Potomac Yard Metrorail Public Hearing To be Held Remotely

Staff Recommendation of Enhanced Southwest Access Modified Idea #1 Docketed for Public Hearing
The staff recommendation to proceed with Potomac Yard Metrorail Station enhanced southwest access concept Modified Idea #1 is docketed for discussion at the City Council Public Hearing on Saturday, April 18, 2020. This recommendation will be received by Council at the City Council Legislative Meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2020.

The City of Alexandria and Metro completed pricing discussions with Metro’s construction contractor for enhanced southwest access to the new Potomac Yard Metrorail Station in March 2020. These discussions determined that the Modified Idea #1 concept, which includes a flat, 520-foot covered bridge, accessible via a pavilion with an elevator and stairs adjacent to the East Glebe Road and Potomac Avenue location, can be constructed given the availability of $50 million in state and federal funding as part of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s effort to recruit Amazon’s HQ2 facilities to National Landing, and could be part of the station when it is scheduled to open in 2022.

On March 20, the City Manager sent a memorandum to Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Work Group (PYMIG) members with additional information, the staff recommendation, and a request for input from members on their preferred option. The resulting consensus from members was that Modified Idea #1 is the preferred enhanced southwest access design option.

The April 14 Legislative Meeting and April 18 Public Hearing are being held electronically pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3708.2(A)(3) and/or the Continuity of Government ordinance adopted by the City Council on March 24, 2020.

Docket materials for this item can be viewed here or accessed by downloading the April 14 Legislative Meeting docket from the City Dockets and Webcasts webpage. This document also contains instructions for following the Legislative Meeting proceedings remotely.

Information on providing public comment and following the Public Hearing proceedings remotely will be published in the April 18 Public Hearing docket. This document will be published to the City Dockets and Webcasts webpage on Monday, April 13, 2020.

Links to both dockets will be posted to the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station Reports and Updates webpage.

The new Potomac Yard Metrorail Station, to be built on Metrorail’s Yellow and Blue Lines between the existing Braddock Road and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport stations, will provide an extensive range of benefits for Alexandria and the surrounding community, including walkable access to regional transportation systems for neighborhoods in the northeast area of the city. The station is also expected to generate billions of dollars in new private sector investment over the long term and eventually support 26,000 new jobs and 13,000 new residents. The Potomac Yard area represents the most significant redevelopment and tax base growth opportunity for Alexandria, with the potential to achieve the vision for an urban mix of uses near transit.

The station construction will be paid for with new tax revenue from development in Potomac Yard over the next 40 years, funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, a special tax district in North Potomac Yard, a low-interest loan from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, and significant developer contributions.

For more information about the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station, including the City Manager’s memorandum to PYMIG, visit alexandriava.gov/PotomacYardMetro.

For more information, contact Lydia Durand, Department of Project Implementation, at 703.746.4622.