The owner of an iconic commercial building in the heart of Old Town wants to convert the second floor from commercial to residential space.
The special use permit (SUP) request is going before the Alexandria Planning Commission on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Building owner Jemals 628 Newco LLC wants to convert the 6,700-square-foot second floor of the building at 628 and 622 King Street into five studio and six one-bedroom apartments.
The location is at the corner of King and Washington Streets, and the building is the former home to Gap Outlet and its Banana Republic sister store, which closed in Jan. 2021. The building was vacant for years, and is now home to a Sunglass Hut on the ground level of 622 King Street and a Chase Bank at 628 King Street.
City staff are recommending approval of the SUP.
“The addition of an upper floor residential would positively impact area vitality and promote an interactive pedestrian experience,” City staff said in a report.
As for parking, city staff said that the “the property’s proximity to transit, workplaces, and daily needs would make the proposal’s parking impacts negligible.”
Staff also included a condition in the SUP that residents in the apartments would be prohibited from participating in the city’s residential parking permit program, which will “ensure that surrounding on-street parking supply would not be significantly impacted,” staff said. “As such, future car owning residents would have to utilize public parking facilities nearby. Off- street parking is available to rent on a monthly basis at several parking garages in close proximity to the subject property.”
As previously reported, the original building at 628 and 622 King Street was constructed as a 600-seat theatre in 1854. During the Civil War, the building was named Washington Hall General Hospital, and contained 100 beds for Union soldiers. The building would become a laundromat and insurance firm before burning down.
