Virginia Paving Company
A large parcel of prime real estate in Alexandria’s West End may be redeveloped, after the City Council Saturday decided to tell Virginia Paving Company to vacate its property.
Virginia Paving Company, which has several acres of land southeast of the intersection of South Van Dorn and Pickett streets, has operated an asphalt plant there since the 1960s.
The Alexandria Planning Commission noted in its report to the Council from its meeting on Oct. 3 that the plant’s heavy industrial use of that land is “inconsistent” with the City’s long-term plans for the development of the area and with the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan, which was approved in 2015. (See the Planning Commission’s Oct. 3 discussion here.)
The Eisenhower West Small Area Plan recommends the area be redeveloped for residential, office and civic/recreation, since it is so close to the Van Dorn Street Metro station. Development could include a new street grid and further protections for Backlick Run and the natural area surrounding it.
The Planning Commission recommended the plant close by Jan. 1, 2027, whereas city staff recommended that the plan close at the earliest possible date (based on the small area plan) of November 2022.
The asphalt produced at the Virginia Paving Company facility in Alexandria has been used to pave roads in Alexandria and elsewhere in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Fredericksburg and other areas. The company has seven plants in Virginia.
Virginia Paving Co.
“The Virginia Paving Company is one of the premier transportation construction and paving companies in Virginia, playing a leading role in the construction and maintenance of highways, bridges and airports,” according to the company’s website. Alexandria could lose significant tax revenue and increase its own paving costs by requiring the company to vacate its property.
Two residents spoke at the Saturday City Council meeting: Art Impastato, president of the Cameron Station Civic Associaiton, spoke in support of the closure of the plant to facilitate development consistent with the small area plan.
Morgan Babcock, representing the Carlyle Council, said, “I personally think that it’s not worth shutting down a business that has done nothing wrong in the last several years.” Further, money for a planned multimodal bridge has not been identified, the company has had no violations in the past several years and the cost to bring in asphalt from elsewhere will increase costs to the city, Babcock said.
Mary Catherine Gibbs, representing Virginia Paving Company, spoke at Saturday’s City Council meeting, telling Council members that Virginia Paving Company’s existence is not inconsistent with the Eisenhower West Small Area Plan at this time. While not conceding the plant needed to close, she argued that allowing the company seven years is the “most fair and most reasonable approach,” given that the area has not been rezoned yet.
This will take 110 jobs out of the city, Gibbs said, and Virginia Paving Co. needs time to find a new, appropriate property, get permits, construct a new plant and start operations. The company will also have to find a developer to purchase its Alexandria property.
The City Council vote was unanimous to have the plant start the process of closing, ending operations by Jan. 1, 2027.
“We recognize that this is a business that provides a need to the community,” said Mayor Justin Wilson Saturday. “I think the hope is that whatever will be there in the future will also be a successful business and will pay a lot of taxes and will help shape the future of that portion of our City.”
