It was another busy week in Alexandria.
This week’s top stories focused on development projects all over the city, from Old Town North to Carlyle and in the West End. News of the mixed-use projects comes as affordable housing advocates are protesting against being priced out and are asking for greater assistance from the city.
Politics-wise, City Council Member Alyia Gaskins celebrated two recent victories in her Democratic primary race for mayor. Gaskins is leading with fundraising, having raised $149,107 with $69,425 on-hand, according to quarterly campaign finance reports released Monday. Her opponent Vice Mayor Amy Jackson has raised $59,984 and has $22,682 on-hand, while former real estate developer Steven Peterson has raised $44,700 with $14,019 on-hand.
Gaskins also handily won the recent Alexandria Democratic Committee’s Straw Poll by 81%, followed by 16% for Jackson and 3% for Peterson. The primary is on June 18.
On Tuesday, we reported on a new movement to return Alexandria’s City Council to ward/district representation. While the nine-member Alexandria School Board is divided into three districts, the seven members of City Council are at-large, representing the entire city. The Communities for Accountable City Council is a self-described non-partisan group of city residents “exasperated with the intransigent Alexandria City Council that is unaccountable to communities and neighborhoods because of Alexandria’s At-Large election system.”
In our poll this week we asked whether City Council should return to a ward system. Out of the more than 500 votes, 57% voted yes and 43% voted no.
The most-read stories this week were:
- Notes: Old Town North building sold for $15.4 million to be turned into mixed-use apartment building (8413 views)
- Alexandria considering big plans for properties next to Eisenhower Avenue Metro station (4987 views)
- Alexandria City Council approves new ‘neighborhood’ at former Vulcan Materials site (4603 views)
- CVS set to close in Taylor Run neighborhood on Duke Street (3611 views)
- Affordable housing advocates rally outside Alexandria City Hall (3559 views)
- No arrest after fistfight leads to gunfire in Lincolnia (3351 views)
- Notes: Fundraiser for motorcyclist killed on Duke Street raises thousands (2390 views)
- Local organization forms to push Alexandria back to district/ward elections (2303 views)
- Mystic BBQ & Grill opens on Lee Street in Old Town (2235 views)
Have a safe weekend!
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Expect showers between 9am and 3pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 72°F. South wind will be 6-8 mph and a 40% chance of precipitation. On Wednesday night, showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11pm, with a low around 59°F. Southeast wind around 6mph will become northwest after midnight, with a 60% chance of precipitation. New rainfall of less than a tenth of an inch is expected, while higher amounts are possible in thunderstorms.
🚨 You need to know
An Old Town North property was officially sold in February, and its new owner plans to start construction of an eight-story mixed-use building with 250 multifamily units, an underground parking garage, a restaurant and an arts/cultural anchor on the ground floor, according to the Washington Business Journal.
The property was bought by an affiliate of Carr Properties in February for $15.4 million, according to city property records. The owner is named 901 N. Pitt Street, LLC, which is a mix of The Oliver Carr Company and Carr Holdings II LLC, and the company was granted a special use permit to develop on the property in 2022.
The building on the 69,000 square-foot property was built in the 1980s, and the new building would grow to 250,000 square feet. One tenant, nonprofit dance studio CityDance has signed a lease for space in the building, according to the Washington Business Journal. Additionally, Carr Properties is developing the project with SK+I Architecture and interior designer Streetsense LLC.
📈 Tuesday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Apr 16, 2024.
- Man held without bond after dog allegedly executed in West End apartment (1121 views)
- One-third of Alexandria’s workforce works from home (923 views)
- Local organization forms to push Alexandria back to district/ward elections (686 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 1:00 pm: The Caregiver | Caregiving Workshop
- 👉 5:00 pm: Vintage Night Market
- 5:30 pm: Meet the AWLA & Adoptable Animals
After a three-month renovation, Royal Restauraunt reopened to the public on Wednesday with an expanded menu and hours.
The favorite brunch spot was bought by Alexandria Restaurant Partners and Sloan Hospitality last fall, and after being up and running for three months closed in January. ARP refurbished the 123-year-old restaurant, added a 56-seat patio with a retractable awning, reupholstered the booths, built an inside bar and expanded its menu to include dinner.
“It’s a definitely a awesome growing area,” said partner Matt Sloan. “There’s been a lot of excitement people walking by, you know, there’s, there’s a good amount of foot traffic here.”
In Alexandria, ARP also owns Mia’s Italian Kitchen, Vola’s Dockside Grill, Riverside Taco Company, Joe Theismann’s Restaurant, The Majestic, Ada’s on the River and Barca Pier and Wine Bar. The company also owns a Mia’s Italian Kitchen and Café Tu Tu Tango in Orlando, Florida.
For Sloan, the move is the latest in a long collaboration with ARP. He was previously the general manager at ARP’s restaurant Ada’s on the River, and later left to open his own restaurant — Matt & Tony’s at 1501 Mount Vernon Avenue. He also leased Matt & Tony’s from ARP.
D.C.-based architect David Anthony Chenault designed the interior, paying homage to the diner’s history with some modern elements.
“The walnut-colored bar, featuring a sleek stainless-steel top, handmade Soho tiles, and lightly antiqued glass mirrors, is complemented by oversized canvas art,” ARP said in a release.
The restaurant previously closed after brunch, and it’s new hours are 7 a.m to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Royal Restaurant will hold a ribbon cutting on Monday, April 15, at 12:30 p.m.
According to ARP:
Royal’s menu retains its beloved 1904 classics such as The Royal Breakfast, Classic Belgian Waffle with whipped butter and maple syrup, and the traditional Greek Omelet served with home fries and toast, ensuring longtime fans can still enjoy their favorite dishes. An array of new creations across all-day brunch, lunch, and, for the first time, dinner menus complement these staples.
Noteworthy additions to the all-day brunch selections include Crispy Fried Chicken Thighs with chorizo gravy and Steak & Eggs, marinated in guajillo for a spicy kick. Lunch and dinner “mains” include Country Fried Steak served with crispy potatoes and mole-spiced carrots, Prime Brisket Meatloaf with mashed potatoes, sweet and sour charred corn relish, burnt onion gravy and crispy onions, as well as a selection of savory starters, refreshing salads, and sandwiches like the “Club Sandwich” Torta on ciabatta, and the Green Chili Cheeseburger featuring roasted green chili, escabeche onions, bacon, sharp cheddar, and deli mustard piled heartily on a house ground chuck meat patty served on a warm brioche bun.
The new dessert menu invites guests to indulge in Roasted Apple Chimichangas and Ancho Chili Chocolate Mousse.
Italian restaurant L’Italiano Vero is coming to Old Town North, the Washington Business Journal first reported.
The new restaurant is moving into a 4,695 square-foot space at 682 N. St Asaph Street, the same block as Trader Joe’s and formerly Sunday In Saigon, which closed last November.
According to a release from broker Divaris Real Estate Inc., the restaurant is slated to open sometime this May.
The TideLock project (1033 N. Fairfax Street) in Old Town North snagged a $96 million construction loan and is moving forward, the Washington Business Journal first reported.
The project was approved by Alexandria’s City Council back in 2022 along with various other Old Town North developments, including the GenOn power station redevelopment.
The plan is to combine three parcels — currently 1980s office buildings — into a new 234-unit development in two nine-story buildings. The units will be a mix of condos and multi-family rental.
A third, smaller building will include retail and a museum, the Washington Business Journal reported.
Developer Community Three told ALXnow that construction on the project is scheduled to start next week and will run for two years, with the project scheduled to open sometime in spring 2026.
An on-site meeting about the project is scheduled for Friday, March 15, at 10 a.m. to discuss construction procedures.
Local nonprofit Alexandria Celebrates Women (ACW) is hosting an informal gathering this weekend to give local women a chance to meet some of the women in leadership roles in Alexandria.
The meeting is described as an informal salon conversation with ‘leading women thinkers and changemakers’ in Alexandria. The event is free and open to all women.
“Join Alexandria Celebrates Women for the debut of ACW Salon, a monthly gathering of leading women thinkers and changemakers in an informal setting designed to spark conversation and collaboration,” ACW said in its event listing.
Confirmed guests include Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, City Council member Sarah Bagley and City Council member Alyia Gaskins.
The event will be held at The Hub at Canal Center (99 Canal Center) in Old Town North from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 15.
“The event is free and open to all women,” the listing said. “Participants are encouraged to bring donations for the Alexandria Domestic Violence Safehouse’s pantry — nonperishable items like pasta, canned vegetables or fruits, salad dressing.”
March is Women’s History Month, and there are a variety of events around the city examining and celebrating women throughout the city’s history.
At a meeting this weekend, Alexandria’s City Council unanimously approved an affordable housing redevelopment for seniors despite pushback from neighbors.
While many projects in Old Town come under fire from neighbors for being too tall, the Ladrey redevelopment is creating a shorter building but one more spread out across 600 N. Fairfax Street.
The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority 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 replacement would be a 270-unit L-shaped building with heights ranging give to seven stories.
Neighbors, primarily from the nearby Annie B. Rose House development for senior residents, shared concerns about the plan, ranging from worries about structural damage to the neighborhood during construction to the move of a bus stop across the street, requiring some of Annie B. Rose House’s residents with disabilities to cross a street to get to their bus.
Residents of the current Ladrey property, though, said their building is in bad shape, which struck a chord with some on the City Council.
“The residents are forced to leave the building on a yearly basis and it’s unfair,” said City Council member Canek Aguirre. “The residents deserve [a new building]. They deserve to have healthy living conditions. They deserve to live without mice and roaches. They deserve air conditioning.”
Mayor Justin Wilson said outreach will need to be done to make the nearby community aware of the bus stop move, but said overall the Ladrey redevelopment is a benefit to the city.
“This is an important project for the city, one that provides not only a rehabilitation and modernization of existing housing but continues our goals of creating additional committed affordable housing and does so for a population that’s some of the most vulnerable in our community,” Wilson said. “I’m pretty excited about this project… We cannot lose the fact that this is a really impactful project for the community.”
Four intersections along N. Saint Asaph Street, near the Trader Joes and Harris Teeter, could have new ‘no turn on red restrictions’.
A report (page 12) to the Traffic and Parking Board — ahead of a meeting tonight (Monday) — said the intersections along N. Saint Asaph Street can be a dangerous combination of pedestrian traffic around the grocery stores coming into conflict with traffic spilling off Washington Street.
According to the report:
North Saint Asaph Street between Pendleton and Montgomery Streets is a mix of residential and commercial uses, including two grocery stores, a hotel, and a few restaurants. There is often heavy foot and cyclist traffic around the Trader Joes and Harris Teeter grocery stores along this corridor. As North Saint Asaph Street is one block off of Washington Street, it is also used as an alternative route when traffic backs up, leading to an increased potential for pedestrian and vehicle conflict points.
The report said between 2016 and 2022 there were four crashes involving pedestrians. Three of the four involved a pedestrian experiencing visible injury due to a car collision, according to the report.
The new ‘no turn on red’ restrictions would affect turning onto N. Saint Asaph Street from:
- Pendleton Street
- Wythe Street
- Madison Street
- Montgomery Street
Turns would also be restricted onto those streets from N. Saint Asaph Street.
Of the public comments submitted on the proposed change, the majority were from neighbors in support of adding the ‘no turn on red’ restrictions.
Image via Google Maps
Royal Restaurant (730 N. St Asaph Street) in Old Town North could swap some parking spots for 90 new outdoor seats.
In an application filed to the City of Alexandria, applicant ARP Royal OPCO LLC said the plan is to convert 10 parking spaces to the west and south of the building into 60 outdoor seats, with another 30 added to an alley on the west side of the building.
“The outdoor seating would be constructed on an elevated deck to maintain the existing surface water drainage pattern,” the staff report said. “A note on the proposed site plan indicates that a five-by-five portion of the decking will be removable to access the drain for maintenance.”
While some restaurants have had a contentious outdoor seating process, the staff report fully supports the application. According to the report:
Staff supports the request to add 90 outdoor seats to the existing restaurant. The indoor restaurant has operated successfully as a neighborhood meeting spot since 1950, and the addition of outdoor dining would enhance the business’s favorable position within the neighborhood. The new business owner, the applicant, has operated the business no violations.
The application is headed to review at the City Council meeting on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Image via Google Maps
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.
In their place, the developer intends to build an L-shaped, 270-unit complex that will range in height from seven stories along Wythe Street to six stories along N. Fairfax Street to five stories at the corner of Fairfax and Pendleton streets.
While the new building will not exceed the current height of the aging 11-story building, it will occupy streets with lower height limits. ARHA is asking the Planning Commission to approve taller height limits on these streets.
The developer intends to construct buildings up to 85 feet tall by take advantage of the city’s bonus density and height allowance for properties under development that offer affordable housing.
“The proposed building height includes several heights achieved through height transitions and setbacks, ranging between 55’ and 80,’” per the developer’s application to the city. “The Applicant proposes to make use of Section 7-700 bonus density and height for the provision of affordable housing on the Property.”
The bonus density and height provision is separate from a recently scrapped plan that would allow developers to increase height on their properties in areas with height limits that are 45 feet.
ARHA previously said this summer that it and its partners, Winn Companies and IBF Development, intend to submit plans and relocate residents in the second quarter of 2024, with construction starting by the second quarter of 2025.
If all goes as planned, the project would wrap by the first quarter of 2028, according to a June presentation.
The matter will go before the Planning Commission on Jan. 4.
