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Alexandria council affirms most BAR conditions but drops decorative chimneys in City Hall renovation approval
Summary
After a five-hour public hearing, Alexandria City Council largely endorsed the Board of Architectural Review’s conditional approval of the City Hall and Market Square renovation while modifying several conditions — notably removing decorative chimneys and narrowing a BAR study requirement.
Alexandria City Council on Jan. 20 upheld the Board of Architectural Review’s conditional approval of the City Hall and Market Square renovation project but made targeted changes after a lengthy public hearing and deliberation.
The council voted to affirm the BAR’s majority recommendations — including requirements on the 5th-floor exterior appearance, unobtrusive glazing on new hyphens, enclosed conduit and drainage for Market Square structures, and material and detailing expectations for entries and entablatures — while striking or revising several BAR items that the city and some council members found impractical or unclear.
"The Board's conditional approval has already done all of the heavy lifting for you," Andy Scott, chair of the Board of Architectural Review, told council, urging them to ratify the BAR’s decision. "This is not arbitrary. This is not capricious. This is the result of an incredibly intensive deliberative process." (Andy Scott, Chair, Board of Architectural Review.)
City staff and the applicant — Jeremy McPike, director of General Services, speaking for the city manager…
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