Amidst a number of recent proposals for new apartment buildings in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood, the developer of a previously approved large senior living project on Eisenhower Avenue is asking the city for a three-year extension for its construction.
On May 6, Carlyle Plaza LLC is asking the Planning Commission for a three year extension of its previously approved special use permit (SUP) for construction of The John Carlyle Center Health and Wellness, a 225-unit residential building for the elderly and office building at 1900 Eisenhower Avenue and 765-789 John Carlyle Street.
The developer faced “the same adverse macroeconomic conditions currently affecting the overall market for commercial real estate development,” according to the appeal to the city. “(I)ncluding the fundamental shift in the interest rate environment and substantial increases in construction costs. Both of these major impacts to the Development took place after the SUP was initially approved in 2020.”
City Council approved the developer’s SUP in 2020, allowing for the development of a 387,550 square-foot mixed-use development with a max height of 210 feet, 237,000 square feet of elderly housing, 139,000 square feet of office space, and 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
There were also some bumps in the design process with City staff in 2022.
According to the developer:
Accordingly, while the Applicant remains committed to delivering the Development to conclude the originally contemplated Carlyle neighborhood, having continued to pursue design refinements and Final Site Plan approvals through 2022 with the intent of moving forward, the Applicant requires additional time to continue pursuing financing to move forward with construction.
