City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 4, 2015
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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Consideration of the Dedication to the City of a 9,205 Square Foot Property at 312 Beverly Drive for Use as Open Space and Expansion of Monticello Park.
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ISSUE: Consideration and acceptance of a 9,205 square foot priority open space property to be dedicated to the City of Alexandria to expand Monticello Park.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council approve and accept the 9,205 square foot
property dedication to expand Monticello Park.
BACKGROUND: The property owner of 312 Beverly Drive seeks to donate that property to the City to expand the adjacent Monticello Park in conjunction with the City's Open Space Master Plan. The property under consideration, an identified priority open space site, is immediately adjacent to Monticello Park. Monticello Park is an important natural resource area and park in Alexandria, and a nationally recognized site for migratory bird-watching.
DISCUSSION: The Open Space Master Plan established a framework for addressing Alexandria's short and long term open space needs. The Plan framed the initiative with a list of 15 goals, and a subsequent set of open space site criteria and priority sites were approved by City Council in 2004 to support those goals. The receipt of this land donation helps the City to meet the following goals of the Open Space Master Plan:
* Goal 1: Protect and enrich existing parks;
* Goal 4: Protect and expand the stream valleys and other environmentally sensitive areas;
* Goal 9: Create public open space from vacant land; and
* Goal 12: Expand citywide street tree program and protect existing trees and woodland areas.
Many of the properties adjacent to Monticello Park were identified as priority open spac...
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