Thursday, September 22, 2011
Members say unresolved matters create a problem.
While reviewing the public domain aspects of Alexandria’s $50 million waterfront makeover on Wednesday, members of the mayor-appointed Waterfront Work Group were posed with a question of how the park and public art aspects of the plan will be completed in a way that is uniquely Alexandrian. “I think a lot of people’s problems with the plan was the thought we’d lose what is uniquely Alexandrian [about the waterfront],” work group member Bert Ely said, adding that defining the city’s distinctive character would be an important part in moving forward. While answering such an abstract question poses its own difficulties, more problematic questions were raised when members of the group brought up the Old Dominion Boat Club and future of the …
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Chamber says removal of word "economically" from mission statement spells trouble.
The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce issued a statement on Monday saying it's "gravely concerned" by initial steps taken by the mayor-appointed Waterfront Work Group. During its first meeting, the work group adopted a vision statement for the waterfront plan as "a vibrant waterfront that celebrates our historical and cultural legacy, expands and supports public uses, yet retains and preserves the special charm and ambience of our community for future generations." The group originally began discussing a statement including the words "an economically vibrant waterfront," but later removed the word 'economically.' "This is one of the first signs of trouble," said Chamber President and CEO Tina Leone. "We are disappointed that the word '…
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Members aim to report to council in November; group hears presentation on flood mitigation elements of redevelopment plan
Members of the mayor-appointed Waterfront Work Group are aiming to offer a report to City Council in November after establishing a rough timeline to complete their work during the group’s second meeting Wednesday at City Hall. Group member Lt. Gen. Bob Wood (ret.) suggested setting a December end-date for the report in a proposal that included a more “analytic approach” to examining the plan, with group members meeting individually with different stakeholders and interest groups in the contentious fight over the future of Alexandria’s waterfront. Group members Mindy Lyle and Councilman Paul Smedberg, a non-voting member, suggested more urgency in the timetable. “We are all stakeholders,” Lyle said. “Not just a few special interest groups…
38.80456
-77.04303
301 King St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/waterfront-work-group-establishes-timeframe
/locations/5722779
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Members of Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan are researching options to city-proposed waterfront redevelopment.
A group of citizens seeking an alternative to a city-proposed plan to redevelop Alexandria’s waterfront are busily crafting a report for the Waterfront Work Group that it hopes can serve as a guide for the group’s decision-making process. Members of the Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan have split into 12 groups, which are focusing on different aspects of the waterfront such as flood mitigation, grant funding resources, and parking and traffic issues. “Some people have painted our group as a group that wants to do nothing and leave everything the way it is,” said CAAWP co-founder Boyd Walker. “We’re trying to prove by doing this work that we’re not for maintaining the status quo. We know the [Robinson] terminal sites …
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Work group met Wednesday morning to set agenda, outline roadmap to reach its goals
The mayor-appointed Waterfront Work Group held its inaugural meeting Wednesday, establishing a rapport while seeking to define a vision statement for the waterfront and a roadmap for future meetings. The group’s members showed some differing opinions, but were largely kept on track by Sherry Schiller, an expert in helping groups reach consensus who guided the discussion held before a packed City Council work room. City staff offered a 47-page summary of the plan, which was quickly and politely rejected by the committee seeking to work from the full document explaining the $50 million proposal. The group also discussed in detail whether to craft a vision statement and what would it say. “There are a lot of hot button issues in the plan,” …
38.80456
-77.04303
301 King St, Alexandria, VA
/articles/waterfront-work-group-sets-rapport-at-inaugural-meeting
/locations/4959659
Monday, July 25, 2011
Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan sends letter to new Waterfront Work Group urging it to consider redevelopment options
Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan is urging the new mayor-appointed Waterfront Work Group to consider options to a plan calling for up to three hotels and has moved to generate its own alternatives. “CAAWP and its members believe that the city’s preferred waterfront plan, with its emphasis on three 150-room hotels, does not create a great public riverfront and is not right for Alexandria,” said a letter sent July 20 from the CAAWP to the Waterfront Plan Work Group. The group said that the main plan currently under consideration by the city “assumes incorrectly” that commercial development is inevitable, public improvements must be paid for by the development, that parks and museums have “no real economic value” and …
Monday, July 11, 2011
Group charged with finding consensus and areas of disagreement in plans to redevelop city's waterfront
Alexandria’s mayor has appointed seven members to a new Waterfront Plan Work Group who will be charged with identifying plan consensus areas and disagreements as the city strives to redevelop that area. Meetings are expected to begin this month and are open to the public. “The appointed Waterfront Plan Work Group is an exceptional group of community leaders, uniquely qualified to provide guidance on the most challenging areas of the Waterfront Plan,” said Mayor Bill Euille. “I received a strong list of candidates from throughout the city, and I am confident that the appointees that were chosen are dedicated to narrowing our differences, building towards a consensus, and offering solutions." The group is expected to make some sort of …
Friday, July 8, 2011
Old Town Civic Association, Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan still don't see eye-to-eye
The mayor hopes to announce early next week as to who he has appointed to sit on the new waterfront work group, which is charged with helping City Council on redevelopment plans. A schedule for the meetings will be released shortly after the group is announced, according to city spokesman Tony Castrilli. The group was scheduled to start meeting in July. The Old Town Civic Association has been invited to sit on the group and its president, John Gosling, said he is eager to know who are the group’s other members. “It’s difficult to plan because I don’t know the dynamics of the group – will it be stacked with commercial operating interests?,” he asked. Old Town Civic hopes that the work group will put together a policy statement to “take back…
Ot
9:50 am on Friday, October 14, 2011
Old Town != Alexandria ! Don't you think its time the citizens interests be represented fairly by representatives from various districts? Like an Old Town rep, a Del Ray rep, West End, or perhaps a Berg rep ... wait is there Berg still there? Has anyone gone to Land Mark Mall lately holly cow... Why are there vacant stores on the 100 block of King Street? Why are there stores that sell crappy … more ›