Poll: Should the Victory Center be demolished?

Developer Stonebridge has filed for plans to demolish the Victory Center (5001 Eisenhower Avenue) but is facing pushback from city staff that would rather see the existing building converted.

The Stonebridge proposal would see the long-vacant office building replaced with townhouses, similar to the new development just west of the building.

“This 17-year vacancy demonstrates that a different approach must be taken to revitalize Eisenhower West,” land use attorney Kenneth Wire wrote. “The City and the region have a housing supply crisis not an office supply crisis. This project will provide both rental and home ownership housing units in close proximity to the Metro Station and an affordable housing building.”

But city staff wrote in response to the Stonebridge proposal saying that townhouses don’t meet the level of density the city is hoping for at a side that’s near a metro and an arterial road.

Instead, staff recommended the existing Victory Center building be overhauled once again: this time as a residential conversion.

“Staff recommends retaining the existing office building,” staff wrote in response to Stonebridge’s plans. “The approximate footprint of the existing Victory Center office building (350′ x 142′) compares similarly with other office-to-residential conversions that have been constructed in the city. Continue to work with Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) to locate potential users, which may include non-profit housing developers and senior living facilities.”