While reexamining their mission is an admirable undertaking (“Courting Controversy” Aug. 24), the article raised some concerns as to whether the Planning Commission is really sensitive to the desires and concerns of the ordinary citizens of our city. Mary Lyman, a member of the commission, seemed to dismiss residents’ opinions by stating that the overall good of the city takes precedence over the concerns of the neighborhoods. Although there is some truth to this statement, it comes across as fairly arrogant, particularly since the Planning Commission is apparently going to be more aggressive in pursuing and approving controversial projects. It also implies that the Planning Commission has the right priorities and exercises near perfect judgment, qualities that they have not consistently demonstrated. Like many small municipalities, Alexandria is a city of neighborhoods, which form the foundation of our community. The concern and desires of their residents should be a predominant factor regarding any planning decisions.
My concerns were heightened by Nathan Macek’s comment lamenting the slow progress with the waterfront redevelopment plan. This plan has been controversial from the beginning for a number of reasons, two of which are that it was not desired by the Old Town neighborhood, and it was poorly conceived and of little value to the rest of Alexandria. There were no credible cost-benefit and economic analyses ever published and no documented trade-off studies, and as a result projected cost has risen far above estimates projected at the time. If this is an example of good planning and a Planning Commission decision benefiting the entire community, then I worry about the commission’s activities in the upcoming year.
The Planning Commission and our elected officials need to be more open to the concerns and desires of the entire community, not just local business interests. The commission and the City Council also need to reevaluate their increasingly futile attempts to expand the tax base faster than expenditures, which is becoming an endless downward spiral and is adversely affecting the attractiveness and livability of Alexandria. The comments in the subject article reflect a certain imperiousness on the part of our government. An immediate improvement that may help make the commission more attuned to citizen needs would be limited terms for Planning Commission membership; however, the problem goes well beyond that.
William Rogalski, Jr.
Alexandria