Setback for Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola Project

Funding for a feasibility study is always one thing. Funding for a project is always something else.

1 minute read

February 14, 2017, 1:00 PM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Patricia Sullivan reports: "A proposed gondola connecting Georgetown and Rosslyn across the Potomac River won’t be funded with money from Arlington because other transportation projects, such as Metro and Columbia Pike transit, take priority, the Arlington County Board said Friday."

The news came despite the Arlington County Board's decision to spend $35,000 to help fund a feasibility study in February 2016. That study released its findings in November, finding that the proposed gondola would serve at least 6,500 passengers a day, at a cost of $80 million to $90 million.

Joe Sternlieb, president of one of the project's largest supporters, the Georgetown Business Improvement District, is on the record in the article saying that the news is far from a final nail in the coffin for the project. Sternlieb expects to build a coalition on his side of the river and then bring Arlington County on board for funding.

Saturday, February 11, 2017 in The Washington Post

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 10, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

A line of white wind turbines surrounded by wheat and soybean fields with a cloudy blue sky in the background.

Wind Energy on the Rise Despite Federal Policy Reversal

The Trump administration is revoking federal support for renewable energy, but demand for new projects continues unabated.

April 15 - Fast Company

Red and white Caltrain train.

Passengers Flock to Caltrain After Electrification

The new electric trains are running faster and more reliably, leading to strong ridership growth on the Bay Area rail system.

April 15 - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

View up at brick Catholic church towers and modern high-rise buildings.

Texas Churches Rally Behind ‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ Legislation

Religious leaders want the state to reduce zoning regulations to streamline leasing church-owned land to housing developers.

April 15 - NBC Dallas