Tonight, Alexandria's Planning Commission will be considering approval of land-use applications to allow a rebuild of Douglas MacArthur Elementary School.

Last year, the City Council unanimously approved land-use modifications to allow the old Patrick Henry Elementary School building to be temporarily used as "swing-space" to facilitate the rebuild of Douglas MacArthur Elementary School.  

In addition to the approval of the rebuild of MacArthur, the Planning Commission will also be considering a Zoning Text Amendment that will allow for increases in the density of our public school buildings around our City. The proposal will modify the process for an increase in the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for these buildings. Today, three of our schools already violate the current FAR requirements on their sites. Several others would violate the FAR if they were expanded, including MacArthur. This text amendment is intended as both a clean-up effort, but also to set the zoning expectations as ACPS proceeds with school construction work in the future.

Last fall, 16,062 students started in the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS). That constitutes a 2% increase from the previous year or about 325 additional students. 

The last time we had this many children attending our schools was nearly 50 years ago in the early 1970s.

Two school years ago, ACPS opened the first net new school building in nearly two decades with the opening of Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School on the West End. A year and a half ago, ACPS opened the newly rebuilt Patrick Henry K-8 School. Both of these new buildings added badly needed capacity in areas of the City with rapidly growing enrollment. 

The City's approved 10-year capital improvement program for the Alexandria City Public Schools includes $530 million over the next decade. This provides the funding for both new and renovated facilities, as well as non-capacity infrastructure investments. Only 7 years ago, the 10 year capital improvement program for our Schools was less than half as much at $203 million. 

Eight years ago, the City convened the Joint  Long Range Educational Facilities Work Group. The group was given the essential charge to understand our recent increase in student enrollment, better project enrollment growth in the future, and to decide what to do about it. 

We now know that housing units built over 30 years ago account for four times the student generation as those built in the past 30 years. 

In June of 2015, the City Council and the School Board adopted the Joint Long Range Educational Facilities Plan. The Plan is the culmination of the group's work in conjunction with the efforts of both ACPS and City staff. The Plan looks at each elementary school building in the City, assesses the facility's educational adequacy, and provides a roadmap for increasing capacity and addressing deficiencies. 

Two years ago, the Council and School adopted phase two of this effort, planning for additional capacity at the high school level and in pre-school. 

In government, we have an obligation to provide a regulatory process that is efficient, predictable, and expedient. Sometimes our existing processes fall short of that mark. Throughout my tenure on Council, I have worked to improve processes to make Alexandria the best place for small business in our region. 

Tonight the Alexandria Planning Commission will be considering a comprehensive package of reforms that will streamline the ability of new businesses to open up and begin their sales. Assuming the Commission makes a recommendation on this matter this evening, this package will come to the City Council on Saturday September 12th for final passage.

In June of 2016, by a vote of 6-1, the City Council took a significant step in improving the process that businesses must go through to get started in Alexandria.

Upon the recommendation of a community task force, the City Council voted 6-1 to approve new parking standards for commercial properties. These new standards streamline the process for new businesses to open and facilitate shared parking arrangements. These new standards are also more realistic and reflect the amount of parking actually needed for businesses. 

In 2003, the City Council pioneered the use of administrative special use perits as part of the approval of the Arlandria Plan. Under the Administrative Special Use Permits, the staff can apply defined criteria and provide a new business with permission to operate (if it operates under a pre-approved set of restrictions), avoiding the necessity for hearing before the Planning Commission and City Council. 

Over a decade ago, the City created the Small Business Task Force, which recommended expansion of the Administrative Special Use Permit process. 

In 2008, the City Council approved a package of reforms to further ease the impacts on new small businesses. In 2010, the Council approved a separate package of additional reforms. 

One area of our economy that will likely never be the same is our commercial real estate market. Today, nearly 27% of the City's overall revenues are derived from the real estate tax that is imposed on commercial properties. The impacts of COVID-19 on the consumption of vacant commercial real estate, office and retail specifically, will be devastating in the short-term and possibly transformative in the long-term.

With a 16.2% office vacancy rate in the City, this was already an area of concern for us prior to the pandemic. Since January of 2010 exactly one (there is a second coming soon) new Class A office building has been delivered in the City of Alexandria without the City's financial participation (either through tax incentive or discounted financing).

Back then the City convened the Mayor's Economic Sustainability Work Group comprised of deeply experienced City residents to chart a new path to sustained economic growth. The group provided a detailed report whose recommendations have become a checklist of policy reforms for the City to pursue. In many policy areas, the recommendations reflected conventional wisdom. In some policy areas, they became conventional wisdom. 

There is no question that commercial development provides a rich return for the taxpayers of this City. City analysis shows that all commercial property uses provide a net positive return.

To examine the issue, the City and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership studied several office to residential conversions to determine how the taxpayers fared in the aftermath. 

The Oronoco, now a multi-family building on the City's waterfront was an office building when it was sold and converted to residential. Sold for $21 million, the property was assessed at $126 million two years ago, after the conversion, more than covering any additional services required for the residents.

An office building at 4501 Ford Avenue on the West End had sat vacant for the better part of decade. It was converted to a residential "live/work" concept. It was assessed at $20 million prior to the conversion. It is now assessed at $64 million. 

Let me know your thoughts on this important issue. 

The budget that the City Council adopted in the Spring was the tenth budget I have been a part of as a member of City Council. Our budget process typically begins in February with the City Manager's presentation. It is a furious process with weekly budget work sessions, significant public input and an occasionally difficult process of negotiating what is "in," and what is "out." 

In February, the City Manager presented his proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Operating budget and the 10-year Capital Improvement Program for Fiscal Year 2021 - Fiscal Year 2030. 

In March, we started over. The City Manager delivered revised revenue estimates that reflected the estimated impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the City revenues and expenditures. 

The damage that the outbreak left on the City's FY 2020 budget was sadly a preview for what was in store. For the previous fiscal year which ended June 30th, the City was heading towards an expected surplus of $5 million - $10 million. The revised estimates projected us to have a SHORTFALL of $35 million. This is a financial calamity without precedent in our City's history. 

That the City was able to make to make adjustments to this extraordinary degradation of revenue without devastating reductions to services at this point is a testament to decades of conservative budgeting practices. The requirements that support the City's AAA/Aaa bond ratings ensure ample reserves, and a capital budget supported by healthy amounts of current year budget support. It is those elements that have proven vital during this time. 

The City Manager then presented a second version of the proposed budget. Given the level of revenue deterioration, the changes in the proposed budget are significant. These changes include:

With the receipt of our financial report in June, we were able to see some early indications of the damage our economy has suffered:

Less than four months ago, the City received our first tranche of Federal CARES Act money. We have put that money to good use in benefiting the residents and businesses in need in our City.

Two months ago, as we were on track to fully expend the $13.9 million that the City received, I wrote to urge the quick release of the second tranche of funding. I am pleased that last month, the Governor announced the allocation of that money to address the significant need that remains.

Next week, the City Council will be discussing how to allocate the second tranche of this money.

In late March, the President signed the CARES Act which provides $2 trillion to assist residents, businesses and government. With this legislation and the prospect of further legislation ahead, my focus has been to ensure that we leave no dollar on the table. 

The United States Department of Treasury provided guidance detailing how the funds can be used. While the City and other jurisdictions urged maximum flexibility from the Federal Government, the money the City received is limited to:

In May, I wrote to the Secretary of Finance advocating that the allocation of these funds be on a per capita basis. Ultimately, that is how the administration chose to the distribute the first and second tranches.

In May, the House of Representatives enacted "The Heroes Act." This legislation included a substantial local government assistance component. For Alexandria, this legislation would provide $81.9 million to replace revenue that has been lost due to COVID-19 public health restrictions. While not fully replacing the $92 million that the City currently estimates we will have lost between the last fiscal year and the new fiscal year, this allocation would go a long way to easing the burden on our local taxpayers and services.

At this point, this legislation is very much out of sync with the current legislation circulating from the Majority in the Senate.

I'm hopeful that legislation with the support of both houses and the President will soon be enacted to support local governments during this time.

On September 18th, voting will begin for this November's election. You may now apply online to receive a ballot in the mail. Voters who submit a request now for a ballot by mail will receive that ballot shortly after the 18th of September.

For the first time in Virginia history, this November's election will be conducted with "no-excuse" absentee voting available.

While past elections required voters to identify a reason that they could not vote in-person on Election Day, thanks to legislation patroned by Delegate Charniele Herring, enacted during this year's General Assembly, that is no longer required.

The upcoming election will select our next President, United States Senator, Member of the United States House of Representatives and make a decision on two proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution. This election will occur in the face of an unprecedented pandemic.

Our General Registrar's Office and Electoral Board are working to plan for our November elections.

To ensure that voters remain safe, voting by mail is strongly encouraged for this election. Already, over 20,000 Alexandrians have requested ballot by mail. This is more than the total voters who voted absentee by mail and in-person in 2016!

The ballots received by mail can be returned by mail or brought in person back to the General Registrar's office at 132 N. Royal Street.

As we speak, the General Assembly is working to advance legislation that would allow localities to set up ballot drop-boxes to return mail ballots, but that has not been finalized as of yet.

In addition to mail ballots, Alexandria's General Registrar will make available early-voting from four locations beginning in September.

Beginning on September 18th, early voting is available at 132 N. Royal Street (next to City Hall) during business hours, Monday through Friday, from 8 AM until 5 PM.

Thanks for making sure your voice is heard in this very important election.

As part of the VirtualPlus+ plan, there will be school-day care available for students from various providers. APCS has provided a list of available alternatives and the City's Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities has also providing detailing of their programmatic offerings.

The decisions surrounding the reopening of schools in the fall are much more difficult, nuanced and complex. The first building block of that decision-making process is the guidelines, entitled "Recover. Redesign. Restart," that was issued three months ago by the Virginia Department of Education. This 136 page document details how local school divisions in the Commonwealth should undertake a fall reopening.

There is no question that policymakers influencing school decisions want to see our students back in school. As a parent of two ACPS students myself, I share that desire. The health benefits of students being in school together are considerable.

When the crisis started at the beginning of March, there were just a bit over 2,000 Alexandria residents who were unemployed. During the ensuing 23 weeks, nearly 19,000 Alexandrians have filed as unemployed. 

With this precipitous increase in unemployment throughout our City, our residents have been faced with challenges in paying their rent. While evictions had been deferred due to the closure of Virginia's courts, our residents who are out of work are incurring overdue rent, late fees and other expenses that will burden them even once they are able to go back to work. While the moratorium was briefly lifted, it is now back in place for a few more days.

While the City has a variety of housing relief programs that have been in place, many for decades, these efforts are insufficiently scaled or structured for this crisis. 

To address the challenge we are facing in this time, the City launched a new Emergency Rent Relief program. 

To further the assistance available, last month, the Governor launched a state Rent and Mortgage Relief program for those residents who have been impacted economically.