Coalition seeks $43,000 in two weeks to fund appeal of Alexandria zoning ruling
Group says total litigation costs have reached $252,000
The Coalition for a Livable Alexandria is seeking to raise at least $43,000 within the next two weeks to preserve the possibility of appealing a circuit court ruling that upheld the city’s elimination of single-family zoning protections.
In fundraising emails sent to supporters, the coalition said total litigation expenses have reached $252,000, with $86,000 in legal fees still outstanding. The group said it needs to secure at least half of the unpaid balance within two weeks to keep an appeal viable, with the remainder due by year’s end.
“The option to appeal the recent summary judgment will likely come down to whether there is sufficient financial support,” the coalition said.
The coalition did not respond to a request for comment.
Judge H. Thomas Padrick Jr. ruled in the city’s favor on Nov. 12, granting the city’s motion for summary judgment in the lawsuit brought by a group of Alexandria residents challenging the city’s Zoning for Housing initiative.
Court records show the city submitted a draft order on Nov. 17, but the final order has not yet been entered. Under Virginia law, the plaintiffs will have 30 days from the entry of the final order to file a notice of appeal.
The Zoning for Housing initiative, passed unanimously by City Council in November 2023, allows construction of duplexes and buildings with up to four units in neighborhoods previously restricted to single-family homes. The changes also reduced parking requirements.
City officials have said the initiative addresses housing affordability and reverses generational impacts of discriminatory housing policies. Opponents have argued it would increase density, strain infrastructure and fail to create affordable housing.
The coalition also criticized the city’s legal expenses, saying “the city has yet to reveal the legal fees, funded by taxpayers, that were paid to McGuireWoods LLP.”
According to a Freedom of Information Act request obtained by the Alexandria Times earlier this year, the city had spent more than $196,000 on legal fees to McGuireWoods as of late February.
The original lawsuit was filed in January 2024. The coalition was dismissed from the case last year after a judge ruled the organization lacked standing, though individual plaintiffs were allowed to proceed. Four plaintiffs voluntarily withdrew earlier this year, leaving Phylius Burks, David Rainey, Joshua Carias Porto and John E. Craig.