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Massive redevelopment of West End apartment building has neighbors worried about street parking impact

The proposed conversion of a West End apartment building into a three-building complex has neighbors concerned of potential parking issues.

The current surface level parking lot would be moved underground and expanded to 313 spaces, but neighbors are concerned that on-street parking will become a problem. The plans call for . With 385 units, that provides .81 spaces per unit, which property owner Wesley Housing says falls within the city’s parameters.

“The Cameron Station Civic Association is very concerned about traffic congestion on Holmes Run Parkway as well as the very few parking spaces that will be made available (well below one per unit),” said Association President Sash Impastato.

The plan would take five years to complete, as the 14-story ParcView Apartments building at 5380 Holmes Run Parkway would be completely renovated and joined by two adjoining nine-story buildings and an enclosed courtyard.

Wesley Housing, which owns the property and is managing its redevelopment, wants to do it in four phases, beginning with the construction of the underground parking garage, and followed by the construction of the two new buildings, the relocation of residents from the existing building to the new buildings, and then the renovation of the original 14-story building.

The project would add hundreds of affordable one and two bedroom units to the three acre property, increasing the total number of apartments from 149 to 385, with 267 units for residents making 60% of the area median income (AMI) and 69 units for residents making 40% AMI.

“Our current plan is to… go to the Planning Commission and City Council at the beginning of 2022,” said Wesley Housing’s attorney Cathy Puskar in a Zoom presentation on Tuesday night. “Then we would have to do our final site planning or building permit financing and start construction hopefully in 2023.”

Courtesy Wesley Housing 

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.