Alexandria is planning to redesign the small .7 acre Wilkes Street Park that runs through Heritage at Old Town.
As part of a planned redevelopment of Heritage, the city is planning to make the park more accessible and accomodating to all ages and abilities, according to the city website. The park also features a pedestrian and bicycle trail that connects Wilkes Street between S. Alfred Street and S. Columbus Street, a use that the city said would continue under the new design.
There’s extensive redevelopment in the works along Beauregard Street, a major route through the city’s West End.
At the tail end of the Beauregard Design Advisory Committee meeting late last month — where BDAC reviewed a proposal to scale down a proposed townhouse development — Maya Contreras, the principal planner for West End new development, laid out a roadmap for what’s ahead for the surrounding areas.
It’s rare for Development attorney Ken Wire to admit that a previously approved project needs less density and more open space, but Upland Park is an exception, he recently told the Beauregard Design Advisory Committee (BDAC).
Developer Hekemian & Co. came to the BDAC late last month to discuss some significant changes planned to a proposed development along Seminary Road in the West End.
New details are emerging on developer CRC Cos.’ plans to turn a series of single-family homes across the street from the Braddock Metro station into a mixed-use development called Braddock West, as first reported by the Washington Business Journal.
The new development is proposed to be seven stories tall, overshadowing the existing Andrew Adkins housing which is also slated for eventual redevelopment. The project is slated to include 174 residential units, with 8-12 committed affordable units.
Alexandria wants community input on the latest plans regarding the proposed Oakville Triangle redevelopment, and another Zoom meeting is planned early next month.
Inova Alexandria Hospital plans to accommodate development at National Landing and Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus by expanding it services with a new HealthPlex in the city’s Oakville Triangle neighborhood.
The coronavirus pandemic has put some of Alexandria City Public Schools’ plans on hold — like the redevelopment of T.C. Williams High School — but the fully developed plans for the modernization of Douglas MacArthur Elementary School are still moving full-steam ahead.
In the new plans, the current building from 1943 will be demolished and replaced with a new elementary school. The new school will be three stories with a synthetic playing field and outdoor play areas.
It’s hard to argue that the implementation of accessory dwelling units (ADU) in Arlington was a resounding success, and as Alexandria looks to move forward with implementing its own new ADU policy it is hoping to avoid the mistakes of its northern neighbor.
Tina Stacy, a housing economist at the Urban Institute, said in a meeting on Tuesday that the city is gathering public feedback on hopes or concerns regarding ADUs. So far, there have been 240 responses from Alexandrians. Stacey admitted that conversation right now is largely driven by homeowners in the Seminary Hill area.
Alexandria Man Has Washington Football Team Name Trademarks — “Phillip Martin McCaulay, 61, has made dozens of submissions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for almost a dozen potential names and other iterations of them.” [WTOP]
Police Department Celebrates 150th Birthday — “150 years of exemplary service to the citizens of Alexandria! Happy anniversary to the Alexandria Police Department founded on this day, July 15, 1870.” [Facebook]
After some back and forth about the “Old Town” letters, plans to revive the marquee above the former Old Town Theater are headed to the Alexandria Board of Architectural Review tonight (Wednesday).
The site at 815 1/2 King Street is undergoing renovation to turn into a Patagonia — an outdoors clothing and equipment store. The location was build as the Richmond Theater in 1914, according to a staff report, with a permit for “moving pictures, bowling alleys and billiards.” In 1929, a metal marquee was added, which may have been replaced or updated in the 1950s.
If the vision presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission last Thursday remains through the development, Potomac Yard could be rife with flexible open space.
At the commission meeting, representatives of developer JBG SMITH and Virginia Tech outlined plans for flexibles spaces that could be used equally for casual strolls or busy markets.
The former Pines of Florence and Aftertime Comics buildings at 1300 and 1304 King Street may not stand out much to the casual Old Town visitor, but faded brick buildings have a historic legacy that a new development hopes to bring out again.
The property at 1300 King Street is being redeveloped with an L-shaped building that will have 33 multifamily units over ground-floor retail, Washington Business Journal reported. Though it’s just one building, the project’s design is aimed to appear like two: with a red brick building facing King Street and a grey brick one facing S. Payne Street.
