The area along Alexandria's train tracks is not the best real estate in town. The sound of rushing trains to the south is a constant refrain, and the threat of gridlock — rush hour on Duke Street —is a daily headache. Yet this piece of land nestled between the Metrorail Service Yard and Alexandria Commons may one day become some of the city's most important and public territory.
By 2011, that land could be home to some of the city's most important public spaces: a police headquarters, a new DASH bus facility and several new recreational fields. The plan to create this new city complex, known as the Wheeler-Witter Project, was presented at a public meeting earlier this week.
The land set aside for the complex extends from Wheeler Avenue to Telegraph Road, an industrial stretch of land that could be transformed into Alexandria's new public square. Most of this land is already owned by the city, and it contains some properties that city staff plans to shuffle in an effort to maximize the use of the space: a recycling center, a salt dome and several storage sheds.
"We've rearranged the area in a way that we think is more efficient," said General Services Director Edward Mandley. "We're going to maximize the use of this property."
THE CITY COMPLEX would use geography to improve efficiency. By locating so many of the city's services in one area, city leaders say that cooperation and communication could be greatly improved. And revitalizing an industrial part of town would also create improved bicycle and pedestrian access through this part of the city.
"This part of Alexandria has some city land that is, quite frankly, underutilized," said City Manager Jim Hartmann, noting that the city had not considered the controversial option of creating a new path for traffic between Eisenhower Avenue and Duke Street. "And I want to make perfectly clear right up front that this project does not propose or contemplate a connector."
But threat of traffic congestion does not end with the lack of a connector between congested roads. At the public forum, several city residents expressed concern that the new police facility would bring increased gridlock into the area. City staff offered a number of arguments why traffic would not be increased because of the project — and even some reasons why traffic congestion might be alleviated. Tom Culpepper, project engineer and deputy director of Alexandria's Transportation and Environmental Services Department, presented the results of a study that examined the impact of a proposed city complex.
"There's actually an improvement in several intersections," he said. According to the study, which was called "Traffic Impact Forecast 2015," several intersections would improve service: North Quaker Street at Duke Street, Roth Street at Duke Street and Taylor Run Parkway at Duke Street. He also noted that police officers are dispatched from their beat, not a central location. Culpepper reaffirmed Hartmann's pledge not to create a new pathway between the southern edge of town and its central passage. "No connector between Eisenhower and Duke was assumed, nor was one deemed to be necessary."
Of the estimated 1,200 daily trips generated by the new police facility, 130 are projected to occur during the morning rush hour and 120 are projected during the afternoon rush hour. The vast majority of police activity would be dispatched from remote locations, reducing traffic in and out of the new headquarters on Wheeler Avenue. Police would use multiple access points for the facility: Wheeler Avenue, South Quaker Lane and Roth Street.
"Because these are city vehicles, we can exercise some control over where they go," said Assistant City Manager Michele Evans. "We can stipulate that police won't use neighborhoods as a cut-through on their way to an assignment."
BY LOCATING so many of the city's services in one location, the city could benefit from an economy of scale — saving money by combining resources to work more efficiently. Operations between the police headquarters, the DASH facilities and other city properties in the area could create several opportunities for synergy.
"Locating fleet services so close to the police station would take some traffic off the road," said General Services Director Edward Mandley. "This is one example of how we could maximize the use this property."
A centralized police facility would reduce duplication of services created in the three existing police facilities and decrease communication difficulties. Furthermore, a new police headquarters could incorporate modern security precautions, including a reinforced concrete block building shell, cutting-edge communications technology, incident command rooms and full emergency power with redundancies. Building the new headquarters will take two years, and construction is slated to begin in 2007. The cost of the new police facility is estimated at $65,410,000.
A new DASH facility in the complex would allow the city to experiment with alternative fuels, creating a city that is more environmentally friendly and reducing traffic gridlock by providing public transportation. And 98 percent of the facility is paid for through State Urban Funds. The city would pay $700,000 for this part of the complex.
"That's a great return on an investment," said DASH General Manager Sandy Modell, noting that the proximity to the police headquarters would also be a benefit. "We'll be able to save money when we don't have to pay for an independent contractor to remove the snow from our parking lot — we can count on our neighbor to help us out.
NEW RECREATIONS FIELDS are also included in the plan, and 13.7 acres of land that is currently owned by CSX. This land includes a cemetery that will be incorporated into the design by creating a natural boundary of plant life.
A need was created for new fields after the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project consumed the fields at Jones Point Park. Since that time, city leaders have been looking for a location to replace the fields. The CSX land, which was next to the proposed location of the new police headquarters and DASH facility, offered a possible solution to the problem.
The parks would include two lighted multipurpose fields for local use, one lighted baseball field, public restrooms, a park office and 125 parking spaces. Use of the recreation area would take place after normal working hours and on the weekends, so the parking spaces could be shared with other nearby city facilities. Construction of this part of the project is scheduled to begin in 2007.
Each component of the complex will have its own public hearings, which are scheduled for later this year and into next year.