Waterfront Work Group Sets Rapport at Inaugural Meeting

The mayor-appointed Waterfront Work Group held its inaugural meeting Wednesday, establishing a rapport while seeking to define a vision statement for the waterfront and a roadmap for future meetings.

The group’s members showed some differing opinions, but were largely kept on track by Sherry Schiller, an expert in helping groups reach consensus who guided the discussion held before a packed City Council work room.

City staff offered a 47-page summary of the plan, which was quickly and politely rejected by the committee seeking to work from the full document explaining the $50 million proposal.

The group also discussed in detail whether to craft a vision statement and what would it say.

“There are a lot of hot button issues in the plan,” said group member and urban planner Elliot Rhodeside. “I’m concerned that we may have those be the drivers of the work group rather than...the public realm of the plan.”

To that end, the group tried to craft a vision.

“The vision is we have a jewel that’s been polished,” said Bert Ely. “My belief is that the waterfront plan should serve to polish that jewel.” Ely is a member of the Old Town Civic Association and the Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan, but made clear that his views on the committee were his own as an at-large member.

“A vision statement should be what you want with no obstacles or barriers,” said Schiller, who later added: “I don’t think Council appointed you with the idea that you could come up with a vision for the waterfront. They want you to have a shared vision for what you do as a workgroup.”

Lt. Gen. Bob Wood (ret) offered a vision that called for an economically vibrant waterfront celebrating Alexandria’s historic legacy, expanding and supporting public uses yet retaining and preserving its special charm for future public uses. The statement largely was well received, with some calls for cultural and environmental references.

Economic matters were also at the heart of the discussion.

Mindy Lyle, president of Connections Marketing Associates and a resident of Cameron Station, said that in Cameron Station “we spend $45,000 a year [as citizens] maintaining parks. It’s important that there’s a revenue stream to maintain [the waterfront plan] other than personal property tax.”

David Olinger, representing the Old Town Civic Association, said: “I look at the waterfront as being enjoyable to all people of Alexandria, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable that it has to pay for every detail.”

Ely also asked why the city believes it’s necessary to condition a plan on a 25 percent increase of square footage in development.

“It’s overkill in terms of the amount of development,” he said.

Planning and Zoning Department head Faroll Hamer said if zoning is left status quo that could be considered a “down zoning,” which would displeasure and possibly incite lawsuits from developers.

City Attorney James Banks, who also attended, said: “It would be a difficult case” if a developer such as the owners of Robinson Terminal were not given more to develop if zoning remained in its current state.

City Councilman Paul Smedberg, who is a non-voting member of the group, said: “While the people in opposition may be the loudest voice. Council has been getting a lot of comments in favor of it. They’re afraid to say a lot.”

Old Town resident Gina Baum spoke during the public comment period at the end of the meeting and said she has been “verbally accosted” for supporting the waterfront plan. “People are fearing retribution for speaking out for the plan,” she said, adding that it has a lot of support for people who are 25 to 45 years old.

John Gosling, president of the Old Town Civic Association, said during public comment that any waterfront plan should consider the “real estate dynamics, particularly around the marina, what might be happening with the food court, the Torpedo Factory and the Beachcomber and how to integrate them all to become a vibrant active waterfront.”

Baum told Patch after the meeting that she feels that the Old Town Civic Association “represents an older community that has a focused goal of [historical] preservation” but hopes that the City Council and others will take into account the needs of families with children looking for activities to do along the waterfront.

Smedberg thanked everyone for the “thoughtful discussion” and entertained convening the work group twice in August, possible at different times and locations to make the public meeting more accessible to other residents.