We added 9.1% growth to our population during that period. That compares to 9.6% in Arlington, 11.5% in Fairfax County, 84.1% in Loudoun and 43.2% in Prince William.

Yet since the 2010 census, it is clear that the pace has picked up. Current census estimates suggest that in the first 2 years of the decade, our population has grown 4.5 %, which is nearly double the rate of the Commonwealth of Virginia during this period. 

As of February, there were 8,338 apartment units in some phase of construction in Alexandria. While some of these new units are replacing existing housing, most were new units for our City. 

A decade of planning for future development in our City, coupled with some signs of economic recovery, has meant that the pace of new development has definitely quickened. 

In 2010, in the worst of the recession, the City added $40 million to our tax base from new residential development. This year, the City added nearly 3 times as much, with $112 million of new residential development hitting the tax rolls. 

While a significant rebound, $112 million is only roughly a quarter of the $424 million that was added to the tax rolls in 2007.

Each development effort brings an associated need for services (schools, public safety, transportation,etc), but also new revenues. For example, the $112 million of new residential development last year  provides the City with $1.1 million of additional revenue. Stated another way, it provides revenue equivalent to a little less than half of a cent on the real estate rate.