By Carla Branch
alexandrianews.org
On Tuesday, the Alexandria City Council extended a pilot program for portable signs in the right-of-way in the Central Business District; set the 2010 General Assembly legislative packet for public hearing; passed a resolution opposing HOT lanes on I-395 and approved a loan guarantee for the Arlandria Neighborhood Health Services Inc.
ANHSI Loan Guarantee
Council unanimously approved guaranteeing a $2.5 million loan so that the Alexandria Neighborhood Health Services Inc. can match a $2.9 million federal stimulus fund grant to purchase property.
“Normally, I would be very leery of the City becoming a loan guarantor for a private organization. However, this is a bit different,” Donley said. “ANHSI is an integral part of the healthcare fabric of Alexandria, providing healthcare to the uninsured as well as the under-insured in our community. They are outgrowing their space and need room to serve more patients and hire more doctors. Over the years, they have clearly demonstrated that they are capable of repaying such a loan.”
In August, 2009, ANHSI applied for a $3 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act competitive federal stimulus grant to rehabilitate properties at 417, 419 and 421 Clifford Avenue.
“We met with ANHSI representatives to discuss how the City could support their acquisition of the properties to be rehabilitated. ANHSI expects to receive a decision on the federal grant application by October 31,” said City Manager Jim Hartmann in a memorandum to Council. “In order to acquire and renovate and expand the Clifford Avenue sites into an operable clinic, ANHSI will need approximately $5.8 million. If the federal grant application is successful, $2.9 million of these funds will come from the federal government, leaving $2.9 million to be provided by ANSHI. This amount also represents the funds that ANSHI will need to purchase and close on the property. ANHSI has raised about $0.4 million which can be applied towards the property acquisition. ”
“I, too, am supporting this request because ANHSI has a plan to repay the loan within four years,” said Councilman Frank Fannon. “Also, our guarantee reduces the amount of interest they will have to pay.”
HOT Lanes
Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the construction of HOT lanes on I-395:
WHEREAS, the City of Alexandria has asked the Virginia Department of Transportation numerous questions regarding the implementation and impacts of the proposed HOT Lanes project; and
WHEREAS, the majority of those questions have gone unanswered by VDOT thus making it impossible for the City of Alexandria to adequately review this project; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alexandria is concerned that this project, as presently conceived, will have significant adverse impacts on mobility and quality of life along this corridor; and
WHEREAS, the Parkfairfax Historic District and part of the Fairlington Historic District will be severely impacted by the proposed HOT Lanes project; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alexandria has requested documentation from the HOT Lanes project team that indicates how the HOT lanes will benefit Alexandria as well as how possible adverse impacts of the HOT lanes to Alexandria are being addressed; and
WHEREAS, the HOT Lanes project team has not provided substantive documentation to indicate how the HOT lanes will benefit Alexandria, as well as how possible adverse impacts of the HOT lanes to Alexandria are being addressed; and
WHEREAS, Arlington County, along with others, have entered into or are contemplating legal proceedings that raise numerous questions and concerns about the HOT Lanes project; and
WHEREAS, Alexandria agrees with Arlington that the environmental documentation for this proposed project was not properly prepared; and
WHEREAS, Alexandria believes the concepts for the Shirlington Circle and for the Seminary Road Interchange will have a negative impact on Alexandria neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Alexandria does agree that traffic congestion along I-95/395 creates substantial challenges for Alexandria, the region and the new BRAC project at the Mark Center in Alexandria; and
WHEREAS, Seminary Road is a residential street and any access from the proposed HOT/Bus/HOV Lanes onto Seminary Road or into the Seminary Road interchange would negatively impact Seminary Hill communities and adjacent neighborhoods by allowing and encouraging cut-through traffic through Seminary Hill and other residential neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, according to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, during the morning peak period, the two existing HOV lanes on I-95/395 outside the Capital Beltway carry about 25 percent more people than the four conventional lanes, and inside the Beltway the existing HOV lanes carry 50 percent more people than the conventional lanes; and
WHEREAS, the VDOT proposed study to establish Bus Rapid Transit Service in the I-95/I-395 corridor has not yet been completed, and results are unknown; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alexandria has a strong desire to preserve and improve the person throughput on this corridor; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alexandria is convinced that these traffic congestion problems cannot be solved by building more and more roads and that mass-transportation solutions are the only sustainable and long-term ways to effectively address I-95/395 traffic congestion; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT, the City of Alexandria strongly opposes the I-95/395 HOT Lanes project as currently proposed and will undertake a legislative initiative to be considered at the 2010 General Assembly Session; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, the City of Alexandria strongly supports the concept of direct access from I-95/395 to the BRAC 133 site at Mark Center, and looks forward to reviewing the alternatives to be analyzed in VDOT’s forthcoming Intersection Justification Report.
Legislative Packet
Council will consider 25 items for inclusion in the 2010 legislative packet that the City will ask the Virginia General Assembly to consider.
“The biggest issue on the minds of most members of the General Assembly next year is going to be the budget,” said the City’s legislative director Bernie Caton. “We are going to be trying to protect the federal per diem that we receive for housing federal inmates in the jail. We were successful this year but it is likely to be an issue again next year.”
The City is supporting amendments to the Virginia Human Rights Act to make it unlawful for a Virginia employer to discriminate in the hiring or treatment of an employee. “The Act currently protects individuals only from discriminatory firing,” Caton said.
Vice Mayor Kerry Donley proposed increasing the regional sales tax on motor fuels by up to two percent. Each one-percent increase would likely result in $1.2 million annually for the City and over $15 million for the Northern Virginia Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority localities. Legislation to increase this tax should specify that revenues from it will not be used to supplant existing revenue sources .
Alexandria will also request legislation to require National Environmental Protection Act studies for the proposed 1-95/395 HOT Lanes. Donley also proposed that the City ask its delegation to propose legislation that would direct VDOT to undertake any NEPA studies relating to the proposed I-95/395 HOT Lanes that would have been required if a categorical exclusion had not been granted.
“Once again, we are supporting legislation to allow for the restoration of voting rights to felons. We have included this in our legislative packet for several years,” Caton said.
The City must submit any requests for charter changes by mid-December. Now that the General Assembly has approved moving City Council and School Board elections from May to November, Council must decide whether there should be other changes. Members have proposed everything from staggering terms to extending term lengths from three to four years. Councilwoman Del Pepper would like to hold the first November election in 2012, with members taking office in January, 2013. Thereafter, elections would be held every four years.
“I do not want to send a charter change request to the General assembly on a four-three vote,” Donley said. “I would prefer any requested change to be unanimous but it should be at least six-one. If we do nothing, things will remain the same except that the election will be held in November instead of May.”
Council asked Caton to compile a list of the proposed changes and present it at the Nov. 10, legislative meeting. “Then we can set it for public hearing at our legislative meeting on Nov. 24, and still meet the December deadline,” said Mayor Bill Euille.
The remainder of the legislative packet was set for public hearing on Nov. 21.
Central Business District Portable Signs
On November 25,2008 the Alexandria City Council voted to adopt an emergency ordinance to establish a pilot program to allow temporary portable signs alerting King Street pedestrians to restaurant and retail-oriented businesses in the Central Business District (generally located between Duke and Queen Streets, east of West Street, in Old Town) but not located on King Street. Last night, Council voted unanimously to extend this pilot program until June 30, 2011 or until the Wayfinding program is approved.
The recent economic recession and the City’s initiative to retain shopping dollars within the City provided the justification for the emergency measure. The City Council extended the pilot program in March, 200,, until November, 2009, anticipating that the Wayfinding Program would be adopted at that time. A further extension of the pilot program is now proposed since the conditions that were the basis for the emergency ordinance still exist and since the Wayfinding program has been temporarily delayed, with an anticipated completion date in the spring of 2010. The pilot program itself establishes parameters for acceptable “A-frame” signs and businesses are responsible for coordinating among the other businesses on the block to create an acceptable sign, and otherwise comply with the ordinance.
Participating businesses off King Street report that the signs have had measurable positive impacts on sales during an extremely difficult retail period. Twenty portable A-frame permits have been issued to date, with a total of 97 businesses participating. Over the duration of the program, the City has received very few complaints from residents, pedestrians and City staff.
“I am here to thank you because, this time, you have done something right. These signs have really helped my business and I am glad you are going to allow them to continue,” said Pat Troy. “We need to get some businesses to improve their signs but the program is working really well.”