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HRP Group to conduct free tours of power plant property in Old Town North

Published September 5, 2025 at 1:52PM

Tour gathers outside the GenOn power plant in Old Town North (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The owner of the dilapidated former Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North will conduct guided tours of the property next month.

HRP Group bought the former power plant in 2020, and plans to convert the 18-acre site at 1300 N. Royal Street into a mixed-use development. The guided tours will be held Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4, and “will give community members the chance to meet the project team and visit the site, which has been inaccessible to Old Town North for decades,” according to HRP Group.

News

Alexandria planning board to discuss Duke Street, small area plan updates Sept. 2

By James Cullum

Published August 19, 2025 at 3:00PM | Updated August 27, 2025 at 12:19PM

Exercising near the closed GenOn power plant in Alexandria near the Potomac River. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s Department of Planning and Zoning has a full docket at its upcoming bi-monthly virtual community meeting.

On Sept. 2 (Tuesday), planning and zoning staff will conduct a meeting via Zoom to discuss updates to these issues:

News

HRP Group prepares for next phase of Old Town North power plant redevelopment

By Ryan Belmore

Published April 1, 2025 at 8:30PM | Updated April 2, 2025 at 1:52PM

View of Power Plant from Potomac River on March 30, 2025. (photo by Ryan Belmore)

HRP Group (formerly known as Hilco Redevelopment Partners) is moving forward with plans to transform the former Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North into a mixed-use development, with public engagement on the first phase set to begin next month (May 2025).

The 18-acre waterfront site, purchased by HRP Group in 2020, is slated to become a vibrant destination featuring residential buildings, commercial spaces, and over 10 acres of public open space.

Opinion

Poll: What do you think of proposed Flatiron-inspired Old Town North development

By Vernon Miles

Published October 6, 2023 at 1:50PM

Rendering of the proposed mixed-use development at the former site of the GenOn Power Plant in Old Town North (via City of Alexandria)

Hilco Redevelopment Partners said a new mixed-use development at the former GenOn Power Plant site takes inspiration from the Renaissance Revival-style Flatiron building in New York. Reception online was mixed.

The Flatiron, built at the start of the 20th century, is an iconic design at 175 Fifth Avenue. While the proposed developments at Block B have a similarly tall and narrow shape, the Alexandria building still has strong elements of the fast-casual architecture style dominating recent development around the region.

News

Power plant redeveloper breaks down the break down of the Old Town North industrial site

By Vernon Miles

Published July 19, 2023 at 11:15AM

A cyclist along a path in Old Town North near the old power plant (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

As developer Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP) heads into the ambitious redevelopment of the GenOn Power Plant, the developer laid out some of their plans for the complex process of breaking the site apart.

Representatives of the developer spoke last week to the Alexandria Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) — full disclosure, this reporter is on the LEPC — about how the developers plans for abatement, remediation and deconstruction. The discussion was a follow-up to a previous LEPC meeting with Deputy Director for Infrastructure and Environmental Quality Bill Skrabak.

News

Alexandria City Council unanimously endorses energy plan for former power plant in Old Town North

By James Cullum

Published May 15, 2023 at 3:45PM | Updated May 15, 2023 at 4:10PM

Exercising near the closed GenOn power plant in Alexandria near the Potomac River. (staff photo by James Cullum)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Alexandria is one step closer to the demolition of the NRG Potomac River Generating Station site in Old Town North.

On Saturday, City Council unanimously endorsed the plant owner’s Coordinated Sustainability Strategy, which outlines a plan to electrify the future mixed-use development slated to be built there.

News

City of Alexandria lays out power plant demolition plans and uncertainties

By Vernon Miles

Published March 29, 2023 at 3:55PM

Exercising near the closed GenOn power plant in Alexandria near the Potomac River. (staff photo by James Cullum)

As plans for what will replace the Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North gradually take shape, the city is still working through the specifics of how exactly to tear down the building.

Deputy Director for Infrastructure and Environmental Quality Bill Skrabak said in a presentation yesterday to the Alexandria Local Emergency Planning Committee — full disclosure, this reporter is a member of that committee — that rather than one big demolition the building will most likely be taken apart piece by piece.

News

Power plant redevelopment team talks ‘woonerf’ vs pedestrian-only design

By Vernon Miles

Published February 8, 2023 at 11:15AM | Updated February 10, 2023 at 6:17PM

Woonerf designs for the Potomac River Generating Station development (image via Hilco Redevelopment Partners)

(Updated 6:17 p.m.) Representatives from Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP) recently opened up about some of the behind-the-scenes discussions on whether or not to make the central street in Old Town North’s power plant redevelopment project pedestrian-only.

The redevelopment of the GenOn power plant in Old Town North is one of the biggest projects on the city’s horizon, and the centerpiece of that project will be a pedestrian-focused boulevard called a ‘woonerf‘ — a Dutch design concept that prioritizes pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

News

Meeting this month to provide details on remediation plans for Old Town North’s power plant

By Vernon Miles

Published January 12, 2023 at 10:15AM | Updated January 12, 2023 at 11:39AM

Tour gathers outside the GenOn power plant in Old Town North (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Beyond the usual mixed-use development topics planned for the immense power plant in Old Town North, there are two other critical issues up for review at a meeting later this month: how the development will handle the rampant contamination at the site and a look at plans for new open space.

Hilco Redevelopment Partners (HRP) have scheduled a community meeting to discuss the remediation and open space plans on Monday, Jan. 30, at 6:30 p.m. The developer will stream the meeting online, but attendees can join in person at ALX Community (201 N Union Street).

News

Roadway designs unveiled for massive Old Town North power plant redevelopment

By James Cullum

Published November 10, 2022 at 3:30PM | Updated November 22, 2022 at 10:25PM

A cyclist along a path in Old Town North near the old power plant (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated 10:25 p.m. on 11/22/22) The roadways in Old Town North are set to get an upgrade, thanks to the massive GenOn Power Plant redevelopment.

The 18-acre power plant site has no internal transportation infrastructure, and on Wednesday night (Nov. 8) Hilco Redevelopment Partners revealed its concept designs for the street network.

Opinion

Poll: What do you think of the GenOn Power Plant redevelopment plans?

By Vernon Miles

Published July 8, 2022 at 10:45AM

Earlier this week, Alexandria’s City Council approved two major steps forward for plans to redevelop an abandoned power plant at the north end of Old Town’s waterfront.

The project faced some pushback from tenants and worker unions and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), but ultimately the city voted to approve a master plan amendment for the site and a coordinated development district (CDD) to encompass the project. The master plan amendment was unanimously approved, but the CDD was approved in a 6-1 vote with Council Member Alyia Gaskins voting against it.