Commonwealth Avenue

Commonwealth Avenue Final Studio Report 

Click on the links below to download the each section of the report. Please note these are large files so they will take some time to download.

Title Page and Table of Contents (0.4MB)

Preface and Introduction (2.3MB)

The Site (11.3MB)

Designs (12.9MB)

Themes (4.7MB)

Conclusions and Next Steps (1.7MB)

Appendix A: Community Involvement (1.1MB)

Appendix B: The Case for Commonwealth Avenue (2.3MB)

Event Dates for the Commonwealth Project 

Saturday, May 6, 2006 - Open House for Completed Studio Work

Monday, May 8, 2006 - Del Ray Civic Association Executive Board Meeting

Saturday, May 20, 2006 - Del Ray Home and Garden Tour & Open House for Completed Studio Work

An online survey comprised of ten questions has been generated to gather information and feedback for the Commonwealth Avenue project. To take the survey, which can be completed in 5-10 minutes, please see the following:

English Version

Encuesta en Español

For notes from meetings held with Commonwealth Avenue community members, please see the following:

March 1, 2006 - Del Ray

April 5, 2005 - Arlandria

For a map of Commonwealth Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods, click here.

Commonwealth Zoning and Planning Initiatives Inventory

Physical Properties of Commonwealth Avenue

Commonwealth Neighborhoods and Demographics

Commonwealth Boulevard Park

Commonwealth Intersection Perspectives

Commonwealth Vision Flyer

Alexandria City Open Space Plan

A NEW VISION FOR COMMONWEALTH AVENUE

TRANSFORMING AN AVENUE INTO A BOULEVARD PARK

Spring 2006 Planning and Design Studio Virginia Tech

Alexandria, Virginia

The Del Ray Civic Association has invited graduate students from Virginia Tech's Alexandria campus to participate in the creative process of transforming Commonwealth Avenue into a pedestrian oriented BoulevardPark.  A talented team of planning and landscape architecture students along with three professors are dedicating a studio class to create a vision that unifies the entire length of Commonwealth Avenue. Drawing on the pivotal role that Commonwealth Ave played in the rich history of its surrounding neighborhoods (Del Ray, Rosemont, Arlandria, etc.), the studio will integrate the avenue's past with many of its unique features of today.

To ensure the student designs have a strong connection to the community's along Commonwealth, the studio needs community ideas and input. The studio's facilitation team will organize different meetings and activities to gather community feedback and reactions during each of the studio's three phases:

1. evaluate and map past and current conditions (February and early March);
2. develop and refine initial designs (March and early April); and
3. present design alternatives (first week in May). 

After the May presentation, several students over the summer will compile a final written report of the thoughts and reactions from the community on the different designs. The report will compile the studio's extensive research and set forth the possible design alternatives with a list of potential next steps. During the fall of 2006, the various communities located along Commonwealth Avenue from Rosemont to Arlandria East can initiate a community dialogue about which options seem to align with their visions.

The VT faculty hope this studio will not only serve as a living laboratory to test the skills of its graduate students, but provide these diverse neighborhoods with a set of fresh ideas on how Commonwealth can become more than just an avenue.For more information on the studio and upcoming community activities, send an e-mail to Professor Joe Schilling at Jms33@vt.edu.