Taylor Run | ALXnow

City Says Taylor Run Stream Restoration Needed to Prevent Flooding, Opponents Cry Foul Over Habitat Destruction

Published September 30, 2020 at 2:30PM

Taylor Run (Photo via City of Alexandria)

Alexandria environmental planning staff say that the stream restoration at Taylor Run is necessary to combat the effects of climate change and improve flooding conditions.

On Tuesday night, staff from the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services and city consultants held a Zoom meeting to discuss the proposed $4.5 million restoration of the 1,900-foot-long project. The project falls within the city’s Chesapeake Bay TMDL Action Plan to reduce pollution, and staff say the area is experiencing the effects of climate change.

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City Presenting Taylor Run Stream Restoration Update at Virtual Meeting

By James Cullum

Published September 28, 2020 at 5:00PM

Taylor Run (Photo via City of Alexandria)

The city will conduct a virtual presentation on the Taylor Run stream restoration on Tuesday, September 29, as a local group has launched a GoFundMe campaign to hire independent experts to review the city’s plan.

The Environmental Council of Alexandria is led by former Vice Mayor Andrew Macdonald and calls the stream a “natural gem.” The group states that 269 native trees will be cut down and that the proposed plan will destroy adjacent wetlands.

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published September 15, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated September 15, 2020 at 7:35PM

Mayor: Council to Accelerate Sewer Capacity Projects — “Our ’16 Storm Sewer Capacity Analysis identified 90 areas where the system does not meet our CURRENT design standard of a 10-year storm. Our Stormwater Utility Fee was implemented in ’18 to fund capacity and environmental compliance. Council will now discuss how to accelerate.” [Facebook]

Beyer Attacks Trump’s Environmental Stance — “Trump’s climate change strategy is the same as his pandemic strategy: play it down and pretend it isn’t happening. There are a record number of named storms in the Atlantic and the west coast is on fire.” [Twitter]

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Morning Notes

By James Cullum

Published September 14, 2020 at 9:00AM

Beyer Negates Trump’s Coronavirus Claims — “Nearly 194,000 Americans have died in a pandemic Trump lied to the country about. As Dr. Gottlieb points out, the coming cold weather months bring danger of new spread of the virus. Even after seven months of this Trump still has no strategy to keep Americans safe.” [Twitter]

Former Mayor Silberberg Says Taylor Run Restoration Will Hurt Environment — “Recent soil testing from Taylor Run, analyzed by Brookside Laboratories, showed a negligible amount of phosphorous in the soil of the stream bank. Restoration of Taylor Run will therefore have a questionable impact at best on the watershed – but the restoration work will have a devastating impact on the habitat and tree canopy surrounding the stream.” [Alex Times]

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City Could Ban Trucks from Residential Road in Taylor Run

By Vernon Miles

Published February 19, 2020 at 10:30AM

As part of an effort to curtail truck traffic through residential streets, the City Council could add E. Taylor Run Parkway to the list of streets where truck traffic is banned.

On Saturday (Feb. 22) the City Council is scheduled (item #13) to review a potential ban on commercial truck traffic on the street, which connects Janneys Lane and Duke Street.

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Local Stream Set For Revitalization Over the Next Year

By Vernon Miles

Published January 9, 2020 at 3:30PM

Taylor Run (photo via City of Alexandria)

Taylor Run stream in pretty bad shape, but the City of Alexandria wants to revitalize it into a healthy stream rich with native vegetation.

“It’s in the design phase right now,” said Jesse Maines, division chief for Stormwater Management. Maines estimated the design was about halfway completed, but the department is still reaching out to local stakeholders and continuing internal discussions about the eventual design.

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Taylor Run Residents Struggle for Help from City After Spate of Collisions with Parked Cars

By Vernon Miles

Published December 19, 2019 at 1:45PM

Parked car damaged after crash (photo courtesy Caity Flaherty)

Just a few blocks away from where some local residents are incensed about a road diet, others are begging the city to do something about frequent collisions on their street.

W. Taylor Run Parkway connects Duke Street and Janneys Lane, two major east-west routes through Alexandria. The two-lane street is bordered by a creek on the eastern side and a row of homes on the right.