RCA Newsletter: November 2025

Jol Silversmith
Nov 30, 2025
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 .

Braddock Road

Braddock Road: The City of Alexandria is considering the Braddock Road Trail Access and Corridor Improvements Project. Background information about the project is available here: https://www.alexandriava.gov/transportation-planning/project/braddock-road-trail-access-and-corridor-improvements. On November 19, the Rosemont Citizens Association voted , 49-10, to oppose the removal of parking spaces on Braddock Road between Russell Road and Commonwealth Avenue (Options 1A and 1B).

The Braddock Road Project is expected to be on the agenda for a future meeting of the City of Alexandria Traffic & Parking Board; we will post an update when it is docketed.

Holiday Decorations

The holiday season is approaching, which means that it’s almost time for the RCA holiday decorating competition – started by retired sheriff Dana Lawhorne during the pandemic, and now in its sixth year. We need volunteers to both scope out houses around the neighborhood, and to be the “blue ribbon” panel to make the final decisions – please email jol@thirdamendment.com if you’re interested.

PELT Committee

What’s Going on with the Duke Street Land Use Plan? How Does it Affect Rosemont and How Can You Participate?

KThe City kicked off a new land use study for the Duke Street Corridor in Spring 2025. An infrastructure update was provided this past May alerting residents to the kick-off. The Study Area includes the properties abutting Duke Street from Callahan Street at its eastern extent, to Van Dorn Street at its western extent.

The Duke Street Land Use Plan study differs from the Duke Street Transitway planning in that it will be examining appropriate land uses, sustainability, public realm improvements, street networks and connectivity, pedestrian safety and housing. The Duke Street Transitway Plan will NOT be revised as part of this process; rather, guidance from that project will be incorporated into this plan. The City has held public engagements on June 9, September 25, and October 23. Materials related to those engagements can be reviewed on the project web page, including specific questions and answers form the public.

At the September 25 meeting the City presented Draft Guiding Principles that will guide the eventual goals, objectives and policies for the plan.

How Can You Participate:

The City will be holding a Community Open House on December 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Bishop Ireton HS. The open house will include interactive stations containing information about the various plan topics, and opportunities for community members to engage City staff directly.

The City will be holding additional workshops, each focusing on a topic area, in January 2026. Completion of the planning process and adoption by the City Council is being targeted for Q4 2026.

Next RCA Meeting

Unfortunately Mayor Gaskins was unable to join us at our meeting this month due to illness, but we have rescheduled for Thursday, January 22 - please plan to join us at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 100 West Luray Avenue, At 7pm.

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).