Daily Brief: Wednesday, November 19
Alexandria School Board weighs competing capacity needs in $340M capital budget; Firefighters rescue unconscious person from 14th-floor apartment fire on Duke Street
Good morning, Alexandria. I’m Ryan Belmore, founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief.
Today’s newsletter includes a three-part series on affordable housing: the plan, the terminology, and solutions journalism on what’s working elsewhere. This is the community-focused approach I’m building—making complex issues accessible and examining proven solutions.
Here’s what you need to know for Wednesday, November 19.
Essentials
Weather: Occasional drizzle before 8 a.m. Patchy fog between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 53 degrees. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Mostly cloudy tonight, with a low around 40 degrees. Light north wind.
The sun will rise at 6:55 a.m. and set at 4:51 p.m. High tides at 7:39 a.m. and 7:49 p.m. Low tides at 1:51 a.m. and 1:38 p.m. There will be 9 hours and 56 minutes of sun.
For a roundup of events, entertainment, meetings, and more today, visit the link below.
1️⃣ School Board weighs competing capacity needs
Alexandria City Public Schools board members debated Tuesday whether to delay a $105 million elementary school modernization to address immediate middle school overcrowding, as the district’s proposed 10-year capital budget exceeds city guidance by $54.6 million.
The $340.4 million capital improvement program includes $144.7 million in capacity projects, $5 million for leased space renovations and $190.7 million for building maintenance and infrastructure repairs.
2️⃣ Firefighters rescue unconscious person from 14th-floor apartment fire on Duke Street
Alexandria firefighters rescued an unconscious person and extinguished a 14th-floor apartment fire at 5375 Duke Street late Tuesday night, according to the Alexandria Fire Department.
3️⃣ Alexandria proposes 40 strategies to save affordable housing as 400+ units lost yearly
Alexandria unveiled 40 strategies Monday night to preserve affordable housing as the city faces the potential loss of thousands of market-rate units that low- and moderate-income residents can currently afford.
The comprehensive plan includes everything from creating a preservation strike fund and small sites acquisition program to seeking state authority for tenant protections like right of first refusal and just cause eviction requirements. Housing officials presented four case studies—Parkstone, Heritage, Elbert Avenue, and Landmark Towers—showing the city has preserved 1,562 units since 2013 through diverse approaches including acquisition, rehabilitation, and redevelopment.
But with an estimated 400+ market-affordable units lost annually while the city preserves about 130 per year, officials acknowledged the pace needs to accelerate dramatically, requiring both increased local funding and state legislative approval for the most powerful tenant protection tools.
4️⃣ What ‘60% AMI’ and other confusing affordable housing terms actually mean
If you’ve been confused by terms like “60% AMI,” “naturally occurring affordable housing,” or “LIHTC” in affordable housing debates, you’re not alone.
My explainer breaks down the terminology, income limits, and categories that shape Alexandria’s housing policy—from understanding that a family of four earning $109,200 is considered the “median” (half earn more, half earn less) to learning the difference between subsidized affordable housing with rent restrictions and market-rate apartments that happen to be affordable to moderate-income households.
5️⃣ DC preserved 7,700 units in 2024. Alexandria preserved 130. Here’s what it would take to close the gap.
Can affordable housing actually be preserved at scale? Washington, D.C., and San Francisco prove it’s possible—but it requires resources Alexandria hasn’t yet committed. DC deployed $144 million in 2024 alone to preserve 7,700 affordable units through its Housing Preservation Fund, while San Francisco’s Small Sites Program has preserved 843 units with $378 million in total investment.
I examined what worked in both cities (bridge financing, strike funds, small sites acquisitions), what failed (Minneapolis has tried and failed to pass tenant opportunity-to-purchase laws for six years), and what it would cost Alexandria to match their success.
Extra Extra!
The Alexandria Board of Architectural Review will continue its review of the massive City Hall renovation project tonight after board members said on November 5 that they needed more time to evaluate design details, despite praising significant progress made by the design team. (Alexandria Brief)
The City of Alexandria invites community members to a pop-up event at the West Alexandria Transit Center today from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to discuss the planning and design process for the permanent Transit Center structure that will be integrated into the redevelopment of the former Landmark Mall site. The Transit Center is open for service while staff gather community input on the final design. (City of Alexandria)
End of government shutdown brings about uncertainty in Alexandria (Theogony)
The City is also inviting the public to their first Community Open House for the Duke Street Land Use Plan on Wednesday, December 10. The Open House will include interactive stations and the opportunity for community members to engage with Staff about specific opportunities they see on the corridor, weigh in on proposed corridor themes, and learn about the planning process. (City of Alexandria)
Join the Alexandria Sister Cities Committee at Buzz Bakeshop on Sunday, November 23 to learn about Swedish Coffee culture (fika)! (City of Alexandria)
New Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin made a surprise appearance on Tuesday at the Board of Visitors meeting in Alexandria. (Sports Illustrated)
Alexandria City Council is seeking applicants to fill board and commission vacancies. Council will act on these vacancies at the December 9, City Council meeting. All applicants must complete an electronic application via the City’s website at boards.alexandriava.gov/application no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 29, 2025. (City of Alexandria)