May 2016

Topic


Industrial District to Mixed Use Innovation Community: the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan

Karl Moritz and Merrill St. Leger will describe the plan to transform a low-density predominantly warehouse and industrial district in Alexandria, Virginia, near an underutilized Metrorail station, into a sustainable, innovative mixed-use community with 6 new neighborhoods. The presentation will include the City’s vision and goals for the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan, community engagement strategy, existing site conditions, urban design framework, and plan elements including multimodal transportation, vehicular and pedestrian circulation and connectivity, parks and open space, sustainable design elements, and the implementation strategy.

Date & Time


Wednesday, May 25, 2016
10:30 a.m.- Noon

Location

4th Floor Board Room
County Administration Building (CAB)
14741 Governor Oden Bowie Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

CM

1.5 (Approved)

Speakers / Instructors Biography

Karl W. Moritz is the Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Alexandria. In his work, he touches on a variety of planning issues including integrating land use and multi-modal transportation; the preservation/creation of affordable housing; “retrofitting” suburban development patterns; sensitive infill development; and right-sizing parking. Prior to Alexandria, Karl worked for sixteen years with the Montgomery County Planning Department and eight years with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission. Moritz holds a BA in Geography from Johns Hopkins University, and a MUP Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia.

Merrill St. Leger is a Principal in SmithGroupJJR’s Washington, DC office where she leads the Urban Design and Planning studio. In over 20 years of practice, Merrill has led community planning projects, mixed-use development and TOD master plans, and federal campus planning projects in the mid-Atlantic region from visioning and conceptual design through municipal approvals. Merrill’s leadership, collaborative consensus-building style, and focus on placemaking and integrated design have resulted in award-winning projects including the Scotts Run Master Plan, in Tysons Corner, Virginia; the Mid-City East Small Area Plan in Washington, DC; and the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan in Alexandria, Virginia. Merrill holds a BS in Architecture from Catholic University and a Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech.