City presents waterfront flood‑mitigation plan; pump station location draws public opposition

The City of Alexandria presented updated designs for the Alexandria Waterfront Implementation Project to the Board of Architectural Review during a concept review that centered on a consolidated pump station sited at Waterfront Park and related promenade, plaza and King Street pedestrian improvements.

The project team — led by Matt Landis, project manager for the city's Department of Project Implementation, with landscape architect Meredith Berry (Lee & Associates) and design‑build architects from Skanska/JMT — described a smaller, reconfigured pump station and a linked program of plazas, promenade upgrades, planting, seating and King Street pedestrianization. “The form is reduced in overall size, scale and footprint and refined material selections are rooted in both the history and development of the waterfront,” Landis said, describing the team’s effort to integrate the station as an amenity rather than a utility eyesore.

Why it matters: the proposal combines required flood‑mitigation infrastructure with public‑space design on a portion of Alexandria’s historic waterfront. Board review is advisory at the concept stage, but decisions about location, scale and materials will shape how the waterfront looks and functions and influence subsequent environmental, permitting and National Park Service review steps.

Design highlights and city rationale

The team said they reduced the pump station’s footprint roughly 45 percent at the ground…