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Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said Thursday that city staff will present flood mitigation alternatives to the City Council next month, one day after the National Park Service blocked the city's plans to build a stormwater pump station in Waterfront Park.
In her daily social media video update, Gaskins acknowledged the federal agency's reversal while vowing the city would continue pursuing solutions to chronic waterfront flooding.
"We still need to continue to work to improve our resiliency and to address flooding," Gaskins said. "I, like you, want to be able to enjoy our waterfront for generations."
What the mayor said
Gaskins framed the NPS letter, dated Feb. 20, as a departure from previous federal communications. The NPS had previously indicated it would work with the city on the pump station design, she said, which is why the Waterfront Park location remained under consideration.
"Yesterday, we received a letter from the National Park Service saying that a structure in the park would be impermissible," Gaskins said. "And this is a little different than previous communications that we had received from the National Park Service, in which they indicated that they would work with us as we were exploring this structure."
The mayor directed residents to the city's website, where both NPS letters have been posted.
Gaskins described the pump station's purpose in accessible terms, explaining that Alexandria's low elevation causes floodwater to pool with no natural outlet. "A pump station is a mechanism that would essentially take the water, hold it, and then pump it back into the river," she said.
What comes next
Gaskins said City Manager James Parajon and staff will return to the council in March with an update and a presentation of alternatives, including options that stakeholders had previously proposed. She noted the city had paused the project last fall to explore those alternatives.
"I hope you'll continue to engage in the conversation," Gaskins said. "Our waterfront belongs to all of us, and we can all be a part of shaping the path forward."
Background
The NPS reversal marked a significant shift from the agency's January 2025 position, when Regional Director Jennifer Nersesian wrote that the NPS had concluded the city's proposal met project needs and that the agency would work with Alexandria to modify the deed to allow the structure. The Feb. 20 letter from NPS Comptroller Jessica Bowron cited the 1981 Settlement Agreement, which restricts Waterfront Park to open space uses in perpetuity and imposes a 15-foot height restriction on any structures.
The roughly $145 million project has drawn sustained opposition from the Alexandria Waterfront Alliance and other community groups, who argued the pump station would violate the federal deed restrictions the NPS ultimately cited.
City Council directed staff last September to spend $150,000 studying 1 Prince St. as an alternative location. That study's findings are expected to be part of the March presentation to the council.
Ryan Belmore
