Table of Contents
The National Park Service has reversed its position on a key flood mitigation project in Alexandria, dealing a significant blow to the city's plans to construct a stormwater pump station in Waterfront Park.
In a letter dated Feb. 20, NPS Comptroller Jessica Bowron, exercising the delegated authority of the agency's director, informed City Manager James Parajon that the federal government would take no action to modify the 1981 Settlement Agreement that governs the use of Waterfront Park — a direct reversal of the agency's stance outlined just 13 months earlier.
A project years in the making
The decision puts the city's roughly $145 million Waterfront Flood Mitigation Project in jeopardy. Funded primarily through $142 million in city capital infrastructure funds approved in May 2025 and a $3.24 million state grant, the project was designed to address recurring flooding along the waterfront from three sources: tidal backflow into the sewer system, river water overtopping aging bulkheads, and heavy rain runoff. According to city data, the waterfront experienced 227 flooding events at Prince Street level in the past year alone, compared to a 20-year average of 145, with current flood-related costs running $400,000 to $800,000 annually.
The proposed pump station had been through years of design evolution. By last fall, the city had reduced the building's length by 18 to 22 feet, bringing it to 74 feet, and was soliciting public input on architectural styles ranging from modern industrial designs with green walls to more traditional approaches compatible with Old Town's historic character. The current design drew inspiration from Alexandria's maritime heritage, incorporating board-formed concrete panels and nautical-inspired elements.
What the 1981 settlement says
The 1981 settlement, which resolved a property boundary dispute between the city and the federal government, restricts Waterfront Park to use as "an open space public park area" in perpetuity. Permitted uses are limited to pedestrian walkways, bicycle trails, seating, landscaped areas, fountains, gardens, play areas, plazas and temporary facilities for special events. The agreement also imposes a 15-foot height restriction on any structures erected in the park.
Bowron wrote that Alexandria's proposed pump station "would permanently remove a large portion of the property from permissible park uses and convert it to impermissible uses."
The reversal stands in stark contrast to the NPS's position as recently as January 2025, when Regional Director Jennifer Nersesian wrote that the agency had concluded the city's proposal "meets the needs for the Waterfront Flood Mitigation project" and that NPS would "continue to work with the City to finalize the design and to modify the deed to allow for the new structure."
Community opposition and an alternative proposal
The project has drawn sustained community opposition. The Alexandria Waterfront Alliance — which includes the Historic Alexandria Foundation, Old Town Civic Association and Old Dominion Boat Club among its members — has argued the project violates the very federal deed restrictions the NPS cited in Wednesday's letter. The group described the proposed structure as a "giant rusty metal box" and characterized the project as "destructive, unnecessary, wasteful and in violation of public trust." A Change.org petition opposing the Waterfront Park location has garnered more than 970 signatures.
In September, the alliance presented the Waterfront Commission with an unsolicited proposal to relocate the pump station to the long-vacant building at 1 Prince St., arguing it would preserve the park while utilizing the structure's existing deep foundation piles. City officials had previously analyzed four alternative locations — 110 South Union St., 1 Prince St., 2 and 6 Prince St., and Point Lumley Park — before settling on Waterfront Park as the only viable option given technical, engineering, budgetary and timing constraints. The city estimated the 1 Prince St. alternative would cost an additional $25 million to $45 million and push the project back two to four years.
Council signals support for further study
City Council signaled support for a fresh look at the alternative site last fall. At a Sept. 30 legislative meeting, Mayor Alyia Gaskins introduced a proposal to spend $150,000 to study 1 Prince St. as an alternative, which would pause current design work for approximately three months. Councilman Kirk McPike called examining the site "a worthwhile thing for us to do," and Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley expressed support while cautioning that "we are going to have a difficult conversation" at the end of the process.
Gaskins said at the time that the study would not commit the city to the alternative location, and that staff would return to council with findings comparing the costs and impacts of both options.
What happens next
Under the current project schedule, construction was set to begin in summer 2026 with substantial completion targeted for 2028. Wednesday's announcement throws that timeline into question.
The city said staff will present the results of the alternative site evaluation to council this spring.
In a statement, the city said it "remains committed to finding a solution to ongoing flooding that addresses the effects of climate change, reduces our building footprint, and is a collaborative effort with our regional and national partners as well as members of the business community, residents, and others who enjoy our waterfront."
The NPS directed any further questions to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor.
Primary source documents: Letters from the National Park Service
The Alexandria Brief is publishing both NPS letters in full in the interest of transparency and public record.
January 16, 2025 — NPS Regional Director Jennifer T. Nersesian to Old Town Civic Association President Yvonne Weight Callahan, copied to the City of Alexandria
Yvonne Weight Callahan
President
Old Town Civic Association
P.O. Box 1213
Alexandria, VA 22313
Dear Ms. Callahan,
I am writing in response to your December 19, 2024, email to National Park Service (NPS) Director Chuck Sams regarding the Alexandria Waterfront, and specifically the proposed pumping station associated with the Waterfront Flood Mitigation Project. Your inquiry has been forwarded to me for a response.
Due to the 1981 settlement agreement between the City of Alexandria (City) and the United States, the NPS has been working with the City since 2015 on the development of the waterfront implementation plan. The City has been open and transparent in the planning and design development of the proposed Waterfront Flood Mitigation project through electronic and online communication, multiple open public meetings, and additional private meetings with stakeholders. We agree with the City that meeting the project's goals is necessary for public health and safety.
The pumping equipment needed to mitigate flooding is substantial, and sufficient space must be provided near the waterfront. The project's objective has been to design a pump station that meets the technical requirements while minimizing impacts to public use and enjoyment of the waterfront to the extent practicable. The proposed single-station approach will preserve more than twice as much usable area of Waterfront Park for public use and recreation. Notwithstanding its height, the NPS believes the currently proposed design best meets the objective of minimizing impacts to public spaces on the waterfront to the extent practicable.
While the planning process has been lengthy, the City has worked closely with the NPS and the community to develop and evaluate alternative locations for the proposed pump station. However, it has been determined that the proposed location at Waterfront Park is the only viable location given the technical, engineering, budgetary, and timing constraints for this vital public safety project. This conclusion is consistent with the general location indicated in the City's long-standing Waterfront Plan, adopted in 2014.
The City has thoroughly evaluated reasonable alternatives, including the alternatives proposed by the Old Town Civic Association which included alternate sites for the pump station, including 1 Prince Street, 110 South Union Street, 2 and 6 Prince Street, and the gravel parking lot located at Point Lumley Park. The results of the evaluation determined that both the 1 Prince Street and 110 S. Union Street locations could potentially be technically feasible but posed significant challenges that made them infeasible overall. These alternatives are not practicable because the due diligence process, uncertainty and timeline associated with the acquisition of private property, the design and approvals process, and the demolition and redevelopment would add considerable additional costs far exceeding the approved project budget, significantly increase risks to the project and to adjacent structures during construction and cause major delays to the project.
The location proposed at 2 and 6 Prince Street was deemed not technically feasible as the potential development site was determined to be too small. Additionally, use of the site is constrained by adjacent buildings, overhead power lines and transformers, and right-of-way constraints.
The alternative Point Lumley Park site was preliminarily determined to be potentially technically feasible but required additional environmental, structural, and geotechnical work. This alternative would not reduce the impacts to waterfront lands covered by the Settlement Agreement and other deed restrictions and is not consistent with the long-standing 2014 Waterfront Plan for Point Lumley Park or in alignment with the plans for garden funded by a donor's financial bequest to the City for that vicinity.
The results of the evaluation were summarized in a memo dated September 4, 2024, which was shared with the City Council on September 17, 2024, and with the Waterfront Commission on September 19, 2024. These findings were then presented publicly at the October Waterfront Commission Meeting (October 15, 2024) and we understand, were discussed directly with representatives of Old Town Business and Old Town Civic Association.
In case you are not aware, a summary of the engineering and risk analysis is available on the project website, here: https://www.alexandriava.gov/sites/default/files/2024-10/2024-09-04_wfi-memo-alt_station_0.pdf
The NPS has concluded that the current proposal by the city meets the needs for the Waterfront Flood Mitigation project and minimizes impact to the public spaces on the waterfront to the extent practicable. The restrictions at issue here are contained in a 1981 Deed, which expressly incorporates the 1981 Stipulation of Settlement between the City and the United States. Paragraph 6 of that Stipulation of Settlement provides that the City and the United States may modify property interests when needed. Therefore, the NPS will continue to work with the City to finalize the design and to modify the deed to allow for the new structure.
If the Association has identified an additional alternative, not previously evaluated by the City, that would meet the project goals/requirements, is feasible and constructable with less impacts to the public spaces on the waterfront, the NPS would be interested in hearing about that. Please reach out about this or with any questions to the NPS Associate Regional Director for Lands and Planning, Ms. Tammy Stidham, at Tammy_Stidham@nps.gov or (202) 619-7474.
Sincerely,
Jennifer T. Nersesian
Regional Director, National Capital Region
February 20, 2026 — NPS Comptroller Jessica Bowron to Alexandria City Manager James Parajon
Mr. James Parajon
City Manager
City of Alexandria, Virginia
301 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Dear Mr. Parajon:
On behalf of the United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service, I am writing to inform you that we will take no action to modify the Consent Judgment Order, Stipulation of Settlement, or Deed which resolved our dispute related to ownership of Waterfront Park in Alexandria, Virginia, which were entered by the district court in United States v. Bryant, Inc., No. 73-2211 (D.D.C. Oct. 19, 1981).
As you know, in 1981, the City of Alexandria resolved a property boundary and land ownership dispute with the U.S. Department of Justice, who acted on behalf of the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. The 1981 Settlement established the property interests of both parties in certain parcels along the Potomac River, including land in Alexandria now known as "Waterfront Park." The Consent Judgment Order by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia incorporates by reference a Stipulation of Settlement between the United States and the City of Alexandria, and a Deed covering the subject land (hereafter, collectively, "the 1981 Settlement").
The 1981 Settlement granted Alexandria fee simple title to Waterfront Park, subject to an estate, interest and scenic easement in gross retained and currently held by the United States. The 1981 Settlement imposed restrictions on the uses of Waterfront Park.
Specifically, the parties agreed, and the Judge decreed, that Waterfront Park would remain "an open space public park area" in perpetuity with only specifically permissible uses authorized. The authorized uses all relate to park activities and are limited to: "pedestrian walkways, bicycle trails, seating, landscaped areas, fountains, gardens, play areas, plazas, and temporary facilities for special events." No other uses were authorized or permitted. The deed also specified that all of Waterfront Park "shall be and remain accessible to the public, and any and all facilities located on [it] shall be open to the public." The deed also imposed a 15-foot height restriction on any park-related buildings or structures erected in the park. These rights, limitations, and obligations are binding on the City and its successors and assigns, and run with the land as covenants in perpetuity.
Alexandria's proposal to construct a stormwater Pump Station in Waterfront Park would, if approved, permanently remove a large portion of the property from permissible park uses and convert it to impermissible uses. The proposed Pump Station could also negatively impact the remaining portions of this public waterfront park. Most critically, construction of a Pump Station is prohibited under the deed use restrictions summarized above, agreed to by the parties, and entered into law by the district court.
As noted above, the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service do not consent to any modification of the 1981 Settlement, or any of its incorporated documents including the Consent Judgement Order, Stipulation of Settlement, or Deed. Any further questions should be directed to the United States Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor.
Sincerely,
Jessica Bowron
Comptroller, Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Director National Park Service
