[Archived] City of Alexandria Seeks Public Comment on Proposal to Rename 3550 Commonwealth Ave. Park to Unity Park

For Immediate Release: July 9, 2019 

The City of Alexandria is seeking public comment on a proposal to rename 3550 Commonwealth Avenue to Unity Park. The Lynhaven Citizens Association proposed the name to honor the history and future of the site.

In 2009, the City purchased the 0.58 acre site from the Virginia Electric Power Company and completed all necessary environmental remediation to create publicly accessible open space. In October 2011, neighborhood volunteers used donated materials to install two gardens, a walking path, shade trees and park benches. Four years later, the City completed the Neighborhood Parks Improvement Plan, which recommended to enhance the volunteer efforts by adding a plaza, game tables, a tricycle track and picnic area. In September 2018, Rebuilding Together Alexandria received grant funding to design and construct the park, which opened in November 2018.

As stated in their proposal, the Lynhaven Citizens Association selected the name Unity Park to reflect the “hopes and dreams that we have for this park…it would be a place of connection, recreation, and fun for all of the people that live in the neighborhoods surrounding it. It would also serve as a reminder of where we have come from and where we are going.”

The public is invited to provide comment on the proposal to rename 3550 Commonwealth Avenue to Unity Park through July 24, 2019. Provide comments by email to ana.vicinanzo@alexandriava.gov with the subject line: 3550 Commonwealth Avenue, or by mail to the Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, Attn: Ana Vicinanzo, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria, VA 22314. The City Council Naming Committee will review all comments received or postmarked by July 24, 2019.

For additional information, contact Ana Vicinanzo, Urban Planner, at 703.746.5494 or by email at ana.vicinanzo@alexandriava.gov.

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact ana.vicinanzo@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.5494, Virginia Relay 711.