Alexandria Mayor Campaign Heats Up Waterfront Debate

The campaign for mayor is heating up in Alexandria, and the city's waterfront plan is at the center of the debate.

Opponents of the plan have two separate legal challenges, one in the Circuit Court and another in the Virginia Supreme Court. Supporters are also challenging a ruling from the Board of Zoning Appeals in the Circuit Court. That legal limbo is also playing out on the campaign trail, as independent candidate for mayor Andrew Macdonald says the court challenges are an indication that the plan is fraught with problems.

"The plan hasn't received enough of the approval of the community, so it's not progress in that sense, and I don't think it was well thought out," Macdonald said.

Three-term Democratic Mayor Bill Euille disagrees. He says the legal challenges aren't surprising considering the scale of the plan.

"It's a major redevelopment project, so whenever there's a project like this, it's always an opportunity for legal challenge, and so it's part of the normal planning and development process," Euille said.

So far, no one-on-one debates have been scheduled between the two candidates.

Complete story at wamu.org

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