The Alexandria Brief: Wednesday, March 25

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Wednesday, March 25.

City Council wrapped up a marathon session last night that ran for roughly 4.5 hours. Below are two stories from the meeting: the city's new direction on waterfront flood mitigation following the feds' blockage of the pump station plan, and a detailed after-action report on Winter Storm Fern.

During the meeting, City Council unanimously approved two funding measures to advance construction of the Naja Apartments, the final building in the Glebe-Mount Vernon affordable housing redevelopment in Arlandria. Council approved a $4 million Housing Opportunities Fund loan and a $400,000 Housing Trust Fund grant to Housing Alexandria, the city's affordable housing nonprofit, to finance construction and provide rental subsidies for eight units at the 79-unit building.

More coverage from the meeting will be coming throughout the day.

Tonight: Council holds its final budget work session before add-delete begins, reviewing the $190 million "Accountable, Effective & Well-Managed Government" functional area. 7 p.m. at Del Pepper.

Here's what you need to know today.

1️⃣ City Council signals support for scaled-back waterfront flood plan as costs balloon and federal roadblock holds

City Council moved forward with staff's recommendation to further evaluate option 3 (City of Alexandria).

With the Trump administration's National Park Service standing firm against the city's decade-in-the-making pump station plan, Alexandria City Council signaled Tuesday night that it is ready to move forward with a less expensive — and less comprehensive — approach to waterfront flood mitigation, directing staff to advance a redesigned gravity-based system for a formal scope decision in June.

The guidance came after a detailed presentation from Matthew Landes, the city's waterfront flood mitigation project manager and a portfolio manager in the Department of Project Implementation. Landes laid out four options for the project's future and recommended that the council direct staff to further develop Option 3, an enhanced gravity storm sewer system that would eliminate sunny-day flooding and provide river flood protection up to a defined elevation — but would not fully protect against projected sea level rise and would leave the door open for a pump station at a later date.

Mayor Alyia Gaskins made the council's direction explicit at the close of the discussion and asked staff to return in June with tighter cost figures, information on backup portable pump options, and a stakeholder engagement plan. No vote was taken; Tuesday's session was guidance only.

Read more

2️⃣ Alexandria's Winter Storm Fern response cost $9.6 million and took 19 days. Here's what the city is changing.

ALEXANDRIA, VA- JANUARY 25: A pedestrian crosses Dangerfield Road as winter storm Fern hits the region on Sunday January 25, 2026 in Alexandria, VA. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Nearly two months after Winter Storm Fern brought Alexandria to a standstill, city officials presented a formal after-action report to City Council on Tuesday night, detailing a response that cost $9.6 million, involved nearly 500 city and contract workers, and stretched across 19 consecutive days of around-the-clock operations — and laying out a series of changes the city says it will make before the next major storm.

Emily Baker, deputy city manager and interim director of Transportation and Environmental Services, and Marc Barbiere, the city's emergency manager, led the presentation. Baker opened with a frank summary of the event's scale and complexity: "This event was of historic nature," she told council. "You couldn't get a shovel and clear your sidewalk. We couldn't use a regular plow and clear the street."

Read more

3️⃣ City Council schedules May 16 hearing on Braddock Road appeal as opposition organizing intensifies

A sign placed on Braddock road opposed the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

City Council will hold a public hearing on Saturday, May 16 on an appeal challenging the Traffic and Parking Board's decision to approve bike lanes and parking removal on Braddock Road, as opposition organizing intensifies with yard signs, a second church joining the effort, and an online petition that has grown to 936 signatures.

The hearing is tentatively scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center, according to the city's project website updated Tuesday. The hearing will be part of the City Council's regularly scheduled monthly public hearing meeting.

Opponents filed an appeal on March 6 with 53 signatures—28 more than the 25 required under city code to trigger a Council review. The Traffic and Parking Board voted 6-0 on February 24 to approve the project after a six-hour hearing where approximately 37 speakers supported the project, and 29 opposed it.

Read more

📰 In brief

Metro proposes closing the Braddock Road Kiss & Ride to make way for development. (The Alexandria Brief)

City Council holds its sixth FY 2027 budget work session tonight, turning to the departments that keep city government running — from the City Attorney's office and Finance Department to Information Technology Services and the Office of Voter Registration and Elections. (The Alexandria Brief)

The city is hosting a virtual public meeting tonight on the Beauregard Trail Feasibility Study, covering options to extend the current trail roughly 1.5 miles north from Fillmore Avenue along North Beauregard Street to the Fairfax County border. (The Alexandria Brief)

The city has published its first Six-Month Look-Ahead, a public dashboard tracking dozens of initiatives underway across city departments as part of the FY2026–2028 Strategic Plan. (The Alexandria Brief)

The Arbor Day Foundation has named Alexandria a 2025 Tree City USA, recognizing the city's urban forestry program. (The Alexandria Brief)

Helen S. McIlvaine, director of the Office of Housing, will retire April 30 after two decades with the city. (The Alexandria Brief)

A pedestrian was killed on the northbound lanes of I-395 on Tuesday morning when a driver hit them and drove away. (WUSA9)

Alexandria City High School’s new Construction and Carpentry class is forced to share space with Titan Robotics. Sans proper support, both groups struggle to work within their limited shared classroom space. (Theogony)

Alexandria Fire Department responded to a high-rise fire in the 2800 Block of Telek Place early Tuesday morning. Crews located and extinguished a kitchen fire on the 22nd floor. The fire was contained by the sprinkler system to just the kitchen of one apartment. (Alexandria Firefighters/Facebook)

Alexandria Police recently celebrated School Crossing Guard Reed, who served the city for more than 52 years. (Alexandria Police/Instagram)

As of March 23, 3,139 residents have voted early in person for the April 21 Special Election, and 10,007 have requested mail-in ballots. Early voting continues today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 132 N Royal Street. (City of Alexandria)

Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Partly sunny, with a high near 60 degrees. Mostly cloudy tonight, with a low around 48 degrees.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 7:03 a.m., sunset at 7:24 p.m. 12 hours & 21 minutes of sun. High tide at 1:56 a.m. and 2:05 p.m. Low tide at 8:11 a.m. and 9:22 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Crescent.

🗓️ Things To Do

6:30 p.m.: Sushi & Cider at Lost Boy Cider
7 p.m.: Murphy’s Run Club at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub
7 p.m. Women's History Month Trivia Night, a fundraiser for Alexandria Celebrates Women, at Continues

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project at 9 p.m.
Atlas Brew Works: Bingo at 7 p.m.
Evening Star Cafe: Britton James at 6 p.m.
Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Pete Chauvette at 6 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Kenny Kohlhaas at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Birchmere: Peter Rowan & Sam Grisman Project playing music from Old & In The Way and more at 7:30 p.m.
The Light Horse: Trivia at 7 p.m.

🏛️ City & Schools

6 a.m.: Chinquapin Open at Chinquapin
9 a.m.: Walk In Wednesday Hiring Event — Alexandria Police Department
2 p.m.: Alexandria Community Policy & Management Team
6 p.m.: Minnie Howard Open at Minnie Howard
6 p.m.: Tax Time is Here! File for Free! — free tax prep for eligible residents
7 p.m.: Budget Work Session #6: Accountable & Effective Government
7 p.m.: Beauregard Trail Feasibility Study Virtual Meeting
7 p.m.: ACPS Special Education Advisory Committee

📚 Alexandria Library

10:30 a.m.: Stitcher's Space at Burke Branch Library
10:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Beatley Central Library
11 a.m.: Just Babies at Barrett Branch Library
11:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Beatley Central Library
1:30 p.m.: Jewelry Making Workshop at Burke Branch Library
4:30 p.m.: Where She Grows - A Plant Swap at Beatley Central Library
5 p.m.: Spitfire Club at Duncan Branch Library
5:30 p.m.: English Language Learning Workshop at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: The America 250 Book Club at Local History/Special Collections
6 p.m.: DIY Pressed Flower Bouquet at Duncan Branch Library
6 p.m.: Sew a Softie AND Knit Nite! at Beatley Central Library
6:30 p.m.: What Is a Cinematic Book at Barrett Branch Library
6:30 p.m.: English Language Learning at Duncan Branch Library
7 p.m.: Romance Book Club (virtual)

Independent local journalism, funded by the community it serves.

Support The Alexandria Brief