
The Alexandria Circuit Court is asking anyone who seeks to fill the council vacancy left by the resignation of City Councilman Rob Krupicka to notify it by Sept. 25. Krupicka recently was elected to represent Virginia's 45th District, which includes parts of Alexandria as well as neighborhoods in Arlington and Fairfax countie. "In the event the judges of the Circuit Court desire to follow up in person with any such applicant, the applicant shall be contacted about scheduling an interview," reads the notice on the City of Alexandria's website. "It is the intention of the Court to appoint an individual who does not have an interest in seeking a permanent position on Council." Submit letters either via email to diane.fiske@alexandriava.gov or…
38.80485
-77.04531
520 King St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/wanted-one-city-council-member
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Rob Krupicka's victory Tuesday creates a hole on Alexandria City Council.
Delegate-elect Rob Krupicka is expected to call Virginia Speaker of the House Bill Howell on Wednesday to determine when he will be sworn in as representative to the 45th District. That decision is ultimately the governor’s, and it will set off an interesting couple of months for Alexandria City Councilman Krupicka and the City of Alexandria. “I am going to talk to as many people as I can [before heading to Richmond]. I’m going to do more listening than talking,” Krupicka said Tuesday night at his victory party at Fireflies. “It’s a small time to put together a legislative agenda.” Krupicka has to resign from City Council and the State Board of Education before being sworn in to his new job, which must take place within 30 days of Tuesday’…
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Court dismisses complaint without ability to refile.
The Alexandria Circuit Court on Friday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the legality and substance of the city’s waterfront small area plan and its affiliated language that would allow zoning changes along the riverside. City residents Michael Peck and Elizabeth Baldwin filed suit in February, claiming that the waterfront plan approved by City Council was “arbitrary and capricious” and constituted “illegal spot zoning.” City Council passed the plan in January. The Circuit Court dismissed the complaint without the ability to refile, finding that the record of proceedings leading up to the approval of the plan made it clear as a matter of law that the council had considered and weighed all of the issues that the plaintiffs said were not …
Monday, May 21, 2012
Board of Zoning Appeals members say they are uncomfortable having no legal counsel or city legal counsel after city appeals BZA decision to Alexandria Circuit Court.
Alexandria’s Board of Zoning Appeals is requesting that City Council give it an outside lawyer who could advise the body on matters relating to the city’s appeal of the BZA’s decision on the waterfront petition. The BZA in April sided with a group of citizens who appealed the city planning director’s decision to reject their petition asking that the riverside area near their homes not be rezoned allowing development such as hotels. In turn, the city filed a suit in Alexandria Circuit Court, asking it to reconsider the BZA’s ruling. The case was filed as City Council for the City of Alexandria and Faroll Hamer, Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Alexandria v. the City of Alexandria Board of Zoning Appeals and April Burke and …
Monday, May 14, 2012
City says Board of Zoning Appeals failed to understand essential underpinnings of the law.
The city has filed suit in Alexandria Circuit Court to express it disagrees with the decision of its Board of Zoning Appeals for overturning a ruling by Alexandria’s planning director who determined a citizens’ petition was invalid. The BZA in April ruled in favor of citizens who had asked it to reconsider a ruling by Planning and Zoning Director Faroll Hamer. She ruled as invalid their petition requesting the city not rezone some waterfront land near their homes, allowing more and different development like hotels. Mayor Bill Euille said the city would appeal the BZA’s decision because “it could have implications on future land use decisions throughout the city.” He commented during Saturday’s general City Council public hearing that in …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
April Burke, Marie Kux and Beth Gibney ask state's high court to take their case after Alexandria Circuit Court dismissed it.
Three citizens are asking the Virginia Supreme Court to reconsider the Alexandria Circuit Court’s dismissal of their lawsuit. The lawsuit requests that the circuit court overturn the city’s denial of a petition that would have required City Council to pass the waterfront plan by a supermajority. "The Iron Ladies," as their supporters call them, are April Burke, Beth Gibney and Marie Kux. The Circuit Court decided in March that “in order for the court to grant relief requested by the plaintiffs, it would first have to required the Director to accept the plaintiffs appeal as properly filed. ...The writ does not grant the authority to require an official to undo an act that is already done.” Roy Shannon, the plaintiff’s attorney, told Patch …
paul
2:18 pm on Thursday, November 8, 2012
Sounds like a plan OT. It will be interesting to see how all this will unfold now that we have the new council. more ›