Moran Gets Down To Business

Even after more than 19 years in congress, Rep. Jim Moran still considers himself "a Del Ray homeboy." The democrat representing Virginia's eighth congressional district received his political start in the Alexandria City Council and raised his two children on East Windsor Avenue, loving every minute of it.  

So it was no surprise when Moran spoke with the Del Ray Business Association at FireFlies on Monday afternoon that he expressed an intimate understanding of the neighborhood and the issues facing business owners.

The congressman, who is running for re-election against republican challenger Patrick Murray, touched on issues of transportation, public works and small business support in Del Ray during a 20-minute address that was followed by a question-and-answer session.

Moran said Alexandria, despite the economic gloom reported in the media, is included in the 20 percent of American communities that are actually growing. While he was quick to acknowledge the presence of the federal government has a lot to do with that, the congressman believes Del Ray's tight relationship between business owners and citizens makes it a desirable place.   

"[Del Ray] is a place that people want to go," Moran said. "If you look at the price of the houses given the square footage and other considerations, there is a premium. It's hard to quantify, but it's probably 25 to 30 percent more expensive than a house in a comparable community in other places. And I suspect much of this premium is because of the community life many of you are generating, contributing to in a major way."

Moran said he believes a small business is a good investment in Del Ray. He pointed to a jobs bill recently signed into law that makes $30 billion available for small business loans. In the bill, the government supplies money to the banks to ensure loans.

"If a federal program is there, we made the money available," Moran told the DRBA. "I'd like to know if you go into a bank for a small business loan and you don't get it and there's not an adequate explanation for why other than just a delay in paper work. Let's see if we can do that."

During the question-and-answer session, one person asked Moran about the possibility of getting better pedestrian lighting on Mt. Vernon Avenue. The congressman has been working on a pilot project for solar-powered lighting. He asked for the project to be earmarked, but encountered resistance on Capitol Hill.

"I think it's too expensive for businesses to pay for it themselves," Moran said. "I do think it's a national demonstration. I think [Mt. Vernon Avenue] is a perfect location to let people come and see. And then other communities of similar sizes around the country can do the same thing. We will get the money. Sometimes things just take time."

Currently there is only cobra lighting on Mt. Vernon Avenue, which illuminates one side of the street and not either sidewalk.

Eric Nelson, owner of Artfully Chocolate/Kingsbury Confections, believes improved lighting would be a huge benefit to both the business owners and citizens.

"I think if you go to Old Town, the pedestrian lighting that they have there, you'd have a sense for what it could do for Del Ray," Nelson said. "It would make the community safer, it would give it a better ambience. It's not that it's unsafe right now, it's just that it doesn't feel very welcoming."

Moran touched on a need for more parking in Del Ray, but also hinted at the possibility of a trolley making its way back to the neighborhood. The congressman said the idea isn't that far-fetched.

"Ideally, I'd just as soon it be of very minimal cost so people could just hop on and have it open like they do in San Francisco," Moran said. "… We always need to be thinking ahead and have dreams, so when the opportunity presents itself, we seize the opportunity."