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Carlyle office building conversion to 187 apartments heads to Planning Commission

By James Cullum
The proposed conversion from office to residential at 2051 Jamieson Avenue would also add four stories and a mechanical penthouse (via City of Alexandria)

A proposal to convert an office building in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood into a 187-unit apartment building with four new stories and a mechanical penthouse is heading to the Planning Commission.

Red Fox Development LLC is requesting that the city approve the conversion of the office building located at 2051 Jamieson Avenue. The proposal is scheduled to be presented to the Planning Commission on Thursday, November 6.

The proposed conversion from office to residential at 2051 Jamieson Avenue would also add four stories and a mechanical penthouse (via City of Alexandria)

Red Fox provided the following information on the project to the Carlyle-Eisenhower East Design Review Board in April:

The proposed project is to convert the existing office building to residential use and add four stories, as well as a mechanical penthouse, to the building. The building would measure 214,228 gross square feet in size and have 187 dwelling units, 135 of which would be one-bedroom units, and 55 of which would be two and three-bedroom units. The proposed change adds about 42,709 gross square feet to the existing building and adds an additional 60ft of height (proposed 142ft – existing 82ft).

Parking Garage Four levels of underground parking are provided and accessed off of S. Englehardt Lane. The existing below-grade parking garage contains 216 parking spaces. The applicant is proposing 82 standard parking spaces, 7 accessible parking spaces, and 127 compact parking spaces (which is 75% of the total).

The property is next to the Westin Alexandria Old Town (400 Courthouse Square) and the U.S. District Courthouse for the Eastern District of Virginia.

The proposed conversion from office to residential at 2051 Jamieson Avenue would also add four stories and a mechanical penthouse (via City of Alexandria)

Ken Wire and Megan Rappolt of Wire Gill LLP represent Red Fox.

The development comes amid a struggling commercial real estate market. There have been a number of recent office-to-residential conversion proposals heading to city review, including a five-story property at 601 Wythe Street and a 45-unit apartment building proposed near the King St.-Old Town Metro station. Additionally, an office-to-residential conversion at 1101 King Street just started leasing apartments.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.