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Alexandria modern furniture designer asking city for after-the-fact approval of shipping containers converted into showroom

By James Cullum
Portable shipping containers have been converted into a showroom for Daniel Donnelly Modern Design at 80 S. Early Street (courtesy wonder101.com)

Imagine opening the French doors of your portable home at whatever backdrop you desire. The possibilities of portable architecture are the latest obsession of Alexandria furniture designer Daniel Donnelly.

Donnelly’s asking for an after-the-fact special use permit approval for three large taupe-colored Marine shipping containers at the entrance to his workshop at 80 S. Early Street. The modern furniture design business is located an industrial area of the city near police headquarters, and the open-sided containers were installed during the pandemic as a showroom for prospective customers.

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Here’s what the proposed signage looks like for the Inova at Landmark campus

By James Cullum
Proposed signage at Inova at Landmark (via City of Alexandria)

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.

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Hotel redevelopment could make Vulcan Materials site off Van Dorn Street ‘live long and prosper’

By Vernon Miles
The Vulcan Materials site (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(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.

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Del Ray’s Junction Bakery & Bistro wants a patio in the parking lot

By James Cullum
A patio area is being proposed for Junction Bakery & Bistro (1508 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray (via City of Alexandria)

A Del Ray restaurant is planning on expanding its footprint with a 750-square foot patio addition.

Noe Landini, owner of Junction Bakery & Bistro (1508 Mount Vernon Avenue), wants to build on the northern end of the restaurant on a repurposed area of the parking lot used for outdoor seating the last several years.

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High vacancy prompts office-to-apartment conversion proposal in Old Town North

By James Cullum
1201 E. Abingdon Drive in Old Town North (via Google Maps)

(Updated 5:25 p.m.) The owner of an aging office building in Old Town North wants it converted into a 136-unit apartment building, and credits the decision to the “ongoing and diminished office market and current high vacancy rate.”

The five-story, 112,000-square-foot office building was built in 1983. It’s owned by Principal Life Insurance Co. of Des Moines, Iowa, and managed by PF III Abingdon LLC, an affiliate of the D.C.-based real estate investment firm the Pinkard Group.

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New residential development near Founders Park headed to Planning Commission review next week

By Vernon Miles
301 North Fairfax Street (image via City of Alexandria)

A new residential development that created a stir among some Old Town residents is heading to Alexandria’s Planning Commission next week.

The new development at 301 N. Fairfax Street — around two blocks west of Founders Park and two blocks north of City Hall — would create 48 new residential units, along with underground parking with 67 spaces and 10,065 square feet of private open space. Two of those units will be set aside as affordable housing.

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ARHA seeks building height approvals for affordable apartment project in Old Town North

By James Cullum
Proposed massing for the Ladrey High-Rise (via ARHA)

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.

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Alexandria’s polarizing Zoning For Housing plan unanimously endorsed by Planning Commission

By James Cullum
A packed house in Alexandria Council Chambers for the Planning Commission's vote on the controversial Zoning for Housing proposal, Nov. 1, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Planning Commission unanimously endorsed a sweeping overhaul of the city’s zoning ordinances on Wednesday night, giving City Council the green light to vote on it later this month.

There were more than 100 attendees and 51 speakers at the Planning Commission’s five hour public hearing, which ran after midnight. The speakers were a mixed bunch, with about half supporting the legislation and the other half opposing it.

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Multi-use apartment building proposed in 1970s-era office in Old Town North

By James Cullum
720 N. Fairfax Street in Old Town North (via Google Maps)

A makeover has been proposed for a 53-year-old office building in Old Town North.

The owners of the former home of the Alexandria Community Services Board at 720 North St. Asaph Street want the building converted into a 12-unit multifamily apartment building with ground floor commercial space.

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New Hawaiian shave ice trailer coming to Del Ray

By Vernon Miles
Shaved ice at Fort Belvoir (photo via Le Petit Ananas Shaved Ice/Facebook)

(Updated 10/6) A Hawaiian shave ice trailer at Fort Belvoir is looking to open a new location in Del Ray.

Owner Jaafar Ouardi filed a special use permit to open the new location for Le Petit Ananas Shaved Ice outside Bagel Uprising (2307 Mount Vernon Avenue).

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Alexandria staff break down behind-the-scenes limits of massive zoning overhaul

By Vernon Miles
Single-family homes in Alexandria's Seminary Valley neighborhood (image via Google Maps)

Alexandria staff returned to the Planning Commission one month after Zoning for Housing/Housing for All’s debut, but city leaders remained tepid in their support for the project.

Of note during the work session, however, was a concise breakdown of how Zoning for Housing/Housing for All might affect the city’s housing stock.

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