Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Washington Post
September 21, 2008
Pg. B8
Regarding the Sept. 14 Close to Home article "The Best Spot for 6,200 Army Workers":
The Department of the Army will soon decide which site -- in Fairfax County or in the city of Alexandria -- is truly the best fit for the employees and mission of the Defense Department's Washington Headquarters Services (WHS). But the criteria the Army is using to make this award decision should not be dismissed lightly.
The Army, the WHS and their dedicated advisers have spent months determining what is most important to the WHS's ability to meet its mission over the long term. These criteria took nearly a year to develop and will be the benchmark for the Army's final decision.
As with many decisions, there are trade-offs. Both of the sites located in Alexandria, the Mark Center and the Victory Center, would allow the Army and the Defense Department to achieve the criteria they have deemed most important without sacrifice. Both Alexandria sites have been thoroughly vetted and meet or exceed the stringent security, transportation, environmental and future growth requirements outlined in the procurement documents. The owners of many private sites throughout Northern Virginia submitted proposals to the Army, and those that could not meet the setback, transit and other requirements were eliminated from consideration. To assert that the two Alexandria sites do not meet these requirements is incorrect.
Perhaps most important, federal law requires that all relocations and realignments included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) actions be completed by Sept. 15, 2011. Only the two Alexandria sites can accommodate this schedule from both construction and transportation infrastructure standpoints. Unlike the Springfield warehouse site, neither Alexandria site requires redevelopment and relocation of existing uses, or the major expense involved in that.
Alexandria has been home to federal operations for more than 200 years and was disappointed when the 2005 BRAC legislation required the relocation of more than 7,200 Defense Department employees from Alexandria to multiple installations around the United States. Relocating the 6,200 WHS employees to Alexandria would offset these negative impacts while addressing the persistent and legitimate concerns of many, including the Virginia Department of Transportation, about significant transportation and infrastructure problems based on the sizable growth at Fort Belvoir and the Engineer Proving Grounds. In fact, easing the impact on transportation in the Fort Belvoir-Springfield area is one of the reasons that the Army decided to consider privately owned sites in relocating the WHS. Either Alexandria site, if selected, would stimulate redevelopment of adjacent areas, such as the Landmark/Van Dorn corridor.
The Army has spent significant time and resources outlining the criteria by which the relocation of the WHS will be decided. The city of Alexandria supports both the Mark Center and Victory Center sites and stands ready to work with the federal government and our property owners to meet the Army's objectives and timelines.
--James K. Hartmann, Alexandria
The writer is city manager of the City of Alexandria.
September 21, 2008
Pg. B8
Regarding the Sept. 14 Close to Home article "The Best Spot for 6,200 Army Workers":
The Department of the Army will soon decide which site -- in Fairfax County or in the city of Alexandria -- is truly the best fit for the employees and mission of the Defense Department's Washington Headquarters Services (WHS). But the criteria the Army is using to make this award decision should not be dismissed lightly.
The Army, the WHS and their dedicated advisers have spent months determining what is most important to the WHS's ability to meet its mission over the long term. These criteria took nearly a year to develop and will be the benchmark for the Army's final decision.
As with many decisions, there are trade-offs. Both of the sites located in Alexandria, the Mark Center and the Victory Center, would allow the Army and the Defense Department to achieve the criteria they have deemed most important without sacrifice. Both Alexandria sites have been thoroughly vetted and meet or exceed the stringent security, transportation, environmental and future growth requirements outlined in the procurement documents. The owners of many private sites throughout Northern Virginia submitted proposals to the Army, and those that could not meet the setback, transit and other requirements were eliminated from consideration. To assert that the two Alexandria sites do not meet these requirements is incorrect.
Perhaps most important, federal law requires that all relocations and realignments included in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) actions be completed by Sept. 15, 2011. Only the two Alexandria sites can accommodate this schedule from both construction and transportation infrastructure standpoints. Unlike the Springfield warehouse site, neither Alexandria site requires redevelopment and relocation of existing uses, or the major expense involved in that.
Alexandria has been home to federal operations for more than 200 years and was disappointed when the 2005 BRAC legislation required the relocation of more than 7,200 Defense Department employees from Alexandria to multiple installations around the United States. Relocating the 6,200 WHS employees to Alexandria would offset these negative impacts while addressing the persistent and legitimate concerns of many, including the Virginia Department of Transportation, about significant transportation and infrastructure problems based on the sizable growth at Fort Belvoir and the Engineer Proving Grounds. In fact, easing the impact on transportation in the Fort Belvoir-Springfield area is one of the reasons that the Army decided to consider privately owned sites in relocating the WHS. Either Alexandria site, if selected, would stimulate redevelopment of adjacent areas, such as the Landmark/Van Dorn corridor.
The Army has spent significant time and resources outlining the criteria by which the relocation of the WHS will be decided. The city of Alexandria supports both the Mark Center and Victory Center sites and stands ready to work with the federal government and our property owners to meet the Army's objectives and timelines.
--James K. Hartmann, Alexandria
The writer is city manager of the City of Alexandria.