November 12, 2018 PYMIG Meeting Summary
The PYMIG held a meeting at the Durant Center on November 12th at 5pm. The purpose of the meeting was to refine the design of the approach to the Metro Station from the east side (i.e. Potomac Greens). The presentation materials of the meeting can be found at: https://www.alexandriava.gov/PotomacMetroWorkGroup.
Note: The numbering of the slides is still confusing. The first three slides were prepared by the City and are numbered 1-3, the next twelve slides were prepared by construction firm, Potomac Yard Constructors, and are not numbered.
Damage to Property. The City presented a map showing where the 250-foot Line of Disturbance (LOD) falls within our community. Homes in that area will be offered pre-construction home inspections. A standalone copy of the map can be found at the link above. Please note that the LOD passes through several “sticks” of homes. As previously discussed, in that case the stick will be treated as a single building and all the homes within the stick, or ultimately 145 of our 227 homes, will be covered. I asked in a separate email to the PYMIG for another 250-foot LOD around the circle if that is demolished. That would cover another 40 homes.
National Park Service (NPS) Meeting Debrief. City, WMATA and builder reps met with the NPS on November 6th to discuss the possibility of lengthening the Northern Pavilion to accommodate a set of entry stairs. The NPS indicated they were open to either a set of internal stairs within the existing footprint or a “stair tower” addition on the Pavilion (builder slide 10). However, the NPS wanted to see more detailed plans before final approval. In either case, it appears we are going to have a set of stairs in addition to two elevators to access the station.
Development Special Use Permit (DSUP). The DSUP is the roadmap to the station’s design. The current DSUP shows pavilions at both ends of the station platform. Because of budget constraints, the Southern Pavilion was eliminated. The purpose of our recent series of meetings has been to develop an amended DSUP reflecting that reality as well as providing greater detail on how pedestrians will access the station from both the east (Potomac Greens) and West (Potomac Yard) sides. The DSUP must be amended before construction permitting can begin.
Station Design. The builder’s rep presented a more refined design for the East access. In addition to discussing the addition of stairs, the rep also discussed lighting (builder slides 7 & 8), signage, seating, and bike parking (builder slide 11).
PYMIG Memo to City Council. The members reviewed and edited a memo to the City Council that discussed the PYMIG design choices for the new station. Questions from the public fell into two areas of concern: (1) environmental matters were not included in the memo and (2) the safety of pedestrians crossing a bike path to access the station. The PYMIG noted that mitigation of environmental issues was included in the original DSUP and has not been changed. Environmental matters were also covered again during the November 5th PYMIG meeting and explanations are contained in the notes of the meeting distributed by the Communications Committee to our residents using FB, the PG website, and e-mail blast. The PYMIG recognizes the pedestrian/bicycle issue and will continue to explore ways to improve safety.
Late Breaking News. Subsequent to the PYMIG Meeting, Amazon announced this morning that one of their new headquarters would be located in Crystal City/Potomac Yard. A news release from the City of Alexandria says the state of Virginia will be making investments in the community “including an additional entrance to the Crystal City Metro station and a south entrance off of Potomac Avenue to the new Potomac Yard Metro station.” At this time, we don’t know if the entire Southern Pavilion will be added back to the Station or just some type of access. I’ll let you know when this firms up.
The next PYMIG Meeting will be held on Monday, November 26—note that there is no meeting on Monday the 19th—at 7pm the Charles Houston Recreation Center, 901 Wythe St.