| 1 | | | How will the plan expand on complete streets for the neighborhoods directly surrounding Duke Street? |
| Complete streets are an important goal that the City has committed to in our planning work to be consistent with the City Council approved Alexandria Mobility Plan. As this plan progresses, staff will work with community members to identify how best to implement the City’s complete streets goals in the neighborhoods around Duke Street. | |
| 2 | | | How will this plan work to combat gentrification as redevelopment happens? What safeguards will be put in place from the beginning? |
| A key element of the plan analysis and recommendations, consistent with City policy, plans, and community feedback, will be looking at options for preserving existing market affordable housing, expanding housing affordability and housing stock overall. Staff will work closely with the City’s Office of Housing to ensure that the Plan reflects the Housing 2040 process and the Office of Housing’s existing policy and programs. | |
| 3 | | | Will other plans such as NATCO’s bike plan, be utilized throughout the planning process/plans from other Cities? |
| Mobility- and transportation-related recommendations in Small Area Plans are in conformance with the Alexandria Mobility Plan and are based on best practices that are part of national and local planning efforts. | |
| 4 | | | Are you planning to use what is working on Patrick/henry street in Potomac? [illegible] |
| Response from T&ES: The design of the Duke Street Transitway will be different in different parts of Duke Street. Some sections will resemble the Route 1 Transitway in Potomac Yard. More information of the design can be found on the Duke Street in Motion webpage (https://www.alexandriava.gov/DukeInMotion). | |
| 5 | | | Does the plan include a [new] car lane onto telegraph? With the new construction where the [illegible] used to be will there be adequate set backs to allow for a new 2nd access lane? |
| Response from T&ES: A new access to Telegraph Road will be provided through the City's Duke Street and W. Taylor Run Parkway Improvement Project. The new access will just be between the Westbound on and off ramp and will be accessible by a new traffic signal. For more information, visit the Duke Street Project webpage (https://www.alexandriava.gov/DukeStreetProjects) As part of this planning process, a traffic study will build on the study that was completed during Duke Street in Motion. The analysis will help us understand how to address traffic on Duke Street. | |
| 6 | | | It feels like many new up-zonings/new developments are very isolated from the surrounding area. Can this process result in guidelines that require street grid connections and minimal wasted space by roads? |
| One of the major reasons for this plan being done now is that the majority of the corridor has not been comprehensively planned since 1992, which is one of the reasons why portions of the development can feel isolated. Based on community feedback, the plan will identify locations for new connections along Duke Street so that community members can more easily get around by whichever mode they prefer. | |
| 7 | | | Are you open to shifting business zones along Duke Street to reflect a design more in line with downtown/oldtown |
| Creating opportunities for existing businesses to stay and new businesses to locate on Duke Street is something this plan will consider. Duke Street is a different retail environment than Old Town, however improving walkability around the neighborhoods bordering Duke and prioritizing mixed-use development can help to create a more downtown-feeling business area. | |
| 8 | | | Duke Street begins in Old Town as a narrow sleepy residential street and grows as it goes west into a major thoroughfare. How much of this exercise focuses on Duke Street in Old Town? |
| The portion of Duke Street in Old Town is not part of this planning process. This community planning process will update the comprehensive land use plan for the Duke Street Corridor from Alexandria Union Station to Van Dorn Street at the future Landmark/West End development. | |
| 9 | | | Will intentional transit-oriented development be implemented to support DSIM and Duke BRT? |
| The Duke Street Land Use Plan will assume that the future Duke Street Transitway will be implemented, and so planning recommendations will integrate the assumptions for that future. | |
| 10 | | | How will the plan account for automobile traffic passing from Mark Center to [illegible] (it can’t be wished away). |
| Response from T&ES:The Duke Street Land Use Plan will include a transportation assessment that evaluates the impacts to the transportation network due to potential land use changes and assess what improvements are necessary to maintain acceptable quality of life. | |
| 11 | | | How will you incorporate the aspect of raising a family into the planning process? |
| Diversity in our plan area includes a variety of households, of various ages, as well as families and non-families. That means addressing safety for people walking and biking, access to amenities and services, access to parks, and the types of parks available. Those are things that will be considered in this planning process. | Yes |
| 12 | | | What initiated this project? |
| Good question. I tried to address that as part of the presentation. The redevelopment of Landmark Mall and Old Town are putting market pressures on Duke Street. We think in the mid- to long-term there will be pressure on Duke Street. Doing this plan is a way to get ahead of that. | Yes |
| 13 | | | Adding a bus lane would decrease traffic in the long run, correct? |
| Response from T&ES: One of the benefits of a dedicated bus lane is that it can reduce congestion by separating passenger vehicle operations from bus operations (i.e. frequent stops to service passengers). Dedicated bus lanes can also reduce the volume of passenger vehicles on a roadway if the dedicated lane allows for improved bus operations and a better passenger experience. Duke Street in Motion, which includes the transitway project and additional transportation recommendations is a separate process that was approved by City Council in 2023. If you have any related questions to Duke Street in Motion, please contact Jordan Exantus, Transit Program Manager at jordan.exantus@alexandriava.gov | |
| 14 | | | More walkable neighborhoods increases the land value, correct? |
| Walkability, along with other important neighborhood features like access to amenities, green spaces, shade, and various transportation options, contributes to a neighborhood that is comfortable, convenient, and pleasant to live in. | |
| 15 | | | I’m sorry, Jeff but I’m NOT proud of where this city is headed. Our single family neighborhoods are not safer since the city implemented ADU policies and the allowance of AirBnBs in our single family neighborhoods. We loose the sense of neighborhoods and neighbors as a result of these short-sited policies. You cannot consider the impact of a Duke Street project unless you consider the impact to the neighborhoods WEST of Landmark. You’ve given this no consideration. |
| Acknowledged | |
| 16 | | | Do you realize that the population of Alexandria has dropped and there is already too much traffic on Duke St. You can’t consider a Duke Street plan without considering how it impacts the part of the city WEST of Landmark. Alexandria exists there too. |
| Acknowledged. | |
| 17 | | | I am a bit confused. Is this process starting all over again? We went through numerous meetings in the last few years and I thought there was a plan already. Has the plan that has been adopted been dumped? |
| Duke Street in Motion, which includes the transitway project and additional transportation recommendations, is a separate process that was approved by City Council in 2023. DSIM will not be updated as part of this land use plan. The Duke Street Land Use Plan will include the transitway's concept plans as it updates the comprehensive land use plan for the corridor. | |
| 18 | | | I don’t think it is an honest question to link mobility with safety. We would like greater mobility, but do not want what the city uses as a default to safety, e.g. road diets. There should be a question only about traffic congestion + how to solve it. |
| When we refer to “mobility” we include all road users: car drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, and others. We have heard from many residents throughout engagement so far for this project that they feel that Duke Street is unsafe to get around on by bike, on foot, and in a car. Addressing this concern about safety is an important part of responding to community needs. In addition, improving the ability for people to get around the corridor by foot or on bikes will not only help to address congestion but improve road safety for drivers as well. The particular safety interventions that this plan recommends will be based on community feedback and the updated traffic analysis completed during the planning process, as well as best practices and City policy established in the Alexandria Mobility Plan. | |
| 19 | | | How can we improve walkability on Duke Street while protecting walkers from fast-moving cars? |
| There are a lot strategies to provide a safer walking environment for people. The biggest thing is providing a physical buffer between moving traffic (i.e. landscape strip). Ideally, you have street trees which provide shade, a physical buffer between you and the car, which creates side friction which tends to slow down cars. As we think about spaces for pedestrians, there are a lot of best practices we can implement over time. | Yes |
| 20 | | | Will there be youth-oriented outreach in this process, given they are the future residents affected by this plan? |
| Yes, there will be youth-oriented outreach and engagement throughout this process. At the moment, Staff are working to finalize a youth engagement strategy. | |
| 21 | | | Please describe the top 3 results of the WEST END plan. |
| This is referring to the AlexWest SAP that we took to Council last year. One of things we were able to do is proactively address housing affordability. There are some tools that will delay some of the loss of affordable housing and add affordable housing. In addition to housing affordability, we have some other very similar issues on Duke Street: safety, access, transit, retail. Additionally, when we have recommendations in the Master Plan it makes it easier for the City to apply and receive grant funding to implement various elements of this plan. You can read more about AlexWest here. | Yes |
| 22 | | | Traffic getting to the freeway put massive pressure on Duke Street. Does this plan 1) take that into account and 2) do have a plan for more connectors to 495? |
| Yes, traffic trying to access the freeway is something we will have to look at. It’s something that was discussed during Duke Street in Motion. That is a really challenging thing to address. There are pros and cons, I am sure we will talk more during this process. | Yes |
| 23 | | | Have there been any discussions about creating 2 separate small area plans along Duke, similar to how Eisenhower’s 2 plans are set up? |
| As I mentioned, we are not there yet. There are different ways to implement this plan. That’s probably a discussion we will have with you in the future. | Yes |
| 24 | | | What is the projected cost? |
| We assure you we will show what is being recommended and how is it being implemented and how it will be paid for. We will have an Implementation chapter making sure we can implement it and address the infrastructure. | Yes |
| 25 | | | Why are you merging 3 small area plans with distinct characteristics (Taylor Run-Seminary / Strawberry Hill-Landmark / Van Dorn) into 1 mega (not so small) area plan; how and who made this decision? |
| That decision has not been made. The Small Area Plans are a sub-segment of the Master Plan (i.e. Neighborhood plans). We don't have to [make one plan]. As part of this plan we can: 1) Amend existing plan, 2) Create a new plan, 3) [Use] other strategies to implement this plan | Yes |
| 26 | | | For the demographic analysis, what were the boundaries for the study area? Can the map be shared? How does the data change North-South as you move further down Duke Street? |
| The Duke Street Land Use Plan area/boundaries have not been established yet. In the absence of a determined plan area, for the purposes of the demographic analysis in the background packet, census tracts were identified that were either adjacent to Duke Street as areas of influence and/or might have areas that would be considered for recommendations as part of the Plan. For more detailed demographic information by Census tract, visit alexandriava.gov/Demographics. The dashboard enables users to group census tracts for combined data or review data for individual tracts. | |
| 27 | | | What is a “large” area plan? How will Duke SAP relate to it and adjacent SAPs? |
| As mentioned previously, the City’s Small Area Plans (SAP) are chapters of the City’s Master Plan. Each SAP provides guidance that is relevant to the neighborhoods included in its boundaries. When staff undertake the update of a Small Area Plan, we include for context and consideration the recommendations, developments, and influences of the neighboring plans. | |
| 28 | | | What is the best way to learn about all the “already decided upon” changes coming to Duke Street? For example, the Cambridge/Roth intersection, telegraph road on-ramp, Final Duke Street in Motion Plan |
| Response from T&ES: The city website has a wealth of information available updated regularly. The Duke Street in Motion webpage (https://www.alexandriava.gov/DukeInMotion) has information about the projects mentioned, and there is a general web page for all projects on Duke Street (https://www.alexandriava.gov/DukeStreetProjects). | |
| 29 | | | Will the parks have swimming pools? Currently, none along Duke Street have any. |
| response from RPCA: While none are currently planned, we have previously identified the need for aquatic facilities. The 2012 Aquatics Facilities Study proposed a medium-sized family aquatic center on the West end of the City, featuring a lap pool, a zero-depth entry, a play structure, and a water slide. More recently, the 2024–2025 City-Wide Needs Assessment Survey reaffirmed a community interest in swimming amenities. Although funding is not currently available, the Duke Street planning process offers an opportunity to explore strategies that could help realize this vision in the future. | |
| 30 | | | Participation only includes those who have apps on phones – it’s not inclusive! |
| The questions asked on Slido during the meeting are the same questions found either on the Open House boards and/or in the online community poll. For those unable to attend the kick-off meeting, the community poll is now available to provide feedback. You can find it on the project website. If you prefer to respond to a paper copy of the poll, please contact Christian Brandt at Christian.Brandt@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3859. | |
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| 32 | | | People “recording orally” in back made it difficult to hear for those with hearing aides. Background noise! |
| Thank you for the feedback. Providing interpretation for community members who need it is a commitment that we made several years ago in an effort to expand our reach and ensure that everybody who wants to can participate. We understand that the interpretation can sometimes be a bit of a distraction, however we ask that you bear with us in the spirit of inclusion. We will do our best to reduce this distraction in the future by adjusting location and/or volume. | |
| 33 | | | How will this process affect the current zoning? |
| Yet to be determined what comes out of this process. We don't know yet. Some will need to change and some will stay the same. Probably some will need to change based on the priorities of this plan. If housing preservation is an issue, it will affect what we do from a zoning perspective. | Yes |
| 34 | | | How will you keep small businesses along Duke Street? |
| This is another theme we saw tonight. We heard from you about the businesses. One of the reasons they are there is the affordability of a lot of those spaces. One of the things we are going to need to do is identify potential plans/policies/approaches so that we can potentially retain some of those businesses. Potentially there is a way incentivize/disincentivize displacement. | Yes |
| 35 | | | How will this affect home values? |
| Probably too early to say. One of the things we do in all of our plans is take account of the context. People live there, and the goal is to add value and not detract value. | Yes |
| 36 | | | How many trees will be removed? |
| This is a future discussion we need to have. Also, we hope as part of the plan one of things we look at is where trees are missing in and around the corridor so that we can fill in gaps. We heard from many of you: there are big segments of the corridor with no street trees. | Yes |
| 37 | | | How many new parks will be included ? |
| As new development occurs, we make sure to mitigate the impact of the development and ensure that some of it requires new parkland. | Yes |
| 38 | | | What’s the plan to improve metro access and walkability for duke street neighborhood? |
| We heard that Duke Street is a long corridor. We've heard walking and biking to King St Metro is a challenge. Additionally, we heard: how can we walk and bike to the Wegmans in Carlyle/Eisenhower East? That whole corridor is something we need to look at. That is the benefit of doing a Plan, things like that need to be done a corridor plan basis. | Yes |
| 39 | | | How can we leverage the huge investments made in Landmark and the BRT line to make housing more affordable? |
| Housing affordability is a challenge we are facing as a city and region. The City is doing a Housing Master Plan to look at this citywide. As a city, one of the tools we have to get affordable housing is density. We will have some combination of new development, affordable housing, and preservation. | Yes |
| 40 | | | What could transit oriented development look like with the planned BRT? |
| Transit-oriented development includes a variety of elements, such as: How can I have safe and convenient access to transit (i.e. sidewalks and bike facilities to get there safely) as well as other amenities, and also street and sidewalks that are wide enough, uses that are going to benefit the community (i.e. grocery stores). | Yes |
| 41 | | | What facets of the 1992 plan for Duke Street aren’t working as intended or need to be changed? What conditions specifically have changed since then that call for a redesign? |
| One of the things we try to do with newer Small Area Plans, is bring them into best practices. An example of this is that most parking lots built from 1992 did not detain or treat stormwater. New projects should be brought up to the standards of current best practices/policies in the City. | Yes |
| 42 | | | How will improved vehicle flow and increased vehicle capacity be addressed? |
| We'll need to build on the Duke Street in Motion plan. If there are changes as part of that, we'll need to look at that. | Yes |
| 43 | | | Has a Duke Street People Mover ever been considered (i.e. rail tram)? |
| One of the things we'll talk about is the Duke Street in Motion plan. It was approved and went through a process and was approved by City Council. | Yes |
| 44 | | | What are the reasons why Holmes run is the best site for a future metro expansion? |
| There are no plans for a Metro Station at Holmes Run. More information is needed from the individual that asked this question. | Yes |
| 45 | | | What is currently the tallest building in the plan area? How does this compare with other transit-rich neighborhoods in Alexandria? |
| The tallest is Place One Condominiums at 150 feet (15 stories). Overall, heights in the area range from 1 story to 15 stories. | Yes |
| 46 | | | South Pickett Street (south of duke): is it too late to stop the god-awful narrowing of Pickett traffic flow? |
| Assuming the question refers to the bike lane proposal that was ultimately adopted by City Council? Because it has already been adopted, the Duke Street Plan will not be changing anything about it. | Yes |
| 47 | | | What traffic studies have you completed and what traffic studies will you complete? |
| We are still early in this process and there are things we haven’t done yet. We are coming to you now with things we know and things we don't know, but we want to get your feedback. A traffic study will be done. If the plan proposes to add more density, we will have a traffic study to look at it. | Yes |
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