To the Editor:
I’m still scratching my head in disbelief about a remark made by Mayor Euille at a recent debate leading up to the June 9 primary election. The mayor was quoted in several media outlets as having said at Francis Hammond Middle School: “We are not in the business of telling private property owners what they can do with their own real estate.” I'd like to write it off as simple confusion in the heat of the moment, as two other Democrats, Allison Silberberg and Kerry Donley, are doing their best to show Euille the door for his decisions with regard to development during his terms as mayor. But maybe the mayor really meant it: that under his watch the city has not been “in the business” of controlling development, even though the law empowers the city to do just that.
As any student of Virginia local government knows, Alexandria is authorized by the state to create Master Plans and has done so not just for the entire city, but also for 18 distinct neighborhoods. Moreover, the plans, along with the city’s zoning code, are designed to prescribe what a landowner can or cannot do with property, depending on where it is located. So let’s get something straight Mr. Mayor – Alexandria is absolutely in the business of telling private property owners what they can do with their own real estate. You can look it up.
Rod Kuckro
Alexandria