In his poem Evangeline, Longfellow referred to "The murmuring pines and the hemlocks."
Opposition to removing the pines in front of the Porto Vecchio condominium, at the southern entrance to Alexandria, could hardly be described as a "murmuring." It's more like screams of anguish and indignation.
The entire flap is over the proposal to create a "gateway" to the city, as originally envisioned by the plan for the George Washington Memorial Parkway owned by the National Park Service. It was to mirror a similar configuration at the north end of Alexandria.
In a document prepared for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project dated January 14, 1999, dealing with, among other things, the Parkway, it is noted, "One of the most significant features of the 1929 Parkway plan was a conscious attempt to define the boundaries of Old Town. The northern entrance was defined by a traffic circle, constructed in 1931 but removed in 1962 as a traffic hazard. A proposal for a similar circle at the southern boundary was recommended, but for unknown reasons, not constructed."
Now, some 73 years later, with mitigation monies from the bridge project, city officials want to put in place, not a circle, but a landscaped, architectural designed entrance. But in order to do that, and achieve the desired symmetrical balance, the high berm and the 40 feet high pines on that berm, directly in front of Porto Vecchio, have to go.
Thus the confrontation.
In a Statement of Position of Porto Vecchio Residents dated April 1, 2002, and signed by Frederick Kroesen, President of the Condominium Association they state, "...the City Planning Department has developed plans that call for leveling of a berm, removal of many large (over 30') Norway spruce trees and the planting of smaller deciduous trees and shrubs. These proposed changes are extremely upsetting to Porto Vecchio residents."
According to the statement, the trees were installed by the developer about 20 years ago and have been maintained by the residents at "a significant financial commitment on their part... they afford year-round protection to the residents from strong prevailing west winds and screen automobile traffic...They definitely enhance the value of this property."
Kroesan also notes that they were first made aware of the plans in February 2002 and since then have had several meeting with both the Departments of Planning and Zoning as well as Transportation and Environmental Services (T&ES) "to register our opposition and emphasize our contention that these changes are completely unnecessary and ...a needless cost to the taxpayers."
THESE CONCERNS HAVE been conveyed, through a combination of correspondence and face-to-face meetings, to Mayor Kerry Donley, City Manager Philip Sunderland, Director of Planning and Zoning Eileen Fogarty, Director of Transportation and Environmental Services Richard Baier and various staff members in both departments.
According to spokespersons for the Association, as well as both Fogarty and Baier, the initial proposal called for moving the existing trees back to the fence line and removing the high berm.
The Association contended this would be expensive with little or no assurance that trees of that magnitude and maturity would survive.
Douglas Bannerman, a spokeperson for the Association said, "We have gotten estimates from several landscapers as to the cost and the potential for survival. One said the price could range from $15,000 to $50,000. They also said that after transplanting they would require between 200 and 300 gallons of water every three days for up to two years. The other predicted, they almost surely would not survive."
Bannerman also stated, "When I asked Planning and Zoning personnel how much this was going to cost, I was told they don't know. They also said they are not concerned because the money is coming from the Bridge Project, not the city coffers."
BOTH THE COST of moving the trees and their lack of ability to survive have been challenged by Al Cox, city architect with Planning and Zoning. "It's not a matter of uprooting them and then preserving them for a long period of time. They are only going to be moved approximately 40 feet and immediately replanted," Cox insisted.
"They were able to move 98,000 trees to line the Parkway when they built it in 1932, and preserve them. Our modern technology and science is far more advanced and I don't expect any problems," he said.
As for the cost questions, Cox explained, "This money is coming from the original agreement with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project to provide the City with an existing landscape plan."
Reed Winslow, Bridge Project Liaison for T&ES, also pointed out, "This thing has been going on for four or five years between the bridge design review people and the city. It's all part of the settlement package between the bridge project and the city. When they discovered the Urban Deck could not do what they originally thought, they decided to make the money available elsewhere."
Following the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) meeting on May 1, a complete presentation was made by Planning and Zoning to give the members an in-depth briefing on the background of the proposal and what was planned. BAR's involvement is essential since it came into existence to alleviate U.S. Park Service concerns about the city's stewardship of the Parkway.
When the Parkway was first developed, it was the Federal Government's intention to have it run along the river through Alexandria thus removing all buildings then located on the river front, including the Torpedo Factory. In order to prevent that the City convinced the Service to utilize Washington Street, with the proviso that strict architectural controls would be maintained.
BASED ON A concept in place at the time in Charleston, SC, Alexandria's BAR was established to insure that promise. "The Washington Street Guidelines are a direct result of the Park Service agreeing to continue the Parkway on Washington Street through the City rather than along the river," BAR member Peter Smealie, explained.
"We were very impressed with the work the Planning people have done. Al Cox has made a good effort to accommodate the Porto Vecchio residents. It is a well thought out plan and we voted unanimously to support it," BAR member Oscar Fitzgerald said.
Those accommodations have also been endorsed by Baier and Fogarty. "Before Eileen and I came to the city a lot of time had been put into this and there was some degree of ownership of the concept. But it became clear that the original landscape plan was not desirable and that the Porto Vecchio residents had some valid points," Baier noted.
"All the professionals felt there was a real need to create a Gateway treatment. And that can't be done with the berm there. But, the residents also have legitimate issues in wanting the visual and wind screen," Fogarty stated.
"We tried to address their concerns and also to find a way to maintain the spirit of a Gateway and satisfy the goals. We sat down with Parks and Recreation and came up with a plan to make plantings early on to allow them time to grow and develop before the existing trees are moved. This addresses the resident's concerns not to loose the screen effect," she emphasized.
"Most Porto Vecchio residents on the west side, facing the Parkway, will actually benefit from the new design plan because we are filling in landscape holes that now exist," Fogarty clarified. It is this new concept that was unveiled to the BAR.
The latest proposals, as presented to the BAR, to the Gateway Plan called for the following:
*Retain all existing trees not directly in the footprint of the gateway feature;
* Enhance the entrance to Porto Vecchio with relocated flowering trees;
* Substitute appropriate, large evergreen canopy trees for the outside row of deciduous trees in the gateway circle; and
* Grade and plant the gateway trees immediately and retain the existing berm and spruce until the end of the road construction project to give the new trees a head start of several years growth.
According to Bannerman, the new proposal will be presented to the residents on Thursday. Their acceptance or rejection of the new proposals will determine if they will join with Longfellow's "murmuring pines and hemlocks" or continue their quest for the status quo.