[Archived] City of Alexandria Acquires First Property for Pocket Park Program

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	May 1, 2007 PIO# 106-07/rdo	Steve Mason, Director of Communications, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

City of Alexandria Acquires First Property for Pocket Park Program

The City of Alexandria has acquired the first property for its Pocket Park Program. The City obtained the property, located at 48 S. Early St., after Council ratified the contract between Alexandria and the owner on April 9 and finalized the acquisition on April 30.

The parcel, which is listed on the City’s Open Space Pocket Park list, approved by Council in February 2007, is the first pocket park acquisition since Council approved the Pocket Park Program in March of 2005.

The City financed the acquisition with funds derived from City Council’s dedication of one percent of Alexandria’s real estate tax rate for open space acquisition. As part of the Pocket Park Program, Council approved a goal of using a minimum of 20 percent of the Open Space Fund for obtaining pocket park sites.

The parcel at 48 S. Early St. is currently occupied by a single family house and has a small perennial stream with an engineered channel that bisects it, extending from the parcel’s northwest to southwest corners. The entire property is located within a Resource Protection Area (RPA) and a floodplain.

With the parcel’s finalized acquisition, City staff will begin the park planning and design process, including demolition and removal of the existing building. The public will be invited to participate in the design process with review from the Alexandria Park and Recreation Commission.

For more information on the Pocket Park Program, call Laura Durham, the City’s Open Space Coordinator, at 703-838-5041.

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