Archive for 'Development'

On the waterfront, eminent domain option stays afloat

On the waterfront, eminent domain option stays afloat

City Councilman Frank Fannon raised eyebrows last week when he slammed the approved waterfront plan as having “endorsed the seizure of private property through eminent domain as an option.” Fannon, who cast one of two votes [...]

Opinion: Compromise over conflict

Opinion: Compromise over conflict

To the editor: Finally, a plan featuring countless hours of residents’ input, widespread support and numerous compromises — passed! Thank you to the city council members who voted in favor of the plan, including Mayor Bill [...]

Opinion: Andrew Macdonald is wrong; Mick Jagger is right

Opinion: Andrew Macdonald is wrong; Mick Jagger is right

To the editor: In response to Andrew Macdonald’s January 26 letter, “Waterfront plan approved long before city council voted”: Kudos to him for his fantastic work of fiction, contradiction and omission. I too was at the [...]

Though passed by council, waterfront plan remains fluid

Though passed by council, waterfront plan remains fluid

The city council may have approved the contentious waterfront plan, but that doesn’t mean Alexandria’s elected officials can’t tweak the blueprint in the coming months, years, or even decades. “The power that had last [...]

Opinion: Why I voted against the waterfront plan

Opinion: Why I voted against the waterfront plan

To the editor: I voted against the waterfront plan and I want to clear up any misunderstanding on why. Reading post-vote emails from constituents, I was most struck by the following statement that may frame the [...]

Out of the Attic: Montgomery Ward and the ‘Spirit of Progress’

Out of the Attic: Montgomery Ward and the ‘Spirit of Progress’

Montgomery Ward, first established in Chicago in the 1870s, was a mail order business that allowed customers, even those outside of urban areas, to purchase dry goods through a catalog. After more than 40 years as [...]

Key waterfront properties slated for office, retail space

Key waterfront properties slated for office, retail space

Before Alexandria’s elected officials began wading through the waterfront plan Saturday, a proposal to redevelop two key riverside properties linked to the controversial blueprint got City Hall’s approval. The city’s Board of Architectural Review gave Lawrence [...]

Light fight between Hammond middle school, neighbors ends quietly

Light fight between Hammond middle school, neighbors ends quietly

A bitter dispute between Seminary Hill Association and city officials ended quietly earlier this month with a school board decision to upgrade Francis Hammond Middle School’s field without lights. The project initially called for a new [...]

City council approves controversial waterfront plan

City council approves controversial waterfront plan

The Alexandria City Council approved the controversial waterfront plan in a 5-2 vote Saturday night following nearly 10 hours of debate, more than two years after work began. The vote, split down party lines with Republicans [...]

A bird’s eye view of the proposed waterfront plan

A bird’s eye view of the proposed waterfront plan

For a PDF of the waterfront graphic, click here. Alexandria City Council will take another — potentially final — look at the blueprint for the Potomac shoreline Saturday, a controversial waterfront plan that has drawn support and [...]