Elimination Of Potomac Yard Metro South Entrance Sparks Outrage

Residents and businesses alike have expressed outrage on the decision to eliminate the south entrance at East Glebe Road to the future Potomac Yard Metro Station in Alexandria.

The Washington Post reported that Alexandria officials found out in July and signed a confidentiality agreement with Metro to bar them from discussing the changes with the public.

"They have known for months and didn’t engage the community in any way to find solutions," Mila Yochum, president of the Potomac Yard Civic Association, told The Washington Post.

The changes became public May 4 in a memo sent to City Council. The changes also include cancelling the mezzanine, pedestrian bridge and east ramp.

Another concerned citizen, Elena Caudle Hutchison previously told Patch in an email the Potomac Yard neighborhood will be over a half mile from the closest metro entrance.

The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce said in a statement 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," reported WTOP.

One of these organizations, The National Industries for the Blind, is moving to Potomac Yard close to where the south Metro entrance would be. NIB said in a statement to the Washington Business Journal, "Proximity to the Metro station was a key factor in choosing to locate our new national training center in Potomac yard. This change in plans will require people who are blind to navigate a longer, more hazardous path to access public transportation."

After a May 9 community meeting to hear residents' concerns, City Manager Mark Jinks released a memo to the City Council about the risks of adding a south entrance at this stage in the planning process. The memo states adding a south station entrance could delay the station opening by a year and add $40 million to $60 million or more to the current $320 million cost. The north entrance is next to the Potomac Yard shopping center.

The latest estimate for the station opening is late 2021 to early 2022.

SEE ALSO:

• 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