Table of Contents
Good morning, Alexandria.
Three groups of residents have appealed the Russell Road decision to City Council, and the petitions the city clerk released to me Wednesday show they don't agree on much beyond the process. Only one asks the council to actually do something. No hearing date is set.
Busy Wednesday evening around the city, and I made it to all three stops. Cameron Cafe opened its Art in Every Space display with six local artists and a wine tasting. The Del Ray Business Association handed the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria a $10,511 check at Continues. And at Ms. Moxie's Moon Shop, Councilwoman Sandy Marks marked Women's Equality Day and the 106th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, with Mayor Alyia Gaskins and state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker there too.
One heads-up: storms move in after 2 p.m., and some could be severe.
Here's what you need to know for Thursday, Aug. 27.
1️⃣ Three appeals filed on Russell Road decision; no hearing date set
Three separate groups of residents have appealed the transportation director's Russell Road decision to City Council, according to petitions the city clerk released to me Wednesday. Two came in Aug. 18, the third on Aug. 24, the deadline. Each carries more than the 25 signatures city code requires. No hearing date is set.
All three challenge Director Leah Riley's Aug. 7 pick of "Alternative C" — the design she chose after the Traffic and Parking Board voted for deeper parking removals than staff had recommended — and all three argue the process didn't allow for meaningful community input. Past that, they split. Only one, from John Leary of the 400 block, asks the council to do anything specific: set aside Alternative C, go back to the original staff plan, and require future changes on Russell Road to run through the community process and the board first.
The other two object without prescribing. Langley and Estabrook take issue with the loading zone placement and the median island dimensions, and endorse the staff recommendation. Pegram and Lopez list nine separate decisions under appeal, including parking the city wants to add. The appeals put the design and the parking removals — things the department has treated as settled — in front of the council.
2️⃣ Del Ray Business Association presents $10,511 to Scholarship Fund of Alexandria
The bar crawl paid off. Proceeds from this month's sixth annual Bands & Brews went to the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria on Wednesday night — $10,511, handed over at the Del Ray Business Association's happy hour at Continues Arcade.
"You actually really change the trajectory of people's lives," DRBA President Lauren Fisher told the fund's staff. The organization has awarded more than $24 million since 1986 and sent more than 5,700 Alexandria students to college. It started with just over $7,000 split among eight students. Last year it gave out $1.6 million to more than 400 ACHS graduates.
Board chair Kevin Jahns said the crawl did something money can't: it put the fund in front of people who'd never heard of it. Every scholarship application, he noted, gets read by three volunteers. The fund is also the beneficiary of Run! Geek! Run!, the 5K set for Sept. 27. As Fisher put it: "So from drinking to running, we're helping kids and their futures."
3️⃣ From $167,000 to $2.9 million: Homes sold in Alexandria last week
Twenty-one homes closed last week at an average of $925,276 — the busiest week since late July and the highest average in the six weeks I've tracked this. But the average hides what actually happened. Six homes sold above $1 million, 10 sold below $500,000, and only five landed anywhere in between.
The top two finished $10,000 apart. A renovated 1974 Colonial on North Quaker Lane in Malvern Hill went for $2,945,000, with 6,502 square feet on nearly half an acre. A four-bedroom on North West Street in Brooks Estate sold for $2,935,000 — but at 3,100 square feet, that works out to $947 per square foot, the steepest rate I've recorded.
Sellers gave up more ground than the week before. The 17 sales with listing histories closed at 97.3% of their original asking price, down from 98.5%. Time on market told the story: every home that sold within 40 days got at least 98.5% of its opening price, and all eight that took more than 90 days sold below it. The worst gap was a one-bedroom at Wapleton, listed at $245,000 in April and sold for $195,000 after 113 days.
In brief
A 39-year-old man reported missing early Wednesday has been found safe, Alexandria police said Wednesday evening. (The Brief)
Reminder: The School Board meets at 6 p.m. today, going into closed session to consider superintendent candidates and voting in open session on a $1.1 million budget revision for staff bonuses. Also on the agenda is a resolution placing Ryan Belmore (me) on the Virginia School Boards Association's 2026 Media Honor Roll. I had no part in the nomination and am noting it here for disclosure. (The Brief)
Junction Bistro, Bar & Bakery will close its Chevy Chase, Maryland, location after Friday, leaving the Del Ray original as the company's only remaining restaurant. (The Brief)
Alexandria schools are helping combat invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay by serving it to students. (News4 Washington)
Car tax payments are due Oct. 5. The city accepts them online, by phone, by mail, in person at 4850 Mark Center Drive or through a 24-hour drop box at 100 N. Pitt St. (City of Alexandria)
Vendor applications are still open for Patrick Henry Recreation Center’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration, taking place Saturday, October 10. (City of Alexandria)
Virginians can now carry their state-issued driver’s license or identification card on their iPhone or Apple Watch, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles announced Wednesday in Richmond. (Virginia Mercury)
Sports
Connor Norby hit a grand slam, Troy Johnston, Cole Carrigg and Hunter Goodman had two-run homers, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Washington Nationals 13-1 on Wednesday night. (The Brief)
Today in Alexandria
⛅ Weather
Today: Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89 degrees. South wind 6 to 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 50%.
Tonight: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 11 p.m., then scattered showers between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Some of the storms could be severe. Patchy fog after 1 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 70 degrees. South wind around 5 mph, becoming calm in the evening. The chance of precipitation is 50%.
🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 6:32 a.m., sunset at 7:46 p.m. 13 hours & 13 minutes of sun.
High tide at 8:33 a.m. & 8:59 p.m. Low tide at 2:28 a.m. & 3:05 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Gibbous.
🗓️ Things To Do
- 3 p.m.: Old Town North Farmers’ Market at 901 North Royal St.
- 4 p.m.: Meet The Maker with new cidermaker Jay Coulter at Lost Boy Cider
🎶 Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Mike Kelley & Friends at 9 p.m.
- Alexandria Bier Garden: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Aslin ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Atlas ALX: Bingo at 7 p.m.
- Blackwall Hitch: Steel drums at 5:30 p.m.
- Evening Star Cafe: The Maysuns in the No. 9 Lounge at 8:30 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Ken Kilpatrick Trio at 6 p.m.
- Lena's: Dave Manley & Mauricio Miranda at Havana 151 at 6 p.m.
- Lost Boy Cider: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Rook Richards & Pat Garvey at 8:30 p.m.
- O'Shaughnessy's Pub: Oasis Tribute Band at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.
🏛️ City & Schools
City Gov.: Open | Flag: Half Staff | Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste: On Time
- 6 a.m.: Chinquapin Pool open
- 1 p.m.: City Council Subcommittee on Personnel meeting at Del Pepper Community Resource Center
- 2 p.m.: Commission for Women executive board meeting (virtual)
- 4 p.m.: Commission on Aging health committee monthly meeting (virtual)
- 4:30 p.m.: Warwick Pool open
- 4:30 p.m.: Old Town Pool open
- 6 p.m.: ACPS School Board Meeting at the School Board Meeting Room
📚 Alexandria Library
- All day: Alexandria Library: A Legacy of Service Since 1937 at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 10 a.m.: Inova blood drive at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 11 a.m.: Line Dancing 101 at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- Noon: Line Dancing 201 at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 2 p.m.: American Style Mahjong at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 2 p.m.: Miss Marple mystery author talk with Lucy Foley at Virtual
- 3 p.m.: Handcraft Crafternoon at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 6 p.m.: Dungeons and Dragons Adult Group A at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Gang Awareness Training at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 6 p.m.: Nerdy Knotters at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
⚾ Sports
DC Sports
- 1:05 p.m.: Colorado Rockies at Washington Nationals
- 10 p.m.: Washington Mystics at Phoenix Mercury
ACHS Titans
- 7:30 p.m.: Field hockey (girls) at Wakefield
- Varsity only. Full schedule, including JV and freshman.
On this day in Alexandria's history
On Aug. 27, 1948, the Alexandria Citizens Band gave a concert outside Maury School to celebrate its first prize honors at the Virginia State Firemen’s Convention days before. The band had previously won top honors at the competition several times. (Historic Alexandria)
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Publisher: Ryan Belmore, an Alexandria resident, journalist, and neighbor. Send news, tips, and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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