It wouldn’t be Alexandria without a contentious fight over zoning and density.

As the city begins to roll out plans for zoning reform to create more housing and affordability ahead of City Council review this fall, a new group opposing some of the new proposals is hosting a rally in Market Square (300 King Street) tonight (Monday).

The Coalition for a Livable Alexandria says its rally at 6 p.m. today seeks to “educate Alexandria residents regarding city plans to greatly increase building density through radical changes to the city’s zoning code,” the group said in an event listing.

The group said all sides of the issue are encouraged to attend and discuss the zoning reforms.

The Coalition for a Livable Alexandria’s website criticized the timetable of the project rollout:

The city plans to fast-track its package of sweeping zoning changes starting this fall, leaving limited time or opportunity for public input or action. the city’s proposal amounts to a blank check for developers. While no one disagrees that more affordable housing is needed in Alexandria, the reality is, this proposal will not make a significant difference in the affordable housing supply. instead, the new framework disenfranchises residents, while giving a greenlight to overdevelopment, and gentrification.

The Zoning for Housing project got started in late 2022, with the start of the civic engagement process in March.

The city’s website says the initiative will “propose a zoning framework that adds to the housing supply now provided by Single Family zones,” including reevaluating the current limit of one household per lot and reexamining the city’s definition of family. The site likewise says the initiative will “explore use of bonus height provision in zones with height limits of 45 feet or more.”

In both cases, however, there’s no concrete information yet on the new regulations for single-family zoning or bonus height provisions, saying that both would be further explored as part of the Zoning for Housing/Housing for All project.

A city-led Zoning for Housing/Housing for All panel discussion is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6 p.m. in the Holiday Inn Carlyle (2460 Eisenhower Avenue). The meeting can also be attended via Zoom (login information is on the city website).

The Coalition for Zoning has already gotten some pushback from Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson, who spent Sunday driving around the city highlighting multi-family housing built around Alexandria, some of which could not be built today under the current zoning regulations.

A new group opposing our “Zoning For Housing” effort suggests that allowing multi-family residences would “fundamentally change the look and character of Alexandria.”

So today Kid2 and I decided to drive around (this doubled as new-driver training). Here’s what we found:

1/10 pic.twitter.com/lsDppE8MpQ

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) August 27, 2023

The City of Alexandria is taking its massive zoning reform aimed at making housing more affordable to the community this fall.

In Alexandria, around 20% of households are paying over 30% of their income in housing, and around 10% are spending more than 50% on housing.

Zoning for Housing/Housing for All is an effort to rectify that. It’s a top-to-bottom housing reform project that aims to expand housing production in Alexandria, make housing more affordable in the city, and address current and past inequalities.

Among the changes are more incentives for developers to provide both market rate and affordable housing in exchange for bonus height or density and taking another look at how the city classifies single-family zoning.

That last point is reminiscent of the Missing Middle zoning changes — allowing multifamily structures in neighborhoods that were formerly limited to single-family detached homes — that sparked controversy in Arlington earlier this year.

According to the project website:

The initiative will evaluate the current limit of one household per lot in the City’s Single-family Zones and the potential benefits of allowing a greater number of households per lot in those zones. Staff will examine changing the number of permitted units as well as the definition of “family.” As currently conceived, this initiative will potentially amplify our housing production goals by enabling new typologies in neighborhoods where they don’t exist now, and/or are by their nature are less expensive, but this initiative will not be examining the potential for these new units to be “committed affordable” as we have interpreted that without specific tools or public investment to make them so.

Starting next week, the city is kicking off a whirlwind tour of town halls and hearings running up to a scheduled vote on Nov. 28.

“Launched in 2019, the Zoning for Housing/Housing for All initiative has a joint goal of expanding housing accessibility, affordability and availability across the city while also addressing equity in housing for all groups in Alexandria,” the city said in a release. “Prior to 2023, the City Council adopted three reforms under the initiative, including text amendments related to Accessory Dwelling Units, Co-Living and Auxiliary Dwellings Units.”

The schedule for this rollout is:

• August 29: Zoning for Housing/Housing for All Panel Discussion
• September 5: Joint Planning Commission/ City Council Work Session, City Hall (draft recommendations released).
• September 14: Community meeting, Location coming soon.
• September 23: City Council Public Hearing, City Hall (opportunity to comment)
• September 24: City Council Town Hall (opportunity to comment) Location coming soon.
• October 5:  Community meeting, Location coming soon.
• October 12: Community meeting, Location coming soon.
• October 14: City Council Public Hearing, City Hall (opportunity to comment)
• October 21: City Council Town Hall (opportunity to comment) Location coming soon.
• November 1: Planning Commission Public Hearing on Zoning for Housing, City Hall (opportunity to comment)
• November 14: City Council Public Hearing on Zoning for Housing, City Hall
• November 18: City Council Public Hearing on Zoning for Housing continued, City Hall
• November 28: City Council Meeting, City Hall (scheduled vote on Zoning for Housing reforms)

Some of the best hairdressing talent in Alexandria came together today (Monday) to give children from affordable neighborhoods and Carpenter’s Shelter a free back-to-school makeover.

Four hairdressers spent the morning working on styling hair for 22 girls and one boy at the new Iye’s Beauty Salon (4600 Duke Street). It was a mini-reunion for hairdressers of Angels Salon, a recently closed salon specializing in Black hair, including Iye’s eponymous owner Iye Bayoh.

Bayoh said she specializes in natural styles and braiding. Bayoh said because most children don’t like getting their hair done, the Salon tries to make it more engaging for children.

“It’s relaxing,” Bayoh said. “This is a place where people can come to get peace of mind.”

Bayoh said City Council member Alyia Gaskins coordinated the event. Bayoh was joined by Shanika Morgan from Nevaeh Crowns (5510 Cherokee Avenue), Marquis Handley from Quisonthecombs, and Shantell Ford from The Divine Touch Salon.

Gaynelle Diaz, director of Resident and Community Services at Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA), said the event helped children in ARHA feel empowered as they head back to school.

“It really helps out,” said Diaz. “With having to buy school supplies and with things being more expensive, takes some of the financial burden off of families. They don’t have to shift priorities, because you want your kids to go back and feel good about themselves so parents to worry about.”

Diaz said the event came out of conversations about how Black girls are generally neglected in back-to-school events.

“At back-to-school events, it’s more common to offer free haircuts for young boys and men because it’s a quicker process because we feel girls get left out,” Diaz said. “Sometimes, when you’re doing community events, it doesn’t go as quickly and we have a harder time finding people who are available to donate their time.”

The new salon opened on the ground floor of an apartment building on Duke Street on Aug. 2. Bayoh, who is originally from West Africa but has lived most of her life in Alexandria, said after working at Angels Salon she thought it was important to stay local in Alexandria.

“Most of my clientele is from around here and I grew up in Alexandria,” Bayoh said. “It’s been good, the people here are great, and it’s good for the kids to have a feel of what it’s like in a salon.”

Alexandria’s long-term plans for the West End go back to 1992 and the city is in the process of bringing some of those up to date to address the current needs; namely housing.

The city’s “updated community vision” aims to address housing vulnerability and affordability in an area that’s traditionally been home to some of the city’s last bastions of market-rate affordable housing.

The city’s update is hitting both the 1992 Alexandria West Small Area Plan and the 2012 Beauregard Small Area Plan. The planning process kicked off late last year, staring an 18-month process of looking at issues of housing affordability, equity, land use, mobility, pedestrian and cyclist safety and more.

In a release last week, the city outlined some next steps for that planning process:

• Coordination with Building Residents and Property Owners: In response to community comments regarding property issues in the plan area we will be working with the building residents and property owners to discuss current property issues.
• AlexWest Plan Meetings and Workshops: In the Fall, the City will host a meeting, tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 27, on potential proposed strategies for affordable housing and land use based on the comments from the community process. Subsequent community meetings will include topics such as open space, mobility, sustainability, infrastructure, and other planning topics. Details on meeting location and time, as well as information regarding all future engagement opportunities, will be posted on the project website, communicated through eNews and WhatsApp, and shared with community groups.
• Pop-ups and Events: The City will continue to host pop-ups and events throughout Alexandria West with community organizations and other stakeholders to ensure people are informed about the process and have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. If you would like to invite staff to your event, please reach out to Christian Brandt, [email protected], at least a week in advance.

The area has been a hotbed of conflict between residents in market-rate affordable housing and landlords, particularly at Southern Towers — right in the heart of the planning area.

The developer for the massive Samuel Madden redevelopment in Old Town deferred submission of a final site plan this week, after the Board of Architectural Review warned failure over design guidelines.

For one thing, the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority project needs to be designed without vinyl windows, unlike the current design.

“The applicant is proposing to use VPI Vinyl Windows for all windows that are not aluminum storefront,” City staff said in a report. “This means that most windows above the ground floor will be vinyl windows. As shown in the submitted product data, the vinyl windows will have muntins applied to the interior and exterior faces of the glass but will not include spacer bars between the glass.”

ARHA wants to demolish the existing 66 units of public housing in 13 two-story apartment buildings at 899 and 999 N. Henry Street and replace them with two new six-story apartment buildings (75 feet maximum height) containing 532 residential units. Of those, 326 units would be affordable and workforce housing for a period of 40 years, in order for ARHA to qualify for federal tax credits.

City Council and the Planning Commission unanimously approved the development in February, although final site plans still have to go through an approval process. ARHA expects construction to take two years and is also applying for special use permit approvals for a potential restaurant with outdoor dining, an athletic club/fitness studio and a medical care facility.

The property will be home to home to 13,800 square feet of ground floor retail space, as well as a 13,540 square-foot Hopkins House early childhood center and a 500-square-foot Alive! food hub.

BAR Member Nastaran Zandian recommended fiberglass windows and Board Chair James Spencer recommended deferral.

“I don’t think you’re gonna get anyone on this board to sign off on vinyl windows,” Spencer said.

The current public housing units were built for defense workers during World War II in 1945. The 65 families currently living on the properties will be provided temporary housing, their moving expenses will be paid and they will have the option to move back to the property once construction is finished, according to a city staff report.

City staff also found fault in a proposed cantilevered sunshade on the roof of the gateway building at 999 N. Henry Street.

“This is meant to create a top to the building as a sort of cornice,” city staff wrote. “Staff finds this element to be a distraction to the simple form and notes that since this is on the north elevation of the building, it serves no functional purpose. Staff recommends that the applicant explore brick detailing options to create a terminus to the curved form that is more simple than the proposed sun shade.”

Plans to convert a West End auto dealership into an affordable apartment complex are expected to be finished by late 2025, nonprofit Community Housing Partners tells ALXnow.

It’s been more than a year since plans were first released for Witter Place, the current location of Lindsay Cadillac at 2712 Duke Street. Once built, the four-to-five story building will be home to 94 units affordable for households earning 40% to 60% area median income.

“Witter Place is moving forward,” Kimberly Strahm, CHP’s vice president for strategic operations, told ALXnow. “We have begun working on site planning and are interviewing [general contractors] next week. However, we expect site plan approval could take up to a year and then we’ll need building permit approval before construction can start. The earliest we anticipate being done is late 2025.”

The new building will include a courtyard and rooftop terrace for residents.

City Council approved the project last November, and it includes enhanced 10-foot-wide tree-lined sidewalks and new bus shelter on the property frontage.

This is CHP’s first project in Alexandria.

While Southern Towers has been the center of a multi-year battle over housing costs and evictions from market-rate units, the City of Alexandria’s Office of Housing said there are still over 50 committed affordable units at the project in need of residents.

Southern Towers is one of the last bastions of market-affordable housing in Alexandria — which means housing that is considered affordable to Alexandria residents making less than 60% of the area’s median income.

For a single person, for example, 60% of area median income is $63,300 — less than a teacher with a Master’s Degree starting in Alexandria or an editor at a local news website.

In an email to ALXnow, Housing Program Manager Virginia Patton said there are around 105 units set aside, from 56 studio apartments to one three-bedroom apartment. The three-bedroom and four two-bedroom units have been rented, but there are still roughly 17 one-bedroom units available and 35 studio apartments available.

The Sword of Damocles hanging over those units, however, is that many of those were established in 2015 with ten-year terms. Some of those were renegotiated in 2018, but those are set to start expiring over the next few years.

A release from the City of Alexandria said rents, with utilities, are:

• Efficiency Unit: $1,451
• 1 Bedroom Unit: $1,696

For years, residents at Southern Towers have protested and rang alarm bells about rent increases and evictions at Southern Towers, drawing support from Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and a visit from Sandra Thompson, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

While the committed affordable units will help some, residents at Southern Towers have consistently expressed concerns that gentrification in the area will lead owner CIM Group to drive up rents.

According to the release, applications can be filed online or via mail:

If interested, please visit the online application available in English, Español or አማርኛ.

If you prefer to request a paper application to be mailed to you, please contact Virginia Patton, Housing Program Manager at virginia.patton@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3083.

Two months verification of your income must be provided with the application. Please note: monthly gross income must be, at a minimum, twice the rent of the unit. Once an application is approved by the Office of Housing, it will be provided to the Southern Towers Apartments Leasing Office for rental background checks and final approval. For more information, please contact Virginia Patton at virginia.patton@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3083.

After considerable pushback, the city is rethinking its bonus height provision as a way to build affordable housing in Alexandria.

The city’s controversial zoning for housing plan proposes to upend a number of zoning ordinances. One of them is a bonus height amendment that would incentivize developers to add affordable housing to projects in exchange for two additional stories of construction in areas where height limits are 45 feet or more.

“I would just encourage us that, as we’re thinking about how to prioritize, that we’re not just thinking of it in terms of where can we get the most height or not, but we’re also looking at maybe some of the unintended consequences,” said Council Member Alyia Gaskins in a joint meeting with the Planning Commission on Monday.

On Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, that would mean 70-foot-tall apartment buildings, and residents say the move would ruin the small town feel of the neighborhood. The bonus height provision would also impact properties along Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, as well as in Arlandria, Alexandria West, the Beauregard area, the Landmark area, Eisenhower West, Old Town North and Carlyle.

“What we are finding in our initial analysis is that in most cases, the opportunity for additional height may not be particularly valuable than setting new constraints like setbacks and limit what’s possible on the site much more than height does,” said Nancy Williams, the assistant director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.

The negative effect would be the displacement of more families than are being added back into affordable housing.

“If we do a redevelopment and we’re only getting 30% of that additional height in affordability and the rest of it’s not affordable, that might be totally negated by tearing down a garden style apartment building,” Planning Commission Vice Chair Melissa McMahon said, adding that the policy would generate a bunch of unintended consequences and development won’t work citywide.

The Planning Commission deferred a vote on the bonus height proposal last summer after protests from Del Ray residents.

“Part of the reason we’re here, quite honestly, is because of some of the pushback the Commission offered to the to the bonus height provision and I think it prompted a conversation around how we look at the entirety of this process,” Mayor Justin Wilson said.

While Del Ray could see negative consequences from adding height in exchange for affordable housing, Williams said there are specific situations where height would be useful and asked whether the bonus height provision should be focused on limited locations.

City Council Member John Taylor Chapman said that the Eisenhower Valley is a prime spot for implementation of the provision.

“I think of places like Eisenhower valley where, whether it’s the eastern part where we started to really grow and frankly message to the community that we don’t mind getting taller there,” Chapman said.

If the proposal is approved as-is, developers would still have to go through an intensive special use permit (SUP) process, which could limit developers wanting to come into Del Ray.

Council Member Kirk McPike said that argument is “not compelling” and that the city shouldn’t inadvertently induce counterproductive redevelopment.

The proposal went through a community engagement phase in the spring, and City staff recommendations will be made in July and August. More community engagement sessions are expected in September and October and then public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council will be held in November and December.

The proposed zoning for housing initiative is below the jump. Read More

(Updated at 11 a.m. on June 29) U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sent a letter to CIM Group highlighting the concerns of residents regarding evictions, increased rents and living conditions at their Southern Towers Apartments complex.

In a letter Monday, the Virginia Democrats urged the building owner to resolve long standing disputes with residents. Since buying the property at the height of the pandemic in 2020, residents have protested against evictions, claiming that CIM Group has raised rents and evicted hundreds of residents from deteriorating properties.

“Tenants have shared with our offices that, under CIM ownership, they have been subjected to eviction filings during the eviction moratorium, changes in how utilities are billed combined with rent increases that have led to substantial price hikes, and unaddressed maintenance issues that pose health and safety risks,” the senators wrote. “Further, tenants have voiced that CIM issued unclear eviction notices indicating that tenants who were late on their rent payments had only five days to ‘pay rent or, alternatively, to terminate lease and vacate premises’ – only mentioning later in the notice that tenants located on a ‘covered property’ as defined by the CARES Act were entitled to a 30-day notice before vacating.”

Protests against CIM Group have been led by the People’s Actions Homes Guarantee campaign and African Communities Together (ACT), which say that Southern Towers residents are at the mercy of a major private equity landlord that only cares about profit.

Consequently, last month Southern Towers also got a visit from the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

CIM Group says that they only 31 residents have been evicted due to non-payment, and that living conditions have improved under their ownership.

CIM Group sent ALXnow the following statement:

CIM Group has long been a proud member of the Alexandria, VA community as the owner and operator of several properties, including Southern Towers where the firm took over operations in 2020. It was immediately clear to Southern Towers Management that they needed to address years of deferred maintenance and make important quality-of-life improvements to the development including long-overdue roof replacements; renovation of apartments, corridors, and common areas; resurfacing parking areas and tennis courts; new playgrounds and much more.

While Southern Towers is not an affordable housing community, CIM Group has worked diligently to keep rent 20% below comparable properties in Alexandria, while at the same time, making significant improvements to the habitability of Southern Towers. Residents have always paid a portion of their utilities and continue to be responsible for the costs they incur.

Southern Towers Management has never violated the CARES Act or any local, state or Federal laws. In fact, CIM Group is legally required to utilize a form provided by the State of Virginia–referred to as a 5-Day Notice–to notify residents when they are in arrears. CIM Group has no control over the language used in the form and any call for modifications should be directed to the State of Virginia.

Despite much disinformation, Southern Towers Management will not be deterred from their commitment to the community they serve, their legal obligation and the fiduciary duty the company has to investors who have also helped improve the living conditions at Southern Towers from what existed prior to CIM Group’s ownership.

CIM Group has made significant improvements for the overall wellbeing of the residents at Southern Towers, including:

1. Providing assistance during the pandemic to residents who suffered financial setbacks that resulted in more than $5 million in rental assistance secured for hundreds of families.
2. Increasing the level of regular maintenance well beyond what was the norm under the prior owner by 96%, which is more than $8.2M to address significant deferred maintenance issues.
3. Instituting an online resident portal that provides transparent and open communication, as well as a seamless way for residents to submit work orders, which expedites necessary repair and maintenance.
4. Prioritizing community involvement by organizing farmers markets, job fairs, food drives, and vaccination clinics.
5. Engaging residents in a transparent and ongoing way by holding monthly meetings and appreciation events, as well as communicating important dates and information in the resident portal, as well as the weekly and monthly newsletters.

Fostering a secure and healthy environment by:

1. Installing security cameras in each elevator landing in each tower and upgrading cameras on the lobby level in each tower. The entire project is anticipated to be completed by the end of July 2024.
2. Upgrading all smoke detectors and replacing every unit on the campus with smoke detector/CO2 combo units.
3. Repairing the retaining wall near the Ashlawn.
4. Installing Flock Security – license plate reading cameras installed at each entrance to the property.
5. Upgrading the fire alarm panel at Sherwood.
6. Purchasing a new Jeep for patrolling the campus.
7. Performing a thorough Pest Control inspection and preventative treatments of all common areas and every apartment home as well as sealing of any holes found during the inspection.

Making material upgrades to improve the quality of living at Southern Towers:

1. Making significant laundry room upgrades, including purchasing new washer and dryer equipment for each floor at every building. The new equipment also included upgraded payment panel allowing residents the option to use cash, credit/debit cards or an app to pay for service.
2. Enhancing and upgrading the dog park.
3. Tennis Court resurfacing, striping and new nets. Upgrade also included replacing the solo player wall.
4. Resurfacing the overflow parking area.
5. Asphalt resurfacing at Beauregard entrance near The Graham and Monticello.
6. Replacing all of the playground equipment.
7. Beautifying the property including removing 26 dead or rotting trees from the campus and pruned trees in the community park to raise tree canopy by 3 feet, allowing better sight lines.
8. Replacing 4 outdoor gas grills at Graham.
9. Installing new grilling areas throughout the community park.
10. Expanding concrete pads at grilling areas which include new accessible seating.
11. Installing a new pergola over the grilling area closest to the Monticello pool.
12. Complete resurfacing of the Monticello main and small pools.
13. HVAC convector project completed at the Sherwood.
14. HVAC system inspections completed across the campus.
15. Window and Balcony door mock-ups completed at Ashlawn and Monticello. Each building scheduled for full window replacement byQ4 2023.

The full letter from Warner and Kaine is below. Read More

The owners of an Alexandria rooming house could have gotten a significant paycheck from developers for the property, but the home owner is working with the city to keep it affordable.

At a City Council meeting last night, the Council unanimously authorized to pay $1.95 million from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act grant funding to renovate and preserve a rooming house at 1022 Pendleton Street.

For over 100 years, 1022 Pendleton Street has been owned by a local family that’s used it to provide housing — at times offering shelter to those kept out of hotels by segregation.

“When it was used as a family home, it provided Green Book-style lodgings for Black entertainers and notables who were not able to stay in hotels due to segregation,” Helen McIlvaine, director of the Office of Housing, said. “In the 1970s, the ten bedroom house was converted into rooming house and operated as modest housing.”

The home was owned by a local businesswoman named Corrine Dixon.

According to the city report:

Ms. Dixon, who is deceased, was a prominent black businesswoman and local philanthropist in the second half of the 20th century. Her grandfather, known as “Baker John”, bought the Pendleton Street- Parker Gray neighborhood property around 1910 and turned the house, with a separate commercial space, into a 10-bedroom family home with a successful bakery attached. Ms. Dixon was well-known in Alexandria’s black community for her generosity in supporting the personal needs, educational attainment goals, and professional aspirations of her extended family, as well as members of her church and the wider Parker Gray neighborhood.

Each household in the building has a separate bedroom, but shared bathrooms, kitchen, dining room and living room areas. The property is not committed affordable but is considered market-rate affordable.

McIlvaine acknowledged Dixon’s daughter Janice Howard could have sold 1022 Pendleton Street to developers for significantly more than the city is investing in maintaining the property.

“While the property is unique, Ms. Howard, who represents the entity who owns the property, may be even more unique,” McIlvaine said. “She had many more lucrative options for what she might do with 1022 Pendleton, but in honor of her mother, a local philanthropist, Ms. Howard decided the right course was to continue with 1022 as a haven for those with the fewest housing options.”

The staff report said low rents will continue and a referral process will be created for the residences:

The operation of the property as a rooming house will be recorded via a restrictive covenant in the City’s land records to maintain this arrangement. On behalf of the Jackson family, Ms. Howard has confirmed the desire of other descendants to continue this use. Via the loan and grant documents, the City will retain the right of first refusal to acquire the property if, and when, it is sold in the future.

The renovations will focus on enhanced accessibility, livability and safety. McIlvaine said the residents in the rooming house will have a right to return once the renovations are completed in approximately twelve months.

City leaders called the investment a unique opportunity and unanimously approved the funding, taking a moment to acknowledge the moral fiber it took to keep that housing affordable.

“So often we’re talking about the tension between preservation and affordability and how unfortunately they sometimes end up pitted against each other,” Mayor Justin Wilson said. “This is one of the situations where preservation and affordability are running in dovetail here and [there’s] an opportunity to bring them together.”

City Council member Sarah Bagley said the city is getting a significant return for investment in preserving the eight units.

“I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge what this investment means for the people living there and to point out the value for dollar,” Bagley said. “$1.9 million to house eight households is an incredible return on investment. We talk about the cost of an affordable unit and it can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s a phenomenal use.”