Alexandria City Council Public Hearing - January 26, 2026
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Alexandria City Council Public Hearing - January 26, 2026
The Alexandria City Council held a public hearing on January 26, 2026, at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center. The meeting covered a wide range of items including consent items, development proposals, a BAR appeal, the Torpedo Factory Art Center lease, the Tall Ship Providence agreement, and a major Green Building Plan. Public comments focused heavily on ICE collaboration, divestment from companies involved in human rights abuses, and sustainability.
Consent Calendar
- Items 4, 7, and 8: Approved by a 7-0 roll-call vote. Item 4 (3120 Colvin Street) – extension of a development special use permit for an auto repair and warehouse use. Item 7 – Zoning text amendment for commercial and nonresidential uses. Item 8 – Rezoning of 598 South Alfred Street from RB/Townhouse to RMF/Residential multi-unit.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Juvenile Detention: John Lawrence, chair of the juvenile detention commission, reported on successful family days and improvements at the detention center, including removal of concrete slabs and a new after-school program funded by VJCCCA grants.
- Environmental Policy: Kieran Chriscoe (EPC commissioner) highlighted the EPC’s support for a bike lane on Braddock Road, a youth seat on the EPC, and a more ambitious Green Building Plan with a lower EUI.
- ICE Collaboration and Sheriff Casey: Multiple speakers (Allison O'Connell, Melissa Lbert, Emma Mailer, Catherine O'Connell, Glenn Pine, Florence Moore, Mo Saifeline, Nikki Infield, Katie Carmere, Julie Milsap, Jessica Tipton, Catherine Shulman, Michael Gearing, Miranda Millow, Nicholas Gentry) urged the council to hold a public hearing with Sheriff Sean Casey to end voluntary ICE cooperation, and to divest city funds from companies like Amazon and Alphabet that profit from ICE and Israeli occupation. Speakers called for an ethical investment resolution and condemned violence in Palestine.
- Green Building Plan: 28 speakers addressed the Green Building Plan. Advocates, including Planning Commission Chair Melissa McMahon, Sierra Club, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, and high school students, urged adoption of the Planning Commission’s recommendations: an EUI of 30 for multi-unit residential, 5% on-site renewable energy, and removal of the clean energy fund. Development representatives (JBG Smith, NAOP, Paradigm, Stonebridge, land use attorneys) argued that a 30 EUI is not achievable under current codes, citing cost increases, financing challenges, and the need to balance housing production. They recommended staff’s proposed 38 EUI, retaining the clean energy fund, and removing the pre-occupancy flush requirement. Architect Deborah Belo and others argued that integrated design can achieve 30 EUI at minimal cost.
- Torpedo Factory Art Center: Ivy Whitlatch (Archaeological Commission chair) expressed concerns that the RFP for the Torpedo Factory did not explicitly include the museum and the potential exhibition of the 18th-century ship hull, requesting that language be added.
- 732 North Washington Street: Phoebe Coy (YIMBYs of NoVA) supported the office-to-residential conversion but noted that the Old Town North plan has been amended multiple times for height increases and that the CRMU-X zone should not require a SUP for residential use.
- 910 King Street BAR Appeal: Susan Horn (restoration commission chair) urged council to uphold the BAR’s decision, cautioning against altering the historic building’s character.
Discussion Items
- Master Plan Amendment & Rezoning (732 N. Washington St.): Approved 7-0 after discussion about balconies and zone definitions. Councilman Aguirre raised concerns about the encroachment for balconies; staff agreed to provide a survey of balconies in the area.
- Torpedo Factory Art Center Lease: The council discussed adding language to the RFP about the ship hull exhibit. Deputy City Manager Baker clarified that the museum and archaeology are part of the RFP’s marketing plan and that future conversations would include the ship. Councilman Chapman and Vice Mayor Bagley favored deferring to add specific language about the ship. The council voted 7-0 to deny the current ordinance and direct staff to re-advertise with that language.
- Tall Ship Providence Foundation Lease and Franchise Amendment (Items 9 & 10): Approved after brief discussion. Councilwoman Green asked about the annual payment calculation. Both items passed unanimously (7-0).
- BAR Appeal – 910 King Street: The council heard staff, BAR, and applicant presentations. The BAR had approved alterations with conditions, but the applicant appealed. Council voted on a motion by Councilman Aguirre to approve with modifications: allowing staining of the front facade as needed (reversing staff’s restriction), allowing painting of east, west, and south elevations (reversing BAR’s denial), requiring simplified metal work to match Victorian style, denying rooftop signage, allowing warm-white floodlights (with holiday colors), and requiring staff collaboration on railings and metal work. Motion passed 7-0.
- Development Special Use Permit – 220 & 224 S. Peyton Street: Approved 7-0. Councilman El Nuby asked about parking permit notification; staff noted that tenants would be informed they are ineligible for RPP.
- Zoning Text Amendment – Commercial to Residential Conversions: Approved 7-0 with no discussion.
- Green Building Plan (Master Plan Amendment): Extensive debate. Staff presented the plan with a recommended EUI of 38 for multi-unit residential, 3% on-site renewables with a $150,000 clean energy fund buyout, and other provisions. The Planning Commission recommended an EUI of 30, 5% on-site renewables without a fund, and a net-zero definition for public buildings. After over three hours of discussion, Councilman El Nuby moved a substitute amendment to set the EUI at 35 (a compromise between 30 and 38). That substitute passed 4-3. The main motion then passed with the 35 EUI, incorporating other Planning Commission recommendations (small project threshold of 10,000 sq ft, two-year review cycle, electrification language, EV charging with emergency considerations, and a requirement for low-emitting materials instead of pre-occupancy flushing). The clean energy fund was retained as per the motion (staff’s recommendation with a $150,000 cap).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Items 4, 7, 8 Approved (7-0).
- Item 5 (732 N. Washington St.) Approved (7-0).
- Item 6 (Torpedo Factory Art Center) Deferred to allow staff to add language about the ship hull exhibit; ordinance denied (7-0) with direction to re-advertise.
- Items 9 & 10 (Tall Ship Providence) Approved (7-0 each).
- Item 11 (910 King Street BAR Appeal) Approved with modifications (7-0).
- Item 12 (220 & 224 S. Peyton Street) Approved (7-0).
- Item 13 (Commercial to Residential Conversions ZTA) Approved (7-0).
- Item 14 (Green Building Plan) Approved with an EUI of 35 for multi-unit residential, 3% on-site renewable energy with a clean energy fund (cap $150,000), two-year review cycle, and other modifications. Final vote tally: 5-2 (as per roll call).
- Public Hearing on Sheriff Casey: Council acknowledged calls for a hearing but noted they cannot compel the sheriff to attend; suggested community faith leaders as alternative.
- Executive Session: Closed session authorized to discuss pending litigation.
Meeting Transcript
I guess before we get started, what I would just say is as always our goal is to make sure that we are able to run an efficient and effective meeting. And so we will not tolerate any disruptions. We you are able to hold signs, you're able to snap. Um, but we ask for please keeping a side conversations to a minimum. We also ask for no shouting, no yelling, and especially in this space, just be mindful of those who are around you and their ability to see and engage in the hearing as well. If we reach a point where there are disruptions, I'll give a warning, and then if um I need to, then um I'll give another warning, and then um, if it continues, you may be asked to leave. So with that, we're going to turn to um item three, which is the public discussion period. As is our practice, we take the first fifteen speakers, and then we'll go into our public business, and then if there are more speakers that we did not get to, we'll come back to those at the end. And that I don't have yet a copy of all those speakers, and I think the clerk is getting hers updated, so we'll we'll we'll do our best and adjust as we go. But let me then say, I guess, Madame Clerk, do you want to call the first speaker? Okay. John Lawrence. And then it will beep whenever you're finished. So thank you for being with us, John. Okay. Thank you, um, Madam Mayor. Thank you, everybody. Um, I love the new digs, so I'm sorry, you're going to be here for years, I guess. Um, and congratulations, Mr. Mr. McPike for your uh your primary win. So I'm sorry to see you go, but uh glad you're moving up. Um, I'm my name's John Lawrence. I'm the chair of the juvenile detention commission. We run the detention center out at Landmark as well as the juvenile shelter shelter care next door. And like I said, a year ago when I first came up here, I wanted to make sure that you heard from us on a regular basis, hopefully, good things. And today I basically have nothing but good things. Um, first of all, our our family days once a once a month, we have two-hour session where kids can bring in three to four family members at once. They're all in the gym and they get access to their kids in an environment that's like out at a regional park where you're having a picnic with friends and family. And they've gone on for 15 months and they're incredible. Uh Thanksgiving, the kids arrange the table, the length of the gym, and one long table, and then two little spurs out there and me being clueless. I walked in and I looked at one kid and I said, Why is it like this? And he said, It's a tea for Thanksgiving. And I felt like an idiot. Um, but it was just huge. The the food was great. Everybody went home with two bags of food and a frozen turkey. So they had a Thanksgiving dinner guaranteed the next week. Uh Christmas. Even bigger, lots of presents. We had a 30-person choir doing Christmas hymns. Christmas, Christmas carols, sorry. Um, and uh the families got to take home bags of presents that could be put under the tree from the kids to the family to keep the connection. Um the best news is you all know how much I hate the concrete slabs the kids sleep on in every jurisdiction. Um, in one unit, they are all gone. We're down to repairing the floor, repairing the walls, and then paint. We have all the furniture in some of the halls look like a hoarder's paradise because we have so many huge boxes that you're walking down these concrete, you know, corridors, but you have walls that are cardboard. But um, that will be done soon, and then we'll open that unit and then move along and get all four of them done in the next few next few months. So that's that's been wonderful. Um also last spring I came here and I told you about how Annie Rainey, the director of shelter care, had found extra VJ triple CA money, which was money that other jurisdictions hadn't used.
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