Real Nova Network by Chris Colgan - Alexandria waterfront

Alexandria’s Old Power Plant Is Finally Becoming Something Bigger Than a Power Plant

Posted by Chris Colgan on June 19th, 2026

By Chris Colgan
Real Nova Network

For more than a decade, one of the most valuable pieces of waterfront land in Northern Virginia has been sitting behind fences.

Not abandoned in the middle of nowhere.

Not tucked away where nobody sees it.

Right there in Alexandria.

The old Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North has been one of those sites almost everyone around Alexandria knows, even if they do not know the official name. A massive former coal-fired power plant. Industrial. Closed off. Sitting on the Potomac River, just north of Old Town, in a city where waterfront land is some of the most important land there is.

And now, after years of planning, debate, city review, and public meetings, Alexandria…

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Inside Patricia Cornwell's Northern Virginia: Where Fiction Meets the Real Life Mystery of Old Town

Posted by Chris Colgan on October 17th, 2025

The fog rolls off the Potomac just before dawn. Brick-lined streets glisten under wrought-iron lanterns. Somewhere between the historic cobblestones of Old Town Alexandria and the sterile hum of federal offices in Arlington, a serial killer waits in the shadows. This isn't a Netflix trailer — it's the opening pulse of Patricia Cornwell's Sharp Force, the 29th installment in her iconic Kay Scarpetta series. And this time, the crime scene isn't Richmond or New York. It's right here. Northern Virginia.

For those of us who've spent our lives navigating the I-66 corridor, dodging Beltway traffic, and grabbing coffee along King Street, this thriller hits different. Because Cornwell didn't just set a book in Northern Virginia — she made our home the backdrop…

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