The July 6 edition of your paper contains two articles of interest focused primarily on affordable housing. “Blessed Are the Poor” speaks of the Alfred Street Baptist Church expansion project removing 22 of 77 affordable housing units and, depending on the availability of HUD funds, possibly renting the remaining 55 units at market rate when the lease expires in 2019. The second article, “Chicken and Egg” “concerns
the proposed affordable housing at the Fairlington Presbyterian Church site”. The Wesley Housing Development Corporation project would include 75-81 new affordable housing units. The articles gave the impression that the city is more concerned with parking and traffic than in gaining affordable housing from the Wesley Housing Development Corporation and doesn’t seem to be concerned with loss of affordable units or traffic and parking issues generated by the ASBC project.
As a resident of the neighborhood surrounding the Old Town ASBC block, which is bound by Patrick Street, Duke Street, Alfred Street and Wolfe Street, and having attended several city and church meetings, I can attest to the concern of residents over parking and traffic in the area now, much less with the anticipated increase to a sanctuary seating capacity of 2,000 seats (total building seating capacity will be about 5,000). The Patrick Street-Duke Street intersection is currently a challenge, and more so on Sundays, and with the addition of traffic entering and exiting from a new church parking garage on Patrick Street gridlock will be mind boggling.
Wolfe Street and Alfred Street are virtually inaccessible to residents for parking now. With parking on both sides of Alfred Street on Sundays that is almost impassable as well. An unbiased traffic study has not been done by a city hired consultant for this project and no assurance has been given that one will be done.
Hopefully, the city will take into consideration the impact on our neighborhood, and traffic and parking concerns in the area as well as the loss of affordable housing units generated by the ASBC project.
Jill Crispino
Alexandria