Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Arlandrian News Round-up ("We're Melting!!" edition)

Anna Paez being thanked by City Council
Middle School Student Organizes Clean-up
Anna Paez, a 7th grader at GW Middle School, was applauded by City Council on Tuesday for organizing a clean-up of Four Mile Run Park. Anna got her Girl Scout Troop 901 to join her. They found lots of trash and bottles....and a shopping cart. Thank you, Anna!!

But We All Know It's Really in Arlandria
The Washington Business Journal reports, "Sources on the public and private side of negotiations have said the Meridian Group's National Gateway in Crystal City is leading the pack of potential sites" for the new headquarters of Northrop Grumman. (WBJ)

Next Station Stop: Potomac Yard
The Washington Post's Dr. Gridlock lists adding a Potomac Yard Metro station as one of the most important things that WMATA should do to fix the system ("A tough road ahead," Sunday, February 21, 2010).

Now Arriving: North Potomac Yard Small Area Plan
City Council and Planning Commission held a joint work session to discuss the draft report on the redevelopment of the Potomac Yard Retail Center (and potential Metro Station). The report is available online here.

Bridging the Run
Although the design competition for the Eads-Commonwealth pedestrian bridge has garnered more than 160 entries from around the world, Congressman Jim Moran says that "unfortunately, there just isn’t money available for a pedestrian bridge over Four Mile Run". ("Moran Promises Support For Federal Funding Of Local Programs", AlexandriaNews.org)

Seeing it Through
DCmud reports that Gaver Nichols' The Lofts at DelRay project has been seeing delay "due to financial constraints", but "could get back on track within the next two months and could complete by the end of 2010. "I have been working on this site for almost ten years, since I approached the guy about the dirt," said Nichols, "it's a labor of love."



Seeing it Done
DCmud also reports that "Alexandria's newest residential building is almost complete, as the developer puts the final touches on Mt. Vernon Commons, a 141-unit apartment building in Del Ray" although the name is now Del Ray Central. Even the most casual observers will notice that the sidewalks and landscaping are well under way with the finishing touches are being applied to the exterior. The expected opening is April.


That's a Long Walk
The East Coast Greenway, a plan to develop a trail system, spanning nearly 3,000 miles as it winds its way between Canada and Key West, has been preliminarily mapped through Virginia and the route included the nearby Mt Vernon Trail.

Snow Pile Under I-395

Look Out Below
Steve Offutt on the CommuterPageBlog complains about VDOT's pushing snow off of I-66 and onto the W&OD trail. But we've got that trumped. At right is the Four Mile Run connector trail to W&OD under I-395 where VDOT plows evidentially plowed the snow into the three foot separator between the north and south bound lanes. I sure hope no one was commuting over to Shirlington when this came crashing down.

Cuts in Community Policing?
Alexandria's Proposed Budget calls for reductions in Community Policing:
Currently, three City neighborhoods (Lynhaven/Mt. Jefferson, Arlandria, and James Bland) have 2 COP's (Community Oriented Policing) officers. Due to a decrease in crime in each of these neighborhoods, the number of COPS officers will be reduced from 2 to 1. As a result, all neighborhoods in this program will have 1 COPS officer or an RPO. The 3 COPS officers will be transferred to Patrol and 3 vacant Police Officer I positions will be eliminated. Patrol will continue to maintain a strong presence in these neighborhoods to mitigate the impact of this reduction.

A Streetcar for Route 1
"This is a huge gain for city transit efforts", says Councilman Rob Krupicka. The City of Alexandria has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation today for improving transit services in two major traffic corridors. The first grant, for $8.5 million, is for construction of an exclusive transitway in the median of Route 1 between Monroe Street and East Glebe Street. (Krupickablog)

Chicken Rotisserie Restaurant Get Green Light
City Council enthusiastically (and unanimously) endorsed the proposed Chicken Rotisserie Restaurant slated for 3401 Mt Vernon Avenue. Says one Council member, "This is a step up from green."

Words of Wisdom
"A forward-thinking community should judge the viability of its urban riverfront not on the basis of its present configuration or even past mistakes, but on the powerful potential any urban waterway represents ("Urban Rivers as Brownfield Catalysts", Smart Growth Online).

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