Washingtonian article about Alexandria

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well as a resident of West Alexandria, I can rest assured that neither gives a single polished turd about my neighborhood so none of it matters. They’ll just stay focused on Old Town and Del Ray.

+1 And even then it is just one little central area.

Absolutely right. Both Silberberg and Wilson view everything west of Quaker as some sort of abandoned warehouse. They put the homeless shelter in Landmark. They bought an abandoned and badly suited office building for the new West End elementary school. They are going to throw the West End out of TC and build a new, even worse high school. Neither of them is good for much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Developers can't wait to slap up buildings and retail over in Arlington, yet it's been 10 yrs and the City can't get a developer to actually do anything with Landmark Mall. They like to pretend it has something to do with different landlords but the reality is the developer doesn't want to pour money into something that will just lose money. Landmark is completely car dependent, the surrounding neighborhoods can not support upscale retail and dining, and they can't offer anything unique enough to convince people to drive to come to the area.

You are aware that there are several new, market rate, developments on South Pickett and on Van Dorn. At least one has a new brewpub? There is an upscale Indian restaurant in Cameron Station? In fact despite the delays to Landmark, more is happening in the West End (and of course there are new developments coming elsewhere in West Alex - at least two new projects on Beauregard, for example.

That development was supposed to go up many years ago - it's amazing that they even started on it. It was actually slated to be more ambitious.

Cameron Station has never been able to fill their retail spaces. There is churn of the smaller business. the childcare center has certainly been a constant though.

The condo associations charge grossly excessive, over-market rent to the storefront units, and then they complain that there are vacancies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well as a resident of West Alexandria, I can rest assured that neither gives a single polished turd about my neighborhood so none of it matters. They’ll just stay focused on Old Town and Del Ray.

+1 And even then it is just one little central area.

Absolutely right. Both Silberberg and Wilson view everything west of Quaker as some sort of abandoned warehouse. They put the homeless shelter in Landmark. They bought an abandoned and badly suited office building for the new West End elementary school. They are going to throw the West End out of TC and build a new, even worse high school. Neither of them is good for much.

The homeless shelter is north of Old Town and will return there when the development is complete, meanwhile there is an empty mall that can easily be utilized.

The new school looks fine, and I am sure will work out well. It was not abandoned, but was vacant. A great opportunity.

There is NO plan at this point for whether to keep one city wide school or to have two zoned schools. And no, the specs do not establish that one way or the other, no matter how many times you claim they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope I don't have to vote for either of them. He has the vision of an ant in a tunnel, and she is completely daft and is entirely too dependent on that sycophant who hangs around her.

This city is definitely going in the wrong direction if these two are the best we can get to run.

Our family priorities are solutions to the horrible traffic problems. I would like to be able to get from one side of the city to another in 20 minutes or less. That is completely impossible these days.

I think Justin definitely has a vision for the City.

I can get from NW Alexandria to Old Town in about 30 minutes on my bike. You are going in one of the most crowded corridors at peak? Welcome to living in a city. The solutions are going to be better transit - west Alex BRT on the way, for example - nothing will make driving easier.

You know, I would bet that I've been living in the City a heck of a lot longer than you AND that we have a lot more financially invested in it than you. The traffic has only gotten really bad in the last 2 years. There hasn't been some horrible thing that happened except purposeful incompetence in City Hall both on the part of our elected officials and paid staff. Last night at 5 pm, as I was heading from West & Braddock to our home off of Russell, the line of cars heading east was backed up from West all the way to West Luray Street. That is appalling.

I understand you want to ride your bike. Good for you. But it is not for everyone and isn't a good match for a lot of people who need to get back and forth easily and without looking like a doofus in the weird clothes. So ,no, not everything can be solved with a bike. It is hard to carpool 5-6 kids from the neighborhood on a bike.

And Wilson's vision doesn't exceed his foot size. It is hard to respect him he is such a bumbling fool. And I definitely don't want someone so incompetent to be in charge of things like public safety. Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well as a resident of West Alexandria, I can rest assured that neither gives a single polished turd about my neighborhood so none of it matters. They’ll just stay focused on Old Town and Del Ray.

+1 And even then it is just one little central area.

Absolutely right. Both Silberberg and Wilson view everything west of Quaker as some sort of abandoned warehouse. They put the homeless shelter in Landmark. They bought an abandoned and badly suited office building for the new West End elementary school. They are going to throw the West End out of TC and build a new, even worse high school. Neither of them is good for much.

The homeless shelter is north of Old Town and will return there when the development is complete, meanwhile there is an empty mall that can easily be utilized.

The new school looks fine, and I am sure will work out well. It was not abandoned, but was vacant. A great opportunity.

There is NO plan at this point for whether to keep one city wide school or to have two zoned schools. And no, the specs do not establish that one way or the other, no matter how many times you claim they do.

DP who supports "Absolutely right". As much as you say it ain't so, it is. I think you and your cronies are in for a big surprise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, just no. I can't vote for either of them. Come election time for the first time in many years, I just won't vote.

The only candidate I would be willing to vote for would be the one who would end the City's Affordable Housing program and turn it over to a private entity. It does not make economic sense for a tiny City to be paying to house people when there are so many other pressing infrastructure needs.

Developers can't wait to slap up buildings and retail over in Arlington, yet it's been 10 yrs and the City can't get a developer to actually do anything with Landmark Mall. They like to pretend it has something to do with different landlords but the reality is the developer doesn't want to pour money into something that will just lose money. Landmark is completely car dependent, the surrounding neighborhoods can not support upscale retail and dining, and they can't offer anything unique enough to convince people to drive to come to the area.

The schools are pretty much a lost cause at this point. Speaking of Landmark, the City should get the developer to sell it back to them in a fire sale and the City can turn it into a massive secondary school with all the amenities students could possibly want or need. At least it would be of some good use instead of sitting vacant.

Oh yeah, and then there is the ill fated Victory Center building over on Eisenhower. Built something like 10 years ago, never occupied by a single tenant and apparently now needs to be renovated. Crazy they couldn't attract a single tenant to an office building that was in walking distance to a metro.

I support you in all your statements. I am asking that you DO vote. Even if it is a write-in. Maybe we should all come up with an alternative so that together we can make a statement. We're in between a rock and a hard place with this slate, and no good can come of it. Please vote if only to say "no" to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting article. I'm an Alexandria resident (who pays A LOT of taxes) and I am very interested in the upcoming local election - probably for the first time in my entire life.

I'm voting for Mayor, City Council and School Board members who are younger, more diverse and have reasons for making the city better (i.e. skin in the game) - like young children, small businesses, etc. And people who have enough courage to ask tough questions and get things DONE. I think Justin Wilson will do a great job.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well - I read the article and that mayor sounds wackadoodle. The town I live in has its own share of issues so it was nice to read that maybe other areas around here have their own nutty local governance problems too.

+1, I live in City of Fairfax and our mayor was arrested for swapping meth or sex but Alexandria’s mayor just sound like a space cadet who has no idea what she is doing.

Oh, geez, yeah y'all had some problems. The point is that you recognized the problems and took care of it. In Alexandria we have so many people drinking the kool aid that they think the problems are solutions!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well - I read the article and that mayor sounds wackadoodle. The town I live in has its own share of issues so it was nice to read that maybe other areas around here have their own nutty local governance problems too.

+1, I live in City of Fairfax and our mayor was arrested for swapping meth or sex but Alexandria’s mayor just sound like a space cadet who has no idea what she is doing.

Oh, geez, yeah y'all had some problems. The point is that you recognized the problems and took care of it. In Alexandria we have so many people drinking the kool aid that they think the problems are solutions!

+1. After years of reading DCUM as someone who lives in Alexandria City, I am pretty upset how so many infrastructure projects were put off over the decades of Mayors Euille and Ticer. e.g., the sewer outlets, new and remodeled schools, fix of city hall. Were was any real leadership? All we got was developer build up and out (w not enough concessions by developers).

Taxes and fees here went up nearly 9% over the last 2 years! Now add on the Alex Renew sewer outlet fees starting now and to 2021 and we residents are in for a horrible time of it. It's shockingly bad managing over the last 30 years. I'm not seeing it's good now either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well as a resident of West Alexandria, I can rest assured that neither gives a single polished turd about my neighborhood so none of it matters. They’ll just stay focused on Old Town and Del Ray.

+1 And even then it is just one little central area.

Absolutely right. Both Silberberg and Wilson view everything west of Quaker as some sort of abandoned warehouse. They put the homeless shelter in Landmark. They bought an abandoned and badly suited office building for the new West End elementary school. They are going to throw the West End out of TC and build a new, even worse high school. Neither of them is good for much.

The homeless shelter is north of Old Town and will return there when the development is complete, meanwhile there is an empty mall that can easily be utilized.

The new school looks fine, and I am sure will work out well. It was not abandoned, but was vacant. A great opportunity.

There is NO plan at this point for whether to keep one city wide school or to have two zoned schools. And no, the specs do not establish that one way or the other, no matter how many times you claim they do.

DP who supports "Absolutely right". As much as you say it ain't so, it is. I think you and your cronies are in for a big surprise.

I am no one's crony, just a citizen, like you. I just disagree with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well - I read the article and that mayor sounds wackadoodle. The town I live in has its own share of issues so it was nice to read that maybe other areas around here have their own nutty local governance problems too.

+1, I live in City of Fairfax and our mayor was arrested for swapping meth or sex but Alexandria’s mayor just sound like a space cadet who has no idea what she is doing.

Oh, geez, yeah y'all had some problems. The point is that you recognized the problems and took care of it. In Alexandria we have so many people drinking the kool aid that they think the problems are solutions!

+1. After years of reading DCUM as someone who lives in Alexandria City, I am pretty upset how so many infrastructure projects were put off over the decades of Mayors Euille and Ticer. e.g., the sewer outlets, new and remodeled schools, fix of city hall. Were was any real leadership? All we got was developer build up and out (w not enough concessions by developers).

Taxes and fees here went up nearly 9% over the last 2 years! Now add on the Alex Renew sewer outlet fees starting now and to 2021 and we residents are in for a horrible time of it. It's shockingly bad managing over the last 30 years. I'm not seeing it's good now either.

The infra was delayed precisely because the Council then did not have the courage to raise taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope I don't have to vote for either of them. He has the vision of an ant in a tunnel, and she is completely daft and is entirely too dependent on that sycophant who hangs around her.

This city is definitely going in the wrong direction if these two are the best we can get to run.

Our family priorities are solutions to the horrible traffic problems. I would like to be able to get from one side of the city to another in 20 minutes or less. That is completely impossible these days.

I think Justin definitely has a vision for the City.

I can get from NW Alexandria to Old Town in about 30 minutes on my bike. You are going in one of the most crowded corridors at peak? Welcome to living in a city. The solutions are going to be better transit - west Alex BRT on the way, for example - nothing will make driving easier.

You know, I would bet that I've been living in the City a heck of a lot longer than you AND that we have a lot more financially invested in it than you. The traffic has only gotten really bad in the last 2 years. There hasn't been some horrible thing that happened except purposeful incompetence in City Hall both on the part of our elected officials and paid staff. Last night at 5 pm, as I was heading from West & Braddock to our home off of Russell, the line of cars heading east was backed up from West all the way to West Luray Street. That is appalling.

I understand you want to ride your bike. Good for you. But it is not for everyone and isn't a good match for a lot of people who need to get back and forth easily and without looking like a doofus in the weird clothes. So ,no, not everything can be solved with a bike. It is hard to carpool 5-6 kids from the neighborhood on a bike.

And Wilson's vision doesn't exceed his foot size. It is hard to respect him he is such a bumbling fool. And I definitely don't want someone so incompetent to be in charge of things like public safety. Sheesh.

I lived in the City as far back as 1992 (we moved out briefly, then back). There was heavy traffic then, and there are plenty of streets where traffic is not that bad. Traffic got worse with the BRAC building completion, of course, which I think everyone is aware of. I did not mean everyone needs to bike everywhere, but merely pointing out that things are not that bad. By the way, you can bike without wearing bike clothing, I often bike in regular clothes.

As for the traffic situation, sounds like a back up toward the light and the metro station. Despite the length, it may not have taken that long to clear out after the light changed, and total delay may not have been small. You can do call click connect, and the City can look at adjusting signal timing. Otherwise I am not sure what your suggestion is - stop developing the area near Braddock metro in order to shorten the queue at that intersection?

By the way to clarify, it seems like your priority is to get across the City, at PM peak, in under 20 minutes, consistently. That may or may not be possible. I don't think that should be the only priority for the City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well - I read the article and that mayor sounds wackadoodle. The town I live in has its own share of issues so it was nice to read that maybe other areas around here have their own nutty local governance problems too.

+1, I live in City of Fairfax and our mayor was arrested for swapping meth or sex but Alexandria’s mayor just sound like a space cadet who has no idea what she is doing.

Oh, geez, yeah y'all had some problems. The point is that you recognized the problems and took care of it. In Alexandria we have so many people drinking the kool aid that they think the problems are solutions!

+1. After years of reading DCUM as someone who lives in Alexandria City, I am pretty upset how so many infrastructure projects were put off over the decades of Mayors Euille and Ticer. e.g., the sewer outlets, new and remodeled schools, fix of city hall. Were was any real leadership? All we got was developer build up and out (w not enough concessions by developers).

Taxes and fees here went up nearly 9% over the last 2 years! Now add on the Alex Renew sewer outlet fees starting now and to 2021 and we residents are in for a horrible time of it. It's shockingly bad managing over the last 30 years. I'm not seeing it's good now either.

The infra was delayed precisely because the Council then did not have the courage to raise taxes.

Are you kidding? That's just not the truth. Our real estate taxes went up hugely over the years (decades) prior to this recent Council. Alexandria City was flush with cash but just didn't manage the city revenue income correctly as evidenced by the pile up on expenditures now. Time=money flow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well - I read the article and that mayor sounds wackadoodle. The town I live in has its own share of issues so it was nice to read that maybe other areas around here have their own nutty local governance problems too.

+1, I live in City of Fairfax and our mayor was arrested for swapping meth or sex but Alexandria’s mayor just sound like a space cadet who has no idea what she is doing.

Oh, geez, yeah y'all had some problems. The point is that you recognized the problems and took care of it. In Alexandria we have so many people drinking the kool aid that they think the problems are solutions!

+1. After years of reading DCUM as someone who lives in Alexandria City, I am pretty upset how so many infrastructure projects were put off over the decades of Mayors Euille and Ticer. e.g., the sewer outlets, new and remodeled schools, fix of city hall. Were was any real leadership? All we got was developer build up and out (w not enough concessions by developers).

Taxes and fees here went up nearly 9% over the last 2 years! Now add on the Alex Renew sewer outlet fees starting now and to 2021 and we residents are in for a horrible time of it. It's shockingly bad managing over the last 30 years. I'm not seeing it's good now either.

The infra was delayed precisely because the Council then did not have the courage to raise taxes.

Are you kidding? That's just not the truth. Our real estate taxes went up hugely over the years (decades) prior to this recent Council. Alexandria City was flush with cash but just didn't manage the city revenue income correctly as evidenced by the pile up on expenditures now. Time=money flow.

The rates increased? Or the assessments?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well - I read the article and that mayor sounds wackadoodle. The town I live in has its own share of issues so it was nice to read that maybe other areas around here have their own nutty local governance problems too.

+1, I live in City of Fairfax and our mayor was arrested for swapping meth or sex but Alexandria’s mayor just sound like a space cadet who has no idea what she is doing.

Oh, geez, yeah y'all had some problems. The point is that you recognized the problems and took care of it. In Alexandria we have so many people drinking the kool aid that they think the problems are solutions!

+1. After years of reading DCUM as someone who lives in Alexandria City, I am pretty upset how so many infrastructure projects were put off over the decades of Mayors Euille and Ticer. e.g., the sewer outlets, new and remodeled schools, fix of city hall. Were was any real leadership? All we got was developer build up and out (w not enough concessions by developers).

Taxes and fees here went up nearly 9% over the last 2 years! Now add on the Alex Renew sewer outlet fees starting now and to 2021 and we residents are in for a horrible time of it. It's shockingly bad managing over the last 30 years. I'm not seeing it's good now either.

The infra was delayed precisely because the Council then did not have the courage to raise taxes.

Are you kidding? That's just not the truth. Our real estate taxes went up hugely over the years (decades) prior to this recent Council. Alexandria City was flush with cash but just didn't manage the city revenue income correctly as evidenced by the pile up on expenditures now. Time=money flow.

The rates increased? Or the assessments?

Rates and assessments. So you are happy that mandatory and known city infrastructure needs were put off while the City was flush with cash, pp? You're denying it was a major oversight and now we are stuck in a perfect storm in Alexandria City? Just look at PY Metro comments by fellow Alexandrian's. How many decades was that project delayed to the point? ps. I forgot to mention Kerry as a past mayor: he gets no pass on this mess.