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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Alexandria City Council will hold its monthly public hearing on Saturday, May 16, at 9:30 a.m., with a contested Braddock Road bike lane appeal headlining a docket that also covers a new Old Town Pool, several city property leases and a slate of zoning changes.
The meeting will be held at City Council Chambers inside the Del Pepper Community Resource Center at 4850 Mark Center Drive, with electronic participation available via Zoom webinar.
The marquee item is an appeal of the Traffic and Parking Board's Feb. 23 decision recommending roadway design changes as part of the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements Project. The board voted 6-0 in February to approve protected bike lanes and parking removal along the corridor, a decision that has drawn appeals from opponents. Saturday's hearing is the first opportunity for the council to weigh in on the project's design.
Ryan Belmore
Earlier in the meeting, the council will take up a consent docket of seven items eligible for a single roll-call vote.
Among them is a Development Special Use Permit for the demolition and reconstruction of the Old Town Pool at 1609 Cameron Street, a project filed by the city's Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities. The Planning Commission has recommended approval 7-0.
The council will also consider an extension of a previously approved Development Special Use Permit for a multi-unit residential building at 5050 Mark Center Drive, filed by Mark Center Residential LLC and represented by attorney Ken Wire. The Planning Commission recommended approval 7-0.
Two ordinances will receive second reading and final passage. The first implements zoning text amendments approved by the council in April that update definitions and use limitations for accessory live entertainment, limited live entertainment, outdoor health and athletic clubs, fitness studios and restaurants. The amendments would also allow temporary trailers for compulsory public and private academic schools as a permitted use and add day care as a permitted use under section 4-702. The second ordinance amends sections of the city code governing the placement of merchandise on sidewalks and street encroachments.
The consent docket also includes three property agreements. The council will consider a new lease with Casa Chirilagua for the city-owned community building at 4109 Mount Vernon Ave., a three-year license renewal with the Alexandria Boxing Club for its facility at Charles Houston Recreation Center and a three-year lease renewal with Child and Family Network Centers at the Leonard "Chick" Armstrong Recreation Center at 25 West Reed Ave.
The meeting will open with proclamations recognizing Emergency Medical Services Week and Mental Health Awareness Month.
A handful of items appear on the docket for information only. A subdivision request at 411 Clifford Ave., which would re-subdivide an existing lot into two with a floor area ratio variation, was approved 7-0 by the Planning Commission and is on the docket as information only unless appealed. Two Planning Commission deferrals also appear for information: a Special Use Permit request at 404 A East Alexandria Ave. to build a single-unit dwelling on a vacant substandard lot without public street frontage, and a Zoning Text Amendment to establish regulations for beekeeping as an accessory use.
Public comment will be received at the meeting. The first 15 speakers during the public discussion period will be heard at the start of the meeting, with any remaining speakers heard at the conclusion of docketed items. Those wishing to address the council can register through the city's Speaker Sign-Up form, and written comments can be emailed to the city clerk at CouncilComment@alexandriava.gov.
The meeting will be webcast live on government channel 70 and the city's website. The Zoom webinar ID is 980 8777 5841 with passcode 263198, and registration is available through the city's website. A dial-in option is available at 301-715-8592.
