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Alexandria council weighs first appeal under new address-renumbering ordinance

Alexandria council weighs first appeal under new address-renumbering ordinance

Rule Changes Alexandria, VA local

Dispute over 3600 and 3600½ Russell Road will set precedent for how the city fixes broken addresses

Today: City publishes Sept. 19 agenda with appeal hearing

Overview

Updated 38 minutes ago

A nine-year stream of misdelivered mail at 3600½ Russell Road has produced Alexandria's first appeal under a new address-renumbering ordinance. City Council decides Saturday whether to change 3600½ to 3578 and the neighboring 3600 to 3550.

The owners of 3600, a number their house has carried since 1939, are fighting the change. The ruling will set the precedent for how the city fixes broken addresses — and whether one owner can block a fix that helps another.

Why it matters

The council's ruling sets the precedent for Alexandria's new address-renumbering process — and whether one owner can block a fix that helps a neighbor.

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Key Indicators

9 years
Misdelivery history at 3600½
The Tillinghasts say mail and packages have gone astray since they bought the house in April 2017.
2
Properties affected by renumbering
Staff's plan gives both 3600 and 3600½ new numbers on the Russell Road block.
1st
Appeal under new ordinance
First appeal to reach city council under Section 5-2-94, adopted unanimously April 18.

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People Involved

DT
Darien and Lisa Tillinghast
Owners of 3600½ Russell Road; applicants requesting renumbering
Awaiting council decision on their half address
SH
Susan Saffelle Hughes and Michael A. Hughes
Owners of 3600 Russell Road; appellants against renumbering
Appealing staff's decision to change their address
 William Cook
William Cook
City planner, Department of Planning & Zoning
Handled the renumbering case; staff recommend council affirm the decision

Organizations Involved

Alexandria City Council
Alexandria City Council
Municipal legislative body
Will decide the appeal at Sept. 19 public hearing

Unanimously adopted the renumbering ordinance and now hears its first appeal.
Alexandria Department of Planning and Zoning
Alexandria Department of Planning and Zoning
City department
Recommended council affirm the renumbering

Staff reviewed the request twice and proposed new numbers for both houses.
United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
Federal agency
Described 3600½ as not existing; returned packages "No Such Number"

The local postmaster told the Tillinghasts that 3600½ does not exist.

Timeline

April 2017 September 2026

9 events Latest: Today
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. City Council public hearing on the appeal

    Upcoming Hearing

    Council hears the first appeal under the new renumbering ordinance and is expected to vote.

  2. City publishes Sept. 19 agenda with appeal hearing

    Today Procedural

    The council agenda lists the address renumbering appeal for the Saturday hearing.

  3. Package for 3600½ returned as 'No Such Number'

    Incident

    A package goes out for delivery and returns three days later marked "No Such Number."

  4. Appellants submit more material

    Legal

    The Hughes/Saffelle side adds supporting documents to the docket.

  5. Owner of 3600 files appeal

    Legal

    Susan Saffelle Hughes and Michael A. Hughes appeal the staff decision.

  6. Staff propose new numbers for both houses

    Decision

    Planning & Zoning recommends 3600 become 3550 and 3600½ become 3578.

  7. Tillinghasts file renumbering request

    Filing

    They submit through the city's Alex311 system, citing nine years of misdeliveries.

  8. Council adopts renumbering ordinance

    Policy

    Council unanimously adopts Section 5-2-94, giving the city manager authority to change addresses.

  9. Tillinghasts buy 3600½ Russell Road

    Origin

    The couple says misdelivered mail starts immediately after purchase.

Scenarios

1

Council Affirms Russell Road Renumbering

Likely Resolves by Oct 15, 2026

Discussed by: Planning & Zoning staff, who recommend council affirm the decision

The council votes to affirm the city manager's decision, renumbering 3600 to 3550 and 3600½ to 3578. Both households would update street signage, house numbers, and records with banks and the DMV. The ruling would establish that the ordinance's renumbering authority can compel changes across more than one property to fix address confusion.

2

Council Rejects Renumbering, Addresses Stay Put

Possible Resolves by Oct 15, 2026

Discussed by: The Hughes/Saffelle appellants, who argue the 1939 number should stand

The council sides with the appellants and leaves both addresses unchanged. The Tillinghasts would keep a half address the postmaster says does not exist, and misdeliveries would likely persist. The decision would signal that the appeal process can protect homeowners from imposed renumbering.

3

Council Modifies the Renumbering Plan

Possible Resolves by Oct 15, 2026

Discussed by: No formal proponent; reflects a possible compromise between the parties

The council orders a different set of numbers. One option is the Tillinghasts' original proposal, making 3600½ into 3600 and giving the neighbor a vacant number such as 3520, 3590, or 3598. This would split the difference, keeping 3600's 1939-era number intact while dropping the half address.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1909

Chicago's 1909 address renumbering

In 1909, Chicago renumbered every property address in the city to fix a chaotic system where numbers bore no relation to distance. The city adopted a grid based on blocks, with addresses tied to a baseline at State and Madison streets.

Then

Residents and businesses had to update mail, signage, and records across the whole city at once.

Now

The grid-based system became the national model for clear, predictable addressing.

Why this matters now

Shows both the disruption of address changes and the reason cities adopt them — this Russell Road case is the same trade-off on a scale of two houses instead of a whole city.

1968–2000s

National 911 emergency addressing reform

As 911 emergency call centers spread, counties and towns across the U.S. forced rural and suburban property owners to adopt standardized house numbers so dispatchers and responders could find them. Thousands of nonconforming addresses were renumbered or reassigned.

Then

Property owners lost old addresses they had used for decades.

Now

Consistent addressing became essential to emergency response times.

Why this matters now

The Tillinghasts' stated fear — that emergency services might not find the right house — is the same logic that drove nationwide addressing reform, and it is central to staff's recommendation.

Sources

(3)
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City of Alexandria Legistar Alexandria Brief Alexandria Brief