Wednesday, May 15, 2013
City Council has many questions and little recourse when it comes to railroad company's request to expand operations.
Alexandria City Council members lamented Norfolk Southern's request to double the number of rail cars offloaded per day at its ethanol transloading facility in the West End at Tuesday night’s meeting at City Hall. Earlier this year, 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 needs an air quality permit to expand the scale of operations at the facility at 1000 S. Van Dorn St. Council unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday expressing its opposition to the issuance of a permit because of “increased air emissions” and requesting an informational meeting and separate …
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, April 13, 2013
Alexandria Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg casts the lone dissenting vote; residents asked for more affordable housing.
The Alexandria City Council paved the way for large-scale redevelopment of the Beauregard corridor on Saturday by approving rezoning to implement the Beauregard Small Area Plan, with Vice Mayor Allison Silberberg casting the lone dissenting vote. Silberberg argued that the plan, which calls for the city to subsidize the rent for 800 units of long-term committed affordable housing, didn’t provide enough affordable housing given the displacement of thousands of low- to moderate-income residents to make way for upscale condos and apartments. Nine people spoke in favor of providing more affordable housing in the Beauregard plan during a public hearing before the council vote. Meadowbrook Apartments resident Veronica Calzada broke down sobbing…
Monday, February 11, 2013
Alexandria City Public Schools' board sends a letter to Gov. Bob McDonnell saying proposed legislation would harm a local school.
Members of the Alexandria City School Board sent a letter to the state governor opposing legislation they say would usurp their power and adversely affect Jefferson-Houston School. Additionally, they requested a meeting in Richmond with Gov. Bob McDonnell to discuss the matter. The board late last week said while it welcomes the governor’s efforts to “improve education at Virginia public schools, including advancing educational achievement at the lowest performing school…we strongly oppose the Opportunity Educational Institution legislation.” The measure, which the Senate and House have adopted “will not produce the results we all want,” they wrote. State Del. Rob Krupicka (D-45), a former Alexandria city councilman and ex-member of the …
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Attendees will also receive an update on recent crimes in the Del Ray area.
Monday’s membership meeting of the Del Ray Citizens Association will feature an in-depth look at Alexandria’s municipal budget. The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at Mount Vernon Community School, will feature a panel of three budget experts—City Councilman Tim Lovain, John Renner, chair of council’s Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee, and Alexandria Budget Director Nelsie Smith. The three panelists will answer questions about what exactly is happening with your tax dollars. Monday’s meeting will also feature an update from the Alexandria Police Department on a recent uptick in crime in the Del Ray area. On Jan. 21, a laptop, iPad and cash were stolen in a nighttime break-in at The Happy Tart bakery on Mount Vernon Avenue. The …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Recommendation expected to come in March.
A decision to construct a right-hand turn lane on southbound Route 1 onto E. Reed Avenue could be right around the corner. City Council addressed the issue on Saturday when it approved a new affordable housing complex at the intersection. Interested in getting Del Ray Patch directly into your inbox each morning? Learn more about our daily newsletter. “I think that right-hand turn lane study should be completed expeditiously and constructed expeditiously,” Councilman Tim Lovain said. “I’ve thought for years there should be a right-hand turn lane coming south on Route 1.” Currently, a third lane on the southbound side of Route 1 ends just before the intersection with Reed, causing congestion during peak hours. Dozens of residents of the E. …
Monday, November 5, 2012
Alexandrian Paul Friedman says City Councilman Frank Fannon is a nice guy, but should not be re-elected.
- OPINION
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Monday, November 5, 2012
I have met City Councilman Frank Fannon and he is a nice guy. Unfortunately, he should not be taking up one of just six precious seats on our City Council. Frank actively opposes the interests of the people of Alexandria and should not be re-elected. While there are many, I offer three reasons. First, Frank has opposed funding needed to build and maintain the public schools we need. Second, Frank actually called for cutting a million dollars from our education budget in order to spend more money for the Alexandria Pipe and Drum Corps. No offense to the corps, but children should be our community’s highest priority. Third, even though Alexandrians had long been united in their desire to see the Mirant/GenOn plant close as quickly as …
Friday, November 2, 2012
Alexandria resident Linda Couture questions the Sierra Club's endorsement of four Democratic candidates for City Council.
- OPINION
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Friday, November 2, 2012
To the Editor: Are you kidding me! That was my reaction when I read the Sierra Club’s endorsements of four of the Democrat candidates for Alexandria’s election: Del Pepper, Tim Lovain, Justin Wilson and Paul Smedberg. That being said, this is actually not a laughing matter at all. These are the very four folks who did nothing to prevent the BRAC from being built in the Seminary area requiring hundreds of mature trees to be sacrificed and replaced by cars and noxious fumes arising from congestion. Obviously these “environmentalists” misuse the term “smart growth.” Smedberg and Pepper also voted for the Beauregard plan that again will cause the loss of hundreds and hundreds of beautiful and mature trees as well as destruction of the bucolic…
Monday, October 22, 2012
The group is supporting John Taylor Chapman, Tim Lovain, Del Pepper, Paul Smedberg, Justin Wilson and Bob Wood in their bids to win a seat this November.
The Mount Vernon Group of the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed six candidates running for a seat on the Alexandria City Council in the November election: Democrats John Chapman, Tim Lovain, Del Pepper, Paul Smedberg, Justin Wilson and Republican Bob Wood. The environmental advocacy group made its endorsements after reviewing candidates’ answers to club questionnaires and interviews with members of its executive committee. The club said it makes its endorsements on a nonpartisan basis. The review included an evaluation of each candidate’s environmental record and “ability to run a viable campaign,” according to the Sierra Club. The questionnaire considered candidate views of top environmental priorities for the city; complex…
Thursday, October 11, 2012
At a City Council candidate forum in Old Town on Wednesday night, the first question asked was predictably about the city's plans to develop its riverside.
The issue of riverside redevelopment saw some lively debate at a forum attended largely by Old Town residents and hosted by the Old Town Civic Association at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy on Wednesday night. Candidates debated citizen engagement and the possibility of rezoning some portions of the city’s waterfront to allow hotels. The city in January passed a plan to redevelop its waterfront, but it has not approved a proposed zoning change permitting development such as hotels there. “I would not rezone the waterfront. You do not need to rezone to gain amenities,” said Republican candidate Bob Wood, who lives near the city’s riverside. “Council can exercise leadership over the process,” adding that council members shouldn’t constantly…
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Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy
530 S Saint Asaph St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/old-town-debate-tackles-waterfront-redevelopment
2007558
/locations/7995827
Leslie Hagan
9:26 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Perhaps, as much as I hate the pollution and chance of a really terrible accident at the site, at least Council is getting a taste of how citizens who live in development zones in the City feel when they try to deal with Council, staff, or the Planning Commission. I guess it is too much to hope that Council might learn something here. more ›