Alexandria pauses waterfront pump‑house plan, approves study of alternative 1 Prince site

City council members told residents at a town hall that the city will slow work on the proposed pump station in Waterfront Park and pursue further study of an alternative location at 1 Prince Street.

Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley said council voted on Tuesday to authorize a focused analysis of the 1 Prince Street option and that the study budget is roughly $150,000. "We just signed off on this on Tuesday night based on a proposal that did not name a vendor," she said, adding staff will identify contractors and refine the scope. Bagley said community leaders engaged on the waterfront will be included in the process.

Council members described the issue as a long-running implementation of the Olin waterfront plan and repeatedly framed decisions as trade‑offs between minimizing park impacts and the escalating costs of delay. Councilman Kirk McPike said Old Town east of Lee Street already experiences measurable flooding and warned that costs will rise if the city waits. "In 2100, 75 years from now, we'll have 30 days a year where there isn't flooding... if we don't take action to mitigate the flooding situation we have," he said.

Council members also said the flood-mitigation project includes more than a pump station: pipe upsizing, bulkhead replacements and related infrastructure to avoid creating a 'bathtub' effect that would trap water landward of new bulkheads. Several residents argued the process felt rushed and asked whether eminent domain, bond votes, or buying alternative properties had been considered; council members said the 1 Prince analysis is intended to provide the comparative information to make such decisions transparent.

Bagley and others acknowledged some procurement and contracting details remain to be finalized and encouraged residents to file 311 requests for specific follow‑up. The council said the Waterfront Commission materials and staff slide decks are publicly available and the study will take several months to complete.