Arlington County and the city of Alexandria want to coordinate their efforts to improve the region’s transportation options, but given that Alexandria has far less money, city official are debating whether they can afford to keep pace with the improvements Arlington is planning.
Officials in both jurisdictions, who met jointly for the first time last Thursday, agree that it would be mutually beneficial to work together along their borders at Potomac Yard and Crystal City, including developing better Metro access and a unified streetcar system. But given that Arlington’s budget is twice as large as Alexandria’s and the county has nearly three times the taxable development as the city, Alexandria may not be able to shoulder its share of the cost.
“The harsh reality is these are different communities, and there are different funding levels available right now,” said Alexandria Councilwoman Alicia Hughes, “and we have to determine the needs of Alexandria based on where we are today as opposed to where Arlington is today.”
Both jurisdictions have already approved new developments stretching from the Pentagon in Arlington to Braddock Road in Alexandria. Officials from both jurisdictions noted that the new developments will provide tax revenue to help pay for the transportation improvements, but most of the new development, and the new tax revenue that comes with it, will be in Arlington, not Alexandria.
Despite the financial hardship, the joint transportation projects are needed urgently not just for new development but to alleviate existing congestion, Alexandria Councilman Rob Krupicka said.
“It’s not a question of do we do this or do we not do this, because I don’t think we have that choice,” he said. “We have congested roads, we have citizens with an inability to get around the region; I think the question is just how do we do it.”
While most of her colleagues say the city must move forward, Hughes is ready to hit the brakes.
“It’s not too late.” Hughes said. “I think that we’ve got this hurry-up mentality based on what other people are doing. When it’s not a reality that we face today, we have to stop and evaluate what is in the best interest for Alexandria.”
