Well I am sure this proposal is going to inspire some debate. My initial opinion is that this is just about what we expected. An upscale hotel, like the Lorien, backed by a major hotel group. They have the finances to make it very nice and the experience of building hotels in sensitive places.

I'll be curious to see what the proposed development looks like and how well they integrate it into the scale and fabric of the location. I know the neighbors are going to be very interested in traffic, noise and congestion mitiation. On first pass this is more appealing to someone who lives in old town, albeit not on the water, than their plan B of condos/townhouses/apartments. At least I can eat at the restaurant and have visitors stay there.

For those people who believe that this area should be parkland, the sale price of this property should give a dollar figure that can be used in the financial analysis of what it would cost to purchase all of this property and turn it into green space. Anyone know the sales price?

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Gina Baum
2:04pm on Friday, October 21, 2011
My understanding, but have not independently verified it, is the sales price was 2x the assessment value. The remaining Robinson terminal properties were assessed at over 75 million.

Actually, The Hotel Indigo brand at Hilton has been struggling financially. Their Nashville hotel went bankrupt this year and they have had financing related delays in starting up other new hotels. A study commissioned by the Washington Post actually determined that hotels are not financially viable down at the waterfront. It determined they would not be likely to generate enough revenues to cover their costs.

The assessed value of the Robinson Terminal properties is $30.5 million, not more than $75 million. This is per City tax records.

From the following public record: http://dockets.alexandriava.gov/icons/pz/pc/CY11/050311/di8.pdf

An April 5, 2011 letter from Robinson Terminal to the City Planning Commission included the following statement:

“To review the hotel market and plan, Robinson [Robinson Terminal, owned by the Washington Post] retained Mr. Robert Mannon a former senior executive and an expert in the hotel development industry. Mr. Mannon has advised that a hotel simply is not a viable use, specifically at the Robinson sites, in the foreseeable future, and the study circulated by the City (after substantial delay) does not support a contrary conclusion because the City’s study uses data gathered from completely different markets nearer to the Metro rather than addressing the obvious transportation and other development constraints at the waterfront.”

The Indigo Hotel in inner harbor Baltimore filed for bankrupcy in August 2010.
The Indigo Hotel in Nashville also had severe financial problems.
Carr Development is owned by Intercontinental - global, little local sensitivity, bottom line oriented. Don't look for a bailout in a recessionary economy!

Deena de Montigny
Perhaps the Indigo Hotel at Cummings-Turner will go bankrupt before completion. A possibility exists that only the foundations would be poured and the site would be abandoned. This may be a desirable ending. The large bathtub of concrete could be used for a flood mitigation retention pond, it could be an ice skating rink in winter and a concrete plaza in summer. Finally, it could be fenced with a historic chain link fence and be posted with "No Admittance "signs which would be compatible with what currently exists at Robinson Terminal South.

Funny Deena! Maybe we should give historic preservation a nod and return the property to its use in the 60s, 70s and 80s and restock it with 700,000 small arms and 150 artillery pieces to supply the worlds rebels (Somoza in Nicaragua, Batista in Cuba and Trujillo in the Dominican Republic). http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/polo/polo1286.htm

Deena, that's hysterical. Thank you!

Go Deena! Tony Kupersmith

I spent last evening enjoying dinner with out of town friends at Sauciety, the restaurant in the Westin at National Harbor. They used to stay in Old Town when they came here for work, but now prefer National Harbor. I'm not so sure that an upscale hotel or two with nice restaurants would be the kiss of death for Alexandria.

On another note, I always get confused when people talk about historic preservation on the Old Town waterfront. Some want to preserve what is there now, because it is old and hence, historic. Others prefer the history of a century ago, while others seem to refer to Civil War era history. Another group hails the colonial history of Alexandria. I guess a case could also be made for pre-European involvement. Since we can't have it all, why not create some attractive history of our own?

And I have had several conversations with visitors who return to National Harbor for dinner rather than stay in Alexandria ... no revenue stream there!
And watching people get on the ferry returning at 6pm to National Harbor = no packages in hand ... spent no money with merchants either!
Wrong demographic for Old Town - bad "fit". But I'm sure they'll love the outlet mall!

Sorry I have been away and missed all this lively, informed debate. I have talked to a developer who said the price for Robinson Terminal North would be 27 to 30 milion, which would be about twice the assessment as someone mentioned. As for the the Cummings Turner Site, CAAWP is not proposing Parkland for that site, and neither is the city in Alternative 1A. The City proposed combingin the artl league and the Alexandria Seaport Foundation in one site. The Art League made a very nice proposal to redevelop the site as a permanaent home to the art league, and I believe the Seaport Foundation should stay where it is next to the water (since boats require water), even if the rest of Robinson Terminal South is turned into Park Land. The city has already identified which buildings are historic. The Offices of Robinson Terminal on Duke St. and the two wharehouse buildingson Union St. that are also owned by the Cummings Family. I don't think that anyone has said that the art leaque annex should be preserved for its historic value, but every house on the 100 block of Duke St. if the building is replaced with a 5 story hotel building. Duke St. Would become a traffic artery, parking would be even more difficult. Adaptive reuse of existing buildings is a good sustainable practice as well, and dovetails nicely with historic preservation. Dennis, I look forward to your presentation to the Federation of Civic Associations tomorrow night, and hope to see you on Oct. 30th.

From Gaylord (GETs) Q2 Financial Report: "Colin V. Reed, chairman and chief executive officer of Gaylord Entertainment, stated, "Our business performed steadily this quarter. Despite continued pressure in the Washington D.C. market that impacted results at Gaylord National, we were able to maintain RevPAR and occupancy levels on an adjusted basis through solid performance at Gaylord Texan and Gaylord Palms......"
...."Reed continued, "Our performance at Gaylord National has been affected by the same conditions of uncertainty that have negatively impacted the entire Washington D.C. market. The looming threat of federal budget reductions has negatively influenced both short-term booking trends and the spending behavior of groups once they are on-property. The impact through this quarter has been greater than we originally anticipated. However, our position is improving as we move into the second half of 2011. As of June 30, 2011, we already have more group room nights on the books for the fourth quarter at Gaylord National than traveled in the entire fourth quarter of 2010, and our group advance bookings-to-date for 2012 are solid. As a result, we believe this property is positioned for a much better second half of the year and a stronger 2012. "

I will be interested to see how GET's Q3 finanicals look. It doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that the hotel industry is in a rough patch - especially in the DC market. In fact, Kimpton Hotels which runs 3 'botique" hotels in Old Town sent out an email 'special offer" of rates as low as $99/night at the Lorien, Morrison House, and Monaco. I would be happy to forward the coupon to Mr. Auld and others.... For the city to say they want hotels and not residential -but then- backtrack by providing RT North site the flexibility for either, they really lose credibility and the shifty assumptions their 'plan' is based on.. We can do better guys.

Dennis- i hope you saw the news about Disney's pullout of National Harbor. a devastating blow for sure. As is, there is too much hotel capacity in this area. Now with NH and all of these new proposed waterfront hotel developments in the DC area, we have what is surely developing into a speculative waterfront hotel development bubble. Lets not let greed for hotel tax revenue by the city and speculative developers ruin the unique character of old town. As with National harbor, "there is no there, there". there is something special here in old town which we must preserve......

Yet another fatal blow to the City's plan...

Former EPA Chief Asks Alexandria Mayor to Reconsider Waterfront Development
Alexandria, VA - Citizens for An Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan (CAAWP) announced today that former EPA head William K. Reilly, a long-time Old Town resident, has joined the chorus of citizens calling for the City to revise its waterfront plan.

In a letter to Mayor Bill Euille, Mr. Reilly asked the mayor to work with citizens to develop an alternative waterfront plan. In his letter, Reilly states that, “the City would be far better served over the long run, economically and in other ways, with a waterfront that is predominantly open space and accessible to people.” “A hotel complex that blocks residents and visitors from the waterfront is the wrong way to go,” Reilly stated.

Reilly writes that the waterfront is one of the “Alexandria’s most treasured features, reflecting the town’s historic riverside character, assets that can distinguish the city in a highly competitive global economy.” According to Reilly, investments in “parkland, open space, greenery, and outdoor recreation” will “pay ongoing dividends in the quality of life residents enjoy and the long-term economic health that comes with stable and improving property values, tourist attractions, new businesses, and continuing revitalization.”

Reilly also believes that “Alexandria must recognize the threat [of global warming] and proceed to develop its waterfront in ways that are resilient and can accommodate rising waters. Open space is the best answer.”

Mr. Reilly commends CAAWP’s Interim Report on the City’s waterfront plan, commenting that, “their report on reclaiming Alexandria’s waterfront has much to commend. They deserve to be heard and their ideas incorporated in a revised city plan. We know well that people protect what they love, and Alexandria residents cherish the waterfront, for what it is and more importantly, for what it could become.”

Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan (CAAWP) co-founder Andrew Macdonald welcomed the former EPA Administrator adding his voice to a growing number of people asking that the City of Alexandria not to overdevelop the waterfront, and to consider an alternative plan. Macdonald stated, “We are still hopeful that elected officials will do the right thing and work with citizens to come up with a waterfront plan that we can all support.”