Petition Requesting the Alexandria City Counsel Uphold the Goals and Visions of the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan by Disapproving the Request by Public Storage to Build a Storage Facility on South Pickett Street

As City Director of Planning and Zoning Karl Moritz stated, that the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan (“EWSAP”) was “groundbreaking in its process of engaging the community.” In fact, the City of Alexandria received both a 2016 Outstanding Plan Award from the American Planning Association Virginia Chapter and the 2016 Excellence in Sustainability Award by the American Planning Association. The viability of the EWSAP is now in jeopardy as a consequence of the request by Public Storage to build a storage facility on South Pickett Street. The EWSAP states that South Pickett “is envisioned as primarily residential with some mixed use areas that include maintaining existing neighborhood-serving retail with small office and/or residential above.”

Public Storage’s request to build a new storage facility on South Pickett is totally inconsistent with this very specific vision for South Pickett. The undersigned do not want this ill-conceived project to be the catalyst for future development within the EWSAP. Doing so will make properties along South Pickett less attractive for residential and mixed use. In addition, it will embolden future developers within the SAP to also ask for amendments to the EWSAP in order to permit additional inconsistent uses within a geographic area that is vital to the future economic well being of the City as well as to enhancing the quality of life within the West End.

The Public Storage project is particularly inappropriate given that a number of recent and future projects have met the goals and vision of the EWSAP. There are currently multiple residential and mixed use projects on South Pickett which have been completed in the last 3 years including Modera Tempo, Brandywine Senior Living, a yet to be named apartment building with first floor retail and Cambria Square. Greenhill Companies are currently in the approval process for a CDD on their entire site that embody the tenants of both the Eisenhower West and Landmark Van Dorn Small Area Plans.

In light of the foregoing, the undersigned formally request the Alexandria City Council to disapprove Item 11 on the Docket for the December 15, 2018 City Council Public Hearing concerning the request by Public Storage for a Coordinated Development District Conceptual Design Plan, Development Special Use Permit and Transportation Management Plan Special Use Permit relating to 880 and 890 South Pickett Street and 620 Burnside Place.