Alexandria eked out positive net office absorption last year, just one among many bright spots for the city, said Delta Associates' Greg Leisch at our Future of Alexandria event this morning at the US Patent and Trademark Office. Alexandria's office vacancy rate of 11% remains slightly below the DC metro average of 11.1% and even farther below the national average of 13.5%, Greg says. The presence of PTO—as well as the future arrival of the National Science Foundation—also positions Alexandria as the true intellectual property capital of the world.

The NSF's Mignon Anthony (with McGuireWoods' Jonathan Rak) is handling the agency's transition from Ballston to Alexandria. She says that while the addition of 1,500 employees will be a boon for the city, the real impact may be in the 1,000 or so visiting scientists who'll visit the new property at nearby Hoffman Town Center every week to present and defend grants. (Hotels: Stock up on board games and Battlestar Galactica DVDs—things are gonna get crazy.) Stay tuned for more Alexandria coverage on Monday.