A senior living community in Alexandria’s West End is looking to expand by building a two-towered 14- to 16-story apartment building with 257 units.
The View Alexandria by Goodwin Living acquired the seven-acre property at 5000 Fairbanks Avenue and 5101 Fillmore Avenue from Hermitage Northern Virginia three years ago. It currently consists of a five-story medical building, surface parking and a six-story apartment building with 126 units for independent and assisted living care. Now Goodwin Living is asking the city for permission to approve a development special use permit for a 700,000-square-foot building by increasing its allowable height from 150 feet to 175 feet for the south tower, six feet on the North Tower (to 156 feet), a 30% bonus density and a reduction of off-street parking.
“The existing 126-unit senior living building will remain, and the new building will contain 257 age-restricted units for independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing/memory care,” Goodwin Living said in its application.
Goodwin Living plans on 217 independent living units (68 one-bedrooms, 149 two-bedrooms), 16 assisted living units (14 one-bedroom and two two-bedroom), and 24 skilled nursing and memory care units.
According to the application:
The Applicant requests a SUP for additional height and density pursuant to Section 7-700 of the Zoning Ordinance to facilitate the proposed project and deliver necessary housing for the City’s aging population. Accordingly, the Applicant requests 30% bonus density, Please see the enclosed Affordable Housing Plan for more information on the proposed affordable units in the new building.
The proposed building will consist of two towers (North and South) connected by a two-story podium. The building amenities and administrative areas will be located on the first two levels of the building, with an outdoor terrace on the roof of the podium connector. In addition to the proposed infill building, the Applicant will also reconfigure the internal roadway network to facilitate necessary access to the new building while also maximizing the amount of ground-level open spaces.
Access to the parking garage will be provided on the southern façade of the South Tower and loading access will be provided within loading docks at both the southern façade of the South Tower and the northern façade of the North Tower. The main vehicular entrance will be on Fillmore Avenue and a secondary controlled-access entrance for residents and emergency vehicles will be provided from Fairbanks Avenue.
The proposal goes to the Planning Commission on Wednesday, June 4.
