Field Lighting, Permanent Pedestrian Zone Approved By City Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA — On Saturday, Alexandria City Council voted to approve permits or athletic field lighting at five locations, as well as a permanent pedestrian zone along the waterfront and more key items.

The approval involves athletic fields at Francis C. Hammond Middle School (4646 Seminary Road), Patrick Henry K-8 School and Recreation Center (4643 and 4653 Taney Avenue), Jefferson Houston K-8 School (1501 Cameron Street), George Washington Middle School (1005 Mount Vernon Avenue) and Eugene Simpson Stadium Park (426 East Monroe Avenue). Special use permit approval is required for recreational field lights above a zoning district's height limit. The Planning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend the permits.

According to planning and zoning staff, the lighting would add hours for recreational use of the city's limited fields. Lights would only be turned on when groups have reserved the fields for use through the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities and be off by 10 p.m. Lights would be remotely controlled and be timed according to groups' reservations.

The Hammond Middle School site would include six light poles on an existing synthetic turf field. George Washington Middle School would get six light poles on one of its two fields, and the school district is planning to convert it from grass to synthetic turf. The Jefferson Houston K-8 School site would get six light poles, but approval is needed from the Board of Architectural Review due to a location within the historic district.

Patrick Henry K-8 School and Recreation Center six light poles will be added as part of a renovation project. A current space being used as a swing space for the Douglas MacArthur Elementary renovation project will be demolished and become a synthetic field.

The fifth site — Eugene Simpson Stadium Park — is the only non-school site in the approval. The park's two multipurpose fields on the east side would each get six light poles made during the park's scheduled renovation.

The lighting would be installed in phases. City Council provided funding for two sites in its last budget. Those first two sites with lights added in fiscal year 2023 will be the ones with existing synthetic fields — Francis C. Hammond Middle School and Jefferson Houston K-8 School.

Remaining sites would be implemented as budget and project timelines allow in a three to five-year period.

A large portion of Saturday's meeting was dedicated to discussion of the athletic field lighting. Community members for and against the proposed lighting testified to City Council. Some opposed residents raised concerns with field lighting spilling over to neighboring properties.

Members of sports organizations voiced support for the athletic field lighting, including the youth with the Alexandria Soccer Association.

"I personally see a lot of value in having as much communal use of the fields as possible," said Erik Neri, a coach with the Alexandria Soccer Association. "It only benefits everyone if there's more fields to use. There's a lot less overlap, a lot less logistical problems that end up happening in the winter months when there's less light."

Sherry Reilly, president of Alexandria Little League, said limited field space means they might have to schedule shortened practices, especially in the late fall when daylight hours become more limited.

"With the limited fields in the city, we need to be able to utilize all of the fields beyond daylight hours," said Reilly.

Bill Rossello, president of the Seminary Hill Civic Association, asked the city to limit use of Hammond's field to permitted youth groups, monitor fields and consider adding bathrooms. He noted an ongoing concern of non-permitted adult groups using the field, using alcohol, leaving trash, playing loud music and relieving themselves on nearby properties.

Mayor Justin Wilson said what Rossello described was "unacceptable and should not occur on any public property."

"I think there is a balance, and we certainly need to strike the right balance," said Wilson. "I do have some concern about being overly restrictive on every single field we have in the city. We do need to accommodate formal play. We do also need to accommodate informal play."

Other City Council approvals

Saturday's meeting also brought approval of a permanent pedestrian zone for the unit block of King Street and northern part of the Strand. The adjacent 100 block of King Street is already permanently closed to vehicular traffic. The only exception to the closure is vehicles such as emergency vehicles and city maintenance.

City Council also approved a master plan amendment, rezoning, special use permit and site plan for a 94-unit affordable housing apartment community at 2712 Duke Street, a current auto sales dealership.

After City Council approval, the city manager will apply for a FEMA grant up to $50 million for the city's Waterfront Flood Mitigation Project. The project seeks to address flooding from storm sewer capacity in the historic areas and flooding over low-lying shorelines and bulkheads.

In addition, City Council approved adding prevailing wage provisions to city code for construction contracts above $250,000, effective July 1, 2023.