The Ramsey Homes affordable housing project will loaned an additional $1.4 million thanks to a vote by the Alexandria City Council.
Council members voted to grant the additional funding to the redevelopment last night (Tuesday), bringing the total amount Alexandria has loaned to $5 million.
New Silver Diner to Open Next Year — “Silver Diner will open one of its newest location at a mixed-use development… near Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus. The 6,600-square-foot restaurant will be part of Weingarten Realty Investors’ West Alex, a Harris Teeter-anchored building at King and North Beauregard streets. It will open next summer.” [WTOP]
Free Flu Vaccines on Saturday — “The Alexandria Health Department will host a free flu shot clinic on October 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Patrick Henry Elementary School (4643 Taney Ave.). Flu shots are available for adults and children ages six months and older at no cost. No insurance or proof of residency is required.” [City of Alexandria]
Rising water levels are forcing one planned redevelopment of a historic property to move the building up a few feet.
The Mill, a building at the heart of Robinson Landing development along the waterfront, is being renovated and turned into a Southern-inspired restaurant. The city filing by local builder Murray Bonitt noted that the building was at one point used as a mess hall for Union soldiers during the Civil War. But the renovation will involve taking the building apart and putting it back together again a few feet above its current elevation.
Metro is moving forward with plans to develop the areas around the Huntington station in Fairfax County, just south of Alexandria.
The transit agency announced it would tap Stout & Teague as the property’s “master developer” by preparing and dividing the 12-acre site into parcels that could be then sold or leased to other developers.
Construction is now underway at a mixed-use development just north of the Braddock Road Metro station.
Braddock Gateway Phase II and Phase III broke ground last Friday at 1200 N. Fayette Street, according to an employee at Carmel Partners, the investment company behind Phase III of the project.
New Hotel Opening in Old Town — “The New Hyatt Centric in Alexandria is accepting reservations for March 1, 2020. The hotel, at 1611 King St., will have a restaurant on site. It will have 124 rooms. The hotel will be pet-friendly and include a fitness center.” [Alexandria Living]
Local Zip Code Among State’s Priciest for Renters — “Alexandria, one of the most competitive real estate markets, is also one of the state’s priciest for renting an apartment… Alexandria’s zip code 22314 is the eighth most expensive in Virginia. The average $2,145 rent has a 3.8 percent year-over-year change.” [Patch]
New Senior Care Center Set to Open in 2021 — “Construction is progressing quickly on a new senior care community in Old Town. Sunrise Senior Living broke ground on its new facility at the intersection of North Washington and Princess streets early this year. The McLean-based company is building a 93-room assisted living community.” [Alexandria Living]
Waterfront Construction Projects Well Underway — “Anyone living on Union Street in Old Town 10 years ago might not recognize it now… During the week, the street is crowded with construction vehicles, and there are several places where the sidewalk is temporarily blocked or under a protective awning because of the construction. Hardly the setting for tourists taking selfies.” [Gazette-Packet]
A proposal to install a bar carved from shipping containers on the waterfront will approach its first hurdle to approval next week.
After a deferral at what may have been the shortest Board of Architectural Review meeting on record — at one minute, 26 seconds — the bar at Robinson Landing (314 Strand Street) is docketed for the review at the group’s Wednesday, Oct. 16 meeting.
A set of surface parking lots in the heart of Old Town could become a new set of retail and residential buildings — with no public parking lost.
The Planning Commission voted last night to recommend approval of the sale of 912, 916 and 920 King Street, along with 116 S. Henry Street just around the corner, to local investment firm Galena Capital Partners, LLC for $5.3 million.
Alexandria’s City Council approved an ambitious master plan for Landmark Mall in April, but it’s city staff that’s been doing the delicate behind-the-scenes work of making that a reality.
After a long decline, Landmark Mall in Alexandria’s West End finally shut its doors for good in 2017 — though its corpse was briefly gussied up to play a 1980s shopping mall for Wonder Woman 2 in 2018.
Officials working on the long-overdue renovation of Alexandria City Hall say that a plan years ago to rent out space to commercial properties — as part of an effort to help pay for the expensive repairs — is no longer being considered.
“[Renting space] is not currently being considered as one of the options,” said Kayla Anthony, project manager for program management firm Brailsford and Dunlavey Inc. “People [we surveyed] valued that private cafe retail space much less for City Hall.”
