Waterfront Opposition Group Rebrands As Friendly Faction

By Derrick Perkins

ALEXANDRIA, VA. - Citizens for an Alternative Alexandria Waterfront is getting a new name, a move group leaders say reflects the changing nature of the fight for the city’s shoreline.

The change from CAAWP to Friends of the Alexandria Waterfront comes just as Washington-based Carr Hospitality submitted preliminary plans to overhaul a riverfront warehouse as a five-story boutique hotel. While the controversial zoning and density changes wrought by the city’s waterfront plan remained mired in litigation, Carr Hospitality’s proposal marks a new chapter in the debate, said FAW leader Bert Ely.

“The courts may eventually throw the plan out,” he said. “This provides an opportunity to try to get greater citizen involvement in what the future of the waterfront holds, including what’s there today.”

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