
A former office building turned residential complex in the West End is headed back to the City Council on Saturday, Sept. 18, for some new amenities — like replacing a surface parking lot with a dog park.
The Park + Ford apartment buildings at 4401 Ford Avenue opened earlier this year but developer Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group is already back to the city looking to add to the project. The developer is proposing to replace a pair of parking spaces across the street from the building with a new amenity space and a dog park — both private, unfortunately for West End locals looking for an alternative to the Shirlington Dog Park.
The staff report said the plan is to convert 19 surface parking spaces to a 6,300 square foot dog park and 21 parking spaces into a 6,600 square foot resident amenity space, which could have seating and playground equipment but might also be flexible enough to host food trucks. The report noted that dog parks are becoming an increasingly popular feature of Alexandria development.
“Since dog ownership is common at multi-family buildings, dog parks are an increasingly common amenity,” staff said. “For example, the nearby Array and Nexus at West Alex have a shared dog park. Public dog parks are an alternative to each building setting aside their own space, but the nearest public dog park is an over 38-minute walk away and not close enough to the project site for regular use. As a result, Staff believes that this amenity will benefit residents of this site and will help to reduce impacts on City-owned dog parks.”
In terms of public benefits, the project will add new 50-foot sidewalk on the street and install a new bus shelter outside the building.
Staff are recommending approval of the parking lot conversion.
Recent Stories
Monarch Montessori School located in the heart of Del Ray is enrolling children 6 weeks to 6 years of age for our half day and full day program.
Our hours of operation are 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday-Friday. Monarch Montessori School is open year round, with intermittent breaks.
Children engage in self-directed, self-initiated activities under the guidance of a trained Montessori teacher. Classroom sizes range from 8-12 students. Our robust curriculum includes botany, sensorial activities, the social graces, culture, math, science, practical life, geography, music appreciation and language arts.
You’ll get half off of the registration fee when you register and begin care with us before April 30, 2023.

Press Release:
EDBS Dental Billing Solutions is pleased to announce that it has achieved compliance with the federally mandated standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) through the use of Compliancy Group’s proprietary HIPAA methodology, The Guard® compliance tracking software, and HIPAA Seal of Compliance®.
The HIPAA Seal of Compliance is issued to organizations that have implemented an effective HIPAA compliance program through the use of The Guard, Compliancy Group’s proprietary compliance tracking solution.
Clients and patients are becoming more aware of the requirements of HIPAA compliance and how the regulation protects their personal information. Forward-thinking providers like EDBS Dental Billing Solutions choose the HIPAA Seal of Compliance to differentiate their services.
Del Ray Dog Fest & Yappy Hour
The 1st Annual Del Ray Dog Fest is a fun outdoor event that will include dog-centered activities, dog menu items, live music, vendors and food on Sunday, April 2 from 11am- 3pm at the George Washington Middle School parking lot.