The year is 2022, and Alexandria is a city with a thriving waterfront and plenty of affordable housing for everybody in need. The city has an abundant tree canopy while accessible parks and arts define the neighborhoods and communities of Alexandria.
That’s the plan, anyway. It’s a utopian vision of Alexandria’s future, one the city’s strategic goals. At its Jan 28 public hearing, the City Council adopted FY2017 through 2022 Strategic Plan. Through FY2018, the plan recommends actions to help the city reach certain goals in various categories related to life in Alexandria.
Ten categories are identified in the plan as areas the city will continue to develop resources, ranging from changes to the waterfront to encouraging citizens to get more exercise. Each item of the plan also includes a selection of actions to be taken for the FY 2018 year. The first item, creating distinctive and vibrant neighborhoods, could have the most visible impact for most residents of Alexandria.
Action items for FY 2018 include:
Construct Interim Fitzgerald Square
Design the Waterfront Flood Mitigation with early utility construction
Award a design build contract for the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station Project
Digitize historic documents that illustrate changes to city’s urban landscape
Commemorate and interpret Alexandria’s role in WW I
Continue preservation of the historic ship and other artifacts from Alexandria’s waterfront
Complete Old Town North Small Area Plan
Conduct update of North Potomac Yard Small Area Plan
Begin Mt. Vernon Avenue planning study
Provide support for the formation of a Business Improvement District in Old Town.
Taco Bell Deferred
The public hearing for the Taco Bell set to move in at 4213 and 4141 Duke Street has been deferred until a Feb 25 public hearing at the request of the applicant. The Taco Bell was approved by the Planning Commission to move into the Strawberry Hill neighborhood in Alexandria’s West End, but local residents have expressed concerns that the new location could cause additional traffic problems for an already dangerous intersection.