City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 2, 2015
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Receipt of an Update on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission Commuter Ferry Service Project.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration of Receipt of an Update on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) Commuter Ferry Service Project.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. Receive the update on the Commuter Ferry Project; and
2. Authorize the Mayor to send a letter on behalf of Council (Attachment 1) to NVRC expressing support in concept utilizing the Potomac River serving as a regional transportation corridor, and expressing serious concerns with proposed shore-side facilities in Alexandria due to potential parking and traffic impacts on Old Town.
BACKGROUND: The concept of a high-speed commuter ferry service on the Potomac River has been the subject of several studies and stakeholder groups since the April 2000. As it is currently envisioned, the NVRC Commuter Ferry Service Project is exploring connections between employment and residential centers located along the Potomac, Occoquan, and Anacostia Rivers. The ferry would provide a water based alternative for moving passengers and freight within the region and is also intended to increase the resiliency of the existing regional transportation systems. The project has published three (3) studies in the last 15 years to evaluate Feasibility (2000), Services and Routing (2009) and most recently Service and Market Analysis (2015).
In June 2015, NVRC held a stakeholder meeting in order to provide an overview of the results of the Service and Market Analysis study. A planned Fast Ferry Summit, initially scheduled for October 22, 2015, is being rescheduled.
DISCUSSION: The recently released market ana...
Click here for full text