Alexandria’s Planning Commission endorsed a plan to rezone 301 N. Fairfax Street, despite concerns from the divided Commission that rezoning without prior planning represents bad civic practice.
The plan is to replace the empty three-story office building with a four-story apartment building with underground parking and a rooftop terrace.
(Updated at 11:45 a.m.) After more than 200 years in business, Alexandria’s Smoot Lumber yard is shutting down today.
The Alexandria-area supplier of mouldings, doors and windows has been a staple for local builders since it was founded in 1822, and now its owner Builders FirstSource says that customers should visit its lumber yards in Manassas, Manassas Park, Springfield and in Waldorf, Maryland.
A new residential development that created a stir among some Old Town residents is heading to Alexandria’s Planning Commission next week.
The new development at 301 N. Fairfax Street — around two blocks west of Founders Park and two blocks north of City Hall — would create 48 new residential units, along with underground parking with 67 spaces and 10,065 square feet of private open space. Two of those units will be set aside as affordable housing.
After years of stalled planning, the Washington Business Journal first reported that Robinson Terminal North redevelopment could be revived.
The Journal reported that a new development concept plan has been filed with the city’s planning department. The plan will include multifamily residential, ground-floor retail and a restaurant, with mixed-use residential buildings straddling N. Union Street.
All arguments aside, Alexandria’s equity standards and economic prospects have been declared sound.
Yesterday, the city announced that S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service reaffirmed Alexandria’s ‘AAA’ bond rating. The city has maintained the designation since 1992, and it equates to a good credit rating for the city to get low-interest rates from bond investors to provide funding for multiple projects.
(Updated 11/16) An Alexandria homebuilder has joined a Canadian development company, and has become their 100th office in North America.
Matt Bieschke, Owner of Carbon Design Build, opened his business more than a decade ago in Alexandria. Last week, Alair announced that Bieschke agreed to join the Alair franchise as a partner, establishing Alair Alexandria. Alair was founded in 2007, and also owns Alair Arlington and Alair Hunt Country.
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority is asking the city to approve new height limits for its proposed redevelopment of Ladrey High Rise in Old Town North.
ARHA has plans to demolish the existing 11-story, 170-unit affordable apartment building at 300 Wythe Street, which houses seniors and residents with disabilities, as well as its former headquarters at 600 N. Fairfax Street.
The Alexandria Planning Commission unanimously endorsed a sweeping overhaul of the city’s zoning ordinances on Wednesday night, giving City Council the green light to vote on it later this month.
There were more than 100 attendees and 51 speakers at the Planning Commission’s five hour public hearing, which ran after midnight. The speakers were a mixed bunch, with about half supporting the legislation and the other half opposing it.
A makeover has been proposed for a 53-year-old office building in Old Town North.
The owners of the former home of the Alexandria Community Services Board at 720 North St. Asaph Street want the building converted into a 12-unit multifamily apartment building with ground floor commercial space.
City leaders broke ground on Housing Alexandria‘s 474-unit affordable apartment complex in Arlandria on Wednesday, capping off the largest project of its kind in Alexandria history.
It will be 2026 by the time residents start moving into the two-building, 36,000 square-foot complex, Housing Alexandria said in a release. The buildings, named Sansé and Naja, will be located near the corner of W. Glebe Road and Mount Vernon Avenue. The property will include a large underground parking garage and 34,000 square feet of commercial space, which will include childcare and health care services, according to Housing Alexandria.
Hilco Redevelopment Partners said a new mixed-use development at the former GenOn Power Plant site takes inspiration from the Renaissance Revival-style Flatiron building in New York. Reception online was mixed.
The Flatiron, built at the start of the 20th century, is an iconic design at 175 Fifth Avenue. While the proposed developments at Block B have a similarly tall and narrow shape, the Alexandria building still has strong elements of the fast-casual architecture style dominating recent development around the region.
