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Occoquan council pauses Riverwalk pre-application spending and accepts county’s Ellicott Street curb plan to protect magnolia tree
Summary
Council members declined to spend Town funds on advance Riverwalk planning after VDOT policy concerns and accepted the county’s revised Ellicott Street proposal — including mountable curbs and efforts to preserve a magnolia on the county’s historic tree list.
The Occoquan Town Council on Dec. 3 declined to authorize advance spending for Riverwalk Extension pre-application work and accepted a county proposal that would install mountable curbs on Ellicott Street and seek to preserve a magnolia tree on the county’s historic tree list.
Mayor Earnie Porta opened the discussion noting recent apparent VDOT policy changes that raised doubts about whether the Riverwalk Extension would be eligible for Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant funding. Town Engineer Bruce Reese told the Council he believed a Berkley Group document already in the record would likely suffice for a TAP application and that the additional planning, geotechnical work and surveying the Town had considered could be completed in about eight weeks if the town later decided to proceed.
After discussing the uncertainty about grant eligibility and the potential cost of doing advance work that might not be reimbursed, the Council directed staff not to expend funds on advance Riverwalk expansion services at this time and agreed to reconsider the matter later.
On the Ellicott Street sidewalk project, Mayor Porta and staff said county planners have incorporated the Ellicott segment into a broader federal funding application that also includes the Occoquan Greenway connection. County staff warned that changing the scope now would require resubmitting the entire application and could forfeit recoverable costs. To mitigate community concerns that sidewalk construction would narrow Ellicott Street and endanger a magnolia tree on the county’s historic list, the county proposed installing mountable curbs at the turn from Mill Street and pledged to work with the county arborist to preserve the tree. The Council accepted the county’s revised approach.
Council did not record a roll-call vote on either the Riverwalk spending direction or the acceptance of the county’s revised Ellicott proposal; the minutes summarize the discussion and the Council’s decision to accept the county recommendation. The Council will revisit the Riverwalk pre-application work if grant eligibility becomes clearer.
