Eisenhower West Small Area Plan
Eisenhower West is a 620-acre warehouse and light industrial area in Alexandria, Virginia, located 10 miles from downtown Washington, DC. SmithGroup worked closely with the City of Alexandria’s Department of Planning and Zoning to develop a holistic plan to revitalize and guide future development over the next 25 years.
Client
City of Alexandria, Virginia
Location
Alexandria, Virginia
Markets/Services
Community & Regional Plans, Government, Urban Design, Urban Environments, Urban Planning
Size
620 acres
Featured Awards
Sustainable Urban Design Project, American Planning Association (APA) Sustainable Communities Division
Outstanding Plan Award, American Planning Association (APA) Virginia Chapter
The 18-month planning process featured extensive community engagement and input. The resulting plan is infused with a community-based, sustainable vision for the area’s future. The plan’s goal is to transform Eisenhower West into a vibrant, connected, transit-oriented community that leverages the Van Dorn Metrorail Station and is an integral part of the City’s Eisenhower Valley economic engine.
Six new neighborhoods are envisioned, featuring a dense and dynamic mix of uses with high-quality parks and public spaces, and an enhanced multi-modal transportation network with a refined grid of complete streets.
Forward-thinking recommendations include an Innovation neighborhood, where residential is mixed with light industrial, small commercial, and high-tech. maker spaces; and the revitalization of Backlick Run into a connective greenway that helps manage stormwater naturally.
The plan also explores using the existing waste-to-energy plant to generate Combined Heat-Power, and using reclaimed nonpotable water from the local water treatment facility to supply buildings and the waste-to-energy plant’s cooling needs.
The Eisenhower West Small Area Plan was groundbreaking in its process of engaging the community throughout the length of the planning effort.
Karl W. Moritz
Director of Planning & Zoning
