City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: DECEMBER 7, 2021
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
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Consideration of Scenarios for the Revitalization of the Torpedo Factory Art Center.
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ISSUE: Outlining three illustrative scenarios for the Torpedo Factory Art Center for City Council review and consideration.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council receive a presentation and discuss the three illustrative scenarios for the Torpedo Factory Art Center and provide general direction on a preferred scenario to staff on how to proceed with revitalization for the Art Center.
SUMMARY: During the June 22, 2021 Legislative Meeting, City Council tasked City staff to present potential strategies for the implementation of the Action Plan and the revitalization of the Art Center for Council consideration in December 2021.
Staff has been working with a consultant team from Smithgroup on developing the space plan strategies, and a consultant team from JLL worked to analyze the financial feasibility of potential implementation strategies. Additionally, the City, led by the General Services Department has undertaken a structural assessment of the rooftop and waterfront access, along with a full building condition assessment (as part of the planned five-year review cycle) to better understand the opportunities and constraints of the building as well as needed maintenance and system improvements.
BACKGROUND: In 1974, a portion of the four Torpedo Factory buildings, which had been a munitions factory, and then a federal records and storage center, was reopened as a unique art center. The Torpedo Factory Art Center (the "Art Center"), which now comprises 74,000 square feet of space, became a showcase for the nation's largest number of publicly accessible artists' studios under a single roof. It was a unique mode...
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