Bonaventure is pulling the plug on its plan to convert the old  Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services building at 2525 Mount Vernon Avenue into a four-story, mixed-use development.
Bonaventure’s attorney Cathy Puskar confirmed that the developer has put the project on hold indefinitely.
“Given the geometry of the site, the client needed some modifications from the Form Based Code in order to achieve an economically viable development that would provide the residential building with ground floor retail, enhanced streetscapes, open space and stormwater management envisioned in the Mount Vernon Plan,” Puskar said.
The development spurred a group of locals to launch the group Save Del Ray, which said that the development ignored the guiding principles of the city’s Mount Vernon Avenue Business Area Plan, which includes preserving the historic scale and character of the neighborhood and providing convenient parking and transportation solutions.
Bonaventure wanted to tear down the 88,500-square-foot former home of the Alexandria Department of Community and Human Services building and turn it into a four-story, 43-foot-tall building with 12,530 square feet of retail and 79 rental units. The company planned to take the plan to the City for review this month, followed by 20 months of construction starting in the final quarter of 2023.
It’s now unclear what’s next for the property.
“(B)ased on the significant feedback from the Del Ray Land Use Committee, some citizens and staff, the client (Bonaventure) decided to take a step back to determine whether to continue to pursue redevelopment or just leave the building as-is,” Puskar said.
Bonaventure bought a swath of properties along Mount Vernon Avenue in the summer of 2019. In addition to 2525 Mount Vernon Avenue, the company also bought the properties at 2401, 2403 and 2411-2419 Mount Vernon Avenue, and owns a 144-space parking lot across from Pat Miller Square on Mount Vernon and E. Oxford Avenues.
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