A Water Project Offers a Chance to Discover One of Alexandria’s Most Vibrant Neighborhoods

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Every Alexandria neighborhood has a story.

Old Town has its centuries-old streets. Del Ray has its small-town charm. Parker-Gray tells a story of resilience, history, and preservation.

Then there’s Arlandria-Chirilagua.

Many Alexandrians drive through this colorful neighborhood every day without knowing the story behind its unusual name—or the remarkable community that has flourished here for decades.

Beginning the week of July 6, Virginia American Water will begin a $500,000 infrastructure project beneath West Reed Avenue, giving residents one more reason to slow down and take a closer look.

The work, between Mount Vernon Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue, will replace and relocate aging water service lines and sections of water main. The improvements are designed to strengthen water service reliability, increase water flow for firefighting, and coordinate with the City of Alexandria’s ongoing stormwater improvements so the street won’t have to be dug up twice.

Construction is expected to continue through October.

A Name That Tells Two Stories

The neighborhood’s name reflects both geography and heritage.

Arlandria is a blend of Arlington and Alexandria, recognizing the neighborhood’s location near the city-county line.

Chirilagua tells a deeper story. The name comes from a municipality in southeastern El Salvador, where many of the Salvadoran families who settled in the neighborhood beginning in the 1980s trace their roots. As families arrived, reunited, opened businesses, raised children, and built community, the neighborhood became affectionately known as Chirilagua.

Together, Arlandria-Chirilagua reflects both where the neighborhood sits and who helped shape it.

Walk its streets and you will find family-owned restaurants serving some of the region’s best pupusas, neighborhood markets stocked with foods from across Latin America, colorful murals celebrating culture and community, and nonprofit organizations working every day to strengthen the lives of local families.

Four Mile Run borders the neighborhood and has long shaped its story, from flooding and environmental challenges decades ago to today’s parks, trails, farmers market, and gathering spaces. Mount Vernon Avenue remains one of the neighborhood’s main arteries, lined with small businesses, restaurants, storefronts, and the unmistakable energy of an entrepreneurial community.

It is a neighborhood that does not demand attention. It rewards curiosity.

“People often discover Arlandria-Chirilagua because they are looking for a great meal,” said Pat Miller, a board member of Hearts of Love, a nonprofit that supports organizations serving the neighborhood, including Casa Chirilagua, Mother of Light Center, Together We Bake, and other community partners. “But once they spend a little time here, they discover something even more special. This is a community built on resilience, hospitality, small businesses, and neighbors helping neighbors. Investments in the neighborhood — whether they are underground infrastructure or support for the people who live here — help strengthen the entire community.”

A Community Built by People

Over the years, Arlandria-Chirilagua has become home to families from across Latin America and around the world. Its Salvadoran roots remain especially visible in the food, language, faith communities, murals, festivals, and small businesses that give the neighborhood its character.

Casa Chirilagua, one of the neighborhood’s best-known community organizations, began in 2007 when three young women moved into the neighborhood to listen to the stories and wisdom of their Latino neighbors. After hearing concerns about children’s academic progress, they began a reading club in their own apartment. That small beginning grew into a nonprofit serving families through education, leadership development, and community-building programs.

Other local organizations and ministries have also helped support the neighborhood’s families, including Mother of Light Center, an Alexandria-based Catholic nonprofit serving families facing poverty, food insecurity, and homelessness; and Together We Bake, an Alexandria nonprofit that helps women build confidence, job skills, and pathways to employment through a baking-based social enterprise; as well as other community partners.

The result is a place that feels both deeply local and richly international — a neighborhood where food, faith, art, entrepreneurship, and service all meet on the same streets.

Communities are built by people. They endure because of investment — both above ground and below it.

Building for the Future

Rather than completing the City’s stormwater improvements first and returning later to replace aging water pipes, Virginia American Water is coordinating its work with the City’s project, thereby reducing future disruptions while improving two essential infrastructure systems simultaneously.

The investment comes just weeks after Virginia American Water customers saw a modest rate increase approved by state regulators. During that process, Alexandria officials successfully advocated for a smaller increase than the utility originally proposed, helping lessen the impact on local customers while allowing infrastructure investments such as this one to move forward.

“Upgrading infrastructure is essential to ensuring consistent, dependable service for our customers as well as improving operational efficiency throughout the Commonwealth,” said Charlie Piekanski, vice president of operations for Virginia American Water. “We are also proud to support the City on mutually beneficial infrastructure upgrades.”

What Residents Can Expect

Weather permitting, construction will begin the week of July 6 and continue through the end of October, including final street restoration.

Work will generally take place Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., although occasional evening and weekend work may be necessary.

Virginia American Water says it will work to keep one lane of traffic open whenever possible and maintain access to homes and driveways throughout construction.

Residents may notice temporary water service interruptions, lower water pressure, discolored water, and construction noise during portions of the project. Customers will receive advance notice before any planned service interruptions.

More Than Just Construction 

For most people, the improvements beneath West Reed Avenue will never be seen once they are complete.

But long after the construction crews leave, the benefits — a stronger water system, improved stormwater infrastructure, and a neighborhood better prepared for the future — will remain. Perhaps something else will happen as well.

Perhaps a few more Alexandrians will turn off Mount Vernon Avenue, stop for lunch, admire a mural, visit a neighborhood business, or simply spend a little time exploring a place they have driven past for years.

Sometimes the best community stories begin below the surface.