Alexandria City Council Legislative Meeting - March 24, 2026
Alexandria City Council Legislative Meeting - March 24, 2026
On March 24, 2026, the Alexandria City Council held a legislative meeting that began with the Alexandria Transit Company (ATC) Stockholders Meeting at 6:15 PM, followed by the regular meeting at 7:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at Del Pepper Community Resource Center. The meeting covered a proclamation, oral reports, updates on FIFA 2026 World Cup preparations, crime statistics, the after-action report on Winter Storm Fern, and the Waterfront Flood Mitigation Project. Council approved consent items for grants and housing funding, adopted the Age-Friendly Plan 2026-2029, and provided direction on flood mitigation. The meeting adjourned at 10:50 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Item 8: Retroactively approved a grant application to the FY2027 Combating Hate Crimes Grant Program through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice (DCJS) for up to $150.
- Item 9: Approved a grant application to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) for the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Grant Program for Resiliency for up to $350,000.
- Item 10: Retroactively approved the submission of a grant application to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) Funding and Virginia PSAP Education Program through VDEM for up to $5,000.
- Item 11: Approved a Housing Trust Fund Grant of $400,000 to Housing Alexandria to provide rental subsidies for eight units at the Naja Apartments (Building Two) of the Glebe and Mount Vernon Redevelopment in Arlandria.
- Item 12: Approved a resolution to provide a Housing Opportunities Fund loan of up to $4 million to Housing Alexandria to facilitate construction of the Naja Building (Resolution No. 3369).
Discussion Items
- Alexandria Transit Company (ATC) Stockholders Meeting (6:15 PM): Chair David Kaplan and CEO Josh Baker reported that FY25 ridership set a record of 5.7 million rides, the third consecutive record year. Over 75% of bus stops now meet ADA accessibility standards (up from less than half three years ago). ATC received approval for a slate of 10 board members (Councilman Chapman voted no) and the appointment of Jamal Shoby to fill a vacancy. Council expressed support for future joint work sessions on the Alexandria Transit Vision Plan and bus stop maintenance.
- FIFA 2026 World Cup Update: Todd O'Leary (Visit Alexandria) reported that Alexandria will host the Croatian national team as a base camp. Key items include a community training session, marketing, and cultural events with the Croatian Embassy. The city aims to drive awareness and sports tourism.
- APD 2025 Crime Statistics: Chief Tarek McGuire reported a 30% overall crime reduction compared to 2024 (violent crime down 29%, property crime down 30%). Homicides dropped from three to two (one justified). The department highlighted evidence-based strategies, technology use, and community engagement. Council discussed license plate reader data privacy and future technology investments.
- Winter Storm Fern After-Action Report: Deputy City Manager Emily Baker reviewed the response to the January 24-25 storm, which included 24-hour operations for over three weeks, 8,500 truckloads of snow removed, and $8.35 million in contractor costs. Lessons learned include improving priority planning, communications, technology (vehicle tracking), and policy changes for sidewalk clearing and parking restrictions. Staff will bring policy recommendations in fall 2026.
- Waterfront Flood Mitigation Update: Matt Landis (Project Implementation) reported a sudden reversal by the National Park Service (NPS) denying permission for a pump station in Waterfront Park, precluding the original plan. Cost estimates for alternatives: Option 1B (relocation to One Prince Street) requires additional $100-130 million; Option 3 (enhanced gravity system with backflow prevention) is within the current project budget of $50-60 million. Council directed staff to proceed with further design and stakeholder outreach for Option 3, which addresses 100% of sunny-day flooding and meets most objectives without precluding a future pump station.
- Age-Friendly Plan 2026-2029: The Commission on Aging presented the 60-page plan covering housing, transportation, health, and outreach. Council received and adopted the plan unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- ATC Board Slate Approved (8-1, with Chapman voting no) and outside auditor appointed.
- Consent Calendar (Items 8-12): All approved by roll-call vote (Councilman Alnuby abstained on some? Per transcript, all ayes for consent items; no recorded nays). Items 8-12 passed.
- Flood Mitigation Direction: Council directed staff to move forward with Option 3 (Enhanced Gravity System) and return with a more detailed cost estimate and schedule in June 2026.
- Age-Friendly Plan Adopted: Unanimously approved by roll-call vote.
- City Council Schedule: Approved, including the April 13 Inova Alexandria Campus Topping Out Ceremony.
- Future Work Sessions: Council expressed support for a joint work session with Dash on transit priorities and bus stop maintenance.
- Next Steps: Staff will continue studying bus stop maintenance, snow removal policy improvements, and technology investments for public safety.
Meeting Transcript
This is Mike on. So red is on. The red is on. Okay. Okay, good evening, everyone. It is six eighteen, and our first order of business is the Alexandria Transit Company Stockholders Meeting. Mr. Chair, this is your meeting, and so I'm going to officially turn it over to you. Well, good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of council. I call to order the twenty twenty-six annual meeting of the AT Alexander Transit Company Stockholders. I'm David Kaplan, the chair of the ATC Board of Directors, and it's a pleasure to first time I'm in your new temporary chambers, so pleasure to be with all of you tonight in this new space. Minutes of the meeting are being taken by the ATC Board Secretary and will be made available on Dashbus.com. I want to introduce those who are in attendance, both from our board of directors and from the staff. Our board members in person, we have a Jay Sha Thomas. We have Jamal Shoby, who you will uh hear more about shortly, uh a nominee to our board. And I can see on the Zoom, we have Jesse O'Connell. You're up very big on the on the screen. Jesse's our vice chair of the board of directors. Uh staff who are here to my left, Josh Baker, our CEO and General Manager, Raymond Moey, who is our chief infrastructure development officer, and Stevie Matthews, our director of planning and scheduling. The first order of business for the meeting is the appointment of the board of directors for a slate to serve one year term that expires at the twenty twenty-seven stockholders meeting. Our board is currently 10 members, seven city residents and dash riders, and three city staff members. All ten of the incumbents are seeking reappointment. I thank my colleagues for their dedicated service. You will see the slate on the screen behind you. The board has one vacancy for a city resident or dash rider with transportation industry experience. This is the only resident rider seat that requires a specific skill set as designated in our bylaws. The board initiated recruitment in November to solicit applications. The vacancy was posted for eight weeks. We received applications from nine candidates who self-certified that they met the selective factor. A board committee consisting of Jesse O'Connell and Matt Harris reviewed applications and interviewed five finalists. The committee recommended and the board unanimously concurred that Jamal Shoby be added to the board of directors. And Jamal has already, I had to stand and wave. I think you've already done that. You can do that again. Thank you. Let me tell you a little bit about Jamal. He's a two-year resident of Alexandria, residing in the Eisenhower East neighborhood. He holds a master's in transportation planning and a doctorate in urban planning from Texas Southern University. His work experience includes project management and task lead roles at three transportation consulting firms where he advised state DOTs, local governments, and transportation agencies on multimodal planning. Jamal also has work experience at the transit agency that serves Houston, Texas, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Jamal is currently employed by the Transportation Research Board, where he manages a portfolio of national research projects centered on transit system planning, operation efficiency, workforce development, new mobility services, and emerging technologies. You were provided a copy of his full application in the docket materials for tonight's meeting. I think you'll agree Jamal is well qualified to serve on as a member of the ATC board, and we look forward to having his expertise at our board table. I will now ask if there's a motion to approve the slate of directors as presented. Madam Mayor. Councilman. Are there any other comments before the vote? Okay. Is there a motion? Well, actually, you're doing my job for this is hard.
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