To the Editor:
Unfortunately, the March 7 monthly meeting of the obscure Alexandria Transportation Commission wasn’t covered by cable TV as is done for sessions of the City Council — but perhaps it should have been. Nor was there the benefit of any “instant replay” which is common for sports events, so those not in attendance could hear the surprising levels of discourse. Nor were reporters were on hand to offer the community eyewitness media coverage. And the minutes won’t be available for several weeks.
But the highly unusual nature of this particular group and this particular meeting deserve some mention.
Two topics were on its agenda: public hearings on the transportation plans for the pending Beauregard Small Area Plan and on the improvements being considered for the King Street Metro station. As the meeting progressed, it appeared several commission members were not well informed on the topics at hand, and, in some cases, the staff offered little assistance.
Initially, the commission had planned to vote on the transportation elements of the controversial Beauregard Small Area Plan at this March meeting. In February, the commission decided no members of the public would be allowed to speak, so the hearings were shifted to March. The expected “approval” at the March 7 meeting would then pave the way to additional expected “approvals” by the Planning Commission and the City Council in May. But that anticipated first step didn’t happen.
This is the same commission that lost its way earlier in assessing the proposed Corridor C transportation plans for Beauregard and Van Dorn. Instead of offering a neutral investigation of the data, the commission turned into a cheer leading squad, ignoring the more than eight hours of residents’ testimony in September, questioning gaping holes in this plan.
West Ender Don Buch posed a series of questions to the five commissioners in attendance. Where had they been for the three years of discussion by the BRAC Advisory Group on the numerous shortcomings of the traffic/transportation proposals at the #395/Seminary Road intersection? What about on the Environmental Impact statements? Logistical details? He got few substantive responses. He hit a nerve when he asked about the proposed #395/ Seminary Road ellipse for $29 million, of which $9 million would be a “contingency fund” in case things go wrong.
Nancy Jennings, president of the Seminary Hill Association, presented four points that her board had voted on to submit to the commission. This association represents some 2,100 households on the West End. But Ms. Jennings was immediately challenged by a commission member who doubted whether Ms. Jennings had the authority to represent her group in speaking before the City commission. This is an insult to the almost 30 civic associations throughout Alexandria who believe in a representative democracy.
Commission members backed down on the evening’s proposed vote in support of the Small Area Plan (SAP) as speaker after speaker questioned the significant flaws that still exist in the draft of this plan. Still missing from the SAP are essential details on connectivity of transportation along this corridor with Landmark Mall as well as Fairfax and Arlington. Nor is there a stipulated mandatory dollar commitment by the developers to make sure these transit proposals ever leave the station.
Former Council member Justin Wilson said that he had been the one who had written the resolution creating the Transportation Commission, but he admitted he wasn’t really sure what its purpose should be. He asked staff to provide some guidelines on this at the next commission meeting. Why does this unknown commission suddenly seems to have so much power and influence over the future of Alexandria?
Equal confusion also seemed to exist over the King Street Metro station, which was described by staff as the City’s “largest transit facility, and it requires significant work to update it, expand it and make it a safer facility.” But they couldn’t seem to explain why the costs had ballooned out from an estimate of $4.46 million in 2010, to a projected $8.1 million.
Kent Fee of the City’s Handicapped Commission questioned why brick was being considered for the walk ways. He noted that such rough surfaces are very difficult for handicapped people with canes or wheel chairs to navigate (and he could have included most women in high heels).
This is still a “work in progress” and should not be rammed through to simply accommodate the schedules and coffers of developers or the unrealistic plans of city staff. Reschedule the May 1 Planning Commission vote and the May 12 Council vote until a more comprehensive and compatible draft is created that serves the needs of all members of this community. This is not ready to move ahead.
Kathleen M. Burns
Alexandria