Citizens’ Committee Approves Alexandria Waterfront Development Plan

The Alexandria Waterfront Committee endorsed a staff-prepared plan for redevelopment of the waterfront at a meeting last week.

“A few fixes” were also recommended, according to Committee Chairman Nate Macek. “There’s a lot to like about this plan, and personally I’m eager to move on to implementation,” he said on Thursday afternoon.

There was near unanimous agreement among the committee on most aspects of the plan. Disagreement centered on the construction of boutique hotels on the Robinson Terminal site at the north end of the waterfront.

Staff recommended that as many as three hotels with up to 150 rooms each be constructed. Two committee members—Christine Bernstein, representing the Founder’s Park Civic Association, and Van Van Fleet, representing the Old Town Civic Association—thought this was too many hotels with too many rooms, and would adversely affect the neighborhood. They said the hotels also would generate considerable service traffic, including food and beverage delivery trucks, trash and garbage pickup, and taxis, as well as guests’ vehicles.

However, the majority of the committee thought that the tax revenue generated by  commercial property would be very beneficial to the city. “Park land isn’t the answer to everything,” said Robert Taylor, representing the Alexandria Seaport Foundation.

Creating another office building that would be empty at night was not a preferred alternative, nor were more townhouses. The “nightmare scenario,” according to William Cromley, representing the Alexandria Parks and Recreation Commission, was for “by-right development” to occur without control over what was to be built.

 The committee also considered a letter to City Council drafted by the chairman. Strong points of the plan, according to the committee, include a balance between “new areas of economic vitality” and “quiet places for contemplating the water,” and new open space and enhancements of existing parks.

The plan also includes proposals to showcase the city’s history and the arts, and maintains a working waterfront with expanded facilities for commercial boat services and a relocated pleasure boat marina. Flood mitigation measures are included, and the plan includes ways to pay for the changes without increasing taxes or establishing a business improvement district.

The committee urged City Council to address several continuing issues, including the proposed Fitzgerald Square, to be constructed on property currently owned by the Old Dominion Boat Club at the foot of King Street. Further, they said that financial implications of proposed new piers and a pleasure craft marina at Robinson Terminal South had not been adequately considered.

The perennial issue of Old Town parking continues to be a concern, with the committee urging City Council to move ahead to resolve current parking issues without delay, and with no net loss of parking from what is currently available. The committee also recommended enhanced attention to history and the arts.

Finally, the committee recommended that all revenues generated from the waterfront redevelopment plan be devoted to waterfront amenities.