WASHINGTON — Alexandria city officials recommend using “alternative B” to construct the Potomac Yard Metrorail station, according to a staff report issued Friday.
The report, along with a Draft Environmental Impact Statement published March 27, will be discussed during eight upcoming meetings in the coming weeks. According to Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille, the Alexandria City Council will select a preferred Potomac Yard Metro site during a May 20 meeting.
Under “alternative B,” the new station would be located near the Potomac Yard Retail Center. The city is leaning toward that option because it’s close to the shopping district and farther from local homes. The so-called “B” option is “the site location mostly preferred by the residents in Potomac Yard and Potomac Greens neighborhoods,” Euille says.
“Alternative A” would cost roughly $230 million. “Alternative B” would cost between $275 million and $280 million. Those estimates were calculated more than two years ago.
Euille, a member of WMATA’s Board of Directors, says he’ll chair a public meeting about the rail this Thursday.
“Not only will the station be an economic win for the City of Alexandria, but for the entire Metro region, particularly when you look at the 26,000 jobs that will be created as a result,” Euille says.
Also, the mayor anticipates new hotels, retail, and 3,000 residential homes coming to Potomac Yard.
The Alexandria City Council will host a public hearing on May 16. The public has until 5 p.m., May 18 to comment on the environmental impact study draft.
Email your thoughts to comments@potomacyardmetro.com or snail mail to: Potomac Yard Metrorail Station EIS, P.O. Box 16531, Alexandria, VA 22302.
