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CANDIDATE NAME: Timothy Lovain PARTY: Democrat
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QUESTION
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ANSWER
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Re West End
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Re Eisenhower Valley
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1. Modes of transportation: Which modes of public transportation and ease-of-use solutions for private transportation do you support which will encourage local residents and visitors to increase their purchases from businesses in –
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I support implementation
of High Capacity Transit Corridors B and C,
enhanced DASH service
and circulator buses
operating from the Van
Dorn Metro station. L wish the City had chosen the option of extending the Pike Transit streetcar
south from Skyline
through the NOVA
campus and Mark Center to the new Beauregard Town Center, instead of
leaving a 1/2 mile gap
between the two systems-
--we need to think more
like a region!
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I support implementation
of High Capacity Transit Corridor B, but I thought the process was too
dismissive of high-capacity transit on
Eisenhower Avenue.
Done right, rail transit
especially can induce
economic development
and generate ridership.
Streetcars can be
especially useful to local businesses because riders can "hop on and hop off'when they see
interesting businesses.
Long term, we should
consider a new Metro
station in the central
portion of Eisenhower
Vallev.
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a. By when?
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as soon as possible
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as soon as possible
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2. Attracting new businesses: Which mechanisms do you support which will attract new businesses to and encourage them to locate in -
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We should re-examine our BPOL categories to make sure we are encouraging
the right kind of
businesses. Building on one-stop permitting, we
need to accelerate efforts to make City processes
business-friendly, e.g. tax forms and procedures.
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ln addition to the
mechanisms discussed
re: the West End: The
Eisenhower Valley is
ideally suited for large scale mostly-commercial
development.
Alexandria already has
the lowest commercial
tax rate in the region, so
tax incentives might
have limited utility. But
perhaps we should
consider "reverse
proffers", where the City
promises to dedicate a
certain portion of tax
revenues from a new
large employer for
infrastructure
improvements,
especially transportation,
that would benefit them
(and the rest of the City),
e.g. expanded DASH
service, subsidized
shuttles to and from
Metro. turn lanes. etc.
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a. By when?
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as soon as possible
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as soon as possible
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3. Master Plan: What timeframe do you support for the completion of a submarket Master Plan for -
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I would be pleased to
learn more about this proposal and support it if it's worthwhile.
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I would be pleased to
learn more about this
proposal and support it if it's worthwhile.
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4. Small Area Plans: What initiatives and timeframes do you support for the completion of development for the:
a. Beauregard Small Area Development Plan.
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This small-area plan is quite detailed. I
support
implementation of its
plans as soon as
possible
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n/a
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b. Landmark Shopping Mall
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Now that the Howard
Hughes Corporation has
purchased most of the
Mall area from General
Growth and has
expressed an interest in
redevelopment, the City
should work closely with
them, Sears and Macy's to implement the Landmark Small Area Plan as soon as possible. The Mall is clearly in a bad condition.
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n/a
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c. Eisenhower West End Development Plan: What is your commitment to maintaining the schedule of the City’s Eisenhower West End Development Plan and, specifically, economic development in the Eisenhower Valley?
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n/a
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This is the last City small
area plan and needs to
be developed and
approved as soon as
possible. We need to
focus on mostly
commercial
development, especially
near the Van Dorn Metro-station. We should
pursue all opportunities
for increased mixed-use,
but commercial-heavy
development throughout
the Valley, but especially
near our Metro stations.
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5. Help for existing businesses: Which specific measures will you promote which will increase the growth, customer base, revenue, and expense minimization of businesses currently located in –
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I think the City does a
good job of helping
Alexandria businesses
through the Small
Business Development
I think the City does a
good job of helping
Alexandria businesses
through the Small
Business Development
Center, AEDP and ACVA, but we could always do more, especially by learning from other jurisdictions. We need to make sure our City processes are business friendly, especially for small businesses. We
need to keep City taxes under control and pursue more economic development, especially near our Metro stations.
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I think the City does a
good job of helping
Alexandria businesses
through the Small
Business Development
Center, AEDP and
ACVA, but we could
always do more,
especially by learning
from other jurisdictions
We need to make sure
our City processes are
business-friendly,
especially for small businesses. We need to
keep City taxes under
control and pursue more
economic development,
especially near our
Metro stations.
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a. By when?
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As soon as possible
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As soon as possible
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6. Developer Taxes: Will you encourage that taxes which are raised from developers be spent on (1) matters pertaining specifically to the developer’s project or (2) City-wide infrastructure services?
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Both. As noted earlier,
Infrastructure improvements, especially for transportation, that benefit a particular development usually also benefit other residents of the City.
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Both. As noted earlier,
Infrastructure improvements, especially for transportation, that benefit a particular development usually also benefit other residents of the City.
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7. National Science Foundation: How do you plan to encourage the NSF’s coming to Eisenhower Valley and selecting one of the three sites it is considering there?
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Same answer as for
Eisenhower Valley.
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See my discussion
above about "reverse proffers." That could be
one way we could
reduce the gap between
Alexandria's and
Arlington's transportation infrastructure.
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8. Victory Center: What are the tangible solutions you will implement to promote Victory Center for immediate tenancy and development?
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Same answer as for
Eisenhower Valley.
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One course we should
consider would be to
convince the owner to
lease a portion of Victory
Center to the City. The
City could use some of
that space for City
business, but also sublease other space to other tenants. Some
experts believe that
bringing some life to an
empty building can have
positive repercussions
for economic development throughout the area.
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a. By what date do you expect first tenant to assume occupancy in Victory Center because of those solutions?
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Same answer as for
Eisenhower Valley.
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lf the owner is agreeable
to this idea, perhaps
May 15,2013?
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9. Campaign Signs: What is your plan to remove all of your political campaign signs following the election?
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As usual, our campaign volunteers will remove all signs.
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As usual, our campaign volunteers will remove all signs.
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a. By when?
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As soon as possible after the election, but certainly within the deadline set by
Alexandria ordinance.
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As soon as possible after the election, but certainly within the deadline set by
Alexandria ordinance.
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10. In 30 words or fewer, why should Alexandria business-owner voters vote for you?
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I am a transportation
expert and a great
believer in smart growth--mixed-use, transit-oriented
development--- with a
track record of fiscal responsibility and keeping taxes under control.
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I am a transportation
expert and a great
believer in smart growth--mixed-use, transit-oriented
development--- with a
track record of fiscal responsibility and keeping taxes under control.
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