NEW ALEXANDRIA WATERFRONT PARK GROUNDBREAKING Sat, March 17, 2018 City Council held groundbreaking for Waterfront Park at the waterfront. Utilizing the former Old Dominion Boat Club property and current King Street Park, the new waterfront small area plan will allow continuous public access from Oronco Park to Jones Point Park. L-R Former Mayor Bill Euille, Congressman Don Beyer,Jr., Hon. Willie F. Bailey, Hon. Paul Smedberg, Mayor Allison Silberberg, Hon. John T. Chapman, Hon. Justin Wilson, Chair Waterfront Commission Stephen Thayer, Hon. Tim Lovain, Chair Park and Recreation Commission Jennifer Sands Atkins, Hon. Del Pepper, and City Manager Mark Jinks. (Photo by Harry Merritt)
At the foot of King Street, with the rubble of the demolished Old Dominion Boat Club building looming in the background, City leaders put shovels in the ground and broke ceremonial ground on the new waterfront King Street Park.
Small Area Plan image for interim King Street Park (Image/City of Alexandria)
As part of the Waterfront Small Area Plan, the area where the groundbreaking took place will serve as an interim park while a more permanent version is constructed.
The project is the start of a plan that has been in the works for decades as challenges were faced along the way.
Mary Wadland is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of The Zebra Press, the award-winning Alexandria news publication she founded in 2010 with a mission of celebrating community, culture, and all the good news happening across the city.
A longtime community advocate and storyteller, Mary was selected for the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce inaugural 40 Under 40 class and has served as President of Living Legends of Alexandria since 2022. Known for her deep local roots, sharp editorial instincts, and passion for connecting people through journalism, she has spent decades chronicling the personalities, businesses, events, and civic life that make Alexandria unique.
Originally from Delray Beach, Florida, Mary is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia, and has been part of Alexandria’s publishing and media community since 1987.
