City Defends Potomac Yard Metro Project Changes

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The City of Alexandria is defending the changes to the Potomac Yard Metro Station that officials knew about since last summer but were not disclosed to the public until earlier this month.

City officials knew about the decision to eliminate to eliminate the south entrance at East Glebe Road since last July but could not discuss it with the public due to a confidentiality agreement with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Other changes include cancelling the mezzanine, pedestrian bridge and east ramp.

The changes came after WMATA received bids last March that significantly exceeded the original $268.1 million budget. City officials had to choose between reducing the scope of the station design, starting the bid process again with a new design with public engagement or cancelling the project.

The city said in a press release the decision to eliminate the south entrance was preferable to starting the process over again, which could have delayed construction by a few years, risked losing financing sources and resulted in higher costs.

There are no changes to the north entrance inext to the Potomac Yard shopping center. The station will continue to have entrances from both sides of the rail tracks and allow pedestrians and bicycles to cross without entering faregates, and the north entrance will be modified to improve access from the south. The city expects ridership to be greater in the area near the north entrance. However, the city hasn't ruled out adding a south entrance in the future.

City Manager Mark Jinks wrote in a May 11 memo that adding the south station entrance at this stage could delay the station opening by a year and add $40 million to $60 million or more to the current $320 million budget.

About a month before the project changes became public, City Council had approved a $52 million increase for the future Potomac Yard Metro Station. The $320 million budget accounts for rising construction costs.

"Our goal throughout this entire process has been to keep the new station affordable and moving forward, and I believe all City staff acted in good faith and reached reasonable conclusions to accomplish that," said Jinks in a statement. "I regret the level of confidentiality that the City believed was required and the community concerns that have resulted, and I am committed to engaging the public as much as possible as the project continues."

After WMATA gave the city the green light to make the changes public early in May, residents and businesses alike expressed outrage on the changes and the secrecy of the decision. The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce stated that the changes were "a violation of trust with the businesses and residents who have already invested in Potomac Yard based on the promise of a fully functioning Metro station."

The station will be funded by the special tax district on commercial properties in the north end, regional transportation authority grants; and developer contributions. The City Council eliminated the planned special tax district on on residential properties in the south end, pending right-of-way easement revenue from a proposed new underground power line.

WMATA will award a construction contract this year, and the contractor will apply for an amendment to the previously approved Alexandria development special use permit factoring in the design changes. The public engagement process is expected to take place in fall 2018. The permit amendment must be approved by the Planning Commission, Board of Architectural Review and City Council. The National Park Service will also review revisions to the station design. The Potomac Yard Metrorail Implementation Group will continue to meet on a regular basis throughout the project.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as late 2018. The new station will likely open in late 2021 or early 2022.

For more information on the project, visit www.alexandriava.gov/PotomacYard.

SEE ALSO:

• Elimination Of Potomac Yard Metro South Entrance Sparks Outrage
• Potomac Yard Metro Project Faces Scrutiny, Meeting To Come
• New $320M Potomac Yard Metro Budget Approved By Council
• Cost Increases For Potomac Yard Metro Project

Image via City of Alexandria