u/SnooGrapes9393

looks like the Alexandria City Council officially approved the Phase 1 permits and infrastructure funding for the old power plant site. It's a huge project, with HRP Group and the city teaming up to tear down the defunct power plant and replace it with a mixed-use neighborhood, with Phase 1 expected to wrap up by the end of 2030. Besides getting rid of the abandoned plant, the biggest upside seems to be the 10-plus acres of new public parks and a long-overdue fix for the Mount Vernon Trail, which will finally replace that narrow shitty chain-link "cage" with a wider boardwalk. The plans also include a non-motorized kayak launch on the river, roughly 160 affordable housing units out of the 1,000 total planned, four new DASH bus stops, and hiding all the main parking underground to keep the area pedestrian-friendly. They still have to get through a heavily monitored abatement and demolition process to safely remove materials like asbestos and lead before the new buildings go up, but it's nice to see some tangible progress on a site that's been sitting empty since 2012.

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