Alexandria City Council Legislative Meeting – October 27, 2026

The City Council of Alexandria, Virginia, met on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in the City Council Chamber at Del Pepper Community Resource Center and electronically by Zoom. Mayor Gaskins participated remotely after the council approved the electronic participation resolution. The meeting opened with a moment of silence and Pledge of Allegiance, included two proclamations, committee reports, city manager updates, approval of consent grants, appointment of an interim independent policing auditor, and adoption of the council schedule. The meeting adjourned at 9:51 PM.

Opening, Closed Session, and Proclamations

• By roll-call vote, council approved the Electronic Participation Resolution (Item 27-1464) allowing Mayor Gaskins to participate remotely.
• Council held a closed executive session under Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711(A)(6) to discuss investment of public funds where competition or bargaining is involved. Council reconvened in open session and adopted the executive session resolution.
• Council unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing October 2026 as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Chief Information Security Officer Jason Belford and Commission on Information Technology Vice Chair Tim Casey accepted the proclamation and encouraged community engagement on cyber safety.
• Council unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing October 23–31, 2026, as Red Ribbon Week. Student peer advocates from Alexandria City High School and staff from the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, ACPS Family and Community Engagement Center, and Northern Virginia Family Services attended. Speakers emphasized the importance of staying drug free and community partnership.

Oral Reports from Council Members

• COG Board (Mayor Gaskins): Reported on regional discussions about passenger fast ferry service, including new hydrofoil technology. Mayor Gaskins expressed concern that proposed ferry routes include Old Town but Alexandria has not been engaged, and she said the city should be at the table on docking, operations, and regional governance questions. Councilman Aguirre called planning "about us and not with us" unacceptable and noted an existing successful water taxi. Councilman Chapman recalled a previous council's parking-related opposition and said the current council is open to moving forward.
• City Council/School Board Subcommittee (Mayor Gaskins, Councilman Chapman): Discussed K-12 funding inequities, the Local Composite Index, and the need for a shared city-school board message to the General Assembly. Councilman Chapman referenced homework memos from Acting Superintendent Taylor on state funding and a school facilities assessment matrix.
• VRE (Vice Mayor Bagley): Noted ongoing First Street tunnel repair work near Union Station that is slowing trains; VRE trains continue to serve Alexandria. VRE will meet in Alexandria on November 20, with a renaming ceremony for Seminary Yard Station to Independence Yard. Santa Train tickets go on sale November 30 for the December 12 ride.
• Waterfront Commission (Vice Mayor Bagley): Reported on tree-well inventory, increased stormwater debris cleanup, and a preliminary proposal by the potential U.S. Maritime Museum at 1 Prince Street, including possible acquisition of the tall ship Providence and future expansion.
• COG Transportation Planning Board (Councilman Aguirre): Reported on the fourth iteration of the 495 South Side Express Lanes proposal, from Braddock Road into Prince George's County. VDOT Secretary Nick Donahue presented and took questions. Councilman Aguirre said Metro reserve space is "all but guaranteed" and that Maryland's willingness to accept toll lanes is a key unresolved issue. Councilman Chapman asked for details on local traffic mitigation resources.
• City Council/School Board Ad Hoc Committee on Election Reform (Councilman Aguirre, Councilwoman Marks): Councilman Aguirre said the committee voted 14–16 scenarios down and advanced only a proposal to move to four-year school board terms beginning in 2033, with no other changes. He dissented in the 3-1 committee vote, saying it was not worth opening the charter for that alone. Councilwoman Marks said the proposal meets the goals of continuity, competitive elections, voter participation, and good governance. Councilman Chapman said the recommendation must be rooted in student achievement and returned to council next month for full discussion.
• Economic Opportunities Commission (Councilwoman Marks): Did not meet this month.
• Transportation Commission (Councilman Chapman, Councilwoman Marks): Discussed the Duke Street plan, transportation elements, and upcoming budget letters to council; the commission is seeking a younger member.
• NVRC (Councilman Chapman, Councilwoman Greene): NVRC will not raise member rates, but population growth will increase Alexandria's per-capita contribution. NVRC is focusing on regional communication and legislative advocacy.

City Council General Updates

• Mayor Gaskins reported that DRPT held a regional meeting on consolidating bus systems, and Alexandria, along with other jurisdictions, expressed serious concerns. She said Alexandria is open to coordination but not to merging Dash, because Dash was created when regional service failed Alexandria neighborhoods; no study has examined impacts on neighborhood routes, costs, or representation. Councilman Aguirre said DRPT data suggested a potential 9% cost increase versus a possible 1% savings. DRPT will deliver its report to the General Assembly in December.
• Councilman Aguirre described attending the NVAR Pancake Breakfast, welcoming a new King Street business, the Ethiopian festival, a Georgia State University student visit, a Norfolk symposium on Dillon's Rule, ARHA's coat distribution, and the 30th anniversary Halloween parade.
• Councilwoman Greene congratulated Keith Burns on having the Parker-Gray Stadium football field named for him. Councilman Chapman praised recreation department staff member Michael Johnson for his work on community history and described attending the Breastwalk 5K, the Freedom House Banned Truth Tour, and a Go Virginia meeting about the Nexus 23 innovation district near George Mason University.

City Manager's Report: Community Lodgings Elbert Avenue Housing Project

• Staff from the Office of Housing and Strategic Projects presented an update on Community Lodgings Inc.'s redevelopment of Elbert Avenue in Arlandria/Chirilagua. No formal action was requested; two items, a tax abatement and zoning text amendment, are scheduled for council in November.
• The project will replace an aging 1940s building with a six-story, 91-home development, all affordable at or below 60% of Area Median Income for 40 years. More than half of units are at 50% AMI or below, with 10% below 30% AMI and an additional 16% below 40% AMI; the weighted average is about 51% AMI. Eighty percent of units are two- and three-bedroom apartments, totaling 182 bedrooms.
• Community Lodgings will provide services in financial literacy, youth education and after-school programs, workforce development, and family support. Wesley Housing is co-developer. Resident moves-out are complete, with a right to return for previous residents. Construction is expected to start in April 2027.
• The total development budget is about $58.8 million. Council previously approved a city loan of $3.475 million (about $38,000 per unit). The request is an approximately 80% tax abatement over 30 years on new value. Including that abatement, the city contribution is less than 10% of project budget on a present-value basis, or about $63,000 per unit, compared with typical city affordable-housing investments of about $90,000 per unit and sometimes over $120,000.
• Staff recommended a framework for future tax abatements: at least 50 units at or below 60% AMI; at least 75% of units in mixed-income projects at or below 60% AMI; scaling abatement to affordability; and use only as a gap-closing tool. The project meets the framework.
• The zoning text amendment would extend an existing foreclosure-only exception for Virginia Housing to other affordable housing finance agencies issuing tax-exempt bonds, namely ARHA and IDA. No reduction is allowed except for foreclosure.

City Manager's Report: Detention Center Study

• Deputy City Manager Jan Lambert, joined by consultant CGL project manager Brad Tessitelli, presented an update on the detention center study. No action was needed.
• The study asks whether Alexandria should continue operating its own detention center and how it should be funded, structured, and sustained. It is not based on operational failure; the facility meets legal and professional standards.
• Average daily population has fallen from about 400 in 2018 to roughly 270 in 2025. Local inmates fell by nearly half, from 248 to 134, while federal detainees declined from about 149 to 135 and currently make up about half of the population. Staff also noted that people in custody today have more complex needs.
• Seven scenarios will be examined: continued city operation; contracting with other jurisdictions; cost-reduction strategies; partial contracting by population type; infrastructure/facility changes; a regional jail option; and alternative funding models. A working group includes the Sheriff's Office. Community feedback form is open until November 20, 2026, and the study will be completed by December 31, 2026.
• Councilman Chapman asked for legislative packet items related to the state Compensation Board; Mayor Gaskins asked for cost breakdowns by local/state/federal level and engagement with city departments that interact with the jail. Councilman Aguirre asked about state requirements for regional jails. Staff said roughly 20 stakeholders will be interviewed.

City Manager's Report: Duke Street Land Use Plan

• Planning staff presented an update on the draft Duke Street Land Use Plan released in September. No formal action was requested; staff sought guidance before placing it on the December docket.
• The plan area covers 1.6 square miles (about five Potomac Yards), a 3.5-mile corridor that contains nearly 45% of the city's market-rate affordable housing and about 1,400 existing committed affordable units. Engagement included dozens of community meetings, pop-ups, business canvassing, and work with Alexandria City High School students.
• The plan identifies 79 acres of "opportunity areas" and recommends preserving existing affordable housing areas. It uses a flexible approach rather than fixed FAR or height caps for affordable housing areas, with heights generally up to 85 feet and bonus density for affordable housing.
• Land use recommendations retain grocery/retail on the corridor, support small business hubs on Wheeler Avenue and Colvin Street, and treat the city campus as a portfolio. Mobility analysis found that 30–40% of corridor traffic is pass-through; the plan emphasizes mixed-use development, transit access, bike/ped connections, and gradual redevelopment of about one building a year or less.
• Council discussion included: Councilman Chapman pressed for clear answers on congestion and the relationship between the plan and Duke Street Transitway; Councilwoman Marks asked about block size and mobility choices; Councilman Alnubi questioned whether past traffic data proves development will not increase congestion; Councilman Chapman suggested interim park uses, small business funds, and north-south connectivity to Eisenhower. Staff said several comments, including a bike/ped connection from Witter Field to the Metro station and the Liboc Bridge connection, were incorporated into the draft plan.

City Manager's Report: Automated License Plate Readers

• Police Chief McGuire informed the council that effective that evening, the city notified Flock Safety that it was discontinuing the ALPR program. The cameras are expected to be deactivated by Friday, with quality assurance over the next month to preserve evidence in active cases. Physical camera removal is planned during December; the vendor leases the cameras, while the city owns the poles.
• Staff will return on November 10, 2026, with a draft resolution establishing guiding principles for evaluating any future surveillance technology. City Manager Parajon said principles are expected to include public transparency, government oversight, community engagement, city ownership of data, audits, and a decision process before any deployment.
• Mayor Gaskins thanked community members and noted recommended frameworks, including the ACLU/COPS framework and input from the IT Commission. Councilman Marks asked about bagging cameras until removal and confirmed the process does not foreclose banning specific technologies or a vendor; Councilman Alnubi supported the ACLU framework and argued the city should require evidence that a technology is needed and that council should retain authority to reject surveillance tools. Councilman Greene asked about retention of existing evidence-related data. Vice Mayor Bagley emphasized the November 10 discussion is about a surveillance technology resolution, not a new vendor contract.

Consent Calendar

• Council approved roll-call consent items 13–17 unanimously:
  • Acceptance of a state grant award for the Freedom House Interior Rehabilitation & Accessibility Improvements Project.
  • Retroactive grant application to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture for the Commonwealth History Fund Grant Program.
  • Grant submission to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership for site remediation at Potomac Yard Landbay G – Block G.
  • Concept proposal from the Virginia Department of Health for the Rape Prevention and Education Program.
  • Grant application to Virginia Housing for the Capacity Building Training Grant to fund mold and moisture response training.

Appointment of Interim Independent Policing Auditor

• City Council considered the appointment of an interim independent policing auditor. After discussion, council voted by roll call to authorize the selection of the OIR Group, with Florence Finkel serving as interim independent policing auditor, and to authorize the city manager and mayor to execute a contract with OIR Group beginning October 29, 2026.
• The motion passed unanimously. The OIR Group provides civilian oversight services for multiple California jurisdictions and Boulder, Colorado. Ms. Finkel, an attorney with over 30 years of experience, is a former prosecutor, former executive director of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, former Deputy Commissioner for Integrity and Policy at NYC Department of Corrections, and current president of NACOLE. The interim appointment provides continuity while a national search for a permanent auditor is conducted.

Council Schedule and Adjournment

• Council approved the City Council schedule after confirming a November 16 work session with the School Board. The schedule was adopted by voice vote. The meeting adjourned at 9:51 PM.

Key Outcomes

• Electronic participation resolution approved by roll-call vote; closed session resolution adopted.
• Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Red Ribbon Week proclamations approved unanimously.
• Roll-call consent items 13–17 approved unanimously.
• Interim Independent Policing Auditor contract with OIR Group/Florence Finkel authorized unanimously, effective October 29, 2026.
• Council schedule approved, including the November 16 School Board work session.
• No formal actions were taken on the Community Lodgings, Detention Center, Duke Street, or ALPR updates; next steps include the November 10 surveillance resolution, November 14 public hearing on Community Lodgings, December completion of the detention study, and December council docket consideration of the Duke Street plan.