Alexandria, VA – On this 275th birthday of the City of Alexandria, it’s a great time to look back at how Alexandria has changed over the centuries and what’s on the horizon for its 300th birthday in 2049. You don’t need a crystal ball to peer into the future. In October, Agenda: Alexandria will take a look forward to the Alexandria of the next generation. The discussion is based on the neighborhood development plans in place today. Most city plans span the next 25 years. As these plans are realized, we ask, “What will Alexandria be like and look like in 2049? What will stay, what will be new, and what will be gone? How might it change?”
Unlike its beginnings as a bustling seaport town, Alexandria today is a small bedroom community within a large metropolitan region. Alexandria’s historic sites, waterfront, and proximity to Washington, DC, make it a prime choice for those who live or work in the DMV. As a result, there is a great deal of demand for housing and development. The large areas envisioned for intensive development are along the Eisenhower Avenue corridor, the former Power Plant site on the waterfront, Potomac Yards, and large portions of the West End. How many people will live, work, and visit within 15 square miles?
Who will be able to choose Alexandria for their home or business? Will Alexandria thrive or struggle as it reaches 300 years old? Agenda Alexandria will explore all sides of these questions with three (or 4?) experts – each with a unique perspective on development choices and their effect on a livable Alexandria. They will offer attendees a glimpse of Alexandria in the future.
The panel discussion will occur on Monday, October 28, at 7:00 pm at the Lyceum. The panelists include:
- Jeff Farner – Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning for the City of Alexandria
- Eric R. Wagner – Former Executive Vice President with MedStar Health
- Terry L. Clower – Northern Virginia Chair and Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University
Jeff Farner is committed to shaping sustainable and thriving urban spaces in the City of Alexandria. Bringing 25+ years’ of experience in urban design, development, and planning across both the public and private sectors, Jeff tackles the critical challenges of urban design, affordable housing, sustainable development, and growth through elements such as master plans and extensive community engagement. A proven team leader, Jeff develops people and projects within collaborative environments that foster innovation and inclusion across multiple disciplines and backgrounds. His expertise lies in integrating and balancing human needs with technical excellence in urban planning practice and sustainable design principles to advance projects that transform people’s lives today and tomorrow.
Eric R. Wagner has been active in Alexandria’s civic matters and land use issues for over 35 years. He got his start by serving as chair of the land use committee of the Del Ray Citizens Association during Alexandria’s master planning effort. One of his major accomplishments resulted in a decrease in allowable residential density, which fostered more private open space in the Del Ray neighborhood. He later served as president of the Association, where he helped to spearhead the successful opposition to the proposed football stadium at Potomac Yards. During the same period, Mr. Wagner served as a member of the City’s Ad Hoc Potomac Yard Task Force, which led the original planning effort for Potomac Yards.
Mr. Wagner was appointed to the Alexandria Planning Commission in 1993 and served for 21 years, including as its chair for eight years. One of his major priorities for the Commission was to protect and increase publicly accessible open space in the city. He served as the founding co-chair of Alexandria’s Open Space Steering Committee, which oversaw the development and initial implementation of the Open Space Master Plan. Mr. Wagner also served as a member of Alexandria’s Ad Hoc Transportation Task Force, Affordable Housing Strategy Work Group, and Ad Hoc Joint City-Schools Facility Investment Task Force.
In his professional life, Mr. Wagner served as an executive vice president with MedStar Health, a $7 billion integrated hospital and healthcare company with facilities in Baltimore, Washington, and Virginia. He earned his master of business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University. He lives with his wife in the North Ridge neighborhood.
Dr. Terry L. Clower is the Northern Virginia Chair and Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. He is the director of GMU’s Center for Regional Analysis. The center provides economic and public policy research services to private, nonprofit, and public sponsors. He also leads the Stephen S. Fuller Institute for Research on the Washington Region’s Economic Future. Before joining GMU, he was director of the Center for Economic Development and Research at the University of North Texas. Dr. Clower has almost ten years of private sector experience in transportation, logistics, and site location management.
Dr. Clower has authored or co-authored over 250 articles, book chapters, and research reports reflecting experience in economic and community development, land use planning, labor market analysis, real estate market analysis, economic and fiscal impact analysis, transportation, and economic and market forecasting. His scholarly articles have appeared in Economic Development Quarterly, Urban Studies; Economic Development Review; Regional Studies, Regional Science; the Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, Sustaining Regions; and Applied Research in Economic Development. He co-authored the textbook Globalization, Planning, and Local Economic Development with Prof. Andrew Beer of the University of South Australia (Taylor-Francis, London, 2020).
Dr. Clower received a B.S. in Marine Transportation from Texas A&M University in 1982, a M.S. in Applied Economics from the University of North Texas in 1992, and a Ph.D. in Information Sciences from the University of North Texas in 1997 specializing in information infrastructure policy and the use of information resources.
Agenda:Alexandria is a registered 501(c)(3) non-partisan organization that encourages informed debate and discussion on a wide variety of local issues without taking a position. We host in-person and digital programs on topics of interest to the residents of the City of Alexandria.
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