City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 25, 2025
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
THROUGH: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
FROM: EMILY A. BAKER, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
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Economic Summit Update - ALX Forward: A Strategic Framework for Economic Growth.
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ISSUE: Economic Summit Update - ALX Forward: A Strategic Framework for Economic Growth.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council receive an update and discuss ALX Forward: A Strategic Framework for Economic Growth.
BACKGROUND: In November 2024, the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP), and TIP Strategies (TIP) launched their collaborative efforts to host an economic summit and develop a strategic framework "ALX Forward" to guide economic development. Ensuring Alexandria's continued competitiveness was a driving factor in creating ALX Forward. In 2025, the Alexandria City Council adopted four priorities to provide the basis for budget and policy decisions: advance housing opportunities, reduce community disparities, drive economic strength, and attract and retain top talent. This strategic planning initiative falls under the economic strength umbrella. The most recent coordinated economic development planning effort was a City-sponsored Economic Sustainability Summit in 2007. The inaugural 2007 summit resulted in multiple recommendations for improvements to existing systems or new initiatives impacting tourism, real estate development, transit, business recruitment, and organizational functions within the City's economic development network. These recommendations proved instrumental in catalyzing major developments across the City, including the reimagined waterfront, the former Landmark Mall, and Virginia Tech, and the City is poised to embark on a new chapter.
DISCUSSION: The draft ALX Forward strategic framework (Attachment 1) resul...
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