
One month after the Traffic and Parking Board unanimously approved a new sidewalk along Polk Avenue, neighbors in opposition to the project are appealing the decision.
The city’s plan is to build a new sidewalk connecting two dead-end parts of sidewalk at either end of the bottom of Polk Park. The park’s thick undergrowth comes right up to the road, where the side of that road is used as a stretch of parking for nine vehicles.
The city said the sidewalk construction will help students in the neighborhood walk to Polk Elementary and Hammond Middle School.
The project brooked some opposition from nearby neighbors, though, who lamented both the loss of parking spots and expressed concerns about damage to the park by cutting into the toe slope of the hill. While the Alexandria Geologic Atlas identified potential issues with construction on the slope of Polk Park, Jack Browand, chief of Parks and Cultural Activities, said his department reviewed the project and is in support.
The appeal filed by the neighbors is scheduled for a City Council public hearing on Saturday, Sept. 17.
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