kevin.beekman: My Actions

With all eyes either gazing in adoration or glazing over in rage at the waterfront plan, a small, community-spurred plan to bring about changes in a struggling, but hopeful neighborhood has finally come to fruition.

The Long Road

The Vision from the 1998 Plan.

The Arlandria community has been planning for change longer than any other neighborhood in Alexandria. We are now a decade into implementation of theArlandria Revitalization Plan, the result of the City and community-supported 5-year planning effort from 1998 to 2003. Broadly stated, the goal of the Plan was to build on the strength of Arlandria as a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use place through the redevelopment of underutilized sites. Re-development of the "oppurtunity sites" was the anticipated catalyst for the proposed revitalization.

The next decade will bring extraordinary transformation to Lynhaven, Arlandria and surrounding communities. With so much development planned to happen in Potomac Yard, it’s no surprise that parcels around us will be developed and redeveloped. One of the first examples of that is planned for the northwest corner of East Reed Avenue and JD Highway, what was once a gas station, now a vacant lot owned by the City of Alexandria.

The building is envisioned to be a multi-family housing project developed by Arlington Housing Corporation (AHC), a non-profit organization that builds, maintains and manages affordable housing.

Buy fresh produce, see a show, AND a great cooking demo from neighborhood celebrity chef Will Artley!

As we reported yesterday, this Sunday will be this year's last Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market of the season, but it will be a great one! We've added a cooking demo at 12 noon by Chef Will Artley.

Chef Artley is one of the DC area's rising star chefs.  He recently decided to part ways with Evening Star, but he's a huge supporter of the farmers market and local food movement. Not to mention, he knows what to do with those great fresh ingredients once he gets his chef's knife on 'em! Come learn a few tips and tricks, and maybe there will be some samples to pass around!

Intial Alternatives Considered

(EIS Screening of Alternatives Presentation)

The hope of a Potomac Yard Metro station on the west side of the CSX tracks is still alive. 

More importantly, during the City's scoping phase of the Environmental Impact Statement preparation, Alternative D3 was introduced and kept on the table. This is important, because options on the west side (the Route 1 side) of the CSX tracks move the metro closer to more potential riders and will therefore increase potential ridership. If you've followed the PY Metro news closely, you'll recall that the 'D' series of alternatives, aerial station options that require the tracks to elevate, cross over to the west side of the the CSX tracks, then return to the east side to rejoin the existing tracks. (Read more about PY Metro here and here.  Also, see the official site.)

The aerial alternatives had all been deemed prohibitively expensive and/or technical not feasible. But during the scoping phase of the EIS, the new D3 alignment for an aerial station within the PY development footprint proved a contender. It is listed in the EIS Initial Screening of Alternatives as: "Consistent with purpose and need, consistent with land use and development plans, technically feasible, [and] financially feasible." In fact, all five remaining options meet these four criteria.