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Commission reviews draft two‑year long‑range planning work program; flood resilience, Duke Street and housing updates highlighted
Summary
Planning staff presented a draft two‑year long‑range planning interdepartmental work program covering FY2026–FY2027 that schedules major planning and implementation efforts across departments, including the Duke Street plan, flood resilience planning, green building policy finalization and the Housing 2040 update.
The Alexandria Planning Commission heard an overview Feb. 4 of the two‑year draft long‑range planning interdepartmental work program covering fiscal years 2026 and 2027. Carrie Beach of the Department of Planning and Zoning presented the draft, joined by staff from transportation, stormwater, housing and parks.
The program organizes planned planning and implementation work by department and fiscal year and shows internal work, community engagement and formal adoption steps. Staff said the Duke Street small area plan effort is expected to ramp up in May–June 2025. The green building policy guidelines will be finalized and released for a 30‑day public comment period with advisory group review ahead of public hearings anticipated in June 2025.
Transportation highlights from Christopher Zeman included engineering design for Duke Street Transitway Phase 1 and work on mobility, curbside management and a parking standards update. Zeman also noted planned pedestrian and bicycle access projects around the former Landmark Mall site and an architect-led design for a Landmark Mall transit center.
Jesse Mains, stormwater management division chief, outlined Flood Action Alexandria efforts and a new flood resilience plan focused on pluvial (urban) flooding and climate change impacts. The plan will include modeling, infrastructure risk analysis, a public engagement program and potential ordinance changes to strengthen protections. Mains also described the Chesapeake Bay TMDL Phase 3 action plan, which staff submitted to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and Oronoco Outfall remediation work under a recent consent decree, including upland remediation, pipe rehabilitation, sediment testing and funding to deploy freshwater mussels in the Potomac River.
Housing director Helen McElvaney reported on the Housing 2040 update, which began in September and will deliver a bundle of actionable items by the end of the year and a draft plan in the fall; she described preservation, homeownership tools and a new focus on landlord-tenant matters. She also listed several projects expected to be under construction soon, including Arlandria/Chirilagua cooperative capital improvements and other infill projects.
Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities staff presented plans to update the Park and Recreation Master Plan, the Urban Forestry Master Plan and the citywide parks improvement plan, and noted projects such as the Eisenhower East park under the Metro tracks and a Cameron Run Regional Park feasibility study.
Public comment included Melissa Kennan, who urged more frequent reviews of small area plans and the city’s vision plan, saying some adopted small area plans no longer reflect market realities. Commissioners raised concerns about the waterfront flood mitigation approach, with at least one commissioner urging a stronger exploration of passive, nature‑based solutions and asking that the city consider alternatives to the heavily engineered pump‑station approach. Staff agreed to provide follow-up information on sea level rise and the RiverRenew schedule; staff said RiverRenew’s commissioning is expected in 2026 with some operational phases extending into 2027.
The public hearing for the work program was closed by motion and the commission discussed refinements and scheduling; staff will return with a revised draft for commission and council review after the budget process.
