RCA Newsletter: December 2025

Jol Silversmith
Jan 1
4 min read

The Rosemont Citizens Association is 100% volunteer-driven, but it is readers, members, and donors like you who power it—thank you! Would you consider a gift to the RCA to keep it moving forward?

DONATE

It takes real dollars to carry out the important mission of serving our members in the Rosemont neighborhood.

Here are just a few examples of how we put your donations to work this year:

The RCA launched a new website - www.rosemontcitizens.org
The RCA joined the city’s Adopt-a-Park program and now does weekly clean-ups of two sections of Hooff’s Run Park and Greenway (tennis court, playground).
PELT has Alexandria City’s commitment to keep the Hooff’s Run culvert clean and in good repair to minimize flooding.
PELT is “at the table” with Virginia Rail Express (VRE) to track how its plans to replace the bridges over King Street and Commonwealth Ave. will affect Rosemont.
PELT is leading an effort to renew interest in preserving Rosemont’s architectural history through new Rosemont historical markers and videos on the new RCA website.
The RCA launched a new monthly “Meet Your Neighbor” Happy Hour at Rosemont Cellar with 50+ attendees and regular sponsors.
The 2nd annual “revived” RCA Oktoberfest took place on September 27th.
The RCA newsletter has almost tripled in 18 mos. to 656 subscribers.

We are gaining momentum and have big plans for 2026! Thanks for your renewed support for the Rosemont Citizens Association.

DONATE

A New Option to Connect

The RCA has established an email list to provide an additional means to provide information and updates about neighborhood and city developments, which also can be used for community discussion. To sign up, please visit https://groups.io/g/RCA .

Holiday Decorations Winners!

We are pleased to announce the winners of our sixth annual holiday decor competition. First place (including a gift card from Lena’s): 27 East Walnut Street. Second place (including a gift card from Just Fine Donuts): 711 Little Street Third place: 212 East Alexandria Avenue. Thanks to all who helped and sponsored - and to all those who have made the neighborhood bright for the season

Russell/Callahan/King Intersection

In response to concerns from neighbors, the RCA and its PELT committee are reaching out to the City regarding concerns that the alignment of traffic lights is confusing to drivers approaching the intersection from Callahan.

History Committee

The RCA is organizing a new committee to consider history and associated architectural issues for the neighborhood; if you’re interested in participating, please email jol@thirdamendment.com.

Rosemont Cellar Menu

The Rosemont Cellar (formerly Grape + Bean) wants to hear from YOU on what they can add to their grocery collection! Maybe something they used to sell but disappeared, or else something entirely new. Their contact form is available at https://www.rosemontcellar.com/contact-us .

PELT Committee

Apply for Stormwater Credits to Reduce your $360 Annual Stormwater Fee

In 2018, the City of Alexandria began charging property owners a Stormwater Utility Fee. The impervious areas on a property (roofs, driveways, walkways, etc.) result in runoff that enters the City storm sewer system. The amount we pay correlates to the assumed amount of runoff each property generates.

The metric used to arrive at the fee is based upon a residential property being classified as a condo, townhouse and either a medium or large single-family home. The City establishes this rate on July 1st of each year.

From December 1st through February 15th, you have the opportunity to apply for a credit towards your next two years of this Stormwater Utility Fee. This can reduce the amount you owe by up to 50%! Below is how you can apply for the credit 1) Go to the real estate assessment website here: Real Estate Assessment Search

2) Type in your property details and click “search”

3) Click "Tax and Fee Info" button. This will take you to a new page.

4) Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. 5) Click "Apply for Stormwater Utility Credit" and fill out the application.

You will be asked to provide photographic evidence of installation. We found a handy application at the Apple Store named “Timestamp Camera” which will add the date, time, and location of your photo.

By way of example, at our house, we installed a French drain, parged and sealed our foundation and added rubber membrane boards against the foundation so water does not penetrate as it did when we first moved to Cedar Street in 2004.

Additional and achievable credits a Rosemont neighbor may capture can come from the installation of rain barrels, making a no-fertilizer pledge or planting new native tree.

Please access the Stormwater Utility Fee Credit Manual so you can learn more and potentially capture the maximum deduction: Stormwater Utility Fee Credit Manual 2022.pdf.

Next RCA Meeting

The next RCA general meeting will be held on Thursday, January 22 at 7pm at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (100 West Luray Avenue). We plan to be joined by Mayor Gaskins, to provide an update on City affairs. Additional agenda updates will be provided by email/social media. Please plan to join us!

Resources from Alexandria Sheriff’s Office

The Alexandria Sheriff’s office offers a house-watching service (https://www.alexandriava.gov/sheriff/away-from-home-check). Additionally, the Sheriff continue to offer “Project Lifesaver” to help track adults and children with special needs (https://www.alexandriava.gov/sheriff/project-lifesaver).