Council Member Elections

Alexandria’s Failed Experiment with Wards

Del Ray forced a ward system on Old Town. It didn’t end well.

Del Ray was furious. The Alexandria City Council was dominated by members from Old Town, and they took action in the interest of Old Town. People in Del Ray felt neglected and unheard. The elected members of council did not include one single solitary member from their neighborhood, and so people there were demanding the city abandon its at-large system of representation on the City Council and adopt a ward system similar to the one the city had before adopting the city manager form of government.

Al Fresco Pandemic

Restaurants eye parking lots and sidewalks as potential outdoor dining spots.

In normal times, the parking lot behind the Del Ray Cafe gives the restaurant a competitive advantage. Drivers can turn off East Howell Avenue and pull into one of the dozen spaces behind the 1925 house that’s been repurposed into a thriving restaurant. These days, the parking lot is giving the restaurant a different competitive advantage, one that nobody saw coming a few months ago.

Potomac Yard: Before and After

Transforming a suburban strip mall into an Innovation District.

The strip mall at Potomac Yard is a placeholder, a temporary solution to a thorny question about the relationship between density and traffic.

A Tale of Two Neighborhoods

Del Ray has more voters than Old Town, and it carries more clout.

Del Ray can boast that it’s the center of power in Alexandria, the home of both Mayor Justin Wilson and Sheriff Dana Lawhorne. Old Town, on the other hand, doesn’t have as many voters or as much clout.