[Archived] Alexandria City Council Chooses “Waterfront Park” to Name New Park Area

For Immediate Release: December 15, 2018

On December 15, the Alexandria City Council voted unanimously to combine the interim site surrounding King Street Park and the existing Waterfront Park into a single park named Waterfront Park.

The new park will serve as the keystone to the revitalization of the Potomac River waterfront in Alexandria. Construction is currently underway to join the original King Street Park site with the sites of the former Old Dominion Boat Club building and parking lot, to create an interim park that will open in early 2019. The interim park will feature an open plaza, a waterfront promenade, shade structures, and a modular space that can adapt to different purposes throughout the year. Several years later, the interim park will close so that flood mitigation infrastructure can be constructed and additional amenities added before the permanent park reopens.

Prior to City Council’s naming decision, its Naming Committee conducted an online survey to seek naming suggestions and feedback on whether the new park should include the existing Waterfront Park or constitute a second, separate park. The Naming Committee held a public hearing on November 15, and City Council held an additional public hearing on December 15.

The new park was envisioned in the Waterfront Small Area Plan as “Fitzgerald Square.” Although the Plan was adopted by City Council in 2012 after extensive public input, approval of the Plan did not constitute formal naming of any element in the Plan. All parks in Alexandria are subject to a formal naming process on the basis of focused public input.

For more information about the new park and the naming process, visit alexandriava.gov/Waterfront.

For media inquiries, contact Craig Fifer, Director of Communications and Public Information, at craig.fifer@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3965.