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Wrong call
Perhaps the only thing worse than the Army's decision to relocate 6,400 jobs originally slated for Fort Belvoir to Alexandria's Mark Center is that it took more than two years to make it.
Of the three final sites under consideration -- Alexandria's Victory Center, Springfield's General Services Administration warehouse and the Mark Center -- most viewed the eventual winner as the longest of long shots.
There were plenty of reasons for that.
In addition to getting low marks for traffic, security and accessibility, Mark has the smallest footprint of the three finalists and will require substantial infrastructure upgrades, including two additional parking structures.
Surprisingly, it appears Mark was chosen largely on its ability to be up and running by the Army's self-imposed 2011 deadline. Should we really be compromising our security and adding to our traffic problems to comply with some artificial date on a calendar?
When we look back at this in a decade or two, will it make a difference if these 6,400 folks were moved in June 2011 or April 2013? Probably not.
If you take the "readiness" factor out of the equation, Springfield comes out ahead on every score card. For starters, it sits within half a mile of Metro and Virginia Railway Express stations. The Mark Center isn't accessible by transit.
The GSA warehouse also scores well in security, size and impact on traffic. Also not to be overlooked is that the property is already owned by the federal government.
Our public officials rarely agree on much these days, but just about every local, state and federal representative with a stake in this relocation effort supported the Springfield site. Placing thousands of employees there would certainly brighten downtown Springfield's prospects and give southern Fairfax a much-needed boost of adrenaline.
In the end, little of that mattered to the Army. It made its decision and will likely see it through.
The next time a big decision comes its way, we hope the Army pays more than lip service to the people who'll be asked to live with it.
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