February 5, 2008
Alexandria Considers Infill Stations on Blue, Yellow Lines
Yesterday the Examiner reported that Alexandria officials are hoping to force interested developers to help foot the bill for two new infill Metro stations in the growing Potomac Yard and Eisenhower Avenue corridor areas.
Alexandria City Council members have inserted language to their draft master transportation plan that would prevent the city from approving development in Potomac Yard and in the Eisenhower Valley, two hot spots for future redevelopment, unless the developer contributes to the funding and building of one of the new Metro stations. The idea would add two stops to the existing Blue and Yellow line routes through Alexandria, one at Potomac Yard and a second stop in the Eisenhower Avenue corridor.
Former DCist Editor Ryan "Density is Life" Avent likes the idea of infill stations:
Infill stations are a cheap way to add transit connectivity. Of course, it would be nice if the Metro system could support express traffic as well as local, so that new stations wouldn’t excessively slow trips into the city. But all in all, this would be a nice move.Those of you who agree shouldn't get too excited -- these stations wouldn't be a reality for at least several years, not to mention that the $100 million price tag for each one is still just a pipe dream. Still, if adding an extra stop or two would make it more likely that Alexandria residents would leave their cars at home when commuting into the city, we would certainly get behind this plan.
Photo by dcflamenco
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Attention DC. Not everything revolves around you.
"Still, if adding an extra stop or two would make it more likely that Alexandria residents would leave their cars at home when commuting into the city, we would certainly get behind this plan."
While I haven't read the plan, I'm sure Alexandria's master tranportation plan concerns getting around within Alexandria, and addresses planning issues in Alexandria.
If job centers or offices or new housing are built near said proposed stations, then you'll b*tch and moan about Alexandria "stealing" jobs and residents from the District.
Thank you city council! Of course a little late on the Potomac Yard situation but perhaps Arlington gets some of the blame there too. For those that don't know, hundreds of million dollar town homes have been built literally feet from the Metro line. But all of those properties will have to be drive into the city properties as the nearest station is the Airport and there is not a way to walk it.
Also, Arlington and Alexandria have allowed some new towers to go in and they will also be adding to the crowded streets south of Crystal City. There is no way the developers should have been allowed to build without contributing to a pot of money to build a metro station. Perhaps it would not have paid the whole way but it should ahve come close. Instead the city will be picking up their road expenses and gridlock. Mistake! Property taxes will never make up the difference.
Eisenhower Valley is also an appealing target but that may be for down the line. Potomac Yard should have been done already.
When Potomac Yard was being built (i mean the shopping center Potomac Yard) didn't the builders kinda promise Del Ray a metro stop and then do the "turn-pockets-inside-out 'oops! we don't have any money? saaaaahhhh-weeeeeeeee' move"?
"If job centers or offices or new housing are built near said proposed stations, then you'll b*tch and moan about Alexandria "stealing" jobs and residents from the District."
Yes, of course, because of all of the constant complaining going on about the job centers in Tysons, Bethesda, Arlington, Silver Spring, etc. Right? I mean, barely a day goes by that I don't hear District leaders bemoaning the fact that Arlington has such a successful economy.
With the imploding real estate market, I don't know how longer that corridor is going to keep "growing," particularly if you crowbar language that adds a couple hundred mil to the pricetag. Developers aren't going to eat that cost; they're going to tack it onto the sale price, and right now, nobody's buying.
VDOT is already pouring millions into dedicated bus lanes on Route 1 to connect Crystal City with Braddock Road. Is there really that much demand for transit so that people can get people in and out of Petsmart and Dress Barn? Infill stations are needed, but not the way Ryan thinks they're needed. Commuter growth patterns over the past 20 years have been in suburb-to-suburb commuting, something Metro really isn't that good at. People need to get from Eisenhower Avenue to the Pentagon, or Pentagon City to Tysons. It's not a suburb-to-downtown situation like it was in 1950 when Metro was first envisioned. So, yeah, infill is where transit needs to go, but they should have been budgeting for this a couple decades ago. NoVA's going to have to get by with dedicated bus lanes in that corridor until the real estate market recovers, probably around the time yet-another-Bush runs for office.
Will they let me bring my dog on the metro so I can take her to Petsmart for her beauty day??? In Berlin I saw pups all over their subway!
loganmo - Invest in a pair of dark glasses and a white cane and you won't have any hassles bringing your "seeing eye dog" on the Metro. I've done this numerous times with my helper babboon, Shemp Fury. And when I do get hassled, I've taught him to go for the crotch.
I can't believe that there isn't already a metro station at Potomac Yard! What bad planning!
When I lived in Crystal City I wondered when the stops at Potomac Yards and that new mondo-velopment just north of Potomac Yards. I thought there was going to be a metro stop there as a matter of course. Guess not. Stupid move. Now how likely will this wonderful idea be now that it depends on an industry in a downward spiral?
Well when the Metro was being extended through there in 1983, there was nothing but a dilapidated rail yard and a superfund site....so it is understandable their lack a zeal to build station.
Not having to drive to Target would be the hotness but I'm not going to hold my breath.
In all honesty, the fact that I had to metro my behind all the way up to PG county to make it to Target without driving always made me pissed that Potomac Yard did not have a metro. But now that the Columbia Heights one will be up and running soon, I won't care. But, I am going to drive to it just to spite all the CH dwellers who moved there to kick-out the lower-income folks, but then complain when their gentrification efforts took away all of their street parking.
If I recall correctly, there were plans to build a station on that site ... when Richmond pitched the yards as a site for a new baseball stadium. You know? The one that's in SE DC?
Monkey, how well trained is that baboon? I have always thought it would be hillarious (and super cute) to see a monkey taking a dog on a walk- people might even see to see such a thing on the yellow line, thus generating funds for the in-fills!!
Monkey, how well trained is that baboon? I have always thought it would be hillarious (and super cute) to see a monkey taking a dog on a walk- people might even PAY to see such a thing on the yellow line, thus generating funds for the in-fills!!
I think Potomac Yards WAS originally set to have a Metro stop, but the development changed hands and the new owners didn't honor all the original promises to the neighborhood. (I could be wrong here.) But am I crazy or was that stop even briefly shown on Metro maps as a "future station." Of course, if you put a station there you have to gate off the shopping center entrances and start charging for parking, or it will immediately become a commuter parking lot.
Geez, sounds like Spookiness needs to start reading the Alexandriaist. oh wait...
loganmo - Years ago on Charles Street in Baltimore, I saw a dog tied to a parking meter next to a neighborhood bar. The owner had gone inside for a beer and left the dog tied there. While the Charles Street traffic screeched by, a monkey in a diaper clung to the dog for dear life. A small crowd formed around the dog and the monkey and it was the saddest damned thing I've seen in my life. And I've just watched the trailer for the new M. Night Syamalan movie.
The original developer for Potomac Yard back in the early 90's offered to pay for two metro stations, but the city wouldn't allow them to build the size/density of development that they wanted, so it fell apart.
The original developer for Potomac Yard back in the early 90's offered to pay for two metro stations, but the city wouldn't allow them to build the size/density of development that they wanted, so it fell apart.
awww.....
There was a Potomac Yard infill station, but yes the developers changed, but also the project density was reduced due to outcry from Del Ray, and the city powers that be. Since the density of the project was reduced, the economic feasibility for the station evaporated, so the developers reneged on their pledge to build a station.
Just look at the Arlington side of PY vs the Alexandria side. It's pretty clear that Alex. has been dragging their feet on this for what 20 years now? They could have done something nice with it, but the density spooked the NIMBY's, so what got build was a crummy 1/2 mile long strip mall. Meanwhile Arlington gets the tax base of mixed use housing, retail, and office space, while Alexandrias side is underutilized with warehouses and a strip mall.
Oooh, do want.
I could've sworn that, shortly after they started running the then-new Metro trains with the LED screens (5000 series? ca. 2003-2004?), the Yellow-Blue Line Trains that went past the Potomac Yards site would flash "Potomac Yards" and have the arrow pointing to the side of the car where the doors would open after leaving National Airport, but before arriving at the next station. Maybe I was hallucinating...
I could've sworn that, shortly after they started running the then-new Metro trains with the LED screens (5000 series? ca. 2003-2004?), the Yellow-Blue Line Trains that went past the Potomac Yards site would flash "Potomac Yards" and have the arrow pointing to the side of the car where the doors would open after leaving National Airport, but before arriving at the next station. Maybe I was hallucinating...
Arlington did move on it quicker, but honestly you have to question the land use, as the new development has to be one of the worse situated in the region for residential use. First you live accross the street (and down wind) from the sewage treatment plant, live on top of a former superfund site, on the other side you have double CSX tracks, Metro tracks, GW parkway and then RW 1 of National Airport.
Oh course the NMBY's could have have the best of both worlds (low density and a metro station) by allowing Jack Kent Cooke build FedEx field there.
True or false: Alexandria and Arlington both chose to limit the number of Metro stops due to the increased outflow from DC (and various anticipated collateral effects)?
I ask because I honestly don't know if this is just another one of our "DC was built on a swamp" myths.
@abe
You probably weren't hallucinating. The Blue/Yellow line was built with a station at Potomac Yard in mind, it has its own station code and everything http://web.archive.org/web/20070210090123/www.chesapeake.net/~cambronj/wmata/track_schematic/sys_schematic_ars.gif.
I wouldn't be shocked if the cars picked up the station, even though it didn't exist in reality, until Metro could program the cars not to.
To all those (including the poster) who complain about Alexandrians driving - I live in Del Ray, and every time I want to run to Target for something, I get trapped among the *hoards* of DC and MD cars filling Potomac Yard. And I Metro from Braddock every day - the commute seems to be one of the lesser issues.
If you drive down Slaters Lane and turn into that townhouse development beyond Rustico & Buzz, and drive far far into the end of the development, you'll find a little sign in an undeveloped stretch [on the left] that says it's being held for a future Metro station. So, at least there's a *place* for it.
Good luck parking, though. Lexi & BMWs are parked cheek-to-jowl on the street.