Old Dominion Boat Club Nixes City Offer, But Negotiations Continue

The Old Dominion Boat Club has rejected a City of Alexandria offer to buy parts of the Strand and Wales Alley owned by the boat club but the two parties are negotiating to resolve “all of the issues” surrounding waterfront redevelopment, according to the city’s attorney.

The City of Alexandria held a press conference Tuesday morning at the corner of King Street and the Strand to clarify that the city is still in negotiations with the Old Dominion Boat Club, which owns a key piece of land integral to city waterfront redevelopment.

On July 1, City Attorney James Banks offered $150,000 for the city to acquire a portion of the Strand parking lot owned by the boat club along with an easement right in adjacent Wales Alley.

The property “is needed by the city…in order to ensure the uninterrupted flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic through the city streets located in the city’s waterfront…and to implement certain flood mitigation efforts” as outlined in a July 2010 report, says the July 1 letter from Banks to boat club lawyer Harry Hart.

The ODBC claims ownership of an approximately 73 foot long portion of the publicly owned and used Strand Street, according to the city. The city also seeks to acquire the boat club’s boat and trailer access easement in Wales Alley. The boat club refused the $150,000 offer.

“Which we believe to be the fair market value (most of all the value is in the parking spaces as the Strand Street is a publicly owned right-of-way and so is Wales Alley),” reads a July 18 memo from Acting City Manager Bruce Johnson and Banks to the mayor and City Council.

Banks said at the Tuesday morning press conference that the acquisition offer was not related to any other ODBC property, such as its parking lot or clubhouse.

While the boat club did not accept the offer, it agreed to put on hold its Wales Alley lawsuit against the city and Virtue Feed & Grain restaurant, which is located on South Union Street and backs up onto Wales Alley.

The boat club in June filed a motion against the new restaurant and the city saying the alley was blocked due to a city permit allowing outdoor dining at Virtue Feed & Grain. An April court ruling says no obstructions can be built in the alley, which the club uses for access to get from its parking lot to the club.

Part of the city’s flood mitigation plan calls for a physical structure to be dug in the Strand “and to do that the city has to clean up the title to this property…to get owner’s rights,” Banks said. However, he added that the current ownership issue does not put the flood mitigation plan on hold.

Banks said the groups are reviewing property records “going back to the mid 1700s” and “there are some gaps.” However, it appears that a 1935 deed indicates that the boat club may have acquired that easement in the 20th century. “However, other records contradict that,” he said.

The boat club did not return request for comment.