The Mark Apartments at 100 S. Reynolds Street near the Landmark area is under new ownership.
Washington Property Company (WPC) announced its acquisition of The Mark, a 227-unit apartment tower in the West End, last Friday. The company bought the tower for $52.7 million.
This week was a mix of big plans for the future in Alexandria and concerns about public feedback on city projects.
The top story this week was on Sunday, when a driver struck and killed local resident Roy Saravia Alvarez. The driver, Fredy Ortiz-Dominguez of Hyattsville, Maryland, was arrested last night and charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Old Town Books to open ‘Juniors’ pop-up shop — “Old Town Books is opening a winter pop-up shop called Old Town Books Juniors this month.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
Public invited to help lay wreaths at Alexandria National Cemetery Dec. 18 — “On Saturday, Dec. 18 — the same day as the wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery — there is another gathering planned for Alexandria National Cemetery.” [Zebra]
The four-story, three part development at 1300 King Street could be finished by this time next year, according to a partner in the joint venture.
The former homes to Pines of Florence and Aftertime Comics at 1300 and 1304 King Street (at the corner of S. Payne Street) are now shells of their former selves. The buildings were erected in the early 19th century and are in the process of being restored by developers The Holladay Corporation and The Foundry Companies.
The PT Blooms LLC development at 805 Columbus Street is returning to the Board of Architectural Review for a certificate of appropriateness after having its hand slapped earlier this year for being too Old Towny.
The proposed development — designed by the Penney Design Group — is a five-story building with 78 residential units built on what is currently a vacant lot in the heart of the Braddock/Parker-Gray neighborhood. While the building would tower over some of the nearby two-story homes, the application notes that it’s tapered at the upper levels of the building to shift the height away from the street. Even so, several pending five-story developments for the area indicate that this sort of building could be the norm in the area within a few years.
The story of Hybla Valley’s lost airport — “Every American with their own plane? Strangely enough, this was a widespread belief during most of the 1920s and ’30s — a motive which, at the time, led to the creation of Alexandria’s prestigious and unique Hybla Valley Airport.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
New sports field opens at Francis C. Hammond Middle School — “The new multipurpose futsal court at Francis C. Hammond Middle School was finally unveiled on Monday, Nov. 8.” [Zebra]
(Updated 1:50 a.m.) The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority announced some next steps as it works to transform the Samuel Madden Homes (921 N. Henry Street) in the Braddock neighborhood into a mixed-income, mixed-use rental community.
There are currently 66 public housing units in a neighborhood at the northern point of where Route 1 splits into N. Patrick and N. Henry streets. It’s an area overshadowed by the larger, higher-density developments to the east and west. A press release said the development would double the number of affordable units.
Plans to convert a North Old Town office park into a mixed-use space are headed to city review early next year.
TideLock Property Owner, LLC is looking at turning the Tidelock office park at 1033, 1055 and 1111 N. Fairfax Street into mix of residential and retail development. Plans submitted to the city indicate the developer is looking to convert the existing space and add new density rather than demolish and rebuild.
(Updated 4:45 p.m.) After being denied a certificate of appropriateness from the Board of Architectural Review (BAR), Old Town PropCo LLC is taking the case for The Heritage project to the City Council.
The Heritage is a project that will replace four buildings in southeast Old Town ( 900 Wolfe Street, 450 and 510 S. Patrick Street, 901 Gibbon Street, and 431 S. Columbus Street) with three new apartment buildings. It’s attracted some criticism from neighbors close to the project, but was eventually unanimously approved by the City Council.
If you missed the rare tour opportunity for the defunct GenOn plant back in June, Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP) has announced a new set of tours for later this month.
The vine-overgrown plant’s days are numbered: HRP is hoping to spearhead redevelopment of the site starting with demolition in 2023.
A new sprawling West End development near Landmark Mall is headed to the Planning Commission, but with a bigger emphasis on housing than before.
Landmark Overlook is a proposed development at 5901 Stevenson Avenue across from Landmark Mall, where significant redevelopment is being planned in upcoming years.
