Alexandria might use eminent domain to achieve its hotly contested plans for the Potomac waterfront. City Attorney James Banks said eminent domain would be used as a last resort to acquire land claimed by the Old Dominion Boat Club if negotiations fall through by the end of September — the deadline the city council indicated for the talks.
The city announced last week that it had offered $150,000 for a 73-foot stretch along Strand Street — an offer the boat club refused.
“If there is no agreement, then as an extreme last resort, the city must consider its rights under eminent domain,” Banks said.
Old Dominion Boat Club member Bert Ely said $150,000 was far too low a price for the property in question, which includes a set of parking spaces along the street and an alley boat access.
The city wants the land so it can revamp it for “traffic and flood mitigation,” as well as to allow more public access to the waterfront, one of the key elements of the redevelopment plan, Banks said.
The negotiations come amid a citywide tussle over what the future of the waterfront will look like, with angry citizens, politicians and developers due to convene at the first Waterfront Work Group meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
The city council appointed the group to find agreement in the waterfront debate over the summer so that it can approve a final plan in the fall.
At stake is a redevelopment plan that critics say gives too much space to boutique hotels and not enough to museums and parks.
Supporters of the city’s original $50 million plan say the waterfront should pay for itself by earning tax revenue from private development, such as hotels.
But the opposition wants a more expensive plan with more green space and art.
“If the parties prevail that think that waterfront development must pay for everything on the waterfront, sort of like the debt issue, then I don’t think they’re going to get very far,” said Andrew MacDonald, former vice mayor and president of Citizens for Alternative Alexandria Waterfront Plan.
