News

Parker-Gray garage conversion to three-story townhome heads to City Council

By James Cullum
Row of garage bays with two black cars parked in front; middle bay highlighted in red outline.
911 B and C Pendleton Street highlighted in red in the Parker-Gray Historic District (via City of Alexandria)

A small property in the Parker-Gray Historic District used as a storage and garage space could soon be converted into a new townhome.

The owner of 911 B and C Pendleton Street is asking the city to approve converting the 1,445-square-foot property into a 35-foot-tall, three-story townhome with a rooftop garden.

“My proposal would transform it into a modest townhouse while maintaining the existing footprint of the building,” owner Eric Olson wrote to the city. “What excites me most about this project is that it demonstrates how appropriate infill development can add housing while respecting neighborhood character.”

The property is located between two 18-foot-wide public alleys that run north-south between Wythe and Pendleton Streets.

According to the proposal:

  • The applicant proposes converting the subject property to a single-unit residential use. Entrances would be added on both its front (east) and rear (west) which would provide access to the eastern 18-foot alley and the subject property’s rear yard, respectively
  • The applicant also proposes a second-story addition, a penthouse, and a rooftop terrace. The first and second floor would each provide about 718 square feet, with an additional 334 square feet on the third-floor penthouse, for a total of about 1,145 square feet of net floor area
  • The building would measure 35 feet tall to the top of the third-floor penthouse. The proposed rooftop terrace would measure 16 by 24 feet with a total size of 384 square feet.
  • The rear yard would accommodate one parallel off-street parking space and about 152 square feet of ground level open space

The Planning Commission unanimously approved the plan at its meeting on Sept. 1, and City Council will consider it on Saturday, Sept. 19. Proposed alterations in the Parker-Gray Historic District would also require approval from the Board of Architectural Review.

“I love this,” Commissioner Susan Fitter Harris said before the vote. “I think it’s a creative way to bring more housing into a place where a lot of people want to live, and because it’s not huge it’s probably more affordable than some of the other new places.”

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.