City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: JUNE 4, 2026
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JAMES F. PARAJON, CITY MANAGER
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Briefing and Consideration of a Term Sheet for a Potential Public Infrastructure Investment at 1300 North Royal Street, the Former Potomac River Generating Station (PRGS) Site, through Tax Increment Financing.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration of a potential public infrastructure investment to catalyze environmental clean-up, private investment, and economic activity of the long-vacant 18.87-acre site located at 1300 North Royal Street.
RECOMMENDATION: Receive as information for discussion.
BACKGROUND: PRGS is an 18.87-acre site comprised of a defunct coal-fired power plant, constructed from 1947 to 1957 to support the energy needs of the Washington D.C. area. PRGS required 33 tons of coal daily to operate when first opened, and for several years the facility was the single largest source of air pollutants in Northern Virginia. Its closure in 2012 was a culmination of efforts by residents and the City for more than a decade. Since the power plant's closure in 2012, there have been no uses on site, and it has remained inaccessible to the public. Redevelopment at this site has been planned since the PRGS's closure.
In September 2017, the City Council adopted the Old Town North Small Area Plan (OTNSAP) after an eighteen-month community planning process. At the time of the plan adoption, many details about the site were unknown and no future owner/developer had been identified. The OTNSAP included an illustrative concept to integrate the site into the fabric of Old Town North, expand open space and incorporate key principles identified in the planning process. The OTNSAP recommended rezoning from UT (Utility) to a Coordinated Development District (CDD). Key principles included extending retail, arts and cultural u...
Click here for full text