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Renderings of the northwest corner of the Heritage development from the July 15 BAR meeting (left) and the Sept. 2 meeting (right). (Renderings/Hord Coplan Macht)
To the editor:
Every city goes through an evolutionary process and there comes a time when it becomes critical for a city to revitalize one of its old neighborhoods. The Heritage at Old Town is one of the neighborhoods in Alexandria where revitalization has become more critical than ever.
The Heritage Old Town, which is also known as the Bottoms, was home to pioneering African American entrepreneurs in the 1800s and now is home to diverse multicultural communities who are enriching our city’s social fabric. Currently the area is under consideration for a redevelopment project which is designed to provide more than 180 affordable housing units. While this initiative has been supported by diverse community members, it has also raised concerns regarding its impact because of the scale and the design approach of the project.