After years of planning, a new neighborhood was just approved to replace the former Vulcan Materials site in Alexandria’s West End.
City Council approved the proposal 5-1 at their Saturday public hearing, with City Council Member Canek Aguirre voting in opposition.
Lennar Corporation and Potomac Land Group II LLC can now build a dual-branded 11-story hotel with 256 rooms facing S. Van Dorn Street on at 701 S. Van Dorn Street and 698 Burnside Place, as well as condominiums, townhouses and a new public park. Renderings of the hotel revealed a Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites.
The group also plans to contribute $3.5 million into the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund instead of including affordable housing on the 18-acre site. Additionally, $2.6 million would go toward construction of the 4.4-acre Backlick Run Park in the northwest corner of the property, and the developers would also build a pedestrian bridge from the property to the park.
Aguirre said that the project is an island without affordable housing, and said that the plan does not create a new voting precinct, or a school, and is difficult for the community to otherwise access.
“This is acres and acres of land,” Aguirre said. “We don’t get an opportunity to deal with this much land like this, and to say that we’re gonna have this large of a site and not have anything affordable, I don’t know how we do that.”
The site is the former home to a gravel and granite processing site, and is approximately a half-mile from the Van Dorn Metro station. About one-third of the property can’t be developed due to its previous industrial use.
Mayor Justin Wilson said that the city can’t always get what it wants, especially with such an industrial parcel of land.
“We want to do it all,” Wilson said. “We want public art, we want open space, we want affordable housing. We want it all and the reality is that it all does not pencil out.”
Ken Wire represents the developers and told Council that it will take a year to do environmental cleanup on the property and three years before housing units can be sold.
The plan also calls for construction of 204 condominiums, 88 back-to-back multifamily units, and 31 townhomes connected on an internal street network. Wire said that the condos would range in price from $400,000 to $600,000.
If Alexandria wants the transit corridors it dreams of, Planning Commission Chair Nathan Macek said it’s going to need to do more to secure federal funding.
In a budget discussion at the Planning Commission meeting last week, Macek noted that there is “no plan to pursue federal money” for two of the major transit corridors in the city budget.
Transitway corridors are areas where the city is hoping to implement “enhanced transit services” like bus rapid transit, a streetcar, dedicated bus lanes and more. Corridor B is the Duke Street / Eisenhower Avenue corridor. Corridor C is the Van Dorn Street / Beauregard Street corridor.
Macek said in the meeting that the funding set aside for transit development on those corridors is all local and regional funding.
“I will make, at every call, every opportunity I have, the call that we should be pursuing federal money for these projects,” Macek said.
Macek said he has concerns that the city is missing out on a chance to make those transit on those corridors better.
“My concern with the way we’re deploying BRT is we’re so content to make it happen with local and regional, and we’re not pursuing federal money that could help make this a real, functional, better bus rapid transit,” Macek said. “Totally missing that opportunity to pursue federal funds that could help us address the issues we have in these corridors.”
Staff told Macek at the meeting that one of the limits of the budget is it doesn’t show what avenues are being pursued, just what’s secure in the budget. Staff said efforts are underway to lock down federal funding for transit corridors.
Macek noted the Van Dorn Street Corridor in particular, which is seeing an upswing in new projects like the Vulcan property development, could benefit from federal funding for transit needs and possible widening.
“When we’re only working with local and regional money, we necessarily limit the scope of what we can accomplish because of that,” Macek said.
Photo via Google Maps
The Alexandria Police Department has identified the motorcyclist who died after crashing into a DASH bus on Tuesday night as 23-year-old city resident Kaden Olson.
The DASH bus driver was alone on the bus at the time of the crash, and announced it via dispatch at 5:07 p.m. He reported that the motorcyclist was speeding past the bus as it was turning onto N. Ripley Street.
The bus driver reported via dispatch that the motorcyclist was not moving. Minutes later, Olson was declared dead at the scene. Traffic was shut down in both directions of Duke Street and N. Ripley Street while APD investigated the crash.
The bus driver was not charged.
Traffic reopened at 10:40 p.m., police said.
According to APD:
The preliminary investigation of the APD Crash Investigation Unit has determined the DASH bus was traveling eastbound on Duke Street and making a left turn onto northbound N. Ripley Street when the motorcycle traveling westbound on Duke Street broadsided the bus.
Duke Street was closed in the area as the investigation proceeded and the scene was cleared, and streets were reopened near 10:40 p.m. The bus driver was not charged.
APD is asking for the community’s support in the investigation. If you have photos or videos from the incident, please use the links below to the community evidence portal by uploading materials there.
https://alexandriapdva.evidence.com/axon/community-request/public/busmotorcyclecrash
If you witnessed this incident of have information that could support the investigation, please call APD Detective Wesley Vitale at 703-746-6178 or [email protected].
An adult male was shot in the leg after an altercation in the Landmark area early Sunday morning, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
No arrests have been made, and police are still investigating the incident. APD received more than 10 calls for service at around 12:45 p.m., with witnesses telling police that they observed a shootout between two parties in the 200 block of S. Reynolds Street. Police were told that the suspects fled in two vehicles traveling in separate directions, according to the police scanner.
Multiple bullet casings were found in the street, according to the police scanner.
After the incident, the man who was shot was driven or drove himself to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
According to APD:
On Sunday, April 7, at approximately 12:44 a.m. Alexandria Police officers responded to the report of shots fired, a weapons violation, in the 200 block of South Reynolds Street. Once on scene, officers located evidence of shots having been fired but did not locate any injured parties. It was reported by witnesses that an altercation among a large group of people led to shots being exchanged.
During the investigation, it was determined that an adult male with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound was injured in the incident and received medical treatment in an area hospital. No arrests have been made at this time. This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should call Alexandria Police Detective Brattelli at 703-746- 6699.
Officers have concluded their on-site investigation in the 200 block of S. Reynolds St. after a weapons violation. One victim went to the hospital on their own and has non life threatening injuries.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) April 7, 2024
What a busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top story was all about money, with a $1 million Powerball ticket getting sold in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.
On Monday we reported that an Alexandria resident was charged after a loaded gun was allegedly found in his carry-on bag at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The incident marked the third time last month that a firearm was confiscated from luggage at the airport.
Also Monday, Mayor Justin Wilson said in his monthly newsletter that the March 27 death of the Potomac Yard arena deal would likely mean a period of stagnation for that area of the city. Landowner JBG Smith, however, softened its stance after initially releasing a scathing opinion on the situation, and told the Washington Business Journal on Wednesday that it now envisions Potomac Yard as a tech corridor anchored by the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus.
In a Thursday poll, ALXnow asked whether Alexandria is better off without the Potomac Yard arena. The poll got more than 1,300 responses, with 65% voting “Yes,” 26% voting “No” and nearly 10% voting “I don’t know.”
Got a good spot to see the eclipse on Monday? Our second-most-read story this week showcases an eclipse viewing party being hosted by the city in Old Town.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Powerball ticket worth $1 million sold in Mount Vernon (7387 views)
- City of Alexandria hosting eclipse viewing party in Old Town (7375 views)
- Notes: Pizza and cocktail bar opening this week in Old Town (5997 views)
- Sign ordinance update tackling longstanding sign complaints from Alexandria businesses (5400 views)
- In wake of Potomac Yard arena implosion, Alexandria mayor says area will stay the same for ‘quite some time’ (5398 views)
- Alexandria gets federal grant for Duke Street transitway (4171 views)
- No arrest after woman stabbed in neck in Alexandria’s West End (3522 views)
- CIM Group sells apartment complex next to old Landmark Mall property for $225 million (3149 views)
Have a safe weekend!
A 14-building apartment complex next door to the former Landmark Mall property recently sold for $225 million, the Washington Business Journal first reported.
The City’s Office of Real Estate Assessments confirmed the March 28 sale and the amount, which have not yet been posted online.
The property was purchased by Bridge WF II VA Mason Van Dorn LLC, a partnership between Florida-based Shoreham Capital and Utah-based Bridge Investment Group Holdings LLC, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Bridge Property Management is now managing the property, according to the Mason at Van Dorn website.
The 25-acre, 1,180-unit apartment complex was built in 1972, and was acquired by California-based CIM Group in 2017, according to a March 29 release. At the time it bought the property, Landmark Mall was about five years away from being demolished to make way for the 52-acre WestEnd and the Inova at Landmark developments.
CIM Group confirmed the sale of the property, but did not mention the price or buyer in the release. CIM Group also owns another large Alexandria property — the Southern Towers apartment complex near the intersection of Seminary Road and N. Beauregard Street.
CIM Group says it made a number of improvements to the Mason at Van Dorn Apartments property, including upgrades to communal areas, building a residential club house near one of the property’s two large swimming pools, as well as a playground with a grilling area. CIM Group also said they built a new business center, fitness center, theater room and kids room.
Images via Google Maps and Facebook
A 29-year-old Washington, D.C. man was arrested last month for allegedly stealing a $1,300 necklace from the First Cash Pawn shop in Alexandria’s West End and then trying to resell it the following day at the pawn shop’s Arlington location.
The 14-karat gold necklace was reported stolen from the shop at 516-C S. Van Dorn Street on August 19, 2023, and the suspect allegedly pawned it the following day at the First Cash Pawn at 89 N. Glebe Road in Arlington, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The suspect and his girlfriend were videotaped at the Alexandria location waiting to be served. The male suspect is seen showing a clerk the functionality of a television that he wanted to sell, while the female suspect then allegedly took an envelope that contained the necklace from the counter, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The female suspect was not arrested. The male suspect was arrested on Jan. 19 and released the following day on a $2,000 secured bond. He was charged with three felonies — receiving more than $1,000 in stolen goods, selling more than $1,000 in stolen property and conspiracy to commit larceny. Each count is a Class 5 felony punishable by one-to-10 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.
The suspect goes to court on March 1.
Construction of Inova Alexandria at Landmark is expected to be done in four years, and city staff are in favor of the hospital system’s comprehensive sign plan. Here’s what that looks like.
On Tuesday (Feb. 6), the Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Inova’s sign plan for the 10.4-acre development on the 52-acre WestEnd property that was formerly home to Landmark Mall.
No electronic signs are allowed in the zoning districts, according to the city’s zoning ordinance.
According to the city:
The Comprehensive Sign Plan proposes to provide clear and consistent guidance on the quality, design, and materials for building, wayfinding, and open space signs in the site. Per §9-103(C), the applicant is requesting the Coordinated Sign SUP to encompass two blocks plus streets within West End Alexandria. Through the SUP, the applicant seeks to increase the number, type, and area of signage to align with the density, scale, and activity expected within the campus.
Inova’s signs at the site must be approved by a special use permit, and include:
- Digital text or graphic signs, Parking ID, that would be up to 58.75 square feet, freestanding, and on approach to the garage entrances.
- Two types of illuminated signs that may be located higher than 35 feet above the grade… only allowing one such sign per building.
- Site identification and landscape signs up to 97.5 square feet and 65.25 square feet, respectively, with heights of 8.67 feet and 7.25 feet, respectively. § 9-202(A)iii.2 restricts these signs to no more than 24 SF and no taller than 6’ in CDD zoning districts.
- The applicant requests window signage for a secondary building entrance
- Freestanding wayfinding signs that exceed the city’s restriction of a maximum height of six feet, freestanding and parking identification signs that are 8.67-feet-tall, and outdoor recreation signs that are up to four-feet-tall.
(Updated 6:20 p.m.) After a few years on backburner, plans to remediate and redevelop Vulcan Materials — an industrial site near the Van Dorn Metro station — could be reheating.
An application filed by the Lennar Corporation and Potomac Land Group II LLC with the City of Alexandria calls for the remediation of the existing site to create a new mixed-use development. The new project features a hotel facing S. Van Dorn Street, retail, condominiums, townhouses, two-over-two units and a six-acre park along Backlick Run dedicated to the city.
The development would require a rezoning for the site and multiple development special use permits for the various site parcels.
According to the application:
The project will bring several types of housing to the SAP area and will provide many community benefits including the dedication of a 6-acre park, park improvements, and other transportation-related improvements.
A study attached to the application said the hotel would have 256 rooms. The site would have 204 condominiums, 88 back-to-back multifamily units, and 31 townhomes connected on an internal street network.
Permitting for the infrastructure plan and Backlick Park will go to the Planning Commission for review on April 2.
An Alexandria man was charged with felonious assault after allegedly stabbing an acquaintance inside his West End apartment on Wednesday.
The incident was reported Wednesday morning (Jan. 17) at around 7 a.m. in an apartment in the 300 block of S. Reynolds Street, according to the Alexandria Police Department. Harvey Lewis, Jr., 67, was arrested after allegedly stabbing an acquaintance in the leg. The victim was treated at Inova Alexandria Hospital for a non-life threatening wound.
Lewis was offered $1,000 bond and is currently being held in the Alexandria jail. He goes to court on Feb. 16.
APD is investigating an incident of malicious wounding in the 300 block of S. Reynolds. This occurred between individuals in the same residence. Minor injuries associated and the suspect was apprehended. pic.twitter.com/6IdI4X7Rp0
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) January 17, 2024
