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Alexandria: Transitway Plan Branches Out
Council approves West End Transitway after argument over tree canopy.
If all goes as planned, implementation is still four years away, but the West End Transitway took a step forward at the March 29 meeting with the City Council unanimously voting in support of guidance for the planning of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route between the Van Dorn Metro Station and the Pentagon.
Alexandria: Make Eisenhower Great Again
City Manager Mark Jinks lays out plans for Eisenhower area.
While the city makes adjustments to local transit and fosters more cultural activities in the Carlyle and Eisenhower area, there’s been no word yet on the biggest issue affecting the Eisenhower Valley: whether or not the Transportation Safety Administration will move into the long-vacant Victory Center. At the March 10 meeting of the Eisenhower Partnership, City Manager Mark Jinks said that the city’s been hearing that they’ll find out whether or not Alexandria will be the new TSA home “any day now” since a judge voided the contract in November 2015.
Hometown Jams in Alexandria
Acclaimed Alexandria musician returns home for concert honoring Black History Month.
Outrage Over Traffic Calming
Using congestion to slow traffic
Traffic is slower on King Street. That was part of the city’s Complete Streets goal; to slow vehicular speeds on the stretch of road between T.C. Williams High School and the Masonic Temple.

Alexandria: School Redistricting Forums Begin
Reading between the lines.
After 17 years of static school lines, Alexandria City Public Schools is making motions to begin the process of redistricting. By the start of the 2018 school year, new school lines that incorporate two new schools and other expansion projects will cause shifts in school populations across the city.

Mother of Light
Homeless assistance center faces unwelcome reception.
The social services with ties to a religious community in Falls Church was opening a center in Del Ray aimed at providing basic necessities for homeless Alexandrians. But the new center came into conflict with its Del Ray neighbors over a variety of issues, some of which were practical concerns shared by members of the City Council.

Alexandria Brief: Gateway to Affordable Housing
Currently a strip mall, the 5.3 acre site at the corner of Beauregard and King streets could soon become part of Alexandria’s push to regain affordable housing units.

Alexandria: Ethics Pledge Passes
Limited Code of Conduct and ethics reform.
For now, the Ethics Pledge battle is over. City Council received the Code of Conduct revisions and the proposed Ethics Pledge at its May 18 meeting, to be reviewed and to determine the next steps. But while Mayor Allison Silberberg had struggled for months to get reform pushed through opposition on the council, there was one last surprise: passing it.

Jefferson Site: From Rejection to Approval
County decision ends year-long fight over traffic congestion and park space.
At its first 2015 meeting in January, the Arlington County Board voted not to approve Arlington Public Schools’ (APS) plan to build a new elementary school adjacent to the Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
Neighborhood Outlook: A Snapshot of Upcoming Arlington Developments
New developments are springing up in Arlington.
City Manager Presents Disheartening Property Assessment
Slow-growing tax base to affect city budget.
While the city’s residential tax base shows modest growth, acting City Manager Mark Jinks says the commercial sector has remained stagnant.

Alexandria: Fighting Fires Without Firefighters
Fire Station 210: No firefighters until 2016?
Fire Station 210 is one of the newest and nicest buildings around the Van Dorn Metro area. It is full three-story building with four operation bays and a training tower. Except it doesn’t have any firefighters. Currently the facility is staffed by emergency medical technicians. Acting City Manager Mark Jinks said that, while the original plan was to have the facility be fully staffed by the end of 2015, “that process could be pushed back to the end of 2016.”
Alexandria: Key Witness Opens Severance Trial
Prosecution begins arguments.
Nancy Dunning, a real estate agent in Del Ray and wife of an Alexandria Sheriff.