I hope all of you are enjoying a relaxing summer. I want to let you know that your Seminary Hill Association Board and Transportation Committee have been hard at work throughout the summer on the issue of maintaining 4 car travel lanes on Seminary Road. There are now 9 city civic associations that have joined together to advocate for the recommendation made by the Traffic and Parking Board to maintain 4 car travel lanes with the addition of 2 HAWK pedestrian crosswalks along the one mile stretch of road that is the subject of this city plan. Seminary Hill Association is proud to be part of this large resident-based coalition to maintain this very safe stretch of Seminary Road as a 4 lane artery, and not reduce car travel lanes as part of a "road diet" that is an option under the city's Complete Streets program when a roadway is repaved.

City Council will vote on this recommendation at the Public Hearing on Saturday, September 14th.  The docket for this meeting will be made public a few days before that date and then we will learn what the city staff report says and what number we will be on the docket. We know that it will be a very long and contentious hearing with many residents signing up to speak on both sides of this issue. While we know it is not possible for all supporters of the SHA position to attend this meeting, you can still voice your opinion by writing all members of City Council through the Call, Click, Connect option on the city website and let them know you support the recommendation of the Traffic and Parking Board to maintain 4 lanes of car travel with the addition of 2 pedestrian crosswalks. It is very important that your voice as a resident of this part of Alexandria be heard by our elected officials, since, in addition to some Alexandria residents that support lane reductions, Council members are being heavily lobbied by members of regional organizations who do not have the personal stake in the outcome of this decision that we do.

I attended a briefing earlier this week on the Alexandria Mobility Plan (AMP), which is a strategic update to the 2008 Transportation Master Plan. This AMP will set the goals and objectives and prioritize strategies for decisions relating to transportation in Alexandria for the next 5-10 years. We were asked to encourage residents to take the Mobility Plan Vision Survey which is online now through August 14th. You may find this survey by going to this website: alexandriava.gov/MobilityPlan and clicking on the survey link. I would caution you to read the questions very carefully before answering and be aware that you do not have to check multiple answers unless you find several answers with which you agree. Please note that some answers appear as highlighted or underlined in the survey. This simply means you can click on that answer to get more information, but does not prioritize those particular responses. You also do not have to provide your email address at the end of the survey unless you want to receive future updates.

As a reminder, our next Seminary Hill board meeting will be Thursday, September 12th at 7:30 p.m. at Immanuel Church on the Hill Parish Hall. The agenda for this meeting will be posted on our website closer to the meeting date, but I am certain that the Seminary Road issue will be on our agenda. Also, we have just established a Seminary Hill Association Facebook page, so I encourage you to find that page and "like it", as we will begin posting announcements and items of interest on that page in addition to our website.

Thank you for your interest in Seminary Hill and please enjoy the rest of your summer.

Carter Flemming, President, Seminary Hill Association