The View From 1983:
The City of Alexandria gave the King Street Station area considerable attention in anticipation of Metrorail. The city’s strategy is to use the transit station as the catalyst for redevelopment of deteriorating commercial areas near the historic Alexandria railroad station. A staged development program for an approximately 35-acre target area was designed on a parcel-by-parcel basis to capture office and retail development related to Metrorail. A noteworthy aspect of the revised plan for the area is the result of neighborhood opposition to high-density redevelopment, combined with parking and market constraints.
A 1979 zoning action almost halved the permissible density for new development around the station by decreasing both the allowable building heights and floor area ratios. Despite new limitations, Metro- related development has begun to occur around the King Street station. A Washington developer of projects which emphasize status has begun an office building in a run-down area near the station.
The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad has negotiated to develop a 300-room hotel and office building on railroad property across the tracks from the Metrorail station. The railroad company has stated that they would not have considered development had Metrorail service not been planned. The King Street station may be the site of a joint development project if a bridge building is constructed atop the tracks to link the Metrorail station to the RF&P project. There are no plans for residential development.
ADDITIONAL CASE STUDIES:
District of Columbia. Anacostia, Farragut North + Farragut West, Gallery Place + Metro Center, Navy Yard, Rhode Island Avenue, Takoma.
Maryland. Addison Road, Friendship Heights, New Carrollton, Rockville, Silver Spring.
Virginia. Ballston + Court House + Rosslyn, King Street, Huntington.
EXCERPTED FROM:
These observations were compiled in 1983 by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, a group of 300 area-politicians that currently self-identifies as “the hub for regional partnership.” Within the context of 1980’s Metro history, transit author Zachary Schrag has described the group as essentially “a forum for intergovernmental discussions,” without direct impact on policy.
Read the full text below. “Metrorail Station Area Planning, A Metrorail Before-and-After Study Report,” by Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. August, 1983
Metrorail Station Area Plan... by Elliot Carter on Scribd