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In
the Washington Business Journal
October
22, 2004
Open-Space Plan Rocks the Boat
Eleni Kretikos
Senior Staff Reporter
Old
Dominion Boat Club is likely to find
itself smack in the middle of a battle over public space and Old Town
Alexandria's waterfront.
The boat club's parking
lot at the foot of King Street is a key target as the city of Alexandria
moves forward with a plan to acquire properties for open space -- by
whatever means necessary.
"They don't want the
money; they want the place," says Bud Hart, attorney for the boat club.
"They think it's invaluable."
Which is very much the
point.
The city contends the parking lot is among a
handful of parcels that are too valuable to be kept private. The boat
club building and its parking lot, in particular, are called critical to
further economic development along the waterfront.
"Making the waterfront
more accessible will bring more people down here, and they'll spend more
money," says Larry Grossman, who worked in Alexandria's city planning
office for 30 years. "These things enhance the tax base."
The city has its eye on a
group of seven waterfront properties totaling 2.1 acres. Other parcels
the city is working to acquire, to have donated or to take by eminent
domain -- including another 40-plus acres spread throughout the city --
aren't along the water. But they're important just the same.
"The desperate need is
getting the pieces together," Grossman says. "As long as you're dealing
with bits and pieces, then you have these very bad uses. It doesn't
inspire you to do great things."
The city has about $14
million set aside to acquire the properties, $10 million of which is
general obligation bonds. The remaining $4 million came from a dedicated
cent of real estate tax revenues. It also set aside $50,000 to $100,000
for property maintenance.
Push
for open space
Since the summer, Alexandria has been
developing a priority list of properties to acquire as part of a larger
plan to acquire about 100 acres of open-space parcels in the next 10
years.
"Buying up these
properties is the best way to control the debate," says Alexandria City
Councilmember Andrew Macdonald. "What's been happening is, we're been
losing a lot of the very best opportunities before we even put them on
the list."
Some parcels, such as a
1.2-acre parcel beside the Second Presbyterian Church on Janneys Lane,
already have been donated to the city.
Others, such as land along
Mount Vernon Trail, are expected to come to the city through an
easement. That property along South Washington Street would provide a
waterfront connection for the existing Mount Vernon Trail. The city is
already in discussions with the Virginia Department of Transportation to
acquire the site.
The city will consider
using eminent domain to take other, disputed properties. That's the
piece that's likely to outrage the boat club and others.
"The waterfront is an
enormous asset for the city and everyone in the community has got a
stake in it," says City Councilmember Rob Krupicka. "It will come down
to dollars, will and vision."
Open space means different
things in different parts of Alexandria, whose resources are noticeably
squeezed.
It may mean ballfields, walking trails, bird
habitats or benches with unobstructed views of nature. If the open space
is along the waterfront, it could also mean a marina, an open plaza with
shops and restaurants, water taxis, dinner cruises or a hotel.
"It's so easy to talk
about purchasing open space, but the waterfront is not the only place
where tensions on use or cost arise," Macdonald says.
Another prominent parcel
on the list comprises nine of the 36 acres on the grounds of the George
Washington Masonic National Memorial. Although Executive Director George
Seghers says he was aware of the open-space priority list, he wasn't
aware some of the national memorial land was on it.
"We've never considered
selling any of our property," Seghers says. He says the organization
keeps up the grounds and keeps it open to the public.
"Open space is not a bad
thing," he says. "We really don't have enough for the people that live
here."
On the waterfront
Providing uninterrupted public access along
the waterfront has been a city goal for more than 30 years, says Kirk
Kincannon, Alexandria's director of recreation, parks and cultural
activities. The private Old Dominion boat club restricts that access.
"The priority is the
parking lot because of its proximity [to the waterfront]," Kincannon
says, adding that the property sits between two public parks. "To us,
it's an obvious connection."
Old Dominion has been a
boat club since 1880, and it's been at its current location at the foot
of King Street since 1921. The 700-member club has owned the 64-space
parking lot since the 1930s. Only its members are allowed to park there.
"You can't have a boat
club without a parking lot," Hart says. "Parking is at a real premium
down there so the parking lot is critical to the club."
Complicating matters is
that ownership of the 50-slip boat club and parking lot are in a
longtime dispute with the federal government, which claims it owns part
of the property that extends to the shoreline. A lawsuit has been
lingering in the federal courts since the early 1970s.
"There is a way to resolve
this," Hart says. "If no one wants that, then [ownership] will be
defended appropriately."
Mark Richards and his siblings own the
Potomac Arms and Full Metal Jacket retail businesses and part of a
parking lot, all on the waterfront. Their father bought the property in
1958.
"We're here conducting our
business and listening," says Mark Richards. Until the council votes to
adopt the plan, though, "there is nothing to think about."
Easing the 'pressure'
Early next year, the city's planning
department will begin a 12- to 15-month waterfront study to determine
how to tie together public and private uses to best continue development
of the waterfront.
Among other things, the
study will examine how to "bring people from King Street down to the
waterfront, make it more visible and use it as part of the tourist
attraction along King Street," says Kimberley Fogle, the city's division
chief for neighborhood planning and community development.
The study will focus on
the area bounded by Queen, Union and Wolfe streets and the Potomac
River.
"We have become [quickly] developed and we
need to ... create opportunities to make open spaces for public
enjoyment," Kincannon says. "I think the pressure we feel is in relation
to there being a limited amount of open space and citizens who want it
don't want it to languish. They want it acquired so it doesn't get
developed or redeveloped in some cases."
The council is expected to
vote on the acquisitions at its monthly meeting Oct. 26.
E-mail: ekretikos@bizjournals.com Phone: 703/816-0320
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