1. What is your opinion on concentrating higher density housing and commercial property near metro stations, similar to the approach used in Arlington?
I strongly support the idea that development should be aligned with Alexandria’s transportation infrastructure in order to keep pressure off of neighborhood roads and to increase the use of mass transit services. This is an economic development, quality of life and environmental necessity.
Economic development works best when it utilizes existing infrastructure and creates the greatest economic return to Alexandria residents. This is particularly important as we try to create a sustainable economic climate in Alexandria. Metro development helps us do that.
Our quality of life is clearly tied to the availability of convenient transportation. The better we can align development with transportation, the better we can also provide reliable and viable mass transportation systems for all residents to take advantage of and enjoy.
Cars are the number one polluter in our region. Given the fact that we have virtually no options to expand road capacity, our city is on a major cut-through path for the entire region, and our air quality is becoming a greater problem every day, our transportation policy should be biased towards convenient and clean mass transportation.
We have some of the must underutilized metros in the metro system. These multi-million dollar investments need to be seen as the cornerstones of vibrant, safe and convenient community centers. I don’t think we should just mimic Arlington, though. Alexandria has a unique scale and character that must be respected as it contributes to our ability to differentiate ourselves when attracting commercial users as well as residents. There should be clear differences between what we do in Eisenhower Valley and what we do near the Braddock Road metro, for example. Our planning efforts in these areas currently reflect those differences and I would continue to advocate that we look at the context around every metro site to determine the most appropriate scale as well as density.
I worked with Councilman Wilson to push to include a new metro station in Potomac Yard and Eisenhower Valley in the transportation master plan. I was also an early support of the density swap idea for Potomac Yard that helps align density with a future metro site. I have always supported the need for Alexandria to align its development patterns with its transportation system.
Tags: Development, Smart Growth, Transportation
