All right, good morning, everyone.

It's nine thirty-two.

We're gonna go ahead and begin our Saturday public hearing.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mayor Gaskins.

Here.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Councilman Aguirre.

Councilman Chapman.

Councilman L newby.

Here.

Councilwoman Green.

Councilman McPhyth.

Here.

All right.

Well, good morning, everyone.

It's so good to see so many people here for the Saturday public hearing.

I do want to take a minute just to remind everyone that the purpose of our meeting is to um conduct the business of the city.

And we encourage and we welcome public participation, but we're also going to make sure that the meeting proceeds in a respectful and orderly manner.

And so just so everyone's on the same page, disruptive behavior, including shouting, repeated interruptions, and or any other conduct that interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting is not permitted.

And if the behavior continues, you may be removed from the meeting.

So we ask that you conduct yourself in a meeting and a manner that allows the meeting to proceed effectively and respectfully for everyone in attendance.

All right, so if I if I count you off, will you start dancing?

It's that we have everybody you look amazing.

All right, I'm gonna start off with the proclamation, and then can somebody raise a hand as to where the microphone should go next for sort of there we go to Chris in the middle.

Beautiful.

All right.

All right.

Well, I'm I'm thrilled to be asked uh to do anything involving dance.

Uh so this is a wonderful morning for you all to be here.

The proclamation reads whereas Alexandria values the vitality and cultural written richness of its small businesses, and sustaining one for 50 years is an extraordinary achievement, reflecting exceptional skill, resilience, and community trust.

And whereas Chris Collins is an extraordinary Alexandrian, a young dancer who discovered his passion early, nurtured it through education, and devoted his life to sharing the joy of dance with generations of children and families.

And whereas Chris founded Chris Collins dance studio in 1975, beginning with a small rented classroom, and his parents, Bill and Ruth Collins, were instrumental from the start.

Bill signing the first lease and assisting behind the scenes, and Ruth serving as the joyful, welcoming front desk presence for decades.

Support without which CCDS could not have succeeded in its early years.

And whereas, in honor of their legacy, Chris presents the annual Ruth and Bill Collins Award of Excellence to a dancer who exemplifies outstanding skill, character, leadership, and kindness.

And whereas Chris married Vicky in April 2001, and she has become an essential part of his CCDS family, making this milestone celebration hers as well.

And whereas throughout its history, the studio has embraced the philosophy that we measure success in smiles, reflecting its belief that joy, confidence, and personal growth are the truest measures of achievement.

And whereas over five decades, CCDS has welcomed thousands of Alexandria children and families, nurturing creativity, discipline, and confidence, and its students have gone on to become accomplished performers, teachers, professionals, parents, and community leaders, shaping generations of extraordinary Alexandrians.

And whereas C C DS, it is a home away from home, where dancers, teachers, and families form a close-knit dance family built on support, mentorship, and lifelong friendship.

And whereas the Chris Collins Dance Company has earned broad recognition, repeatedly named a studio of excellence for kindness and sportsmanship and regularly winning regional and national awards for outstanding dancing, choreography, technique, and performance.

And whereas in June 2026, the studio celebrated its 50th anniversary, showtime production, marking half a century of artistic achievement and community impact.

Now therefore I, Sarah Vagley, on behalf of Aliyah Gaskins, Mayor of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and on behalf of the entire Alexandria City Council, do hereby proclaim December 13th, 2025 as Chris Collins Dance Studio, 50th anniversary day in the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and extend our deepest appreciation to Chris Collins, an extraordinary teacher, mentor, entrepreneur, and community leader, along with his dedicated staff and generous generation generations of dancers and families who have made the studio a beloved and enduring part of Alexandria's cultural fabric.

In witness whereof, I have hereinto set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Alexandria to be affixed this 13th day of December, 2025.

I didn't know I would have to speak, but I'm I'm kind of overwhelmed.

Most of the people, in fact, all of the people on the stage weren't even warm when I opened up.

So 50 years is a long time when we've come a long way.

Thanks to a fabulous staff and our family of students.

It's a great thing to be a part of City of Alexandria.

And we're gonna continue into the future.

Thank you so much for this honor.

We just want to get one.

Justin has a camera.

Oh, oh.

Oh, of course.

Let's do this real quick.

Let's let's actually move the proclamation.

So we're we're photographing the appropriate moment.

Have a seat, sir.

Um that was fun.

Um so Mayor Mayor Gaskins, who I cannot see through this beautiful array of dancers.

Um with with uh the proclamation, and just I just want to add, and anybody who knows me, my love of dance and the joy it brings to people and them and the way it brings generations together.

One of my favorite things is dancing with our senior citizens.

Everybody of all ages and abilities can dance, and I just think it's wonderful what you've done for the community.

So I'm proud to read this, and I'm proud to move this proclamation, Mayor Gaskins.

Okay, with that, there has been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilwoman Green.

Is there any discussion?

Um I will just add, I want to say congratulations again to Chris.

Yes, 50 years is a really long time, but seeing this many people, I think this is the most I've ever seen for a proclamation.

Um it is truly a testament to your legacy and all of the lives that you have impacted and the ways in which you've been able to use your talents and to use dance to inspire our community.

So we celebrate you and we are excited for the future ahead.

So with that, there has been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilwoman Green to move the proclamation.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye, any opposed?

The ayes have it.

Congratulations.

Okay, Madam Clerk, next item.

Presentation of a proclamation for a day to celebrate the legacy of the Alexandria City Hall and Council Chambers.

Okay, if you are here joining us for a proclamation to celebrate the legacy of our City Hall chambers, please come to the front.

I'm going to read this proclamation and hope that one of my colleagues will make a motion to move it.

How are you doing?

I'm on a mute.

Okay, I'm gonna go ahead.

And this will be the last time that we have a council meeting in these chambers.

And so I wanted us to take an opportunity to really reflect on the fact that this isn't just City Hall, this is the People's Hall.

And this is a place where we come together to do important business on behalf of each of you.

It's where you also come to hold us accountable and to tell us the things that we can do to improve your quality of life.

And so I've invited many of our past elected officials to come and join us for this moment as we recognize the importance of this space, but also as we plan and look towards the future and the work that we will continue to do together on behalf of our city.

So I'm gonna read a proclamation and then I'm gonna pass the mic for each person to introduce themselves and say any reflections or comments.

Brief reflections are comment.

Okay.

Whereas, as the center of Alexandria's civic life, City Hall has evolved and been witness to 276 years of public gatherings and local governance.

And whereas City Hall was erected on this site, designated for the market and city hall when Alexandria was founded in 1749.

And whereas its tall steepled tower is a reconstruction of a tower attributed to Benjamin Latrobe that was part of Alexandria's original 1817 town hall.

And whereas the federal style tower contrasts with the building's second empire style edition, designated by Adolf Cloth, a locally prominent architect that brought new life to City Hall after a fire in 1871.

And whereas the buildings over time house the original Alexandria Museum, the Alexandria Washington Masonic Lodge, the courthouse, the city market, and police and fire stations.

And whereas, as we honor the 250th of the nation in 1774, the Fairfax County Resolves were issued from the courthouse, the precursors to what ultimately became the Declaration of Independence, and in 1791, the site of the first boundary stone for the District of Columbia was determined by measuring a line beginning from the steps of this courthouse.

And whereas the billion the building's wicket welcomed um Lafayette when he visited the lodge in 1824 and saw black teenager Joseph McCoy dragged from his jail cell and lynched in 1897.

And whereas by referendum in 1921, an overwhelming majority of Alexandria voters approved the adoption of the council manager form of government going into effect in September 1922, which centralized legislative authority and responsibility in the elected city council.

And whereas, while the precursor to City Council had been meeting here since 1749, City Council called the chamber home in its present configuration by 1961.

And whereas many first in governance occurred here, including Patsy Tyser as the first woman mayor, William Yule as the first black mayor, and most recently the first black woman mayor, Aliyah Gaskins.

And whereas the people of Alexandria have elected a council over the years that reflects the full diversity of our city from ages to backgrounds, including Kanica Girl as Alexandria's first elected Hispanic member, Mohammed Moselfadin as the first elected Muslim member, and Paul Smedberg as the first openly gay member of the LGBT community to serve.

And whereas many important laws were voted on in the chamber to improve the quality of life and of Alexandrians.

Whereas after many years of service, major updates are needed throughout City Hall to repair aging building components, to improve operating systems, to optimize space utilization, to improve the circulation and wayfinding, and to enhance security and facilitate community engagement.

As a result, new chambers will be created for the purpose of conducting city business.

Now, therefore, I, Aliyah Gaskins, mayor of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and on behalf of the Alexandria City Council, do herewide recognize this important space and memorialize the occasion today, December 13th, 2025, as a day to celebrate the legacy of the Alexandria City Hall and Council Chambers in Alexandria, Virginia, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the city of Alexandria to be a fixed this 13th day of December 2025.

With that, I'm gonna turn it over to you.

Thank you, Mayor, and um welcome to current and former colleagues that I worked with for many, many years.

I had the honor and privilege to serve on the city council from 1994 to 2016 and served as the mayor from 2003 to 2016.

And um as a native Alexandria and I'm pleased and proud to be part of the great history, not only here at City Hall, but the history of this fantastic city of Alexandria, Virginia.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much for uh for bringing us all together.

I'm Justin Wilson, had the privilege of serving uh on this uh dais from 0709, and then again from 13 until 24.

Um I had a lot of uh really happy uh moments in this chamber and and some tough times.

Um, but uh, but it's great to celebrate.

And uh and I know we're violating Dell's number one rule, which is that Paul Rob and I are not supposed to be uh close together at any given point.

So let me give it over to Lonnie.

My name's Lonnie Rich.

Uh, served from 1991 to 2000, and uh it was a great time of my life.

Thank you.

My name's Rob Krabika.

I served, I don't even remember the years.

It was 2003 to 2011.

Was that about right?

That's about right.

Okay, that sounds right.

Uh I was a baby.

The thing I remember and I treasure most about this room is that uh in all the chaos of the world, this room represents American democracy.

And this is where everybody of all stripes can come forward and get a seat at the table, and I really treasure that, and I treasure that Alexandria keeps that tradition going.

My name is David Speck.

I served in the House of Delegates from 79 to 82, city council from 91 to 94, 96 to 2003, and then the final gig was 2011 to early 2012.

When I when I replaced him when he went to the House of Delegates.

Good to be here.

Good morning, Paul Smithberg, uh, sir, from 2003 to 2018, I think it was.

Yeah, yeah, that sounds about right.

Uh, just picking up on something that Rob said uh, you know, despite all the debate and everything that goes on in this room at the end of the day, it's really about the community and all the great things that have happened here.

It's because of you all.

So thanks for being here.

My name is Dale Pepper, and uh I agree with above.

And I can't tell you how long I've been on council.

So long they named a building after me.

I've been on council uh for at least 32, 34, 30, 36 years.

Who's counting?

It was fun.

Anyway, I liked it because I like the way that uh the council has close communication with the people they represent, and that is really what's important in this world.

The that the people who are voting and the people who have to uh take the brunt of whatever decision is made here, they're the ones that count.

And I have never forgotten them, and I still love you all.

Andrew McDonald, former vice mayor, native Alexandrian.

I just want to thank the mayor and the council for having this proclamation and just say it was a real pleasure to serve with many people here on the dais.

Uh and I think all of us treasure the fact that citizens can come into rooms like this, express their opinion, we can hear them and listen to them, try to do the best we can, and that's what makes Alexandria such a and uh such a special place, along with obviously its history.

So thank you very much for letting me be part of that process.

Good morning.

I'm Amy Jackson, former vice mayor.

Uh it was a joy to serve um our citizens, our our community.

Uh I served from 2018 to 2024.

Um, I was it was a privilege for me to be uh the first uh female Titan councilwoman and vice mayor in Alexandria of my alma mater uh ACHS.

So we appreciate everything our community does uh to help us make our great decisions, and I appreciate uh the current mayor and council and inviting us also for the memorialization of this space um as we start that reconstruction process, which is gonna be huge.

Okay.

All right, thank you, and thank you, Mayor Gaskins, for his proclamation.

My name's uh Frank Fannon.

I served on the kid city council from 2009 to 2012.

Um two other members of my family serve on the city council, my cousin Mike Jackson during the 1990s, and my uh great-grandfather who was uh Irish immigrant that got to Alexandria in 1860, and he served on the city council 105 years ago, TJ Fannon.

So uh this is a very historic place.

Um, and we're excited for the 250th anniversary of our country next year, and uh in 1999, I served on the 250th anniversary of the City of Alexandria, and that's when I first got involved with uh city life.

And we have a great city, and we look forward to a great future.

It's a heck of an ancestry.

So uh my name is Jim Moran.

I was on the city council from 1979 to 1991, and then had the privilege to continue representing the city of Alexandria in the U.S.

Congress for another 24 years.

Uh I hope we preserve that uh framed picture of all the mayors.

Uh uh lady uh leading up to the more modern ones, but if you look through the uh the decades, you'll see that up until pretty recently, they were all old white entitled men.

No offense to your ancestors.

Um I guess maybe uh I fall into that category, except that I never felt entitled.

I always felt privileged, and I think I share that with all of the folks standing here on the dais as well as the currently elected members.

It's a privilege to be elected to represent the people of Alexandria and to see the progress that has been achieved.

We are an inclusive, diverse, dynamic city, and um we're proud of that.

And uh I'm sure we haven't always made the right decisions, but we've always made them for the right reasons.

Uh and uh I think the future of Alexandria is uh is is bright, and uh we can't wait to see how it unfolds with the current leadership.

So thank you, uh Leah, for giving us the opportunity to uh express our uh our gratitude for having been elected by the people of Alexander.

Thank you, Congressman.

I'm Alison Silverberg.

I had the honor of serving as vice mayor from 2013 to 16, and then as mayor from 2016 to 19.

And I was deeply honored to do that and to serve, and we got a lot accomplished, and I love this room, actually, and love being up here with all with all of you.

Thank you, Mayor Gaskins, and to the council for having us and taking the time.

Um we I think it a lot has been said in the last couple minutes here, and we can't take it for granted.

Democracy is fragile.

And so at the local, state, federal level, we have to continue to engage and listen and work together to build community and to find common ground and to honor the fact that we're a democracy and that citizen engagement that is authentic and real and um and caring can always be a big part of who we are as a city.

And so um, while we do renovate and make this building better in terms of infrastructure, I hope that we also remember how beautiful and historic a landmarket is and and will always uh it is so iconic.

And so it is meaningful to be here this morning.

So thank you.

Thank you so much.

Well, thank you all again for being here, and most importantly, thank you for your service and the ways in which you've shaped our city.

And I just want to give an extra thank you for the lessons you've taught me and the ways you continue to mentor and support me as I figure out how to navigate and continue to move forward the vision of our city.

With that, um, I will turn to my colleagues and see if there is a motion.

Any group approval?

Okay.

There's been a motion by councilman Chapman and a second by Vice Mayor Bagley.

Any discussion?

Uh Councilman Chapman.

I will keep it short.

Um, first and foremost, thank you to everybody up here that has come back to to join us in this last uh meeting of this building.

I think for all of us, um, this particular room holds significant weight because we've had the opportunity to to deal with the issues of the day that face the city, and so uh having the opportunity to engage the public um in this space has always been a special thing, whether you're uh in the pews talking to council or talking to staff, whether you're here on the dais engaging with the public, it has been uh a tremendous honor for for all of us uh to do that, and so do that in this historical setting uh with this uh magnificent background uh that reminds us of the history of the city uh is special.

So uh I'm glad to be able to celebrate this last uh public meeting in this space, especially with you all.

Thank you, Councilman Chapman.

Uh Vice Mayor Bagley.

Uh thank you.

I just I wanted to take a moment to just express my thanks back to all of you.

Um public service is that it is service, and I'm very fortunate to have served with some of you and honestly sat down and broken bread and had a coffee and learned something from all of you.

So your time in office was not the end of your service.

It continues in the way that you continue to talk to us and talk to your community and represent your community.

So I want to thank you for that ongoing work.

Um and just you know, let the public know that um please continue to to reach out through current and former electeds wherever you might find us, including at the Dell Pepper Building on the West End moving forward.

Thank you.

Are there any other hands?

Okay.

So oh, I can't see you back there.

Uh Councilman and Gary.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, yeah, as I reflect on this too, this uh this chamber means so much to so many different people.

You know, it's not just uh the heart of the city, it's a place for democracy for everyone to be able to share.

You know, we celebrate our centenarians here, we display our youth art here.

Um I remember my first time speaking here, and Madam uh former Mayor Silverberg uh greeting me.

Um it was for the Ramsey homes, and you know, fast forward that was almost 10 years ago in 2016, fast forward five years, and I was able to be at the ribbon cutting uh representing the city as part of the council, and you know, five years after that, I happened to be I was at the pub at the seminary um but the bartender there was talking about how uh she would not be able to live in the city if there hadn't been a project like that because she was living at that project and just you know, as a real full circle moment for me, and I know a lot of the members up here in front of us uh have had experience like that, but you know it's it's it's hard to describe.

It's uh it's a very unique thing, and while I will uh miss this chamber uh because I I it is very historic, it carries a lot of weight.

Um, I'm excited for the future as well.

And I'm excited for uh what we'll be doing uh for the generations to come.

Thank you, Councilman Aguirre.

With that, there has been a motion by Councilman Chapman and a second by Vice Mayor Bagley.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye, any oppos yes the eyes have it.

Um we are gonna take a quick photo and I'm gonna invite my colleagues to come down here so it doesn't look so awkward.

All right, everyone, get ready.

Great.

Thank you.

Right?

So I just as long as you got a bunch of them.

I appreciate that.

It will find a way to send it out to each of the uh former members of the year.

That would be great.

Thank you.

Thanks for serving us.

Okay, thank you all for being here.

All right, Madam Clerk, next item.

Public discussion period.

Okay, so we're gonna dive right into our public discussion period.

Um we, as is our practice.

Oh, I'm just gonna ask if everyone can quietly exit.

Okay.

We are going to take our first um 15 speakers, then we will have to be a good idea.

All right, can we just have it quiet in the chambers, please?

There we go.

And a hush fell over the room.

Um, we are gonna take our first 15 speakers, then we will pause and go into our business for the day, and then we will resume um with the remainder of the speakers.

There are two podiums, so we're gonna call um two people at a time.

We ask that you use both the left and the right so that we can go right into the next the next person.

So, with that, our first two speakers are Melissa Elbritt and Cameron White.

And you'll each have uh everyone has three minutes.

Good morning.

At a recent community meeting, Alexandria Sheriff Sean Casey attempted to justify his voluntary collaboration with ICE by distributing a handout printed by his office.

This is frankly a lot of garbage, and I'm comforted to know that none of you on this council agree, given the unified public statement that you made days after his re-election.

The majority of this document is pages of criminal charges.

Each criminal charge represents an individual who has been voluntarily handed over to ICE by the sheriff.

These aren't names.

This list doesn't tell me a single human detail about any of the people who were torn away from their communities and families, who are potentially abused, denied medical care, or basic due process.

This list doesn't tell me where these people are now.

Why did the sheriff distribute this list?

This is a tactic to dehumanize the people he disappears into a violent and unaccountable system.

But this tactic isn't new or original.

Dehumanization is critical for the perpetration of the worst human rights violations.

We've seen this tactic applied across history against people on every continent of the planet.

It has been happening for decades, if not longer, to lay the groundwork for the genocide Israel is carrying out in Palestine.

In the US, we've been internalizing dehumanizing narratives about Palestinians for a very long time.

As a result, for too long, we have shrugged off our complicity in their subjugation.

But opinions have changed, and you can see that by opening your eyes and looking around this room.

When Alexandria asks for an ethical investment resolution, that means that it must name the genocide in Palestine carried out by Israel.

And we ask for this because of our complicity in these crimes as tax-paying Americans.

Israel could not wage these horrors without our backings.

This is a political and financial fact.

What is also true is at the same time, companies that are profiting off of a campaign of terror in the US against immigrants like Amazon, Palantir, Microsoft, Alphabet, they were able to develop and perfect their technologies of surveillance and violence by testing them against Palestinians, especially during the last two years.

Not only have they profited off of this violence and inhumanity, it has been our federal tax dollars that have financed all of this.

We have enabled the war crimes, we have enriched those profiting off of them.

So if we're serious about an ethical investment resolution, we must make sure it A thoroughly divests us from these criminal companies, use the UN reports, and B stands up unapologetically and righteously against the genocide in Palestine.

We are shamefully complicit in.

I have not seen the letter that you reference if you just want to give it right here to the clerk.

All right, next speaker, Cameron White.

Good morning, Mayor Gaskins, distinguished council members.

Alexandria is invested in genocide at the city level through its retirement and pension funds and city contracts with companies that profit from the genocide in Palestine as well as ice raids here at home.

Around the world, people and cities are taking action to disrupt the flow of financial support to the supply chain that Israel so desperately needs in committing these war crimes.

Crimes against humanity and the genocide against Palestinian people.

That those companies who supply or develop weapons for the military materiel to Israel must immediately cancel their contracts.

To date, we have yet to see this happen.

Corporations like Lockheed Martin, Alphabet, Caterpillar, and Microsoft, all of which are among the broad list of investments that make up the Virginia Treasury's local government investment pool, in which the city of Alexandria currently invests over 300 million dollars of its municipal reserves, are the companies that are actively profiting off of the genocide of Palestine and the occupation of Palestine and the genocide currently underway in Gaza.

City Council can act today and pass an ethical investment resolution that divests the city from the companies enabling genocide.

This is a step that is long overdue, and the time to act is now.

And it's time to adopt the framework that the UN has put forward in this regard.

The mass movement for a free Palestine with its tens of millions of supporters all over the world will not stop until we end uh Israel's genocide.

And until Palestinians everywhere can exercise self-determination and enjoy freedom, justice, and equality.

Our city can be a force for good and disrupt the ongoing and uh resolute support of the United States in the genocide of the Palestinian people by simply making the choice to place its investments in companies that do not profit from this historic crime against humanity.

In the words of Omar El Akkad, one day when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold everyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.

Make the choice today to stand against this unspeakable horror and genocide that we are bearing witness to at the time when it matters the most, and to offer us and our loved ones a brighter, safer, and kinder future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next two speakers are Catherine O'Connell and Emmer Emma Mailer.

Good morning.

Recently, the local Jewish Community Relations Council, ADL, and American Jewish Committee have circulated a petition in opposition to an ethical investment resolution.

I think that sentence really says all I need to say, but I would like to address a specific point in their argument.

In their petition, they say, quote, the city council should remain focused on its core responsibility of improving Alexandria through education, public safety, housing, and economic development, end quote.

However, the JCRC did not believe this in September 2023.

According to emails obtained by a FOIA request on September 11, 2023, a constituent emailed Councilman McPike and thanked him for agreeing to help with a resolution on the Uyghur genocide.

The text of the resolution was attached to the message, and the message also CC'd a member of JCRC's staff, who was described, quote, as a key helper in these efforts, end quote.

In fact, the proposed resolution text about the Uyghur genocide directly names China as the perpetrator.

And it includes the following text quote whereas the city of Alexandria and its citizens have consistently supported the human rights of all people and are committed to the furtherance of human rights on a local, national, and international level, end quote.

Now compare this language to the opposition that we have heard the past two years from the JCRC and others to a ceasefire resolution and ethical investment resolution that names Israel as the perpetrator of the genocide in all of Palestine.

It immediately becomes clear that the issue has never been that Alexandria should only focus on local issues, as they say, or that international human rights is outside of Alexandria's scope.

There was no false concern that a resolution on the weaker genocide would exacerbate tensions in Alexandria's community.

Notably, these emails stopped in December 2023, after Israel's genocide in Gaza began, and around the time that community members in this room began demanding that Alexandria, as the JCRC itself puts it, support the furtherance of human rights on a local, national, and international level.

The resolution was never introduced.

I ask that council keep this blatant hypocrisy in mind while considering an ethical investment resolution and hearing the opposition to it.

Because when you peel away these false concerns, you can see the real issue that they have with this resolution is actually just blatant anti-Palestinian racism.

For the record, were a resolution condemning the Uyghur genocide to ever come forward, I think all of us in this room would support that too, because our opposition to genocide is not conditional on the nation that's committing it.

Thank you for your time.

Next speaker.

To quote beloved child educator and advocate, Miss Rachel, leaders be so ashamed of your silence.

Be so ashamed that you've seen the images and videos we've seen, and they haven't moved you to do the right thing.

Be so ashamed that you normally speak out for children and human rights, but won't now because they are Palestinian.

In life, there are crimes universally recognized as wrong and immoral.

Genocide, apartheid, torture, displacement.

When your heart seizes up at the sight of a bloodied father, honey al Daifi, sobbing as he searches for his wife and children, buried to death under the rubble of a building bombed by Israel.

When you tear up hearing the last cries of help from a child, Hindrahab, surrounded by the corpses of her loved one, locked in a car and shot to death 335 times by IDF soldiers.

When you hear that Israeli forces shot a 17-year-old boy, Ahmed Khalil Ahmed Rojabi to death in West Bank one week ago while driving to the hospital to visit a friend and think this isn't right.

When you see something horrific and you feel it in your soul that it is wrong, you have a moral imperative to speak the truth and act.

To try and stop these violent and humane acts in any way you can.

As city council members, you have power.

You have more power than many of us who have spoken at every public comment over the last two years, or have met with you to discuss these injustices.

We are begging you to use your power to divest our city from these companies that have no respect for human life and dignity in Palestine and in Alexandria.

While you agree in private, we need you to voice your agreement in public.

Every person victimized by the companies we invest in need you to speak out.

When we invest in companies complicit in weapons manufacturing, surveillance tech, occupation and violence, we invest in oppression and murder, war crimes, crimes against humanity, we invest in genocide.

Our investments intrinsically tie us to the people of Palestine, as does our solidarity and their struggle for liberation, actualization, and the freedom to live in peace.

Alexandrians and conscious will not give up the resolution uh will not give up until the resolution passes, and this genocide and apartheid ends.

Other acts of genocide and occupation persist globally, domestically, our immigrant communities are terrorized by IC, often using the same surveillance technology used in Palestine, created by the companies we invest in.

By passing an ethical investment resolution, our city will already have the framework ready to stand on the right side of history and refuse to fund other acts of violence against humanity.

As an Alexandrian, I want our city to live up to its values of community, diversity, and commitment to human rights.

In order to do so, we must pass an ethical investment resolution.

Again, to quote Miss Rachel you may pay a price defending Palestinian children.

Let it be paid.

Their lives are worth more.

Thank you for your time.

Uh, next two speakers are Joanna Sandbar and Jacob Zion.

We'll start with Joanna.

Okay.

Okay, there we go.

Right.

Uh good morning all.

Um, I am a Palestinian Cypriot American and beseech you to divest Alexandria tax dollars from Israel.

We are just under two weeks away from Christmas, in which millions will celebrate the birth of Jesus.

And in case you didn't know, not only was Jesus the most famous Jew in the world, but the most famous Palestinian to ever live.

I would like to tell you a story about a girl who was born and raised not too far from Bethlehem.

This young girl was raised in a Palestinian Christian family.

Her neighbors were Jewish, Muslim, and Christian.

She was also illiterate, but spoke two languages, Hebrew and Arabic.

She had Jewish neighbors who looked after her family, and her family looked after them.

This is what neighbors do, and this is what humans should do.

In 1948, this young girl and her family were bodily removed from their house, their land, and forced into neighboring Lebanon, where they remained refugees with no rights for the rest of their lives.

Till the day this girl died, she could not read or write, but spoke Arabic and Hebrew fluently, never said a bad word about Jews, and never saw her home again.

That young girl was my grandmother.

My grandmother never had a vengeful part of her soul, despite all the violence and trauma she experienced.

Because vengeance is not Christian and vengeance is not Jewish.

If you cannot see that Zionism is antithetical to Judaism, let me break it down with this SAT style prompt.

Zionism is to Judaism what the KKK is to Christianity.

A 2024 survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 64% of white evangelicals believed Israel's actions in Gaza were justified.

These Christian evangelical Zionists that support Israel are the same ones that believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, but want to forget that he is Palestinian and Jewish.

They are not Christians but fanatics.

For Zionists, Jews are a means to an end because evangelicals believe that Jesus will reappear when Jews from all over the world return to Israel.

Once Jesus comes back, those who accept him will be saved, and everyone else, including the Jews, will be damned.

Please do not let the belief of Zionists who pervert the oral tradition of men from thousands of years ago affect where this city invests our tax dollars.

Evangelicals are anti-Jewish.

Most of the council claims to be progressive and liberal, which means you support policies that are socially progressive and promote social welfare.

Investing in Israel goes against the welfare of the people of this city.

Lastly, I want to return to my first point about this Christmas season.

When the city council called out Sheriff Casey's courtesy calls to ICE, you took a stand to support immigrants.

Jesus and his family were refugees and had no place to go.

You cannot claim to be pro-immigrant and pro-Israel.

You cannot be a true Christian or Jew and support Israel.

They go hand in hand.

And if you're thinking to yourself, I am not Christian or Jewish, I am Muslim, Hindu, atheist, et cetera.

But you are human and hopefully have a moral compass.

This city needs to divest from Israel because its actions are inhumane.

The residents of the city do not support inhumane actions.

Thank you so much for your time.

All right, our next speaker is Jacob Zion.

Hey, uh, my name's Jacob.

I'm part of the steering committee, the leadership of the DC Metro chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace.

We're an anti-Zionist Jewish organization that's fighting for Palestinian liberation and liberation for all people.

Nationally, we have hundreds of thousands of members, including many right here in Alexandria.

And for transparency's sake, I'll note that I live in DC, but I'm here on behalf and in support of our Alexandria-based members.

And what moved me to come here today is all the pushback that this effort has gotten from the AJC, JCRC, and the ADL.

What's important for y'all to know about these organizations is that they are Zionist organizations.

They are primarily interested in advancing the cause of Israel, and they're always willing to do so, even when it comes at the cost of selling out marginalized and oppressed people.

While this council was voting to divest from apartheid South Africa, the ADL was literally spying on Nelson Mandela and running a propaganda campaign against the African National Congress.

They don't have a good track record of siding with what history ultimately understands to be justice.

That was true in 1985, and it's continues to be true now.

The ADL is currently spending its time defending those who do Nazi salutes and tear immigrant families apart.

The JCRC is not much better.

In DC, they recently chose to use their limited time and resources to go after high school students who just wanted to screen a film about Palestine at a club meeting.

The point here is that these are not progressive organizations, and they're also not organizations that represent what matters most to Jewish people, including Jewish Alexandrians.

We're at the point where the majority of Jewish Americans believe that Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, and as a byproduct of that, a majority of Jewish Americans already support a ceasefire and would support restrictions on arms transfers to the state of Israel.

What I think is really important to say here is that despite the impression that you get from the AJC, JCRC, and ADL, Israel is just not actually the most important thing to most of your Jewish residents.

What does matter?

It's stuff like access to reproductive health care, being able to afford rent and groceries, the state of transit, and the general health of our democracy.

It turns out that, you know, Jewish people, Jewish Alexandrians are just a lot like other Alexandrians.

And I'm telling you this because the AJC, JCRC, and ADL, are trying to concoct a crisis by creating the impression that the support of Jewish Alexandrians is utterly contingent upon y'all rejecting divestment.

I think the data and the tides suggest otherwise.

And I'll close by saying that I don't think that that should matter.

Anyways, y'all should do what justice demands, even if that means that a Jewish organization that spied on Nelson Mandela and backs Donald Trump says that it's a bad idea.

Thank you so much for your time.

All right, our next two speakers are Amy Horitz and Glenn Pine.

Shabbat Shalom.

My name is Still Amy Horowitz, and I'm still 73.

I'm still an Alexandria resident and a Jewish elder standing against Israel's genocide and fighting against anti-Semitism in one breath.

In March, I'll be 74, and I'll still be standing here, unfortunately, as long as I have breath in my body.

I'm not going anywhere.

And neither are any of us.

Alexandria's refusal to pass a responsible investment protocol that can stop a genocide has inadvertently made me into a virus.

Scratch your head.

You say it's complicated.

It will create fissures in our community.

In case you haven't noticed, fissures are part of human culture, families, cities.

And if you're worried about the Jewish community, there never was consensus about the Zionist movement among us.

Read Martin Buber or Albert Einstein, who consistently opposed a Jewish state and called for a binational secular land.

Ultimately, our human moral compass will point us beyond nationalism's completely, because they've never really worked.

Because the land does not belong to us, none of it.

We belong to the land.

Because we live in this moment in the middle of an ongoing genocide, committed in our name with our tax dollars, and as a city, we can point our moral compass towards doing everything in our power to stop it.

I see you squirming.

So I'll close by inviting you to look at what is complicated and what is simple.

Achieving a deep understanding of the Israeli Palestinian history is not easy.

This is one of the textbooks.

See these stickies?

That's me, I'm the professor.

This is how many stickies I need.

It's not easy.

Let me tell you what is simple.

Standing against the Israeli genocide is simple.

The best way that we in Alexandria can stand against the genocide is to stop our tax dollars from funding it.

Call it divestment, call it responsible investment.

Study cities in swing states where its resolutions have passed.

Let's all look in the mirror during our holidays, and let's get it done.

And that's the end of my testimony.

And I'd also just like to say, as a Grammy Award-winning producer, um, when you move to your new year your new building, I would like to help you decide what mics so that people can really be heard.

We appreciate the feedback.

Thank you.

Next speaker, Glenn Pine.

I'm a Jewish person from Alexandria and a fellow traveler among the hundreds of thousands of U.S.

Jews who say not in my name, and who know that the main lesson of the Holocaust was never again means never again for anyone.

One questions that one question that supporters of Israel's genocide often pose is why someone in the US would criticize Israel or single out Israel when Israel is not the only state in the world that commits atrocities.

The answer is very simple, and it's also very obvious.

It's because the primary enabler of that genocide is the US, the country we all live in.

The political cover and the money come in from the US, and US corporations get rich by providing the weapons.

In fact, the US government could easily have stopped this genocide at any point simply by threatening to cut off weapons, but instead they keep sending them over.

So it's not Alexandria residents like me who are singling out Israel.

It's our own government that singles out Israel with disproportionate political and military backing, while Israel starves, murders, and brutalizes millions of people.

Over six Hiroshimas of bombs dropped on tiny Gaza.

And we're just pointing it out.

Of course, Russia and China do bad things as well.

But obviously, that's not my tax dollars paying for it, and that's not my elected government backing it and enabling it.

So I have a moral obligation to stop atrocities committed in my name first and foremost, and so do you.

That's the most basic moral principle.

This council has not taken a single declarative public action on this genocide for over two years now.

But times have changed with Mamdani's win in New York and the massive shift in Democrat voter perspective on this issue.

Divestment is no longer just the morally correct stance.

It's also the politically correct stance now as well.

This council just issued a proclamation citing the UN to declare December as human rights month.

Um, the UN has also declared that Israel is committing a genocide, and it has the most legitimate internationally appreciated guiding principles of business and human rights.

So council urgently needs to get on the right side of history, cite the UN framework, explicitly mention the word Palestine, and legislate the ethical investment of our money away from Israel's genocide, not in my name.

All right, thank you.

Our next two speakers are Alison O'Connell and Eldon Bowes.

This week, this council marks the anniversary of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 50-year anniversary of Alexandria's Human Rights Code.

It's very frustrating to me after two years of city residents asking you to address the genocide in Palestine, a year and a half of residents asking for divestment from companies complicit in apartheid and genocide, and many months of negotiation about the content of an ethical investment resolution that this body will still not apply those basic human rights principles to the Palestinian people.

The group I am a member often goes by Alexandria for Palestine for short, but its full name is Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights.

This is because the assumption of basic human rights is not a given for Palestinians.

Instead, there is an assumption that it's only natural they live under occupation, that they suffer, that they starve, that they endure sexual assault and murder.

That's just how it is for the people in Palestine, and we shouldn't think too hard about the reasons it happens or our own involvement in it.

God forbid Palestinians here or abroad assert their own humanity, their own right to self-determination, and the basic civil rights that we supposedly believe all people are entitled to.

I've been thinking a lot about whose humanity is respected and whose place in our community is valued.

The dehumanization of Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim people in this country and our own community is rampant.

I am deeply troubled that we hear so much about how ethical investment is a niche issue or not worth the time and effort it will take, or how it does not have broad community support when multiple Muslim community organizations and a local mosque have signed on to support it.

Why is their support not meaningful to this council?

Perhaps you take it for granted on this issue, but I don't.

At a time when Arab and Muslim people are under more scrutiny from our fascist federal government than ever, it is incredibly brave for those groups to take a public position on divestment.

It comes at significant risk of doxing and harassment.

Ethical investment is both our duty and our privilege to pursue.

We have a responsibility to make sure not a single penny of our community's dollars, but occupation, apartheid genocide, and crimes against humanity.

It's also an opportunity for our community to make a clear statement that we believe universal principles of human rights apply to all people in Alexandria and abroad.

Please listen to your community and divest now.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Is it is it ready?

It'll start as soon as it'll start as soon as you begin to start.

Okay, all right, right.

Thank you very much.

I'm Elvin Bes, and I serve on the environmental policy commission.

I'm here to talk about Alexandria's plans for addressing climate change.

Personally, I think we have a pretty good record.

We started with a formal uh agreement to uh uh comply with the Paris Climate Accord.

Uh since then, we've committed continued to triten our energy efficiency requirements through the green building policy.

One of the most important actions was to establish the Office of Climate Action and to hire Ryan Freed to lead that office.

Ryan and his OCA team are doing an outstanding job.

And my first request of you is to continue to support OCA and the team on their with their programs and plans and budgets.

Next, I turn to electricity.

Changing our electricity services is essential for reducing our carbon emissions to zero over the next two decades.

Those reductions require us to phase out fossil fuels.

Uh that means converting our building and transportation sectors to clean electricity.

But Dominion Energy is not going to phase out fossil fuels.

They're focused on expanding sales, and they're almost certainly going to continue to rely on and possibly increase natural gas usage.

Forming an Alexandria CCA would allow us to purchase electricity directly from suppliers.

That lets us choose our sources and prioritize renewables.

It also gives us leverage in negotiating prices.

Hundreds of CCAs are operating across the country.

And as a representative of this EPC, I urge you to support the initial steps necessary to form an Alexandria CCA.

I also have a good news item that I hope you've already heard.

Some of the parents and students at Naomi Brooks Elementary School have started to operate Brooks bike buses.

They gather together on their bikes at specific bike bus stops, and then right along as growing groups until they reach their school at Oak in Russell.

There's a number, another bike bus at Patrick Hendry, and I can tell you riding with those buses is a lot of fun.

But of course, there's lots of benefits besides having fun.

These bike busers are getting outdoor exercise.

They're reducing auto usage and auto congestion in drop-off zones, and they're probably doing better in their classes.

We definitely should support endeavors like bike buses, especially by giving them safe routes on our streets and at our intersections.

In closing, thank you all for your service here and have a good day.

Thank you so much for your time.

With that, next two speakers are Catherine Schulman and Rose Esperances.

Hey, good morning.

I am once again speaking in favor of an ethical investment resolution.

I am called to, as a Jew and as a woman who's given care for others, because there is no words sufficient to describe what Israel has been doing to Gaza for the past two years, but Holocaust through Israel.

Our country has paid for another high-tech assembly line slaughter, marked by carnivalesque gleeful sadism of a globally maligned and scapegoated ethnicity, another burnt offering to bloodlust.

We have paid to kill tens of thousands of children.

It is yesterday's news that we have paid to kill thousands of children.

We are used to that hellish statistic.

We are used to paying for the slaughter of a few more children every day.

This is the nightmare we live inside of.

This is our new reality that we bought.

This city is invested in this new paradigm.

We help pave the road to this new world without safety and without consequences.

Never again is still to our to my shame right now.

This five-alarm fire is still burning.

Amnesty International has concluded that the ceasefire has meaningfully changed nothing.

In the words of their Secretary General, the world must not be fooled.

Israel's genocide is not over.

Polite society used to agree that never again meant we do everything we can to prevent genocide to never again allow the erasure, the plucking out of part of the human tapestry.

The very, very least we can do, the least we are required to do, whether as Jews or as any decent person, is to stop paying for it.

We need to think about what kind of world we are building for our children.

The new normal, the decimation of international law will not stay tucked away in Gaza.

We are paying for our own destruction for infanticide everywhere.

It may have not come for your children yet, but it's come for some of mine.

We have already wallowed in enough blood money.

We can turn off the tap.

In 1985, Alexandria had the common sense to divest from apartheid South Africa.

Again, it's time.

It's past time to choke off another beast.

The dominoes are falling.

Other American cities have already chosen to divest from companies complicit in these crimes.

Madford, Dearburn, Portland, to name a few, but they go on, we're gonna let them outshine us.

Uh and if I could speak off script, I would like to add to what Miss Amy said.

And you know those famous uh laws of robotics, uh, robot cannot hurt a human.

Those written by Isaac Asimov, also another early anti-Zionist Jew.

And if I could speak again off script, again as a Jew, these organizations against this divestment like the JCRC ADL, what they are doing is the true blood libel.

They're pretending that Jews are bloodthirsty and racist and will just be so offended if you stop paying to kill tons of people in our name.

That is a true libel, pretending that we're all Zionists.

We have never since anti-Zionism as a movement was created in the 19th century.

There has been anti-Zionism.

I personally have been anti-Zionist since 2014 or 15.

Thank you for your time.

The next speaker is Rose Esper.

Is Rose online?

Okay, we're gonna move forward then.

Is Rose in the room?

I don't see her.

She's here.

Roses?

Okay, Miss Ezra.

Good morning.

Go ahead, please go ahead.

Thank you.

City Council, Alexandria's investments should reflect our values, the protection of all human life, equal justice under the law, and accountability when our values are violated.

Divestment is a moral and financial boundary, demonstrating we will not bankroll violence or the denial of basic human rights.

For 78 years, Israelis have been killing Americans with impunity.

No Israeli has ever been held accountable for killing any US citizen.

In 1948, Israelis killed Council General Thomas Wasson.

Israelis also killed Americans in Jaffa, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Lydda.

In June 1967, Israeli jets attacked the USS Liberty and strafed the injured sailors.

Israelis killed 34 American sailors and wounded 17.

In 1982, 221 US Marines and servicemen were killed by a truck bomb at their Beirut barracks.

An Israeli agent wrote, we knew the bear the Marines were in danger, but we did not pass on the warning because we did not want to risk exposure of our source.

In 1985, Zionist terrorists murdered civil rights advocate Alex O'Day in his California office.

The assassins fled to Israel.

In 2003, an Israeli soldier crushed 23-year-old Rachel Corey to death with a caterpillar bulldozer.

In 2010, Israelis executed 19-year-old Faron Dogan.

The Israelis shot him in the face while he lay injured on a Gaza humanitarian flotilla.

In 2015, Israeli soldiers murdered Mahmoud Shalin.

They shot the 16-year-old at a checkpoint and continued shooting Mahmud as he lay on the ground.

The Israelis let Mahmoud bleed to death and prevented an ambulance from rescuing him.

In 2022, Israeli snipers assassinated journalist Shereen Abu Ekli.

Israelis gagged and handcuffed 78-year-old Omar Assad, then abandoned him to die on the road.

In 2024, Israelis killed aid worker Jacob Flickinger, 26-year-old activist Isonar Egi and 17-year-old Tafik Abdeljaber in occupied Palestine.

Israelis also killed Kamal Juwad in Lebanon.

In 2025, Israeli settlers beat to death.

20-year-old Saifullah Masalat killed Hamiz Ayed, a 40-year-old father of five, and murdered 14-year-old Amari.

Alexandria invests in companies that enable and profit from Israel's ongoing crimes.

Divestment will align our investments with international human rights law and reject complicity and oppression against any community, including our own citizens.

Divestment is an urgent moral and legal necessity.

Thank you so much for your time.

So it's totally fine to slaughter his fellow Palestinians, right?

I mean, do hippies really count as people.

Anyway, sorry.

The fact that it's again the third Christmas in a row where the Palestine where Palestine is being holocausted, has had me reflecting on what could have been way back when we first came to you, right after that first Christmas when Jesus' homeland was just being bombed back to the Roman era.

If you had chosen to work with us in passing what was then a ceasefire resolution.

How much pressure that would have put on Mark Warner, who lives six blocks from here, by the way, and Tim Kane to stop giving Israel billions and billions and billions of our tax dollars.

Why is there always money for bombing civilians overseas, but never any for housing or health care?

Literally anything else here at home.

Something to think about.

Anyway, sorry, I keep digressing.

How our representative, Don Bayer, who is hasn't actively been the worst.

I mean, he said the word Palestine in public.

The bars in hell.

Anyway, so um how much more emboldened and supported he would have probably felt to do more than be just not the worst.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, speculating on what could have been in useless fools, errand.

I apologize.

We're here now.

And what we're now asking, in fact, all we've ever been asking, is for you to join us in becoming part of the solution in ending not just this genocide, but throwing a real wrench into our entire murderous, bloated taxpayer funded war machine.

Alexandrians and Americans are starting to wake up and realize where our money's been going all these years, and we are displeased.

You have a real opportunity to be on the front lines of turning our country around in a very real and positive way.

To be the leaders, your campaign literature says you are.

To be on the right side of history.

Like, seriously, my dudes, what the hell?

It's so much fun being against genocide.

You should join us.

We're having a party tonight.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good morning, council and mayor Gaskins.

This is my first time speaking at public comment, but I felt compelled to talk to you about the importance of divestment.

When I first moved to Alexandria, the most prominent thing I noticed was the kindness of the community.

People opened doors for others, ask them how they were doing, and wish them to have a good day.

However, that kindness that I experienced and continue to experience every day is not reflected in our investments.

Currently, our money is going to the massacre of Palestinians by Israel, which is unacceptable to me and many members of our community.

I would implore you to put divestment on the docket so that the Alexandria community can be on the right side of history.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time.

I'm going to call our last speaker of this portion, and that is Zina Azong.

Zaina.

Good morning, Mayor Gaskins and Vice Mayor Bagley and esteemed city council members.

My name is Zena Azam, and I'm a Palestinian American resident of Alexandria.

In 1949, when the US was steeped in segregation and racism, the great African American poet Langston Hughes penned a poem titled Freedom.

In it, he wrote, Freedom will not come today, this year, nor ever through compromise and fear.

I tire so of hearing people say, let things take their course.

Tomorrow is another day.

And with these endearing words, Hughes has reminded generations that when freedom is taken away, the time to reclaim it is now.

So Alexandria is not supporting the abrogation of freedoms around the globe.

We must divest from corporations that facilitate war crimes and violate human rights.

For example, Amazon and Google, both represented in the city's pension plans, are aiding Israeli atrocities through their 1.2 billion dollar project Nimbus.

This project provides cloud services, AI surveillance, and targeting capacity to Israel's government, military, and arms companies to pursue warfare, genocide, military occupation, and apartheid throughout Palestine.

Along with Alexandria's investments in weapons companies, such as in Lockheed Martin, these expose our apparent complicity in such policies, both in directly managed retirement and pension funds and in pooled funds at the state level.

Incredibly, we have normalized that it's okay for people, for some people in the world not to have rights for food, water, shelter, medical aid, education, fuel, and safety.

How is this okay?

A genocide continues in Sudan and Gaza, buttressed by the prophets of arms manufacturers.

This is not okay.

It's time to reclaim our values of compassion, equality, and justice.

We could continue to let things take their course and say tomorrow is another day and look away as Langston Hughes warns.

Or we could take the principled stance of ethical investing now, thus ending our city's role and harm to the world.

Let's divest from war and genocide and invest in freedom and humanitarianism.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So at this time, we will leave the public hearing open and we'll go right into our cases for today.

Madam Clerk, please call the next item.

Roll call consent items six through thirteen.

I was gonna say if uh six and seven of uh Mr.

Blair, are you here?

I think I saw you outside.

If he's willing to not speak, then we have a good question.

Okay.

Then I would move to close the public speaking and approve the consent.

Um I don't think we can close the public speaking because we have 10 more people.

Oh, you mean for that item?

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

Exactly.

There's been a motion by Councilman Aguirre and a second by Councilman Chapman to close the public hearing for the action docket and to move all roll call consent items six through 13.

Madam Clerk, any discussion?

Madam Clerk, this is a roll call vote.

Please call the roll.

Councilman Aguirre.

Aye.

Councilman Chapman.

Mayor Gaskins.

Aye.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Councilman El Newby.

Aye.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye.

Councilman McPyke.

Aye.

All right.

Madam Clerk, next item.

Public hearing, second reading, and final passage of the proposed Alexandria legislative package for the 2026 general session.

Okay, so we will begin with our public hearing for item 14, and I'm going to call the first uh two speakers.

The first is Michael Schuster, and the second is Giselle Cassaro.

Good morning, Mayor Gaskins, uh City Council members and city manager uh Perajon.

My name is Michael Schuster.

I'm the co-chair of the Alexandria City Commission on Aging.

I'm testifying on behalf of the Commission today.

Uh, congratulations on putting together a very strong and succinct, very short uh legislative package this year.

I want to commend the uh city council and staff, especially the legislative director, Wendy Ginsburg, uh, for putting together these uh items and also including several items on aging, including uh development of uh develop of um affordable assisted housing, eviction uh protections, and the increase in funding for the area agencies on aging, such as the Division on Aging and Adult Services and the local long-term care ombudsman programs.

As you know, the Commission on Aging approves the legislative platform of the Northern Virginia Aging Network or NBAN and submits it for inclusion in the city uh legislative package.

And I'm happy to say that uh most of our provisions are in the legislative package.

Uh many of them um, or many of us then uh make visits to Richmond to uh advocate for these items and actually been in Richmond already uh this year to advocate for some of them.

But we are pleased to see increased funding for area agencies on aging in the UHA package.

Triple A's are local entities designated by the state to address the needs of older Virginians, their families, and caregivers by coordinating and delivering a range of essential home and community-based services such as nutrition, transportation, in-home care and caregiver support.

We have a caregiver crisis in Virginia.

Caring for a loved one comes with both direct and indirect costs.

50-70% of Virginia family caregivers work.

They often have to take time away from their jobs without pay or stop working.

An estimated 70% of people over the age of 65 will need long-term care support and services in the future.

Home-based care, like uh coordinated care provided by triple A's, cost less than institutional care options like nursing homes, um, assisted living, and and other types of long-term care supports.

Providing uh adequate funding for triple A's like our division on aging and adult services will alleviate these family burdens.

Another very important related items we support in 2020 uh 26 is a statewide certified nursing assistant uh recruitment and free work uh force pilot training program to address staffing shortages at nursing homes, assisted living uh residences, home care agencies, and veteran care centers.

CNAs meet essential personal needs of individuals in health care settings, especially with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, and grooming.

According to the Virginia Healthcare Association, currently 93% of facilities have CNA vacancies, and 58% have no qualified applicants.

Both AERP Virginia and NBAN support this proposal, which is based on a very successful CNA training program in Minnesota.

Senator Falola of Arlington uh will be the uh Senate sponsor for this budget proposal.

That concludes my testimony.

Thank you so much for your time today.

Okay, next speaker.

Uh good morning, um, Mayor Gaskins and Council members.

Uh thank you for holding this hearing.

My name is Giselle Caruso.

I'm a volunteer with Upvote Virginia, which is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization advocating for democracy and good governance.

I'm here today to respond to the civic engagement and election integrity section on page 16 of the legislative package.

Um it is the very last bullet.

Um, and it's about funding a study on ranked choice voting for all elections in Virginia.

Ranked choice voting in or RCV is among the reforms upvote Virginia supports.

Ranked choice voting is an election system in which voters rank candidates and order of preference.

Winners tend to have the broadest and deepest support.

Arlington and Charlottesville have implemented ranked choice voting.

Surveys there show that voters understand it and like it.

Now, while I heartily support having all elections in Virginia use ranked choice voting, I have serious doubts that the 2026 General Assembly would fund a study given Virginia's economic challenges.

More importantly, it's premature to study the question of RCB for all elections in Virginia because implementation is just getting started.

The General Assembly's approach when passing the law in 2020 was to start with local elections because they pose the fewest logistical challenges.

While several jurisdictions in Virginia are exploring RCV, again, only two have implemented it so far.

So instead of a study, I would like to suggest some legislation.

The current law allows ranked choice voting, allowing ranked choice voting needs enhancements, which will help then expand adoption.

First, the law, the current law expires July 1st, 2031.

So the option needs to be permanent.

Secondly, the current law only allows city councils and county boards to use RCV for elections.

The option needs to be extended to towns and all elections for council and constitutional offices, including school boards and sheriffs.

Therefore, I am respectfully urging city council to replace the final bullet item with the following.

Extend the option to all local and constitutional elected offices, extend the option to towns.

With these amendments in place, I look forward to working with city council to investigate and implement ranked choice voting for Alexandria's elections.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much for your time today.

Next two speakers are Richard Mayer and Pamela Berg.

Good morning.

I thought I was 18th on the route.

They range from to the almost assured reductions in federal assistance for Medicaid and likely the Affordable Care Act and SNAP, to the fact that life expectancy in Alexandria at the census level ranges from 75 years to 86 years to escalating racial disparities and premature death, that is death before 75 years of age.

Where between 2015 and 2019, the premature death rate among black residents in our city was 117% higher than the rate among white residents.

To the shameful recognition that of the 1,484 premature deaths in Alexandria over that same time period, almost 70% were avoidable.

While adult smoking in Alexandria has diminished considerably over the past five years, there's no evidence that smoking rates among blacks in the city have decreased.

Because of the breadth and depth of those foreboding issues and many more, the commission concluded that the most important contribution it could make would be to identify potential new or underutilized resources of revenue that might help mitigate the impact of some of those assaults and or assist in the refortification of the city's health and social safety net.

Hence, our recommendation to the city council is to urge the General Assembly to remove the ceiling on all cities and counties cigarette taxes imposed by the 2020 General Assembly, seek new authority for the City of Alexandria to tax vaping products and vaping stores, and increase the state cigarette tax by 10 cents a pack, currently at 60 cents a pack, meaning there are only five states that tax less than Virginia for each of the next four years and rebate a significant portion of that increase back to cities and counties for the purpose of refortifying their health and social safety nets and improving their public health infrastructure.

In November 22, the issue of New England Journal of Medicine.

There's a quote from Mary Basick and Sandra Gales to uh noted medical scholars.

There has not been a single year since the founding of the United States when black people in this country have not been sicker and died younger than white people.

Thank you so much for your time today, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, Pamela Burke.

Good morning, Council members and mayor.

My name is Pamela Berg.

I am the president of the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City.

I appreciate the inclusion of election related priorities in the legislative package, and I wanted to offer a clarification that I believe will strengthen the document.

The introductory paragraph is on page 16 of the original uh priorities document.

States that Virginia's electoral system faces significant challenges related to fairness, accountability, and representation, and also references turnout variability across a four-year cycle of elections as evidence of the need of modernization.

From the league's perspective and based on many years of observing elections locally and statewide, this framing doesn't accurately reflect how Virginia administers elections.

Virginia holds elections every year, not on a four-year cycle, and our system is broadly regarded as transparent and well administered.

The professionalism of the local registrars and electoral boards, including here in Alexandria, is a major reason for this strength.

This isn't to say that there isn't room for improvement.

We fully support expanding access and investing in staffing and modernizing tools where appropriate, but the phrase significant challenges related to fairness and accountability may inadvertently suggest systemic deficiencies that don't align with the actual functioning of elections in Virginia or with Alexandria's strong record of election administration.

For these reasons, I respectfully encourage the city to revise the introductory language so it accurately reflects the strengths of Virginia's system while still advocating for thoughtful improvements.

Doing so will help maintain the public trust that the election officials work diligently to uphold.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

I have a proposed draft of the new can If to um if you could give it to the Kirk or so you don't have to walk around if you can hand it to staff, and then we'll hand it over here to Kia and then we'll get it over here.

Thank you.

Um, with that, we have two more speakers on this item, Ms.

Kathy Hoekstra and Marcia Ray.

So good morning, uh Madam Mayor and uh City Council.

Uh, my name is Kathy Hoekstra, and I'm here to support a bill carried by our own delegate Elizabeth Bennett Parker on building codes.

And here's why.

But first, let me ask you three simple questions.

What would you think about having a city council of 14 members, but also requiring a unanimous vote for anything that kept services current or expanded them, but only a majority vote if you were to reduce those services?

Good, bad.

What would you think if the city manager told you that your budget level for 2009 was fine going through in perpetuity?

Good, not so good.

What would you think if you no longer had any conflict of interest rules so that you and members of the planning commission never had to recuse yourself if you or your employer would financially benefit from your vote?

Good, not so good.

Well, I asked these questions because that is going on with the body that decides on whether to update our building code here in Virginia according to the latest International Energy Conservation Code or to weaken the Virginia Code.

The body is called the Board of Housing and Community Development, and it has adopted rules like the ones I outlined above.

Because of their votes, our current Virginia Code saves less money in utility bills for our residents, but costs less to developers to build and less to finance.

So the question is will we invest in our future and our residents, making their homes more comfortable, healthier, with lower utility bills, or will we ask more and perhaps for more and perhaps cheaper homes today and make it harder on our residents going forward.

In other words, would you rather vote for getting a thousand dollars today or 200 every month going forward for the next 20 to 30 years?

So please, I urge you to talk to delegate Bennett Parker, learn about her bill, and support it as part of your legislative agenda.

And I'm willing to take any questions if you have them.

Thank you so much for your time today.

And our last speaker, Marcia Ray.

Thank you.

I'm Marcia Ray, voice's housing team co-chair in Alexandria.

I thank this council for your enthusiasm for our yes and God's backyard legislation to enable faith institutions to build affordable housing by right on their land.

We have a shortage of 300,000 homes in Virginia and a real opportunity for faith institutions to be part of the solution.

I was proud when Mayor Gaskin spoke at Voices October 19th Homes for All Assembly to launch our pro-housing caucus.

I also thank Vice Mayor Bagley and Councilmember Aguary for attending.

From our conversations with each council member, I consider you the heart of our pro-housing caucus.

I'm here today to ask you to replace your statement in your proposed legislative package to this clearer and stronger statement.

The city supports efforts to offer more flexible zoning opportunities to faith-based institutions and other nonprofits to incentivize and expedite affordable housing construction.

We are optimistic we can pass this legislation in 2026.

We have strong patrons and a governor who prioritizes housing.

When we talk about what this legislation could mean, we tell the stories of Farrington Presbyterian and Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.

If these pastors could be here today, they would tell you they paid more in time and money than they should have.

Too many faith institutions are discouraged now before they ever try.

So to sum up, voices asking you to replace your statement with one that will be more helpful in championing this legislation.

I also hope that I see some of you speaking on behalf of this bill as it moves to the General Assembly.

I plan to be there January 26th for our lobby day when Senator McPike, one of our co-patrons, plans to hold his committee's hearing on the bill.

With your help, we can turn the underutilized land of faith institutions into new homes.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Ms.

Ray.

All right.

That uh Miss Ray is our last speaker.

Is there a motion to close the public hearing?

All right.

There's been a motion by um Councilman McPike and a second by Councilman Chapman to close the public hearing, the public hearing portion of this item.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye, any opposed?

All right, the ayes have it.

So with that, um, I know staff has a brief presentation.

I want to ask my colleagues, do you want a presentation or do you want to just go right into questions?

All right.

Seems like we're gonna go right into questions.

Um, I'm gonna start with uh Councilman Chapman, and then I'll come to Councilman Mc Oh, sorry, I thought your mic was on.

I'm gonna start with Councilman McPike and then go to uh Councilman Alnuby.

What order?

I'll go to Councilman Alnuby, and then I'll go to Vice Mayor Bagley, and then I'll go to Councilman McPike.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Morning, everyone.

Um I think there were a couple of points I wanted to bring up, and I think we heard some of them in public comments, but also um we talked to the delegation about the first one is the building code, streamlining the building code and making it cheaper to build when it's safe.

Um there were legislative um there were bills in the previous sessions trying to do that, and sounds like our delegate, but also I know there are other um legislators trying to do that.

So I wonder if I I personally would advocate to put um language in our um package um about the code.

Awesome.

Okay.

Um the other um the other one is um community um aggregation, and um I think we should also add that explicitly in there.

Um so great, I support that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Bagley.

Thank you.

I'm just um I don't mean to seem like I'm not paying attention to my colleague.

I'm actually just trying to avoid duplicating the same comments.

Um I and I don't I don't think this does that, but I wanted to acknowledge the two um speakers about um sort of the election integrity and um language and that was proposed, and I I guess I would put forward to my colleagues.

I I found the proposed language from the speaker to be compelling.

So I just wanted to ask staff do you have y'all had a chance to see that language?

And do you have any issues in the work you've been doing on the package with us potentially um somebody moving to adopt the language as proposed?

I uh I will say that we had a chance to see the language briefly yesterday.

Um there is alternative language also opposed, but working with um Angela from within who's works within the city to uh uh works on elections within the city.

She also she and I also worked with language as well, that there is language proposed in that arena too.

So there's different language that's available to council to deliberate and determine which one would be better.

I don't think it's problematic either way.

I think both both options would be great for our legislative package.

Um let me ask this.

I mean it's a little hard because we can't see them both side by side, but would you mind reading what um Angie has proposed, and then maybe we can read this one and see where they are the same or different, just so we're all on the same page.

Microphone.

Uh we have language that would strike the opening, the opening paragraph's first two sentences in that section.

Uh, and then it would read as follows.

I'm pulling up that section as well.

And it would read as follows Virginia's electoral system faces faces significant challenges related to fairness, accountability, and representation.

The high turnout variability across Virginia's four-year cycle of elections underscores the need for modernized election administration and strengthen voter access.

And then it would go into that final sentence of Alexandria supports improved and expanded voting access and election administration.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah, the first the first two sentences would be struck and replaced by the language that I well, those are the ones that currently read, and then replace those with maintain and expand equitable and accessible uh voting opportunities and locations for all voters to preserve trust in democratic outcomes.

Okay, thank you.

Whereas I think the link, um, can I just see that paper?

I'm just gonna read this so we're all on the same page here.

The language that the speaker proposed is Virginia administers elections every year, and the commonwealth has a strong record of transparent, professional, and well-run election operations.

Alexandria supports continued investment in election administration to ensure adequate staffing, modernized systems, and expanded access for all eligible voters.

The city also supports efforts to strengthen public trust, improve voter education, and ensure that redistricting processes provide fair and accurate representation for communities like ours.

So I think one, if I'm just tracking uh on the fly, one major difference is um Angie's proposal still has the piece about significant concerns.

Whereas the speaker is saying, sort of this is acknowledging that we've, while there's still work to be done, it's not significant concerns.

There's a lot of good progress that has been made.

Okay.

Everyone kind of on the same page on what that is.

Okay.

The idea with Angie's language is that we're saying that what's happening is good right now, and we just want to keep improving.

So it's maintain and expand rather than uh their significant problems.

That would be the change in the framing from the previous language.

Yeah.

Which is similar here.

Okay.

Um let me, I'm still in the vice mayor, and then I have uh councilman.

Well, then I have councilman Green, Councilman Gary, and then I'll come back to Councilman McPike.

Um thank you.

I wanted to thank the speaker who brought up um sort of the healthcare disparities and the cigarette and vaping related items.

This is actually something I inquired about in a budget process, and I'm sure others have over the years to try to raise that tax, only to discover we were at a cap.

Um, and I'm I'm curious.

I know that's um, I know our goal in this package was to sort of you know step up and identify sort of thematic.

So what I'm asking is do we think we have the stated intention in our sort of public health statements that should there be um uh a delegate or a senator or or you know uh some receptiveness to this particular concept, you know, we have the ability as members, you know, or during visits to to speak to that.

Is there something y'all can point me to?

Um, because this is something that I I agree with the speaker.

I would I would like to see happen, and just we don't have the authority on it.

Um, but I also don't know sitting here today where my colleagues are on that, admittedly, but I I would like to know that I could point to something in the package.

Um should I be in Richmond and speaking with a friendly delegate on the topic.

So I can't really help.

Thank you for the question, Vice Mayor.

Uh yes, and on the current page 12 of the legislative package in the address mental health, public health and safety and community well-being section, there's a section on public health, and the very first bullet there reads the city supports expanding local authority to establish an excise tax on all vaping products, particularly disposable vaping products, to improve public health and help localities meet essential needs in transportation, health care, and other critical areas.

So what I might ask, and we're not what's that?

Yeah, so that's so yeah, and so I think what I and I appreciate my colleagues sort of speak noticing the same thing.

I think maybe when we reach the motion stage, I we're clearly you know, behind in the and aware addressing this topic.

What I might ask my colleagues and what I'll toy with is perhaps a comma clause somewhere in here that could address um additional authority regarding cigarette taxation.

Um, since I think that falls neatly into this space.

I would just offer up that one reason why we framed it in this way is we're open to, and I don't want to speak, but it seemed from the comments we got that we're not only open to a cigarette tax, but if there are other types of taxes that would support the same goal, we are not limiting ourselves.

So I think the question before the council is do we want to limit ourselves to just a cigarette tax, or are we open to any type of access tax that would um be able to achieve that goal?

Madam Mayor.

Um councilman.

On this topic, I would just say smoking or vaping, because then it covers pipes and cigars and other items as well.

Agreed.

I think maybe that's the simplest.

I'm sorry, I didn't know.

Oh, sorry, go ahead.

Go ahead.

Um expanding local authority to establish um I think we just have to tweak the language since there exists an authority.

Yeah.

Okay.

And then, but the I just want to make sure I'm tracking, and maybe uh Ms.

Ginsberg, if you can help me by taking notes.

Um when you first made your comment, you said as a cigarette tax.

So would you be removing that and just adding smoking per Councilman Agiri?

No, I think the broader language is the better way to go.

Yeah, I'll all smoke, especially smoke, smoke full products, products that's smoking and vaping products.

All right, other comments?

All right, then I'm over here to uh still on the same topic, Councilman Agiary.

I I just remember there's also chewing tobacco, so I don't know if there's a way for us to just tobacco or vaping products.

Let me ask this, Ms.

Ginsberg.

If we just put in tobacco products, would that cover all of the things that we are trying to achieve?

Uh thank you for the question.

I'm gonna look at our you think so, yeah.

Tobacco products should work.

Would vaping fall under that?

I just have it like in addition.

Do you want keeping in the vaping language?

Absolutely.

Some people don't consider it tobacco.

So we have it reading expanding local authority regarding excise taxes on all tobacco and vaping products.

Yes, I think that encompasses it.

Um let me get Mr.

Manager and then I'll come back over.

May I make a suggestion that you add the word tobacco and or nicotine?

Okay.

Tobacco, nicotine, and vaping products.

Yes.

And put the word all in front of it and then just hope and then we'll we'll get it covered somewhere in there.

Okay.

Um, Councilmoving Green.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

And my question was to this as well.

Um, but I wanted to um thank Mr.

Mayor and the the uh public health commission who did tirelessly um advocate for this.

And um we we appreciate you bringing it forward, and I'm glad that we're um taking some action upon it and making it more clear on what we're supporting in this.

So thank you.

Thank you, Councilman McPike.

Uh thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um I'd like to start by saying I appreciated the comments from uh the speaker who lit who referenced uh ranked choice voting.

I do think that the proposal that they brought to us here today is probably more achievable than uh the more aspirational language in our legislative package, and I would be open to, I don't know where my council colleagues are sort of incorporating that to any amendments that uh we were considering today.

Their their proposal was to replace our proposal for a study on ranked choice voting for all statewide offices to um read instead amend the law governing ranked choice voting to make the option for using ranked choice voting permanent and expand the option uh to use it to all constitutional offices, including school boards, and expand eligibility to towns.

Um so I I don't know if that's something that people would be interested in, but that's yeah.

Um I see a couple hands.

Uh Councilman Aguirre, Councilman Chapman.

Um so unfortunately I I'm not uh in agreement with my colleague on this one.

I actually am I'm not a big fan of ranked choice voting.

I think is there a potential place for it at the state level and for some of the constitutional officers maybe, but um I don't feel that ranked choice is is good for the local elections.

Um I think of our elections here in the city uh specifically to that.

And I I would also disagree with one of the comments from one of the speakers where it's well understood by the public.

I would say it's still very much not understood by the public.

Um, and especially in minority communities and immigrant communities.

Um that's not to say that there can't be education to be had, but at this point in time, I would not be supportive, and I was actually thinking of striking that last bullet, but we'll we'll see during the conversation.

Yeah.

Okay, great.

Okay.

I just wanted to float that as a would you like me to make my lower.

One second.

I think Councilman Chapman also had uh comment on I saw a couple hands when you asked around ranked choice voting.

So is this on ranked choice voting?

Yes, it is.

Okay, and Councilman Chapman.

I share a similar uh perspective with my my colleague.

I think one of the the current um potentials for ranked choice voting across the river uh folks are looking at right now.

Um, and one of the biggest concerns is education of the public.

I think that is a huge issue for um this forum.

Um and I think my hesitation really relies in it there.

Um I think we currently have a challenge with educating people on candidates and uh sometimes uh election time frames.

You know, we can go out pretty much every year and find individuals that are not aware that a election is a week or two weeks away.

Um, and they have not seen XY or Z to alert them of that.

Uh and so looking at a different form, I don't know if I am interested in kind of fast tracking that in particular with um the speaker's uh comments, um, but I'm very hesitant on frankly including that in our package as well.

Uh I don't mind kind of sitting on the sidelines and seeing that play out, uh, but trying to have a uh direct uh hand in pushing it forward is not uh my intention.

Um I'm gonna go back to Councilman McPike.

I guess my two cents on this one would be I think our current bullet doesn't achieve any of the I I think our calling bullet is is not um achieving the goals we want to achieve, but I also think it does not address the concerns that were just raised by my colleague.

Um so I don't know if Councilman McPike might have a proposal, if not, maybe if staff wants to propose how we reconcile and move forward.

Um but I'm gonna go back to Councilman McPike since we were in the middle of his comments.

Yeah, I would step back from that.

I just wanted to see what the temperature of the council was, and it seems pretty clear here, so I'm fine with not moving forward with anything changing in that section.

Um I do have a larger sort of base amendment that was based upon uh some of the feedback that we received uh from the public after the legislative package was uh presented on Tuesday night that I would like to sort of lay out as a as a base uh proposal and motion, and then if folks want to make other amendments to the package, they can be incorporated in.

Um so bear with me.

Uh I move to amend the proposed legislative package by modifying the following specific items and to approve the legislative package as amended.

The amendments are as follows.

First, in the advancing advanced housing affordability and economic opportunities section beginning on page six, add a new bullet point to read as follows reducing heat heating related costs for low-income families through efficiency improvements to ensure residents have access to heat and warm water, which are vital to well-being.

Two in the invest in critical school infrastructure section, beginning on page eight, replace the opening paragraph in its entirety with the following language.

Many of Alexandria students, the teachers, and the teachers and staff who support them are learning and working in buildings that are overcrowded, aging and no longer meeting the basic instructional safety needs.

Middle schools operate at 120% capacity, more than 60% of facilities are over 50 years old, and the Commonwealth's new school performance and support framework confirms that several schools fall far short, fall short of facilities and safety standards without providing the resources to fix them.

These conditions directly affect students' daily learning experiences and widen inequities across communities to ensure every student has access to high high quality education.

Virginia must fully implement the 2023 JLARC K-12 funding report and fund the state's share of the true cost of public education.

Three, in strengthen infrastructure, resilience and clean energy transition section beginning on page 15.

Add a new bullet to read as follows.

Improving the ability of localities to advance clean energy goals through stronger and expedited state building code adoption and streamlining the process for localities to adopt municipal aggregation.

Four in the promoting uh civic engagement and election integrity section beginning on page 16.

Strike the opening paragraphs, first two citizens, which currently read Virginia's electoral system faces significant challenges related to fairness, accountability, and representation, the high turnout variability across the Virginia's four-year cycle of elections underscores the need for modernized election administration and strengthened voter access.

And I believe the mayor being interested replacing with this the language presided by uh the speaker today, which we have here.

And uh with those um proposed amendments, obviously, more may come.

I would move adoption.

One follow-up question before I take a second.

Did you capture the smoking change?

Oh, this is a small vaping.

And also inclusive of all amendments previously uh agreed to by the council uh on the dice so far today.

Okay, with that, there has been a motion by councilman McPike.

Is there a second?

Uh there's a second by Councilman Chapman.

Any discussion?

Vice Mayor Bagley and then Councilman Chapman.

Um, first let me applaud my colleague for crafting that motion that um that took over.

Staff crafted that.

Well, thank you to staff for helping my colleague craft um what was a uh fairly lengthy motion.

Um I I can I offer a a minor friendly amendment um in bullet three.

Uh um I I'm very pleased to see um the climate-related um edition um highlighting uh municipal aggregation.

Yeah, one of the things that we talked about with our delegation when we were here is the affirmation of Reggie and our their position that we never left it and we are still in it.

Yeah, but um it feels like a minor but button comment to maybe just say um improving the ability of localities to advance energy goals by reaffirming our commitment to Reggie and through stronger and expedite it's sort of slipping in that phrase there, or do we think I see staff looking?

We actually had a lot of discussion about this over the last uh you know couple months, and whether like I think our belief is that we're still in Reggie.

Um, and if we're going to rejoin Reggie, it's the governor that needs to take an action and is our document to the legislature the right venue to send a message to the governor.

That being said, if you know the council wants to add that, I certainly wouldn't object to it, but I I you know I think that might be a letter from the mayor to Governor Spamberger.

Yes, I was gonna say um as part of those conversations, we work directly with the Office of Climate Action and Director Fried, and thought that a um different action that we could take would be sort of direct communication to Governor Elect and then as governor to push forward our position.

Um no, thank you.

Um I I appreciate, and again, this is where sort of this committee work has been helpful.

I think to examine this and um I I don't disagree with the statement that we are currently in it.

I just wanted to assure this is an issue that means a lot in our community and means a lot to our delegation too.

Um so I I support the idea that we address it through other communications.

Um with that and and with the addition of the um smoking nicotine vaping related language, um, fully support the motion for my colleague.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Bagley.

I have Councilman Chapman and Councilman Gary.

So, Madam Mayor, um I was gonna look to I think it's on page 16 um that last bullet uh to strike that.

Um I think that's my gonna be my motion.

Um I'll just start right there.

I mean um so there's a motion on the floor when the you know it's he's offering a friend and this would be so um what I hear is a friendly amendment to strike the third bullet on page 16.

Let um so you are the seconder of the motion, so then you're okay with it.

I need to then turn to the maker of the motion to see if you're okay with that.

I mean, I I am a strong advocate for considering ranked choice voting, but I also recognize that this bullet point is inoperable and sort of unachievable in in the legislative environment, most likely, so I would not um object to removing okay.

So both um the motion maker and the motion seconder are in agreement on this.

So we now have a revised, I guess, amend revised motion that includes all of the amendments um that uh councilman McPike listed, as well as this like um this to strike uh that bullet on page 16.

All right, is there any further discussion?

Councilman O'Nupi.

Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I skipped over Councilman Gary.

Councilman Gary.

No, yeah, and I to uh Councilman McPike's uh comments.

I I think maybe as we work into next year, we could have a little bit of further discussion.

We're gonna try and iron some things out and then potentially put it back in then.

Yeah.

Um is that clear to staff?

Yes.

Okay.

Uh Councilman O'Neobi.

Thank you.

Um more of a clarification, and I may be overthinking this, but um bullet three, when we talk about municipal uh municipal aggregation, um when it comes to aggregation, they're there, I think about there are two things under that.

One is the municipal government being able to go out and get power for our own buildings from somewhere else, but then there's the ability to be able to buy power for everybody else for the community from somewhere else other than the so I wonder when we say municipal aggregation, can that be interpreted as only the first piece, but not the second.

So do we have to be do we have to be specific about community choice aggregation to cover all the basis?

Just again, yeah, no, no, I appreciate the the the original original language that we brought up to staff was use community choice aggregation, but the Office of Climate Action suggested that this was the more proper technical term for what we were trying to achieve, which is the broader choice.

Okay, perfect.

Thank you.

Okay, any other discussion?

All right, with that, there has been a motion by Councilman McPike and a second by uh Councilman Chapman.

Madam Clerk, this is a roll call vote.

Please call the roll.

Councilman McPike.

Aye, Councilman Chapman.

All right, Mayor Gaskins.

Aye, Vice Mayor Bagley, Councilman Ageary.

Aye.

Councilman El Nuby.

Aye.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye.

All right, the eyes had of it.

Madam Clerk, next item.

Thank you to staff.

Thank you.

Consideration of a resolution authorizing the issuance of revenue bonds by the Alexandria Redevelopment Housing Authority for the next phase of the Heritage at Old Town Redevelopment Project.

Okay.

There has been a motion by Councilman McPike and a second by Councilwoman Green to move approval of item 15.

Any discussion?

All right.

Councilman Gary.

I don't know if uh Director McIvan would like to say a couple words or anything, just to give her an opportunity.

Thank you.

We're I'll just say, uh Councilman Agiri, we're very glad to see the next phase of the project moving forward.

Uh this is a phase that has 288 units, and 52 of them will be affordable.

And the great majority of the affordable units in this project are going to be 40% to AMI.

So it's really a tremendous project.

Totally agree.

I think it's a great project.

I would echo the sentiments of my colleagues and also Director McLean.

Uh with that, there has been a motion and a second.

Madam Clerk, this is a roll call vote.

Please call the roll.

Councilman McPy.

I made the motion.

I didn't make the motion.

No, it was council, Councilman Aguirre.

Councilman Ageary.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye.

Mayor Gaskins.

Aye.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Councilman Chapman.

Councilman El Nuby.

Aye.

Councilman McPhite.

Aye.

Okay.

The ayes have it.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, next item.

Zoning text amendment 2025-00007, commercial use zoning regulations.

Okay.

Is that still the case that there are no additional speakers on this?

Okay.

So then with that, let's start with uh the brief staff presentation.

Certainly.

Good morning, Mayor Gaskins, members of the City Council.

I'm Ann Horowitz, Principal Planner with the Department of Planning and Zoning.

Uh today I am going to present for you a comprehensive look at commercial text amendments, uh, which we uh uh do about every five years.

And uh before you on slide two is the agenda.

This is broken down.

Excuse me.

Um there we go.

Okay.

Um here is the agenda.

And uh what we have done is broken down the proposal into two different sections.

The uh change in use approvals, which would minimize the different types of regulation for certain uses, and also an a second section on minor updates, those reflect changes in the zoning ordinance uh primarily to modernize it to delete obsolete uh uh terminology, and the purpose of bringing this forward to you is primarily to streamline use approvals for commercial uses, uh, but not impacting neighborhood impacts.

Uh this is we we have come up with these types of proposals given the staffs working with several hundred businesses over the course of five years, uh analyzing the zoning ordinance, seeing what types of businesses uh come forward, their needs, and uh to also identify areas where enforcement has not been an issue.

Anything that we have brought forward to you.

Excuse me.

All right, I'm I'm not I I'm getting the touch on this a little.

Uh it's there we go.

There's the um the introductory slide moving forward.

Uh anything I was going to mention that we are bringing forward to you are issues that have not caused enforcement uh matters arise in the community.

Uh we had a uh expansive public engagement for this text amendment.

There was uh public comment opportunity on the website since August.

We had very few comments that that had arisen.

Quick background on what the types of zoning use approvals we're going to uh consider today.

Uh you will see special use permits referred to.

Those are the three month processes that come to planning commission and city council.

Um you will see that we are promoting or or proposing to change special use permits to either administrative SUP level, a 30-day staff process with conditions that the city council has already pre-approved or to permit it or by right uses, and those do not need any further SUP approval.

And those do not need any further SUP approval.

Those businesses can move straight to either a business license, building permits, whatever their next step in the process is.

So the first change in use slide we have and two two different uses here.

Um is restaurants.

We're proposing that those become permitted uses.

We uh as of 2020, the last time we came forward with these proposals uh for commercial use text amendments.

You had approved that restaurants in commercial complexes would be permitted.

Since then, we have had no enforcement map issues giving us that kind of data to feel confident to bring this forward to you.

Uh what we have done uh to add on to use limitations for restaurant operations is to include those in the in this section 71900 in the zoning ordinance, they reflect the current SUP conditions, and we believe this would uh is sufficient to enforce any kind of business operations for restaurants, and I'd like to add that these are indoor restaurants.

Outdoor dining still would require either administrative SUP or SUP, and uh that is typical of uh our outdoor uses requiring a different type of review.

Uh also city and public school trailers uh promo uh proposing to to have these as permitted uses from administrative SUP.

The administrative SUP we were finding is uh a redundant approval.

There uh particularly school trailers already go through the ACPS CIP review process.

Um they are subject to building and fire codes and could require a site plan amendment too.

Um one second, Ms.

Horth.

Uh Councilman Chapman.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um can staff talk to me about um if we're doing public school trailers, if we do what the difference would be for a kind of an independent school or private school, like if Episcopal wanted to do trailers, what's the difference between them and ACHS?

Uh yes.

Um a private school with a trailer would have to go forward with an administrative SUP given that there is not that pre approval by many city city agencies involved.

And the administrative approval is 30 to 35 days.

But but if I understand what you're saying for the administrative or the pre-approval for ACPS is within their CIP.

And so that's more of if I understand it correctly, that's more of a financial kind of outlook versus something that is logistical or technical.

It uh correct, yes.

So that is it's a public hearing um situation, so at least the public would be aware of a school trailer coming forward, and then following that, there would be um it would have to be subject to building and fire codes and also a development site plan.

Okay, I'm still I guess I'm still so I I think to your point uh the I I understand what you're saying with the CIP being more of a financial review.

Um how we were review how we were looking at that is that it was also a public review, so that the public could be involved in commenting.

Okay.

Um so I'm thinking about a couple of past um kind of docket items with Episcopal High School because they have such a large campus.

Um we've generally kind of taken a little bit of a position that um it's not as it's not comparable to stuff that's happening on their campus is not necessarily comparable to what's happening on the public school campus because it's a closed campus.

I think there were trying to remember the dates and and docket items, but I think the stance of the city was a little different in that stance, that stance, and so I'm trying to understand how that does not fall into this as well.

It would be because the this would the perspective of of promoting uh proposing it in this manner is to identify that the city is ensuring that all aspects of the public school trailers would be in order.

So there is that city umbrella that they fall under, whereas at a private academic school, it is more of an independent use.

Um that we have the benefit of having many different city departments intimately involved with working closely with AI CP, uh um AI uh ACPS.

Um I I I appreciate where Councilman Chapman was uh leading this line of questions because I I too share the same concern.

I think I I hear the feedback that we want to make sure there's the appropriate reviews, but I also think part of the reason why we're bringing forth these zoning text amendments is to bring care clarity to the zoning code and to make it easier to do business and to do the things that we need in the city.

And so if we have two educational type facilities, it concerns me that we have one review for ACPS and one review process for the others.

And I think at the end of the day, if the goal is just to make sure that appropriate conditions are achieved.

So did we do the building review, did we do code, did we do all of those pieces?

It seems to me that that's still going to be achieved, and so I'm not sure why I'm not sure what the benefit is to the user experience who's going through this process or to the council or the city as a whole in having two separate processes.

Tony Lakola, planning and zoning.

I think the difference is with ACPS trailers, there is a board or body that the public can express their opposition to, but with a private academic school, that doesn't exist.

So their opposition can be expressed to you all through an appeal process.

Yeah, I guess I'm kind of on the same point as Councilman Chapman.

If I for Episcopal, and if they were putting a trailer within the confines of their walls, I'm not sure we want to invite a process where people get to oppose the things that they are doing within their, you know, within their um that they feel is best needed for their, I guess, academic experience and their entity, and that honestly many members of the public would not be engaging with in the first place.

I totally understand, but Episcopal is one example of you know private academic schools.

There are other private academic schools on smaller campuses, which might have an impact on neighboring properties.

Do we have I I guess to help us in making these decisions?

So let's put up a school to the side, let's take one of those other institutions.

Can someone provide an example of when they were trying to do a temporary measure that the public neighboring public was able to demonstrate harm or concern to which they came out in opposition?

I do not have any examples of trailers at a private academic school that I'm aware of.

And as far as uh perhaps uh DSUP level, there could have been cases um at that level where the public expressed concern, but I I don't have that information.

Okay.

Um I'm gonna go to Councilman Alnubi, I guess to my colleagues.

This is one that I'd like to discuss a little further when we're prepared to to vote.

I don't I don't know that I'm hearing um the evidence as to why we we would need two separate processes.

I thank you for for the background.

Um, but I I want to make sure to what we're passing is aligned with our intent of making this you know an easier process and a more simplified code.

Councilman Alnuby.

Thank you.

Um I think I'm in the same boat, and uh on on that note.

Um if you can explain to me a little bit more, you're saying part of the logic here of letting ACPS or having the public school system do it without an admin SUP, but a private school have to use an admin SUP is because for the public schools it's gonna go through a public process.

Can you tell me more of what kind of public process and admin SUP goes through?

Because admin SUP goes through staff, does not come to council.

So if you can just um explain that a little bit to me.

Admin SUP is reviewed and approved by staff, however, there is an appeal uh process.

So if there is an objection to the approval, uh resident or a group of residents can come together and appeal that decision to you all, the city council.

And you may have final decisions.

I think where I'm struggling is during the process, the public doesn't get to be part of the process.

But then in this case, we're going the public can be part of the process when it's going through ACPS.

So I feel still not it's still still not the same.

So during an admin review, the public can be part of the process.

We do notify abutting property owners and civic associations, and we welcome comments, and we will take those comments into consideration during the staff review of the application.

So there is the ability for the public to comment on an application.

Okay.

I appreciate it.

Um yeah, I I think I'm I agree that certainly need to discuss it more among ourselves here, but I'll just stop here so we can't.

But uh I'm gonna get council.

I just had to quickly, but given that then the same would be true.

If there was an admin review for a private school, you would still have to do the same noticing, and that still invites a process for public comment.

Okay, thank you.

Councilman Acary.

Uh well now I'm I'm I'm doing mental backflips here, because I I was gonna say I I think I agree with staff because I would still want it to come potentially to us.

Um for the private school because well, now I'm getting confused because it was just said that there's an opportunity for the public to participate, but would it be an open forum like this?

Like, does it go to planning commission or something?

Or is it just simply that they can write a letter in?

So what is that participation look like?

They can write a letter, email, call us, what have you.

Um, there would only be an open forum if there is an appeal filed.

And I and I brought up this slide, which is a few slides ahead that mentions non-residential temporary trailers where we were including private academic school trailers.

And the proposal here is that now these require an SUP.

And that would we were proposing to move that to the administrative SUP process.

Uh there would be up to a five-year term limit on that.

Uh there was uh as proposed one trailer per lot, and it applies more to commercial uses that there would also be criteria for 90 consecutive days of use.

To the process of the administrative SUP, as Mr.

Lacola mentioned, there is an application.

It is posted on the website, it is posted uh in a legal ad for a new use.

There is a website for uh administrative SUPs where this is posted.

So that is the public the public outreach.

It goes to civic association presidents also.

So I guess for my colleagues, I'm I'm struggling a little bit with um the ability to have a public forum because the difference with ACPS is that it is already a public forum, if you will, where it's coming forward, whereas with the administrative process, while there's an opportunity for public engagement, it is not a public forum in the same same way.

Um I'm struggling a little bit there.

Um, Councilman Alnubi.

I I think the other piece to that ACPS, there's a scenario that they can pass in the CIP that they're gonna put trailers, but it doesn't mean that they will actually put trailers in there, and we the public will not know, you know, until they see the trailers show up, right?

And and this is a realistic scenario because they have money for trailers in the budget that I put in when I was on the school board, and they never put trailers in.

So having money in the so having got going through that CIP process does not mean they will actually put in a trailer.

So the whole public process, you know, I I don't know.

So just I g I guess for me where I'm coming out at this, and Councilman Gary, I appreciate you um sharing where you're struggling because I've gone back and forth on this.

I think what I wanted to ensure that there was still some form of public engagement in each process, and it seems to me like that is true.

I think that the open forum I worry about less here because we're looking at a very what is intended to be a temporary use.

I think where major changes or things that would be happening on these other campuses, those would still come to us in a very open forum and not through an administrative, like if they want to do a major land use change on their property, we're gonna still weigh in on that.

But I think for something it for something, and maybe I'm categorizing this the wrong way, but for something that seems small and temporary, how how how much of a process do we want to subject um them to go through?

So that that's where I'm coming from, and I think it might be easier to have one process for both city um for public schools and for private schools, given that it also has public engagement and in a worst-case scenario has a pathway by which residents could still appeal.

And as this as this slide notes, the currently public school trailers would have the administrative process, which is what we were proposing for all other temporary trailers.

Step in for a moment.

Just a flag, you'll see on a later slide, we're also proposing with the set of changes that schools move from uh special approvals to a by-right stance.

Uh so layering both of these at the same time would mean not only are private schools moving to a by-right uh allowance, but also that any private school trailers would also be moving to a buy right allowance.

Um it's not a given that they were temporary.

Uh with public schools, there's the intent that they be primary, uh uh temporary, uh either phase out if there's no C need uh or if permanent facilities can be built.

It's not clear that that same combination of factors would be in place.

Okay, uh Councilman Chapman.

Yeah, so my only issue with that statement is if you go to ACHS high school and walk towards the main entrance, they have on the right hand side, they have trailers and have had trailers since they started.

Um if I remember correctly, we've built an entire other high school with enough capacity to take away those trailers, but those trailers are still there, and so I question not staff's position, but ACPS's intent for temporary.

Uh and so I would worry about us kind of standing behind a temporary usage because these have consistently been there, even though capacity, additional capacity has already been built at the high school level.

No, it's a it's a good comment, and I think that's the point of this this discussion, right?

Is that staff moves forward with what we what we've seen in the past to try to bring forward to you changes that that we haven't seen uh sort of cause impacts, and I think it's helpful to have that direction that if we need to take another step forward, we're happy to do that.

Um, Director Stoddard, can you so just going back to your statement?

Because I I want to make sure that I fully understand this.

Given the changes that you talked about later in the document that move some of these uses to buy right, then help me understand in this clearest terms.

What specifically does that mean for the process by which a private school would go through this process, and how does it differ from a public school?

If I want to put a trailer, and so as proposed, is that what you would like to understand now the I guess so we were talking about one chunk of this, and then Director Stoddard added another layer, which is the changes in the second half of the document right by right.

And so I want to understand how those two changes intersect with each other and what specifically that means for this process.

So generally, uh what we have uh divided uh a bit here is public school trailers and public buildings.

I just brought up the slide for SUP uses to permitted uses.

So all uh public buildings, public schools are another are are already by right uses in the ordinance, and they do not fit fit under public buildings.

But but I'm just bringing up the public aspect here.

Um and private academic schools would require an SUP in residential zones.

To put a trailer.

Oh, um yeah, I guess I'm just I'm trying to jump between schools and trailers, but but if you want me to just focus on trailers, so the trailers, if we're talking about trailers, the proposal is for public school trailers to be permitted, no SUP required and no particular conditions associated with that because it's permitted.

And uh the public process would go through the city city department standards, and that would be a discussion at the city level in public forums.

Um then the private academic trailers would be subject to an administrative SUP, and that is the 30 to 35 day time period where there is an application there that does get posted on the website for public comment.

Uh it goes a note to the civic associations, it's also posted in the uh Alexandria Times in a legal ed.

But if it were permitted, it would not go through that process.

Exactly.

And then there would be no public discussion on it.

Unless there's an appeal.

That's right.

Okay, thank you.

I think we are all on the same page now.

I'm gonna move us along, but what I would just say for my colleagues, because I can't make a motion.

So we get to that point.

What I am curious is if there's consensus among the council that private school trailers also be a permitted use.

But I guess slide seven.

Okay, great.

So moving along, uh, here is a list of SUP uses to permit.

And I did bring up public buildings, which don't include schools.

Uh those are already by right, uh, but they do come forward to you many times with a development site plan or a development SUP.

So there is public comment on those, but for public buildings, uh, we're promoting that these are permitted.

They that would follow the path that you saw City Hall go through.

Uh, that did not require an SUP, and it did require a development site plan review at Planning Commission.

General Service did uh an expansive outreach to the community.

So for these reasons, uh, with City Hall as as the example that we believe that that could be a permitted use.

And I've listed other uh other items here, private academic schools.

We were talking about those in uh commercial and mixed use zones with an approved pickup and drop-off plan, which has been standard.

Those would be um permitted.

We also have some other uses here.

Um I wanted to point out we've expanded indoor live entertainment opportunities uh to smaller venues as a permitted use, and that would be subject to use limitations uh that the that the live entertainment ends at 11, and the windows and doors remain closed.

Um revisiting this slide.

Uh, we talked a bit about the non-residential temporary trailers.

Often you you do see these as restaurants operating out of them, and it is not a food truck where the cab is associated with it, but more as you see in these images, separate trailers um sitting out.

You have approved several of those over the past five years.

And there were two planning commission work sessions where we took their feedback, applied it to the criteria that would be for administrative SUPs.

An expansion of private academic schools in residential zones.

Right now, I did mention that they needed an SUP, uh, again, loosening that a little bit for private academic schools that are in places of worship in residential zones, uh, to have those as an administrative SUP that is that is aligns with the daycare operations in a place of worship.

Uh those would go hand in hand.

Uh one particular streamlined change here is to reduce the time a an SUP change of ownership is uh processed to two weeks versus the 30 days.

What we have done is removing the two-week public comment period in rare situations.

Do we ever get a comment?

Um so we felt we could remove that section, still notify the public through uh presidents, civic association emails, and posting on the administrative SUP website page, and that would take that to two weeks, and businesses could start up much earlier.

Um moving on to minor updates, and again, these are extremely minor.

They're they're uh updating the ordinance.

Uh there's still some uh obsolete or uh types of language in there, so that's where the definitions have been amended.

Uh we did add a definition for place of worship.

I understand that the city council had asked to uh replace churches that is in the ordinance expansively uh to place of worship, which is what what is in this package.

Additional minor updates relate to uh creating a more detailed process in the use limitation sections.

These sections follow all the commercial zones, add additional operational guidelines for the types of uses that are allowed in those zones, and as far as environmental matters are uh we this is this adds more stringent guidelines to identifying what is a nuisance level.

Uh also different uh uh a more detailed process on how to mitigate those matters is included.

I mentioned the indoor live entertainment and also how we have deleted different parts of the language that um are no longer apply or handled at the state and federal levels.

Uh we have a couple of zone adjustments here uh to keep in uh storage in buildings and warehouses, new buildings and warehouses up to 40,000 square feet as a permitted use, and to uh have a special use permit for larger uh also to expand child and elder care homes to throughout the city in commercial zones.

Um couple other items here are uh uh allowing more types of retail and services in apartment high-rises, condo high rises, which we tend to see more in the west end, and to add a use, health and athletic club as an outdoor use uh with an SUP.

And the last slide relates to small changes with parking.

Um the first point here deletes the requirement for a building owner to adhere to current parking standards when they when they put on a uh uh a minor addition or a minor alteration.

Uh also to uh right size some parking requirements for the recreation entertainment uses, health and athletic club.

We are aligning those with the restaurant standards for parking, which is one space for every thousand square feet, and the very last point is to allow for commercial use parking on place of worships, uh places of worships, parking lots, uh, which might be in residential zones.

And so with that, um uh that provides our presentation, and we're happy to hear your thoughts.

Thank you for the presentation.

Um, I have two follow-up questions.

Can you go back to the slide related to uh outdoor speakers at restaurants?

Um that we we I guess the conversation that we are having around the restaurants.

Um I think it was a couple back.

Might have just been in the staff report.

Oh, restaurants to buy right.

Um, we didn't have a slide that mentioned speakers, that's my hesitation.

Okay, then it might just be I'm also trying to follow through in the packet.

Sure.

I guess my question would be we have the noise ordinance, which regulates the no noise and and sound levels.

Why then would we not just allow speakers?

Um, why would we not allow outdoor speakers in um restaurants if we have a different path by which we're regulating them?

These um we aren't we are not including the outdoor speakers.

This is a list, and I realize it's um so small for you to read.

Um, but these are the these are the use limitations for the restaurants.

And oh, I am sorry.

I think the last point is the last point.

I'm so sorry.

We had a lot of discussion on that.

Um, what has been the the case is that the outdoor speakers um we've we found that there has been difficulty by the business operator to be able to regulate that to adhere to the noise ordinance.

And um, I'm I think that potentially we have um enforcement matters related to that.

We knew one thing that um in consultation with TAS they indicated to us to please at least keep this limitation in the zoning ordinance for now, and then let's have a holistic look at all of the limitations and the city code to see what we can take from the zoning ordinance and transfer to city code or eliminate completely from the proposed limitations, but we want to do that in a more measured manner.

Um so for time being we plan to keep the loud speaker prohibition in here.

Um it is your prerogative removed.

Um, if we were to do that more holistic look, Mr.

Manager, what is the timeline by which that would be completed?

And I think the reason why I'm raising this is on the one hand, we're saying we want to be business friendly and we want to make it really easy for businesses to operate, but then we're also saying we have this regulation, and then we're gonna do another proteth, another prototh, and then we'll come back to you with a different regulation.

And I think that uncertainty and that timing makes it very hard to operate.

Paul, would you answer that?

Yeah, I'm happy to answer that question.

Paul Sodder.

Um we can take a look at the timeline.

I think it could probably be, you know, it could probably be no longer than six months, uh, but we certainly want to have enough time to make sure we're considering the the noise impacts, and really what we're looking for is sort of impacts on potential neighbors.

Uh, one of the things about uh restaurants and and speakers is they can be in operation the whole time the restaurant is, whereas the noise ordinance, yes, it allows for continuous noise, but usually things don't have continuous noise all day when they're open um uh every day of the week.

Uh and so that's I think part of staff's motivation here for including this restriction.

Um, and that's that's the reason we recommended it in this forum.

But I think if there is interest in looking at how we can do this, I think a few months would be just time to sort this out and bring back on the right.

Um Councilman Alnuby has a follow-up and then I have a comment on this.

Um Councilman O'Neavy.

Thank you.

Um from the same logic, um there's where we say live entertainment is allowed for under 20 uh 2,000 square feet, but not for is it is that the same reason we're not including for over 2,000 square feet?

Um correct.

Um so far in our application of the zoning ordinance and approving SUPs for live entertainment, indoor live entertainment, we have not had issues with any of the venues, to be honest, but we want to take a measured approach, um, start with 2,000 square feet venues, and then eventually we can work our way up after we have a little more time to study the impact that larger venues are having on nearby properties.

Um sometimes it's better to take a measured approach, in my opinion, rather than just go full throttle.

Um, just give us some time to understand how it works for a business with under 2,000 square feet, see if everything's working correctly, if we're not having any issues, and then at that point in time we can you know expand.

Yeah, I get that.

I was thinking about it similarly to the mayor.

If we have the noise ordinance, then it probably would regulate that.

So if we make it by right, it can be regulated under the noise ordinance.

It should be.

I hear the concerns that we've had enforcement challenges.

Then to me, the thing that we should be solving for is then how do we do better enforcement?

Or if we've had issues where businesses are not um, you know, I forget the exact wording that was used earlier, that they haven't been able to um comply with putting the speakers in the way that we want to, then to me, that's a challenge of dealing with the business owner, not necessarily prohibiting it here.

So I guess um six months feels like a long time, but I I'm not sure how it fits within the rest of the workload.

But I just I would hate that on one side we are saying we want to move at the speed of business, and then we're putting in processes that don't allow us to do that.

So I have another question, but maybe as we're thinking through this, Mr.

Manager, you could weigh in on what a timeline could be, and we could add that into our recommendations.

Yeah, I I think um, you know, given the the focus of today on this as well as the uh the trailer, um, I do think that any change that you would like us to I think we've got some pretty clear direction on, particularly on the noise side uh to streamline.

Uh I think we can come back faster.

What we might do is move a few things around in the schedule uh to achieve that, uh, and also at the same time look at what is that enforcement mechanism really look like.

Okay.

We can do both of those, and I would just ask maybe you give us 90 days.

Well, um, so since I can't make a motion, I'm just staring for my colleagues.

My personal opinion, I was ready to strike it today.

But if folks would rather do a process and give 90 days, I think that's with the manager, but I'll um let us discuss that as we go.

The other one that I wanted to raise, and it's along the same, I think, line of thinking, is with the health and athletic clubs and fitness studios.

Um I'm concerned with the it's on page 16 where it talks about um outdoor uses needing to require an SUP.

Again, I'm trying to figure out if I'm a business and I have an indoor facility, or we go through something like COVID again, and I want to be able to offer, you know, an outside use, or I want to be able to promote you know the indoor outdoor use of my space, especially for physical activity.

I'm not sure why then that would require another review process to do that.

Um again, planning and zoning is taking a measured approach to allowing uses outdoors.

We want to see how they function, how they operate, what type of conditions might need to be developed over a couple of years at that point in time.

Some of those uses might be able to transition to by right.

I will say when it comes to health and athletic club outdoor activity, we did have that ability.

During COVID, we allowed um health and athletic clubs to hold classes outdoors, bring equipment outdoors.

It was one of our number one complaints related to noise because of um trainers screaming, you know, commands, you know, burpees, what have you.

Um speakers playing, um, just people dropping equipment.

It was a concern from the community.

So noise, again, it goes back to the noise ordinance.

However, um we can at least put conditions on operations when they have to re when they have to go through the SCP process, you know, hours of operation, what have you?

And with this particular thing, if they are by right, we'd still like some time to consider uh what types of limitations could be placed on an outdoor athletic facility, you know, to control the media to control the impacts on the neighbors.

Do you have a I know this was years ago, but since you mentioned it was our biggest complaint, how many can do you have a sense of how many complaints we achieve we received and like what percentage were these?

Uh I I would probably estimate around a dozen complaints.

They were mainly from old town, north old town, more dense areas.

Okay.

And I guess, and I don't know that we can solve this today, but I think what I'm trying to get at is those are valid concerns, and I understand the noise concerns.

But I also we just had the same conversation with La Pluma a few weeks ago.

If we have just a few, I mean 12, and I'm not sure how many of those 12s were, are there 12 different people?

Are they somebody submitting 12?

Then like what does that mean for our businesses to be able to operate within our community?

And as we're becoming a community where more businesses are in residential areas, like how how do you operate?

And are we putting, we are not those business owners?

And so if what types of limitations are we putting on, and how does that make it difficult for them to do business here?

Limitations that we've talked about, Ann and I are you know, hours of operation outside or vision on outdoor speakers, things like that.

There could be mitigation efforts put in place at the facility, you know, barriers to contain sound, noise proofing, um, but that can be considered through an SUP process and allow us to kind of examine what mitigation efforts work and which ones might not, and then gain some experience and then in the future come back with a proposal to go from a SUP process to buy right based on the conditions that we've been able to develop and the ones that we know will work, such as what we're doing with restaurants.

And then last question from me, and then I see Vice Mayor Bagley.

Several times you've mentioned um we're taking a measured approach, and and I respect that, and I get that.

I guess I'm curious for the council to understand like how do we evaluate that approach?

Like, what is the criteria by which we are determining like this that approach?

What's the structure or the process for which we're defining a measured approach?

So for us, what we're doing is looking at current uses which require an SUP, uses that we're not receiving complaints about.

If we're not receiving complaints over a series of years because we've got conditions that really work, we can take those conditions and put them into use, make them into use limitations more or less.

Um we found that with indoor restaurants, we're not receiving complaints.

Outdoor restaurants, yes, we still do, but you know, we've developed conditions and over the years we've you know refined them and got to a point where we believe restaurants, indoor restaurants can operate without having to have so many restrictions placed upon them and have to go through an admin review process or even sometimes they're appealed and have to go through a full hearing process.

Um that's the measured approach that you know we're we're looking at.

Okay.

Thanks for your back me.

Um I think I I want to reiterate that I I think what I'm hearing issues with needing to address our ability to enforce our existing noise ordinance.

And help me understand here, like I'm I'm a homeowner who wants to take their boom box to their driveway and exercise while I'm streaming a you know, a Peloton class that's telling me to do things, you know, and I I like it to really like tell me what to do, you know, and I've got it turned up and I'm exercising in my driveway with amplified sound.

If that bothers my neighbors or the community, what would they do?

How would somebody address me, you know, exercising outside with either loud music or loud instruction?

I I do not administer the noise ordinance.

However, if someone is, you know, in their front yard with a boom box, they could call the city.

Um someone could go out there with a noise meter reader, and if they're above 55 decibels, there may be a citation issued.

Um typically, if the noise inspector shows up with a noise meter reader, the person will probably, you know, turn that off.

But that would be the process.

You know, someone who is creating a lot of noise next door, um is a nuisance, and the neighbor could call the city for a noise inspection.

So if I change that from I'm a homeowner to I'm a small business owner who is doing the same thing outside, like couldn't the process work the same way?

Okay.

I I and I'm not trying to be cute.

I just try, you know, like what's the difference?

Um, because I think we've we've seen sort of the complaint driven nature, you know, of our for good reason.

And so what I think I'm taking to heart again is what are the what are the funding needs or what are the staffing approaches, what are the things we need to do to potentially just better enforce you know our noise ordinance.

Um this came up in in the gas leaf blower analysis, honestly, where um you know that was a there wasn't a no a noise, you know, ordinance.

It is exceedingly hard to enforce because that activity by design is time limited, and by the time somebody comes out, I can hear too how the amount of time, but again, if it's a business that is repeatedly engaging in loud business, they will get caught.

You know, the no the noise ordinance would catch them.

It's why I'm more comfortable with that than needing to like ban gas leaf blowers, which are very hard to enforce from a noise perspective.

But this feels like if it's a commercial activity designed to be done consistently reliably at a given post in time.

Um it would be easier to enforce if we are properly funding it and staffing it, which does put it back on us.

Um having a noise inspector after hours has been a tremendous help um to the city, including our staff.

Um there are certain businesses which are in violation of their SUP conditions, and having someone from the city you can actually go and witness that at nine, ten, eleven o'clock at night has been very helpful in us achieving um compliance and good neighbors.

No, and and to be clear, I I I credit staff for the effort on this.

This is a you know, I I appreciate the the attempt to like do something measured, see what works, but um I I share the mayor's uh expression of wanting to encourage business, encourage business, honestly.

I mean, I I live in that community, I'm in old town north, you know, encourage in business in places where we are creating density, walkability, vibrancy, all those buzzwords.

Um, they do create, you know, just more ambient, you know, persistent sound.

Um are we yet?

I can't, I didn't want to cut off.

Are we at the motion stage?

Someone would like to like to put a motion on the floor.

Um, you're welcome to do so.

I so I know with regard can you bring up the very tiny slides?

I'm sorry, that's with staff mind returning us to that.

Okay.

Um, I'm I'm slow playing the preparation of my motion while we uh my colleagues um work a bit more.

Um I think what we do want today, and I and I'll look around.

We we're not interested in not putting a motion on the floor today and and and having this.

I mean, the motion I'd like to make is to is to pass the majority of what we're doing here with amendments.

Is that yeah what I'm hearing and seeing from my colleagues?

I think that you could propose amendments and ultimately folks will decide whether or not they choose to vote for this.

Okay, I just didn't want to be on wildly misreading the room that we were looking to extend this.

Okay.

So then my proposal is that we approve um item 16, the zoning text amendment 2025-00007, with the amendment that the final proposed bullet in 7-1900 referring to the prohibition on loudspeakers on exteriors is removed.

And and with regard to how about that?

I will put that motion on the floor, and I would invite any friendly amendments.

Okay.

And this slide is included on page 78 of your packet.

Okay.

Um, there has been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilman McPike.

Any discussion?

Councilman Alnuby.

So I would I would like to offer a couple of friendly amendments.

Um I would say um the provision about the 2,000 square feet.

We're move, we strike out 2,000 square feet when it comes to live entertainment.

And the other one, I would um add the friendly amendment to um also make the private schools trailers by right as it is for public schools.

Okay.

There has been a friendly amendment.

Let me turn to the motion makers.

Vice Mayor Bagley, do you accept those two friendly amendments?

I am amenable to those amendments.

Okay, and Councilman McPike?

Yes.

Okay, so then there is a new motion on the floor that includes the two proposed amendments by Councilman Alnubi.

Is there further discussion?

Uh Vice Mayor Bagley.

I just wanted to um pause and invite and make sure that there wasn't any other proposed changes we wanted to make with regard to outdoor fitness, um, the requirements related to outdoor fitness.

I just wanted to um I mean I'm open I'm open to the 90 days um uh suggestion that was made by by the manager if folks are open to that to better understand um the impact.

I think at the end of the day, we need some sort of metric or reliable process to be able to lean on by which we are making these decisions.

And if we are saying that these came to us because it's not something that we're receiving a ton of complaints, but then we're also saying we received complaints.

I think we just need to make sure we're on the same page.

And so if it's 90 days to figure out what the proposal should be, then I would be open to that with my colleagues.

Just one thing with that.

I mean, you also have the option of changing that and testing out a maybe a little bit broader approach and seeing if we need to adjust the ordinance later.

So there's kind of two different ways to do that.

Yeah, uh Councilman Chapman.

I'll be honest with you, uh, I think on this one I was a little bit um more leaning on kind of staff's position because it did seem to be kind of what the manager was talking about, going a step seeing how that worked.

If that caused massive chaos, we can uh you know pull that back.

Um so I'm I'm fine with that.

Uh I think we've looked at uh a lot of text amendments that way as well.

Um so then where are we landing on that?

What I'm hearing then is the uh a motion that I put on the floor as amended by Councilman Anubi doesn't need any further amendment, or I'm I'm not considering any other um friendly amendments.

Okay, any further discussion?

Oh um, staff has I had one clarifying comment.

Um to remove the 2,000 square feet limit.

Is it your intention to also allow outdoor live entertainment as by right?

Because uh as how the ordinance is structured now in a zone is that there is a under the there's three sections under each zone.

One says permitted use, it will it will say live entertainment subject to the use limitations, um, and that right now says two thousand square feet.

That would now um be read as live entertainment permitted in every zone.

Um also right now it shows that any live entertainment other than what is allowed uh in 2000 square feet would require an SUP.

So that all other live entertainment section that is now in an SUP use in your packet now includes outdoor life entertainment.

So back to my uh question.

Do is your intention to also include outdoor live entertainment is permitted?

Let me let the motion maker respond and then let me come over here.

So councilman Al Nubi and then Councilman Agarry.

So my my intention was only indoor.

Okay, but I don't know if my colleagues want to chime in on that.

But me personally, I was just thinking indoor.

Okay, so councilman Alnuby was just thinking indoor.

Councilman Agiary.

Yeah, and this is actually gonna be my question where I was actually gonna say that I don't think I agree with striking the feet because then what are the unintended consequences, which I think Ms.

Horwitz is describing to us.

So I guess I would ask folks to maybe reconsider striking the the 2,000 feet.

I mean, it's not really friendly.

They would have to um so we would have to I would have to ask uh the two motion makers if this change would has been accepted.

So there is a proposed a proposed change from Councilman Agiri that is different from the friendly amendment that was proposed by Councilman Al Nubi that would be proposing to strike uh to no longer strike the two thousand square feet as it relates to live entertainment schools.

Yes, separate yes.

Um so let me start with Vice Mayor Bagley.

Oh, I I gotta I gotta finish this process and then I can come back for discussion.

So, as the motion maker, um, you can either choose to accept this other amendment or to keep your motion as as proposed.

Okay, before we accept it, Councilman Ageary, can you share more about your position?

Well, Ms.

Horitz, can you just restate what you said?

Because if we're striking the was it 2,000 or 20,000, I can't remember.

2000.

Yeah.

Um, because then we're kind of opening up a can of worms if I'm not um if you if you did decide to strike the 2000 um in our the permitted zones section, um it will it will say indoor live entertainment subject to this use limitation of ending at 11 and windows and doors closed.

And then in the SUP section, um we we could specify.

Oh, I see.

Um I we just took a look at the language, it would continue to say live entertainment other than uh permitted in the previous section.

So as stated now, outdoor live entertainment is still included as an SUP use with if you want to change it to no limitation on indoor square footage, and any other live entertainment that might want to uh occur after 11 p.m.

or might want their windows and doors open, then that would have to come to us uh to to you to public hearing.

So let me go to the motion makers, Vice Mayor Bagley.

So I I guess for me, I don't understand the relationship to square footage to the issue we're trying to address, which is the impact of the noise and the people, and that's why I was receptive to this amendment.

I I I appreciate we're still regulating by noise and and other sort of business related issues.

What does the difference between 1900 square feet and 2200 square feet have on the that those impacts?

I think that's why we were proposing 2000.

We just want to see how this would work with venues under 2,000 square feet, and then if it is successful, expand the size of venues where um live entertainment would be permitted without an SP.

Um I do agree with you on noise.

There's also an impact from crowds or traffic.

So that's another thing that needs to be considered, you know, a small venue is like a small bar where you might have a live ban, but then you get a 10,000 square foot venue, you're gonna have a larger number of people.

Um which you could have people milling around and making noise afterward.

There are our larger impacts from larger venues.

I used to live in an entertainment district in Tampa, Florida, and I've seen the impact from some of these large music venues.

Small ones, very unimpactful, the large ones bring big crowds.

Um design.

I mean, but I mean which is a good thing.

Yeah.

Um what's the magic of 2000 though?

Is there are there venues within our city that we've like taken a poll and we've said, oh, we've got X number under and but more over, or we rarely have over.

And I I and I I don't mean this to feel like a cross-examination.

I'm genuinely trying to understand like what led you to that figure and is and is a reason we should hold on to it.

It that tends to be um in loosely considered uh a small venue.

You know, we've had Galactic Panther that came forward to you that is about 1,800 square feet.

Um we had another small coffee shop that wanted to have a movie night, but it was about 1,500 square feet, uh, didn't want to come forward with an SUP.

So those uh we don't have that many who have requested um and uh we we do have a few that are in the pipeline perhaps for larger venues um where we have had several come several neighborhood complaints.

Okay, for the for the moment, I'm going to like stay where I'm at that doesn't foreclose, you know, we'll see how the motion rises or falls.

I'm just um increasingly eager to see us regulate the impacts, the actual lived impacts, and and not sort of what's happening inside the building as it's designed to to function and and serve.

Okay.

So um, Councilman Ageary has proposed an amendment.

It seems like the motion maker is the primary motion maker's not accepting that change.

The secondary is not accepting that change.

Councilman Ageary, you could either leave it here or you could seek a second to revise this.

So further clarification first.

So are we sending something back for 90 days review?

Because I thought that staff was going to come back with something.

And this is almost sounding like something that we should just add to that and then have it come back.

What I and I would like to clarify with um Vice Mayor Bagley, what I heard when I said that I was in favor of the manager's um 90 day review, nobody took that up in their motion.

In the motion.

The motion stayed the same.

So as of right now, there is nothing going on.

Okay, then I then I would propose uh an amendment where we unstrike and bring back the original language to have the 2,000 foot limit.

Okay.

And are you adding that something then would go back to the manager, or just unstrike and put the original language back in?

No, at this point, then it's just on strike.

Okay, there has been a motion and a second.

So I think I have to take a vote on that one.

So any discussion on the proposed motion.

Okay, I got Vice Mayor Backley and Councilman Alnuby.

I mean it's good Robert's rules practice for us here.

So just to just to confirm with my colleague, you're um proposing to sort of keep the staff recommendation, and we're we wouldn't be expecting anything from the manager and staff in 90 days.

Just we're done today talking, you know, and we it would it would be as proposed.

Okay.

Yes.

Yes.

And I would I hear because there's no change, their motion still keeps the trailers and everything.

Okay.

Councilman Alnuby.

I would just note that I I hear Councilman Gear's point.

Um I don't necessarily fully agree with it, but I would add that there are other guardrails still in place other than the 2,000 square foot.

So it just feels a little bit of an overkill to have the 2,000 square foot in there as well, because we have windows closed.

If they want to go outside, they have to uh uh apply for an SUP.

So that's just where I'm coming from.

So that's why like I would rather we still strike the 2,000 from okay.

Um so let me check one thing.

So I know Councilman Green, I mean Councilman Green, you had comments.

Are yours on this motion?

If not, then I'll come back.

Okay, come back then um councilman uh Chapman on this motion.

Yeah, to uh to respond to my colleague, I I think the I think staff said it best.

I think there are levels of activity, shall we say, depending on the size of a venue that I think are not accommodated or uh aren't hit by kind of the basic usage limitations, right?

Again, uh a 1,000 or 2,000 foot facility versus a 10,000 foot facility are definitely two different levels of engagement and activity, and I think having that cap uh as we look at it kind of makes ensures that we are not trying to um uh allow the same uh level of activity and potentially complaints and things of that nature um with the 2,000 facility, 2,000 foot square foot facility, because a 10,000 foot facility is not gonna be that same level.

You know, you're not gonna have uh 50 people or 100 people coming to uh uh uh 10,000 foot facility, you're gonna have maybe probably some thousands of people, right?

And so it's a different level than uh a facility that's much much smaller.

And so I think you have to take a different level of uh of policy or around that.

And I think that's what we're trying to get at by making that a cap at 2,000.

I have councilman Agiary.

And you know, I get that point, but I think just to be a little bit clearer for me, if when the guardrails and my colleagues are thinking of is the noise ordinance, frankly, for me, we we just don't have the best track record on it.

Um, and it is also very complicated to try and get the measurements and the decibel readings, and we've gone through this with a lot of different groups.

Some that had you know a pretty clear standing that yes, it looked like it, but it was still difficult with the readings.

Other groups that not necessarily it seemed like it was a good, but again, the readings were difficult to take.

Um, and so if that's one of our major guardrails, then that gives me even more pause and even more uh wanting to keep the the number of feet in there.

Councilman Alnuby.

Sorry, not to prolong this, but I think this is a great conversation here.

The great I appreciate the dialogue um as we think through this.

Um I would I would note two things.

Um, one, the noise ordinance is probably one of the guardrails, but not the only guardrails.

Two, if as my colleague eloquently stated, um the noise ordinance is not the best.

That to me says we need to go back and look at our noise ordinance.

So it's a bigger point than just putting 2,000 square feet in and out.

That means so I wonder if we want to add something like this in this motion about the noise ordinance for our staff to look at.

But other than that, it to me it's not it's not necessarily no my micro.

But I think the mayor, the mayor spoke to that earlier, but the you know, it's a bigger point.

You know, look at the noise ordinance and other things than just to like, so to me, I think um I'm still what I am, but I really appreciate um your perspective.

So I would offer up um just so that we can, you know, we have several other items on this docket that I would like to get to today.

I share your, I share your perspective, and I would like to um have us revisit that, but I think let's take let's not add that to this motion and let's have a different discussion and give direction to the manager on what we would like like to see there.

Um so with that, there has been a motion and a second for a to basic oh lost track to um adopt staff's uh recommendations with no longer striking the 2,000 square foot requirement um and to keep the um the uh amendment that private schools would be permitted uses.

Is there I guess wait a clarification for the city attorney?

School trailers.

Oh, yes, so trailers, trailers.

Um this is just the vote on this exception of the substitute motion, then we still need another vote.

Correct.

Okay, so this is on the substitute motion.

All those in favor say aye.

Okay.

Did you also want to include the restaurant loud speakers?

No, we're not there.

Yes.

Um all those in favor say aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

So there are five ayes and two nays.

Three days, three nays.

Four ayes, three nays.

Okay.

So now it is back in the motion.

I mean, the majority carried it.

So now we have our moving on our substitute motion.

Um are there any additional amendments to this one or discussion?

Councilwoman Green.

Um, yes, Madam Mayor.

If I could get clarification um around with Vice Mayor Bagley's motion, can I get clarification around if we need to put a friendly amendment in for something with the outdoor exercise component?

Just clarification on that.

Um, my understanding is when it was proposed earlier, it was rejected by the motion makers.

So you would have to go through the same process that Councilman Aguirre just did and put forth another substitute motion, make a second, and then we could add it.

Okay, thank you.

Is there any further discussion?

Okay, so I'm just gonna um I know we're about to do a roll call vote.

I just want to make my my opinion at first, I thank you, staff.

I know this is a lot of work, and I know we're going through substantive review of the zoning code in order to achieve what we want.

I think ultimately, and I appreciate the motion makers for putting in um different amendments.

I think ultimately I'm gonna vote no on this.

I think they're in even just the back and forth that has gone here.

I think we're approaching a thin line between like how do we respond to the concerns we want to address, but also over regulation of certain things within within our community.

And I think that there might just need to be a little more discussion on how we're determining numbers that we're looking at, how we're pick choosing, how we're evaluating these things, and I think that gives me that just gives me some pause on this, um, and also making sure that we are doing, I think what might be necessary with engagement with our business community in a different way before before today.

So I I appreciate the work that's happened.

I appreciate my colleagues' motions, but I I will be voting no on this.

Um, Councilman Gary.

Well, Madam Mayor, if you're voting no, I mean, I I don't have any issue with I mean sending this back and deferring and having it come back.

I mean, if if that's if that's some of your sentiment, I mean, I would be supportive of that.

So I'm just gonna throw that out there to you.

Okay.

Thank you, Councilman Agarry.

I appreciate the support.

I um I'm curious where others are.

I can't make a motion, so if um Vice Mayor Bagley.

Um I I think I I appreciate the that um dialogue, and I'm also incredibly sensitive to I know what goes into getting us to this point.

And so I'm often really hesitant to defer just because um the briefings and the work um and the you know the science that kind of goes into getting us to this point.

Um having said that, since I was on the losing end of one of the edits, um, I I'm not you know, um instinctively opposed to deferring either, if it might allow us to get to a motion that is less amended, if it might allow us to have a little more conversation around the outdoor fitness element, which we're sort of letting go today, but I think with several of us indicated a little bit of unease, you know, with the current language.

Um so this was sort of just put out, you know, put on the floor, but um can I can I ask staff a question?

I mean it yes.

Is there does this dialogue perhaps um inform that you might you know might do, have the bandwidth to do if we deferred to a set date.

I guess that's the question I'd like to ask is if I'm gonna you know withdraw my motion or have a substitute motion that involved deferral, what's the time frame or the request that staff would have related to such a motion?

So this package of text amendments has taken more than a year to bring to you.

Um Anne has put in an enormous amount of work.

She's retiring on December 31st.

We will not have a preserv or um uh principal planner in that position for a little while.

We're also losing another member of the non-development unit, so our three-member unit will be down to one member.

We will not have the staff bandwidth for quite a while to process this package of text amendments.

I cannot promise you a time when we can come back.

Um you've got a package before you that I think reduces a lot of regulation.

We have more work to do.

We can bring more amendments to you in the future.

Um, as we do about every five years, Ann said, we do bring you a package of text amendments related to commercial zoning, but we do on a regular basis, you know, more or less twice a year have a series of minor updates to the zoning and zoning ordinance, which we can include a lot of your comments in those minor updates.

If I could just build on that point, uh, I think it's uh it's it's definitely a strong point that we've got a lot of staff work already baked into this thing.

And if what I'm hearing after sort of there are pages of zoning text updates, and what I'm hearing is that there's sort of four specific issues that we need to look at.

I I heard private trailers, outdoor speakers in the restaurants, indoor library dynamic square footage, uh, and outdoor exercise.

If it is a specific list of things we need to look at, I think we probably do that somewhere between 90 and uh three months.

Okay.

No, I think that's very helpful.

So what Director Stoddard is saying is that we could still move forward with some of the other amendments and pull out the areas where there is concern.

I think for me, and I just want to acknowledge Mr.

Klacola and what you said, I I am so glad for the work that has gone into this.

And and I appreciate everything.

I think what I want to make sure though is that we are then passing something that is reflective of the work that has gone into it and can be implemented and enforced.

And if there's this much back and I mean, we had I think 30 minutes just on whether or not we had the right square footage.

That to me tells me there's more discussion that needs to be had on some of these items.

So that's where I'm coming from.

Um Director Stodd.

Everything we're proposing is more flexible than what's allowed today.

And so if we don't pass the package today, then we're leaving in place the older rules.

And so one path forward might be to say that this package is not as much as we want, but it's better than today, and staff does commit to back to you in 90 days with uh uh options to expand the four concerns.

Okay.

Um are there so Vice Mayor Bayer, I've cut you off.

Are you okay?

So Councilman McPy.

I appreciate the conversation and the discussion, and I think there obviously are elements here that there's some controversy about, but I would I would sort of take uh staff's input very strongly here that we do have a lot of other elements of this that we haven't been haven't been controversial.

So I think that rather than deferring, we should strike some elements and pass the rest of the package.

So I'd like to confirm something with the city attorney real quick.

Could so I'm trying to find the cleanest way to get us out of here.

Um it seems like there's a path forward where we wouldn't have to defer, but we could accept the changes from Director Stoddard.

Could the vice mayor simply just rescind her motion and then that gives us a clean path and we can start over and just give a clean motion?

Yes.

Okay.

Vice Mayor Bagby.

That's my handy flow shard here.

Okay, so um I wanna also just take a moment to acknowledge what Mr.

Lakola has said.

Also for the public, I think this is like a kind of a fabulous little peek into how the sausage gets made, and that the staff on this particular topic is about to go from three to one.

And I I just think the public, you know, there's a lot of positions that aren't as front-facing in our city, you know, people who clean our streets and and police officers and firefighters, they're very, you know, public, and we see them, and you see the city attorney and you see our IT professionals, but um, our planners you really only see on these limited occasions, but they are working on a daily basis putting together massive packages like this.

So I just you know want to express my thanks and acknowledge that we will need to be mindful that the items we're withdrawing potentially from this package, we will need to, you know, be patient and mindful of who the availability and the bandwidth of staff to take those up.

Um, and I'm going to put on the floor a um a motion to uh approve the package as uh brought by staff with four areas removed, which admittedly I will not be able to identify by number, but I will try to be as clear as I can.

I'm going to ask that the language around music, indoor music at the 2,000 square foot area be removed from the package for further consideration, the regulation regulatory changes regarding music.

Um second, I'm going to ask that the language around I wrote down PVT by right.

PVT.

Trailers.

Oh, trailers, yeah.

Um around um trailers uh be removed at present.

Yes, yes.

Okay.

Um that the language about outdoor fitness regulation be uh removed from the current package for further consideration.

Um, and that the final bullet on was page page.

78, Mr.

Cola?

I forget.

And in um the language surrounding a total prohibition on um out exterior speakers um be removed for further consideration.

So the package, probably hopefully 90% of it is moved for approval with those four areas requested that staff will let us know when they can come back with new proposals.

Well, both the director's daughter and the manager said 90 days.

Is that a time frame that works for you?

Okay.

Yeah, um, so that's that's the motion on the floor.

Okay, so there has been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilman McPike.

Any further discussion?

All right, seeing none, Madam Clerk, this is a roll call vote.

Um, please call the roll.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Aye.

Councilman McPyke.

Aye.

Mayor Gaskins.

Aye, Councilman Aguirre, Councilman Chapman.

All right.

Councilman El Nuby.

Aye.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye.

All right.

The ayes have it.

Thank you all.

And and this means this is your last time coming before us.

So thank you for your decades of service to uh to the city.

All right, Madam Clerk.

Madam Clerk, next item.

Rezoning 2025-0004 development special use permit 2025, 1002, 598 South Average Alford Street, Old Town West.

Okay.

Um I'll give staff a minute to come to the front.

To my colleagues, as staff is coming to the front.

Uh, do we need a presentation on this one?

Okay, we do not need a presentation.

With that, I'm going to go um there's only one public speak person signed up for the public speak.

Um, and that is the applicant.

Would you like to speak or okay?

Then I'm gonna go straight into the public testimony and call on our speaker, Mary Catherine Gibbs.

Uh good afternoon.

Um, thank you very much.

I just I wanted to, I know that we have been sitting through a long discussion, and I appreciate um what you guys have been talking through.

I want to note though this is a culmination of an extremely uh important project in this city, uh and we have here with us um the members of uh the Alpha Street Baptist Church and the community builders who have been working tirelessly for years on bringing this first of their affordable housing projects before you, and I'd like to recognize them first and foremost.

Uh, Pastor Howard John Wesley is here, um, who's a huge advocate for affordable housing and in supporting this in our community, but also Dallas Evans, who is the head of the affordable housing team and other members of the affordable housing team that are here.

If I could ask them to stand up, other members of the church so that you can see how many people have been really working hard on this.

Um, and we also have from um uh the community builders, Beth Kennan is online.

She is in Charlottesville, but she is online and has been the team lead um since uh Juan Powell, who now has his own company is here with us today.

Um I just wanted to um ask that uh for your approval today, because if I don't ask, you probably you know you don't give it.

Um, but this project supports and satisfies all of the facets of the South Password Street affordability strategy that we went through together.

We actually sat on the committees together for that project.

Alfred Street has been participating that long.

Um they went through the process to get the small area plan adopted, and now they're moving forward with this project.

We think it is a wonderful project, is the first of a couple that you're gonna see.

Um, but we need this one to be successful in order to make it so that we get to the next one.

So I'm gonna ask that you um approve these both the rezoning and the uh development special use permit.

I don't want to also, I want to also thank the staff who has worked really, really hard on getting this to you.

It's not an uncomplicated case.

Um, and so I really would like to thank uh Danielle and Catherine um very much for getting us to this point.

Thank you, Miss Gibbs.

I do have um, there was only one letter we received, and it it just had it just had a quite two questions, so I want to make sure I ask those questions.

Uh the first was as it relates to water levels.

Can you just take a little bit about talk a little bit about construction and how you guys look at the I guess quality of the ground and potential for water?

You mean as if the we're gonna hit water when we go down uh below grade for the parking garage?

Yes.

Uh it's our understanding that actually the water table is below the first level of parking.

That's one of the reasons we only have one level of parking.

Thank you.

And then the other question was can you just speak to the uh relocation plan and sort of what's up, what goes into that process and how we ensure that as residents are placed in other housing as they wait for this project, um, how we ensure that their needs, their concerns, and ability to pay is still maintained.

I'm happy to.

We've actually submitted a draft relocation plan, which won't be finalized until we get closer to construction because you have to get to within about 120 days of when you're gonna start construction, and we're not there yet.

But there is a draft.

We've actually had three meetings with the residents already to assure them that they are gonna be um provided with assistance to relocate as well as the opportunity, um, the right of first refusal to come back to these units.

Um, that is going to be their right, and they are going to be helped throughout this process.

The community builders will hire a third party relocation consultant that we have already committed, we'll meet with each of the residents individually, so they will be um they will be taken care of.

Okay, thank you.

Um is there a motion to close the public hearing?

Um, Councilman uh Chapman and uh second councilwoman Green to close the public hearing.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye, any opposed?

All right, the ayes have it.

Is there further discussion or is there a motion?

Councilman Chapman.

Um I asked this question uh in my briefing, and I want to try to get to something uh here as well.

In terms of everything that we're gonna be looking at with this, um I was back, remember back in 2017 when we started this.

Um we know that there are some I would say traffic issues, particularly on Gibbon Street.

Um, but how that impacts everything else that we're doing there with the changes that we're making by block by block, how are we um preparing for additional cars, not just for this project, because I know this project uh as staff says won't have a substantial change, but for this neighborhood.

How to how are we approaching that?

I'll start with planning and zoning.

Happy to take the question.

Uh so when the community uh uh took out uh uh small area plan approach uh to these several blocks, one of the things they emphasized was this idea of stitching the neighborhood back together and not letting it be divided by roads.

Uh and since then there's been an emphasis on working with the streets that are available to uh improve flow that's being done through adaptive signal management.

Uh there's also an emphasis on pedestrian and bicycle and transit rider safety.

Uh and so their public improvements as well uh underway on crossings and mediums and streets gates and sidewalks.

So those are already underway, and so what'll end up happening is a more walkable, bikeable, uh transit-friendly environment that continues to accommodate automobile.

So I appreciate the answer.

But I just want to be realistic with what we're gonna see in terms of vehicles in that vicinity when we've have full built-out of the area, right?

We are aware of multiple projects, not just this one, um, but the potential future across what is that Patrick Street, Henry Street, um, as well for that redevelopment.

So I just want to put that on the table, put that in public and make sure that we still consider that so we're not at a place down the line looking at um challenges.

Yeah, moving from uh uh policy answer to a numbers answer.

Uh a lot of the traffic that is in the area today is is related to through traffic.

It has a certain movement it's trying to make a lot of folks trying to move southbound in the evening.

Right.

Development here that is largely more oriented toward residential use, won't have that same travel pattern.

Uh as an example, uh the new building that's in front of you today, uh it's projected to have no trips added in the PM peak uh at that busy intersection of Patrick.

Um it's because those folks in the PM peak are going in a different direction and returning home instead of staff.

Um and so that's how these things start to work together is that these residential uses have a different pattern and they're moving in different directions.

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay, Councilwoman Green.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

And hey there, Pastor Wesley.

And hello to my Alpha Street family as well.

Um, I just want to just start off by saying, you know, thank you to you and to um the faith community for always stepping up to help those in need, not just in the affordable housing realm, but also food and security and many other things and the perseverance to get to this point um, you know, is admirable, and we thank you for that for this project and the ones moving forward.

And the perseverance to get to this point, you know, is admirable, and we thank you for that for this project and the ones moving forward.

And I do want to say I am very sorry that you are number 17 on the docket today.

If I had my way, you would have been number one.

Um if I had my way.

Sorry.

But with that being said, uh, Madam Mayor, I would like to move to approve the rezoning 2025 0004 and the development special use permit 2025 10022.

Second.

Okay, there has been a motion by Councilwoman Green and a second by Councilman Chapman.

I have many comments I could say, but I'll save this for the lunch hour.

Um but as there's been a motion in a second, is there any further discussion?

I just quickly want to echo my thanks as well to Pastor Wesley, to Mr.

Evans, to everyone who has joined us today, to the community builders, to miss to Miss Gibbs.

I know this has been a long journey coming, but we thank you for your commitment to making sure that all of our residents can remain and live and grow and continue to prosper in our community.

For anyone, I know we went through this one rat rather quickly, but if you are interested in learning more about the project, there's a lot of amazing things to highlight.

In fact, um, in terms of preserving the long-term affordability, making sure that all of the current units are continue to be um relocated on this parcel, that residents have a right to return.

There's um green space, there's high quality architecture, and I think it's just a commitment to make sure that not only are we committed to passing more affordable homes in our city, we're making sure that they're being done in partnership with um stakeholders in our community, but also to the highest quality so that everyone can also live with dignity and respect.

Um Chapman.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

One little thing I'd like to add to that that list of benefits is if I remember correctly, there are a number of 30% units.

Um 34.

Thank you.

Um in this property, and why I want to call attention to that because as we talk about losing affordability within the city, uh, some of the most challenging units to try to keep are those uh 30% AMI and below, uh, because those are deeply affordable units where a landowner has made the distinct decision to try to save uh really um really uh fleeting uh amount of affordability.

And so I certainly appreciate this project.

Uh taking aim at some of those.

Okay.

With that, there has been a motion to approve the rezoning number 2025-00004 and the development special use permit uh number 2025-1002.

Madam Clerk, this is a roll call vote.

Please call the roll.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye, Councilman Chapman.

Aye.

Mayor Gaskins.

Aye.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Hi.

Councilman Ageary.

Councilman L Newby.

Aye.

Councilman McPright.

Aye.

All right, the eyes have it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I also wanted to note um I went to the Chris Collins dance studio when I was a small child.

So you should have came up with a proclamation.

I said hello to him as you.

You have your net on too.

Yes.

Thank you all, and thank you for your today.

Um, Madam Clerk, next item.

Development special use permit 2025 10023, Lamb Bay G block B E.

Development Special Use Permit 2025 10024, Lam Bay G block G.

Um, development special use permit 2025-10025 Lamb Bay H encroachment 2025 0008, 2901 and 2601 Main Line Boulevard, 2900 Potomac Avenue and 601 Glee Road, Potomac Yard, Land Base G and H.

Okay.

Um, so I checked with my colleagues, and I thank staff for also hanging in today, but we do not need a staff presentation on this one.

There are um two speakers signed up for the public comment, so I'm gonna turn right to our public comment.

The first is Marcia Ray, and then the second is Clea Benson, and we'll start with Ms.

Ray.

I'm Marcia Ray back again.

Uh today is voice Alexander Housing Team Co-Chair and loving that we're following the previous item on this.

This council is obviously uh strongly committed to building affordable housing, and we'll quickly tell anyone who asks that we do not have the local funds to do enough to build the homes we need here in Alexandria.

Even as we have great projects coming online soon, we have other approved projects that are languishing in the city's pipeline for funding.

This is why the Wesley Housing Project is such an important opportunity for our community.

By leveraging a redevelopment opportunity, we have the ability to move 88 new homes forward without city funds.

Wesley Housing has a good track record building and managing affordable homes for families.

I like that this project has a good proportion of family-sized units.

We don't often see in these projects.

Voice supported this project during the zoning changes in November, and I'm back today to affirm our continuing support for this project.

We can't build the homes we need for our lower wage workers, including our city employees, unless we use every creative tool in our toolbox.

I can't say it better than planning commission chair Melissa McMahon did when she supported this project in November.

Let's say yes to this project and live in the world we have, not the one we wish we had.

This is a world where people of good faith are sincerely trying to build homes using the tools they have to get the job done.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'll now turn to our next speaker, Miss Benson.

Hi, thank you very much, Mayor Gaskins and members of the city council.

Um I'm the president of the Potomac Yard Homeowners Association.

We represent the 725 homeowners in the earlier stages of development in Potomac Yard.

Um and I'm here uh just because we are continuing to request uh that the new townhome development that is proposed take ownership of and responsibility for uh the green space next to the firehouse, uh which we currently own, uh, but it is not contiguous to our community, it is contiguous to the proposed new town home development.

Um this is sort of an example of a quirk of the development process where the early DSUPs said the HUA uh HOA would take uh responsibility uh for that open space.

Um, but it it doesn't really make any sense uh for homeowners who don't live next door to that parcel to be paying to maintain it.

Um that said, we take very responsible seriously our responsibilities to maintain open space.

We currently maintain many totlots, parks, um, contribute extra maintenance to the city finger parks um and run the stormwater management system for all of Potomac Yard.

So uh we just uh want to make this make sense um and have that transferred over to them.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your time, Miss Benson.

And uh the clerk just let me have one other speaker, Miss Puskar.

Good afternoon.

On behalf of the applicants, JBG Smith, Wesley Housing, and Toll Brothers.

Uh, my name is Kathy Puscar for the record, and we are very happy that you saved the best for last.

Um, as I was driving down here this morning, I came down Fairfax Street, and at the corner of Fairfax and uh I think it was Queen, I saw uh former councilman Kropika and former councilman Rich standing on the corner, and I said, Oh, that's trouble, and they laughed.

Then I parked and came in the lobby, and I saw former council members Speck uh and Smedberg, and then I came upstairs and I saw Del Pepper and Andrew McDonald.

And I forgot that this was a proclamation this morning for the last public hearing in these chambers, and it made me reflect on the fact that I started practicing in February of 96.

So the number of cases that I have been before the council in this chamber over 30 years uh is really, I think remarkable when I think about it.

But in particular, Potomac Yard.

Um, I first started representing Potomac Yard in 2004 when it was a vacant piece of land.

And I hope you all will mark today as the completion of that vision in accordance with the timeline that you all typically expect when you approve a master plan.

Now that a master plan has evolved over time and there have been changes, but this is the final piece of that puzzle, and I am really happy to be here today to have a proposal that has a diversity of housing types in for sale townhouses, multifamily rental, and more particularly an affordable housing building right next to Metro in a transit-rich environment with retail.

We will also be providing additional open space uh and pedestrian connectivity and retail, where I look forward to meeting Mr.

Chapman at my 2001 square foot retail uh location with no live entertainment.

Um so uh you guys can let him know that.

Um, so with that, we are very happy to be here, and we really appreciate the hard work, appreciate the hard work of staff over the past year of the community of PIDAC to get us to where we are today, and we really look forward to um hopefully getting this approved today and moving forward to construction.

So thank you.

Are there any questions for the applicant before we close the public hearing?

For the applicant.

I can also leave it open if you'd like to okay.

Well, we'll we'll leave the public hearing uh open for right now and pivot.

Are there any questions for staff?

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Yeah, no, thank you.

Um I I hesitated only because I I I want to highlight um, can you put up like we don't have to have the presentation, but I at least want to have while we finish this and hopefully get to motions like the overview sort of showing what it is we're passing today to because um and while that's coming up, um, you know, Miss Ray uh alluded to it.

Um we are getting 88, I believe, um committed affordable housing units here, which is the result of a parcel of land being um donated essentially to um Wesley Housing.

Um, and we're getting a real mix of of housing types um through the parcel.

And I think what I wanted some questions I asked during my briefings and in my interactions with the applicant, which is why I appreciate sort of keeping the the open for the moment is I just wanted to um uh confirm and sort of just just ask both sides to confirm that um the retail space, you know, we've gotten a lot of feedback, and so have you, you know, as we reach the conclusion here, there's been a lot of dialogue in the community about um activating it in ways other than residential, as our vision has changed.

So can can staff and the applicant express what I think is a shared set you know vision at this point of what are the retail which parcel will have retail.

It's my understanding it'll be the base of one, and it will have potentially three or four um retail spaces, and that they will face the metro and the park.

I can speak to the start with the applicant.

We'll start with Ms.

Pascar and then we'll start.

Um so yes, um, through the course of the project, um, we went from no retail to 10,000 square feet to 12,000 to 13,100.

Um it all fronts along that major open space and the metro, and you'll see on the exhibits that it shows four arrows for four potential tenants.

Um we certainly know that we don't want one or two, right?

We want this to be a place where people come and have a variety of uh activities.

Um, Mr.

Chapman, you missed including a 2001 square foot restaurant without live entertainment.

And um but we shut back I told him he's about to lose his title as nightmare.

Let's let's say let's no, no, no, no, no.

Let's stay focused on what's happening here.

Um so but but we do hope we've we've been uh we do have a marketing plan that will go to anywhere from a small coffee shop to a full service restaurant to uh personal service uses, and so we do think um the sweet spot is four, it could be three, it could be five.

It just depends on who comes forward looking to occupy the space.

And I appreciate that.

And I wanted to just highlight it because we just did ALX Forward, you know, we did this massive you know discussion about economic development.

We also got some feedback on our legislative package about wanting to make sure it was business friendly, and so I I appreciate the work by staff and the applicant to re-invest in some uh retail space here and and encourage anybody interested in opening a new business right across from the metro in this beautiful green space um that you know we're open for business there.

And um, if to the applicant as well, is there also a potential possibility for a small retail space in the affordable building as well?

Is that something that's still maybe on the table or some sort of that is correct?

Wesley Housing, um, we specifically designed the corner of Glebe Road and Main Line Boulevard to potentially accommodate a very small retailer, and I think that Wesley Housing would be looking uh to partner uh with a special uh tenant for that space, and if not, that space would be amenity space uh for the residents.

I I appreciate that, thank you.

And um again to everybody listening, you know, let's let's get into business in these parcels.

Um I'm very excited to step off that metro and and and see places to to stop and meet people.

Um with that and to that point, Miss Bagley, we would also love to do outdoor yoga classes without having to get an SUP.

Thank you.

So uh it's coming back.

Yeah.

So um with with that, and if uh could we I I'd move to close the public hearing?

Second.

Oh, wait, sorry.

I'm sorry.

There's been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley.

Um and a second by councilman green to close the public hearing.

All those in favor say aye.

Any opposed?

All right, the ayes have it.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

I I move to approve um item uh where are we?

18.

Item 18 with three DSUPs um for the mixed-use building, the affordable building, and the townhouses representing the um final build out of the south southern portion of Potomac Yard.

Second.

There's a staff hand I see.

Um Madam Mayor, these are actually separate development special.

So we need separate.

Also, if I could point out uh memo was sent to the council from staff on um the affordable housing project to add two conditions if those could also be read into the vote, please.

Yes.

So we're gonna have to take these one at a time.

And then the afford remind me for the affordable housing building.

Is that um is that H?

2424.

All right, so when we get to 24, which will be the second motion, we'll come back to the proposed language.

And also the encroachment with 23.

Okay, well, while we're pulling up those conditions, I can make a motion to approve DSUP 2025-10023 for the mixed-use building.

No, the yeah, you need to you need to put in the uh encroachment language for number 23.

Oh, for 23 as well.

Yes.

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mind I had to spell that out separately.

Okay, so we're moving DSUP 2025-10023 for the mixed-use building with the encroachment as proposed.

Okay, there's been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilman McPike.

Is there any discussion on this one?

I just had a quick quote.

I don't know that it's specifically for this one, but while we were joking earlier, and while Miss Poscar was making a joke, I do think it's important the intersection between the policies that we pass and whatever we're doing should be promoting the overall community and business environment that we want to have.

So while we laugh now, this is why that item took so long and why it's so important.

With that, uh any further discussion.

Okay, Madam Clerk, this is a roll call vote.

Please call the roll.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Aye.

Councilman McPyke.

Aye.

Mayor Gaskins.

Aye.

Councilman Ageary.

Aye.

Councilman Chapman.

Aye.

Councilman El Nubi.

Aye.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye.

All right, Vice Mayor Bagley.

I move that we approve DSUP 2025-00124 with the additional conditional language as proposed by staff on item 88A and 89A.

All right, there has been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilwoman Green.

Any discussion?

All right.

Madam Clerk, this is a roll call vote vote, please call the roll.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye.

Mayor Gaskins.

Aye.

Councilman Aguirre.

Aye.

Councilman Chapman.

Aye.

Councilman El Nubi.

Aye.

Councilman McPright.

Aye.

Okay.

Vice Mayor Bagley, number three.

Oh, yeah, no, we're good.

Okay.

Um, so uh I moved to approve DSUP 1025-20025.

You took it off the screen, but I got it anyway.

Um, as proposed.

Second.

Okay, there has been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley, a second by Councilman Chapman.

Any discussion?

Councilman Agire.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Um, I was willing to just say a couple of comments on the project overall.

Um, well, it's not the density and some of the things that I wanted to see, especially a hotel.

I think this is still a good project.

Um, we also uh there's an agreement on the townhome side to be taking a look at parking because we don't want to get into a situation where folks aren't using their garages, and then there's a fight over parking um and having people over, and uh especially when you have some folks or individuals that may need additional child care or um elderly care or whatever it may be.

Um additionally for uh the mixed use building.

I'm excited for that.

I think the vice mayor mentioned I want to walk off the metro and walk straight into a shop.

Um it creates community space.

Um, and then additionally for the affordable housing building, it's not only great that we're getting the affordable housing units, but also within those units, they will have washer and dryers.

There will be a community room, which to me is very essential for folks to be able to come congregate, meet each other, utilize it for birthdays for other events.

Um there's gonna be a gym and then um potentially another piece of retail.

So overall, I think this is a really great project, and just wanted to make a couple of comments on it.

Thank you, Councilman Aguirre.

Is there any additional discussion?

Uh Councilman McPike.

Yeah, I'd like to just also note that we're getting 620 uh housing units of a variety of affordability levels, a variety of types.

You know, we talked a lot about trying to provide housing in different forms in the city, and this is going to do that.

It's not, you know, there's some expectation of commercial use here that we're not getting that.

That's a broader environmental challenge that we're facing across the region.

But I appreciate the work that has gone into bringing this forward.

Uh the ways that this project has improved over the years since uh I think we first heard about it from you with more public accessibility to the green areas inside the townhouse uh community, the improvement of the retail and the open space on the north end of that building.

It's been a good it's been a good process of the over the last year, and it's great.

We're finishing the southern part of Potomac Yard.

Let's finish the northern part uh as soon as possible as well.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman McPike.

Any further discussion?

All right, seeing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Aye, Councilman Chapman.

Aye, Mayor Gaskins.

Aye, Councilman Naguiri.

Aye.

Councilman El Nuby.

Aye.

Councilwoman Green.

Aye.

Councilman McPyke.

Aye.

All right.

The ayes have it.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

And I guess we'll see you at the Dell Pepper Building again.

Thank you all.

At this point, we will return to our public hearing.

And we're gonna pick up.

Oh we're gonna pick up with where we left off.

And the first two speakers are Janice Grenadier and Carrie.

Do we have Miss Grenadier?

Okay, not seeing Miss Grenadier.

I'm gonna proceed to Carrie.

And after Carrie is Kathleen Lowy.

Okay.

Hi.

Um my name is Carrie.

I'm a resident of Alexandria.

I'm also a parent and a member of my neighborhood civic association.

I've engaged with city council before, advocating for safer streets and better public transportation, because I believe our city's investments should reflect our values.

Today I'm asking the council to take another step in that direction by adopting an ethical investment policy and divesting from companies involved in ecoside, genocide, and apartheid.

It is extremely short-sighted to invest in companies that harm the environment or profit from human suffering.

We have the power to choose differently for our children's future and our collective humanity.

I know firsthand that divestment can be a powerful tool.

Before moving to Alexandria, I lived in South Africa for many years.

I have interviewed elders who shared with me how global divestment campaigns helped pressure the apartheid government, ultimately contributing to the country's democratic transition.

Divestment sends a clear moral message and shifts the incentives that shape policy.

We cannot ignore the human impact of the systems that we financially support.

Since October 2023, more than 20,000 families in Gaza have lost a child during the U.S.

funded Israeli genocide.

But Palestinian families have been losing loved ones for decades under Israeli apartheid.

One of those families is the family of Ra'ed Zaiter, a Jordanian Palestinian judge who was killed by Israeli soldiers while crossing a checkpoint.

He told me proudly about Riad's life, how he excelled in school, earned his PhD, became a judge, and received a promotion just days before he was killed.

Raed's father recounted his interaction with the Israeli authorities.

And I quote They asked me how many kids do you have.

Thank you so much for your time today.

Um I apologize.

I did not realize that Miss Grenadier is online, so I need to um take us back one speaker.

All right, Miss Grenadier, you're unmuted and you can begin when when you're ready.

Thank you very much.

Happy holidays.

The city's liability grows the longer it does nothing.

With Wells Fargo publicly disavowing ownership, uh Trautman Pepper acting without a lawful client to for deed theft with 15 West Spring Street.

The city's refusal to investigate is no longer a passive oversight.

It becomes a failure of duty, a breach of public trust, and a direct financial risk to the taxpayers whose insurance reserve funds are being misused.

The public pays the protection the city refuses to provide.

Alexandria claims to be self-insured.

But when a serious claim to spot is filed, especially one alleging fraud, ADA retaliation, illegal jailing, government misconduct, a religious hate crime.

The city refuses to investigate, refuses to adjust, and refuses to perform the duties that any legitimate insurance carrier must perform.

This is not merely negligence.

It is insurance reserve fraud, and it places every taxpayer in harm's way.

I am requesting a formal investigation into the city's handling of my insurance claim, including failures to investigate.

A legal audit of the city's insurance reserve fund and its compliance with state law.

A public transparency report on what happened in this case and how the city intends to prevent deed theft from occurring again.

Wells Fargo has told everyone, including a federal agency that they had nothing to do with the deed theft.

Nothing.

Yet Trautman Pepper used Wells Fargo's name to take my home without a creditor and without standing.

And the city has refused to investigate.

They would be prosecuted.

The city's silence is not neutrality, it is complicity.

Trautman Pepper Lock acted without a lawful creditor, without standing and without a single document proving authority.

Wells Fargo Bank, the name uses the name Trumpman Pepper Lock used in the D theft has now provided a notarized statement, a direct flying filing with the City of Alexandria court, a direct filing in the CFPB, and a public declaration that Wells Fargo was not the owner, not the servicer, not the creditor, and had no interest in 15 West Spring Street.

That means everything Trautman Pepper Lock filed in the Alexandria courts was unsupported by a real creditor.

No note, no deed, no claim in bankruptcy, no standing.

This is not a technical default.

This is a legal definition of fraud upon the court.

And when the city and state refuses to investigate a law form, acting without a creditor while using the courts to take a residence home, it becomes a city problem, not just a private one.

I am requesting again a formal investigation into the city's handling of my insurance claim, including failures to investigate.

A legal audit of the city's insurance research, Mr.

Grenadier.

Thank you.

At this time, we'll go to our next two speakers.

We have Kathleen Lowy and Ahmad El Masri.

Is Kathleen here?

I don't see Kathleen online.

Okay.

Umad.

And then he will be followed by Sarah Katz.

Okay, thank you.

Um I'll be brief.

Um I think it's shameful that after over two years of genocide, Alexandria's city refuses to divest from Israel.

Is there nowhere else that we can invest our money in?

Like, is that are the only companies that need money for us to invest?

Are they only in Israel?

There's so many other industries we can invest.

We can invest in American companies if you, you know, really want to invest your money, but to not divest after all this time is you you're not meeting the moment.

And I know you might think, oh my God, this is just symbolic, it doesn't mean anything.

But you should do it.

Like as humans, you should want to do it anything to express that your disdain with what's happening in Palestine and what's been happening.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much for your time.

Um, I have Sarah Katz followed by Frank.

Hi, good afternoon.

Thank you, Mayor Gaskins and uh members of the council for the opportunity to testify today.

I'm a DC resident, the proud daughter and granddaughter of Jewish refugees who came to this country in 1949 and 1980, fleeing anti-Semitism, and a member of the steering committee of Jewish Voice for Peace DC Metro.

Our membership covers Northern Virginia.

Both locally and nationally, interest and membership in our organization has skyrocketed in the last two years.

Nationally, and JVP has over 750,000 members.

This fact seems particularly relevant to why I'm speaking before you today in favor of the ethical investment initiative put forward by and supported by Alexandria residents.

Your residents want their tax dollars to be invested in initiatives that nurture themselves and human life and well-being globally, not perpetuate the ongoing oppression and genocide of Palestinians.

Jews, like any identity group, are not a monolith.

We may share religion, cultural values, histories, and lineage.

However, we are also your neighbors, teachers, students, librarians, homeowners, and renters.

And we share a deep love for our communities.

We want to invest in our communities and ensure they can thrive.

Palestinians, just like all groups facing oppression, deserve absolute safety and respect within their homeland and in any space they find themselves in.

Oppression allowed against any group normalizes discrimination against others.

It reinforces a sense that some deserve to feel superior and others should feel inferior.

From the stories of my ancestors, I have learned that all of our safety is intertwined.

Organizations that claim to speak for all Jews while advocating for or justifying violence towards Palestinians do not speak for me, and they do not speak for all Jews.

I am before you today to say that divesting from the ongoing Israeli backed genocide of Palestinians does not harm Jewish safety.

On the contrary, support of the ongoing expansion of the state of Israel is one of the greatest threats to Jewish safety that exists.

It does not help Jewish safety that the retirement funds of hardworking taxpayers and municipal workers of Alexandria profit from Lockheed Martin's sale of fighter jets that extensively bombed Gaza.

It does not help Jewish safety that Alexandria's LGIP investments enable caterpillar to sell D9 bulldozers to destroy Palestinian homes and olive orchards.

It does not help Jewish safety that workers' pensions are invested in Hewlard Packard, which sells the Itanium servers that host the Israeli population registry, a program very similar to the documentation process used to maintain apartheid South Africa.

The ethical investment initiative will make Alexandria be a model municipality, the first in Alexandria to ensure tax dollars cannot be used to subjugate Palestinians.

It would serve as a framework for other municipalities to follow your leadership.

This initiative give you the opportunity to do the right thing for the right reasons.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you so much for your time today.

Okay, at this point, I have Frank.

Okay, um, it's my understanding he left.

So I'm gonna move right to Mark uh Mark Bendick and then Rasha Anaya.

It's Mark Bendick here.

Mark That's my turn now.

Good afternoon.

I'm Alexandrian Dr.

Mark Bendick, one of many voices opposing any type of industrial pumping station in Waterfront Park.

My testimony focuses on the economics of the park as an economist, specifically that the threatened park area is a $50 million economic asset that the city cannot afford to squander.

In October, this council commissioned 150,000 study by the city's flood mitigation project team of One Prince Street as an alternative outside the park.

Unfortunately, like all their previous analyses, that study is calculating only the site acquisition and engineering costs falling under the city's capital projects budget.

It completely ignores the impacts on the city's operating budget.

Dr.

Mary Louegan and I are nationally known economists, and we are appalled by the city's failure to follow standard fiscal analysis practices.

To fill the information gap, we went ahead and conducted the study the city staff is not conducting without compensation and without city cooperation.

Our report, titled The $50 million cost to Alexandria of a Pump Station in Waterfront Park has been provided for the hearing record, and we are available to discuss the details further.

As the title states, we conclude that the pump station would cost the city's operating budget at least $50 million, including $38 million in lost property tax revenues, $5 million in lost sales tax revenues, and $7 million in increased costs to replace lost city services.

These calculations used well-established research-based methods of financial analysis.

As economists and taxpayers, we applaud the council's concern to keep the flood mitigation project's cost from growing explosively and crowding out other city priorities.

This is the right fiscal concern, but it must not be guided by the wrong fiscal analysis.

When the city staff report their study of one Prince Street, they will report only the city's capital budget cost.

To avoid being misled, the council needs to add in the cost to the operating budget that we have calculated for you.

You will then see that a pump station outside Waterfront Park is the only fiscally responsible choice.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much for your time today, and thank you for circulating the study.

With that, we have our last speaker, um, Rasha Anaya.

Hello, city council.

Um I'm a Palestinian, and I'm here as someone whose people are living through a genocide in real time, and also as someone who lives, works, and builds community right here in this state.

These two worlds are not separate.

They're connected by money, by policy, and by complicity.

This is not only a Zionist genocide, an Israeli genocide is an American genocide and a Virginian one.

While the vast majority of people of conscious here and around the globe oppose it, it is sustained by the profoundly undemocratic nature of this state and this country.

And Alexandria's money is not neutral in that.

As Palestinians, we know what it means when trees are burned, when water is poisoned, when land is destroyed in the name of security.

And as a Virginian, I know that our tax dollars and our pensions should not be used to facilitate imperial violence.

Divestment is not symbolic.

It is material, and it is a refusal to let our city be a silent partner in genocide.

And this is why we as a movement are calling for divestment within Alexandria.

Because we refuse to let our labor, our pensions, our schools, or our communities be tied to war crimes.

The same corporations enabling the destruction of Gaza are profiting from militarized borders, police violence, environmental devastation, and imperial violence across the world.

This is these are things that other people also have spoken to today.

Like when we're divesting from these corporations, it's not just an issue around Palestine or genocide.

It's about what benefits our communities here, right?

So do we want Alexandria to be a city that claims progressive values while investing in death, or do we want a city that is free from industries that profit off death?

A city where our labor and resources sustain life.

Do we want a city that hears out its constituents and serves their interests, dozens of which have come today, or will we have a city that serves the interests of corporations and the corrupt executive boards?

Alexandria has the opportunity to pave the way against genocide just as it did in 1985 with South African apartheid.

And so I urge you as a Palestinian to take that path and to stand for justice, not for death and for war.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for your comments today.

Uh that is our last public speaker.

Is there a motion to close the public hearing?

So all right.

There has been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilman Chapman.

Um any discussion, Councilman Again.

Just one quick comment.

I mean, since it's the last uh meeting in this building, uh it is a little sentimental and um slight slight teardrop, you know.

Um I'm gonna miss this, but like I said earlier, excited about the future.

But um, yeah, it's a great space, and all the people that I've brought to visit here always feel you know the weight of being in this room too.

So just one one parting comment.

No, I appreciate that.

I was gonna um I didn't know if I should make that comment now or during the motion, the motion to adjourn, which is coming next.

Um, but I I'll say it here.

I guess I just want to say one thank you.

Thank you for everyone who has come not only today, but for those who continue to come.

The end of the day, I think the work that we get to do um on behalf of our community, but also the work that we get to do together.

That's how we solve these issues, and that's how we move forward.

And so it has truly been an honor and a privilege to sit on this dais.

I know it'll look a little different um at the Dell Pepper Center, and then it'll look a lot different when we come back in a few years, but I don't fake for granted the time um that I have had to sit here and the work that I have been able to do with each of you.

Not only is it um the end of our work in this space, it is also the end of our first year uh as a council.

And I think what we've been able to accomplish together, the way that we've learned to work together, um, and the work that we have done and will continue to do is is really powerful.

So I'm also grateful for the time and space to serve with each of you.

Any further discussion?

All right, hearing none, uh, there's been a motion and a second to close the public hearing.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right, the ayes have it.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

There's a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilman Chapman.

Any further discussion?

All right.

Um, there has been a motion and a second to adjourn today's meeting.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye, any opposed, the ayes have it.

Uh we we will handle that after we finish the motion, people.

Sorry, just the eyes have it, and I get to do it one last time.

No.

Are you ready?

Is this a video or a photo?

Oh, okay.

Well, one, two, three.

Whoa!

Let's look for a second.

Can I keep it?

Yeah.

So I'm being in Shawn Tamundashi.

So you in Shant Woman does something that is important to me is helping uh students who don't know English because I know how hard and challenging it is to learn a new language.

Therefore, I am helping but a nonprofit to teach students who don't know English to learn.

I can show respect for myself by always maintaining a positive mindset and never um saying bad things to myself.

Substance abuse could make you fall short on the goals you got for yourself.

Substance abuse can affect us or a school community by damaging our brains and just making us the person that we're not supposed to be.

Substance abuse negatively impacts our school and our community because it can lead you down the wrong path and creates unhealthy habits.

The recruitment process is amazing.

The staff, the training, everything.

I could see myself at this job 25 years, starting with Tyre had the awesome benefits.

Prior to working at Alexandria Police Department, I was a stay-at-home mom.

I am passionate about working, being engaged in my community.

Our department's not so large that you get lost.

I've kind of learned that working here at APD, I've gained hundreds of family members.

Prior to joining the Alexandria Police Department, I was in IT.

My job wasn't fulfilling anymore.

Money was there, yes, but that sense of purpose, you know, sitting in an office dealing with corporations, it's just wasn't doing it for me.

This department has an excellent relationship with the community.

Um that's another reason I wanted to join.

It's about making other people feel safe and establishing that trust in order to actually have a flourishing community.

This city has given me a new life.

When I landed here in Alexandria, I fell in love with the charm the city offers.

Right outside the nation's capital.

When we get those 9-1-1 calls, you know, it's the worst day of people's lives, and sometimes we have to come in and handle a situation and calm everything down.

In Alexandria, I can guarantee you that if you have a question, if you need help, the most friendly, outgoing people work here.

Everyone's so supportive that detectives are like, if there's anything you need, help writing a search warrant.

You want to learn how to do something new, reach out to me, I'll help you do it.

I'm a midnights officer, so I I am on patrol.

I've worked my own cases, I've learned a lot, a lot more than I thought I would, and I'm actually really grateful for having the opportunity.

I got like hired in like two months.

The cooling process is amazing.

The staff, the training, everything.

I could see myself at this job 25 years, talking with Tai had the awesome benefits.

Um if anything happens to me, my family's always well taken care of.

I just felt like the community here was really interested in my well-being, and I feel like this department just goes above and beyond.

If you're looking for a place that's family-oriented and has an excellent relationship with the community it serves, Alexandria is the place to be.

So people can count on us, rely on us to have like a pretty consistent lineup, but always to be here.

So, like even if it's what a grease is sleeping.

We're gonna be here.

You can go to a grocery store and you can get salmon or you can get produce, but it's just like where it comes from, who's handling it.

They just have a way better knowledge of like the sourcing and who they're purchasing it from.

Whatever they will find on the farm, they'll find here at the Old Town Farmers Market.

Everything we sell here is what came from the park.

My name is Philip Barrows.

I am the farmer and operator of Farrow Hill Farm.

We specialize in salad greens, so baby greens and also microgreens, and then salad vegetables.

There's a lot of nutrients being fed into the plants that you're eating.

This is food that's very much alive and is very healthy and it's good for you.

I've been in business since 2019, and then in 2022, I quit my job and I do this now full time.

We were doing a lot of pop-ups in the area, and we actually had a lot of people from Old Town telling us that there weren't already soap vendors at the market.

So we were one of the first soap vendors.

We have over 200 applicants a year.

Vendors are standing in line to be here, and hopefully we'll find them a space.

This is our first year gear, so we're really happy to be here.

Aside from the honey, we have candles and soaps, chapel bars and lotions, and facial products, and they're all made in the same farm where she keeps our bees.

Our family's been part of this market for about 33 years.

I used to work hard time help with my dad.

I'd say 15 or 16 years.

I've been full time.

But we go back, you know, four decades.

We've been coming here for 39 years.

It's incredible.

I mean, we used to be a table selling um squares of gingerbread, and now uh we've got a big production facility, three floors, supplying hotels, restaurants.

I have all of these great relationships and customers that go beyond just sort of buying my produce when their mother's in the hospital.

We're talking about their mom, their kids.

We share our life together.

I just feel comfortable here, feel like that's just home.

Respect is being kind and showing kindness to those who need it the most.

I define respect as treating everyone with positive regard, no matter their opinions, their race, their culture.

Respect is treating people how they deserve to be treated.

I define respect as treating someone the way you want to be treated and allowing someone to do what they need to do.

I define respect as admiration towards someone's qualities.

Nothing respect means like even we like stick with somebody through thick and thin.

I define respect as acknowledging someone's boundaries and sticking to them.

I define respect as taking into consideration others' feelings and emotions.

Respect to me means showing kindness to others.

Respect means to me being kind and fair to everyone in my community.

I define respect as caring for the people and place around you and treating people the way you want to be treated.

The City of Alexandria provides Alex 311 to connect you to more than 175 city services in a variety of convenient ways.

When a service request is submitted, you'll receive an email including a summary of the details, an expected response date based on the request type, and a request number to track progress on the mobile app or website.

City staff will provide the requested services or information whenever possible, and you will receive email updates along the way.

Once your request is closed, you will be asked to complete a survey to tell us about your experience using Alex 311 and how well we fulfilled our commitment to being professional, accountable, responsive, and courteous.

We will be professional by delivering competent and high quality service even under pressure.

We will be accountable by providing accurate and reliable information, keeping you informed and honoring our service commitments.

We will be responsive by prioritizing work appropriately and working efficiently to get it right the first time.

And we will be courteous by communicating in a respectful and productive manner at each interaction.

Alex311 connects you to every city department for a variety of service and information requests.

From streets and sidewalks to refuse collection, park maintenance, tree requests, and more.

Alex311, connecting you to City Services.

Something that is important to me is my family.

My family's important to me because they help me through times when I'm down.

My friends are important to me because they're very nice and always uh cool to talk to.

Football is important to me because it brings uh a lot of friendship and a brotherhood to each other.

I can show respect for myself by always maintaining a positive mindset and never um saying bad things to myself.

I can show respect for myself by treating my body like a temple and just always kind of you know, treating myself nice.

One thing important to me is sleep coming from an insomniac.

I do like it, and what I just can fall asleep like at the right time.

It's a great help, really.

My religion is really important to me because it keeps me happy and it keeps me grounded.

Something that is important to me is helping uh students who don't know English because I know how hard and challenging it is to learn a new language.

Therefore, I am helping but a nonprofit to teach students who don't know English to learn how to do.

Answer the call.

Join our community.

The Alexandria Police Department, recruiting now.

Welcome to the Heart of the Alexandria, Market Square and City Hall.

I'm Dan Lee, and today I'd like to take you on a journey through the history of this remarkable site.

City Hall was built on this site designated for Market and Town Hall when the Alexandria was founded back in 1749.

From the very beginning, the space was designed to be a center of community life.

The original building burned down in 1871, but it paved the way for this beautiful structure you see today designed by Adolf Clouth.

The tower you see behind you is a reconstruction of a design by the famous architect, Benjamin H.

Latrobe from 1817.

Over the years, City Hall has evolved, once housing everything from a Masonic Lodge to the police of fire stations, and now serves as the administrative hub for Alexandria's government.

Market Square remains a vibrant space for residents and visitors alike, coming to farmers markets, public events, and is a reflection of Alexandria's rich history.

And now, City Hall is undergoing another transformation as we make much needed updates to better serve the community for generations to come.

After many years of service, major updates are needed throughout the city hall to repair aging building components, optimize space, and improve security.gov slash city hall.

It's really how our communities only improve when we do, you know, our bit.

And it's easy and it's fun.

And you can make a big difference.

For many, many years, rebuilding together has had volunteers come into this neighborhood here in Hume Springs and provide the free home repairs to the homeowners.

And it's only a natural extension of ours to do community work.

It's so cool to see that some people never came to the park and now folks are coming on a daily basis just because of the rehab.

My motivation for helping kids and families in Alexandria is simple.

You know, it makes sense to me to make sure that our kids and families have what they need to be successful.

The city gave us a great opportunity to service girls who were in need of to a mentoring.

And that's what we're here to do.

We mentor young girls from grades three through six in cultural activities, educational activities, and social activities, all to broaden their horizons on their society and the world around them.

What I hope to see as a long-term result of the partnership is seeing young ladies thrive.

Go on to college and be successful citizens and productive citizens of this state, of this country, of the city of Alexandria.

Bunch of us got together from the community and we we tried to figure out a way we could work with the city, our parks, recreation, and cultural activities, and the Delray Business Association to form a partnership whereby we could raise funds with a lot of the community members and also business owners, and then the city would provide matching funds so we could do park improvements.

I think it's a partnership because what we're trying to do is show that we have like a vested interest in this.

Part of that vested interest is not only raising money, but also devoting time, volunteer work, that kind of thing.

So part of this is like stewardship and ownership, and I think that's what's key working with the city and the community to get things done.

It's easy to sit around and talk about what you want the city to do or demand things, but you gotta back up your words with action.

I think that's what the Simpson Park Dog Owners Group does in partnership with the Business Association and the City.

So we appreciate that, and we look forward to more work ahead.

Oh look, it's just like hard.

It's about making other people feel safe and establishing that trust in order to actually have a flourishing community.

This city has given me a new life.

When I landed here in Alexandria, I fell in love with the charm the city offers.

Right outside the nation's capital.

When we get those 911 calls, you know, it's the worst day of people's lives, and sometimes we have to come in and handle a situation and calm everything down.

In Alexandria, I can guarantee you that if you have a question, if you need help, the most friendly, outgoing people work here.

Substance abuse negatively impacts the health and safety of my community.

Substance abuse affects my school community by making my peers less focused on their grades and their school work.

Substance use impacts our community by having bad work turned in late.

Substance abuse affects my school community because it gives bad habits to school students.

Substance abuse negatively impacts our school and our community because it can lead you down the wrong path and creates unhealthy habits.

Going to a farmer's market means you're getting it very fresh.

It's usually picked the day before.

It hasn't traveled hundreds of miles to get here.

And you can talk to the grower and find out information about how to cook it, what the background is of the variety, and it's just much more interactive.

We have had vendors who have been here for four generations and remember hearing stories about their parents traveling to market, McCorsen Buggy.

We raised on our farm, and that farm has been in our family for 325 years.

My family's had a farm in Hampshire County prior to the revolution.

That was my grandfather's great grandfather that started that.

We also have a great contingency of really neat arts and crafts vendors.

We have all kinds of events.

We have yoga events once a month.

We also do chef demos, cooking demos.

We have kids' activities like cookie decorating, face painting, um pumpkin carving.

So there's always something going on.

And the relationships that you build are also important.

So when you're shopping at a farmer's market, you can actually have that conversation with your vendor or with your rancher and ask them how they keep their cows, ask them how they grow their peppers.

It's a gathering place for people who live in the area.

So it's just it's just part of our life.

It's amazing the community and the support that we get here.

They're very much so into small businesses, handmade artisan products.

We have core customers who come back year after year after year.

And so it's a community thing.

We're located at 301 King Street, which is right at Market Square in front of City Hall.

My name is Linda Odell, and I'm co-founder of the Soho Space of Rome program.

A program designed to enrich the lives of disadvantaged girls.

Many of these girls live with families in overcrowded homes.

There's been a growing trend in girls committing crimes.

We see in girls that are court involved a sense of helplessness, a sense of not having adequate adult support, not having people to talk to about their problems.

We hope to provide each participant with a personalized space of her own that values her creativity, gives her adequate lighting and study space, and the dignity that she deserves.

We like to teach them that with a little bit of elbow grease and lots of friends and support, then you can really transform your personal space and make it absolutely beautiful.

We hope to give the girls valuable social skills that can help them be successful socially, emotionally, and academically.

The girls learn everything from table manners to communication skills, conflict resolution skills.

We hope to foster long-term mentoring relationships so that each girl has a trusting and caring adult who they can go to for care and support.

That's the most important thing that we want these girls to know is that they're cared about.

I was in the infantry sniper for a while.

My biggest botter in the service was when I wasn't doing my job, I'd be sitting there skirt crazy.

I know in the military, you're always wanting to do something proactive, always willing to like actively help.

The best thing about police work is there's always something to do.

I mean, I moved seven times on active duty, and I was all hand for seven years.

And I really wanted to settle down because I wasn't getting that sense of community feeling.

Since I've been here in Alexandria, I've been able to work nonprofit, volunteer time, uh, develop friends and just memories that'll last forever.

Respect is being kind and showing kindness to those who need it the most.

I define respect as acknowledging someone's boundaries and sticking to them.

I respect my mom because she raised me to be the person I am today.

The person I respect is my grandfather because he came down with nothing and he showed me how sacrifice can take you a long way.

Something that is important to me is helping uh students who don't know English because I know how hard and challenging it is to learn that new language.

Therefore, I am helping but a nonprofit to teach students who don't know English to learn.

Football is important to me because it brings a lot of friendship and a brotherhood.

I can show respect for myself by always maintaining a positive mindset and never um saying bad things to myself.

Substance abuse could make you fall short on the goals you got for yourself.

Substance abuse can affect us or a school community by damaging our brains and just making us the person that we're not supposed to be.

Substance abuse negatively impacts our school and our community because it can lead you down the wrong path and creates unhealthy habits.

Prior to working at Alexandria Police Department, I was a stay-at-home mom.

I am passionate about working, being engaged in my community.

Our department's not so large that you get lost.

I've gained hundreds of family members.

The recruitment process is amazing.

The staff, the training, everything.

I could see myself at this job 25 years, so I can retire.

I had the all of the benefits.

Prior to working at Alexandria Police Department, I was a stay-at-home mom.

I am passionate about working, being engaged in my community.

Our department's not so large that you get lost.

I've kind of learned that working here at APD, I've gained hundreds of family members.

We got a little bit of everything.

I mean, Old Town, East End District, towards the water is like a city.

I love coming here because it's everybody fucking you and you just feel comfortable.

When I first came in, there was numerous officers that came up to me and like reading me.

It's just a very welcoming department.

Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to help others and be that person that people look up to and starting a good relationship with the community.

Prior to joining the Alexandria Police Department, I was in IT.

My job wasn't fulfilling anymore.

Money was there, yes, but that sense of purpose, you know, sitting in an office, dealing with corporations, it's just wasn't doing it for me.

This department has an excellent relationship with the community.

Um that's another reason I wanted to join.

Hey, thank you.

It's about making other people feel safe and establishing that trust in order to actually have a flourishing community.

This city has given me a new life.

When I landed here in Alexandria, I fell in love with the charm the city offers.

When we get those nine one calls, you know, it's the worst day of people's lives, and sometimes we have to come in and handle a situation and calm everything down.

In Alexandria, I can guarantee you that if you have a question, if you need help, the most friendly outgoing people work here.

I know the military, you're always wanting to do something correct.

The best thing about police workers, there's always something to do.

Reach out to me, I'll help you do it.

I'm a midnight officer, so I I am on patrol.

I've worked my own cases, I've learned a lot, a lot more than I thought I would, and I'm actually really grateful for having the opportunity.

The cool process is amazing.

The staff, the training, everything.

I could see myself at this twenty-five years, talking about the all the benefits.

Um, if anything happens to me, my family's always well taken care of.

I just felt like the community here was really interested in my well being, and I feel like this department just goes above and beyond.

If you're looking for a place that's family oriented and has an excellent relationship with the community it serves, Alexandria is the place to be.

Market Square is pretty empty right now, but every Saturday for the last 270 years, customers have come from all over the region to come to our old town farmers market where over 70 vendors sell fresh produce, eggs, poultry, and all different types of products here on Market Square.

We had heard from a lot of our customers at our retail story about how great this market was.