Southwest Access Pavilion For Potomac Yard Metro OK'd By Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA — On Saturday, Alexandria City Council unanimously approved a southwest access pavilion to the Potomac Yard Metro station at East Glebe Road and Potomac Avenue.

The actions followed two years of engagement with the community to provide a southwest access point to the station with available funding. In 2018, nearby residents and businesses were outraged to learn of a decision to eliminate a south entrance due to bids that exceeded the original project budget. City officials said they had to decide whether to reduce the scope of the station design, start the bid process again with a new design with public engagement or cancel the project. Alexandria officials had known of the decision to remove the south entrance since the previous July but signed a confidentiality agreement with Metro to not discuss it with the public.

The design approved by City Council in 2018 had kept the north entrance to the station along with a basic south access ramp from Potomac Avenue and East Glebe Road. The opportunity for an upgraded south access point came when the announcement came that Amazon's second headquarters would be located in Arlington and a Virginia Tech Innovation Campus would be located in Alexandria. With that announcement, the Commonwealth of Virginia announced $50 million in funding for an enhanced southwest access point for the station.

The southwest access pavilion will be funded as part of that $50 million state grant. The updated station design provides a flat, enclosed, 520-foot bridge, accessible by elevator or stairs from the south access pavilion. The entry aligns with the crosswalk across Potomac Avenue, providing a direct line of access from the National Industries for the Blind building. Metro riders will be able to cross between the east and west sides of the station without passing through fare gates.

The Metro station will be located close to the future Virginia Tech Innovation Campus. In October, City Council gave approval for construction to begin on the first phase of the North Potomac Yard development, which includes the first academic building aimed to open in 2024. Development special use permits were also approved for six commercial buildings, where developer JBG SMITH is planning office, retail, and residential uses.

The Potomac Yard Metro station project cost is $370 million, paid with new tax revenue from Potomac Yard development over the next 40 years, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority funding, a state grant, special tax district in North and Central Potomac Yard, low-interest loan from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, and developer contributions. The estimated completion date for the station is spring 2022.