A two-story, single-unit accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on a Del Ray alley is heading to the City Council with a mixed reception from the community and the Planning Commission.
The project is located on a vacant lot at 404 East Alexandria Avenue, surrounded by single-unit, semi-detached, townhouse and multi-unit residential properties.
ADUs are smaller, independent residential dwelling units located on the same lot as single-family housing. In Alexandria, they can be used as short-term rentals, though not if the main house is also being rented out. Alexandria’s ADU policy has been revised over the years to scale back the requirements, hoping to avoid the lackluster ADU implementation in Arlington.
According to the city’s website, ADUs are prohibited for use as a short-term rental and the homeowner is required to maintain primary residence of the subject property at the time of ADU construction. ADUs are prohibited from being used for short-term rental for more than 120 days per year.
One of the main concerns raised through the bureaucratic process has been the use of the ADU as a rental despite the fact that the owner said they don’t live in the main building and intend to rent the site for long-term tenants. The Del Ray Citizens Association (DRCA) said they were surprised to learn there’s no method of determining primary residence.
According to the letter:
Requiring owner occupancy of either the primary dwelling or the ADU was of paramount importance when the DRCA originally supported the ADU ordinance. This was in order to control the use of the ADU and to discourage both units on a property being used for short-term rentals (VRBO and AirBnBs). Staff revealed that there was no formalized method for determining primary residence and that there was a Staff-level interpretation made on how to handle a proposal for both a new house and new ADU built on a vacant lot. It seems the primary residence requirement is effectively being ignored by this interpretation policy. This was quite a surprise to members of the DRCA and is something that needs clarification to both staff and the community.
According to the staff report, Planning and Zoning inspectors enforce regulations but “there are some enforcement challenges, particularly with the limitations imposed on accessory dwelling units.”
Applicant Eric Teran said that his plan is not to do short term rental for the ADU.
“Ideally our plan would be to rent it long-term,” Teran said. “That’s our plan. May things change? Possibly. But we’re not planning to do short-term rental.”
Several neighbors spoke in opposition to the proposed ADU at an earlier Planning Commission meeting. The Del Ray Civic Association recommended denial of the project.
According to a staff presentation, community concerns about the ADU included:
- Stormwater management and flooding
- Tree preservation
- Emergency an construction vehicle access
- Alley vision clearance and vehicular access for safety
- Use as a short-term rental and ADU primary residence requirement
- Street parking and a lack of street frontage
The Planning Commission recommended approval but in a divided 4-3 vote.
The staff report recommends approval.
Staff supports the applicants’ proposal. As required by Zoning Ordinance section 12-401(C), the proposed development would not impact light nor air supply to adjacent properties, diminish nor impair property values, and would be compatible with existing neighborhood character in terms of height, bulk, and design.
The proposal is scheduled for review at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 12.
Looking for a place to rent in Alexandria? You’ve got plenty of options — from luxury condos to historical Old Town gems to high-rises with a view.
According to Homesnap, there are more than 186 homes for rent in the area. We took a look at a few most recently listed rentals:
- 1720 Carpenter Road — 3 BD/3.5 BA townhouse — $4,500/month
- 129 Martin Lane — 3 BD/3.5 BA townhouse — $3,470/month
- 414 Queen Street — 3 BD/1.5 BA townhouse –$3,400/month
- 612 Queen Street –– 2 BD/2 BA townhouse — $3,000/month
- 203 Yoakum Parkway #314 — 2 BD/2 BA condo — $2,400/month
- 3363 Martha Custis Drive — 1 BD/1 BA condo — $2,100/month
- 3305 Wyndham Circle #155 — 2 BD/2 BA condo — $1,850/month
- 410 E. Glendale Avenue #21 — 2 BD/1 BA condo — $1,595/month
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
Image via Google Maps
Looking for a place to rent in Alexandria? You’ve got plenty of options — from luxury condos to historical Old Town gems to high-rises with a view.
According to Homesnap, there are more than 150 homes for rent in the area. We took a look at a few most recently listed rentals:
- 720 Bracey Lane — 4 BD/3.5 BA townhouse (fully furnished) — $6,000/month
- 4380 King Street — 2 BD/2.5 BA condo — $3,805/month
- 548 N. Saint Asaph Street — 2 BD/2 BA townhouse — $3,550/month
- 5114 Vos Lane — 3 BD/2.5 BA townhouse — $2,999/month
- 636 S. Columbus Street — 2 BD/2 BA townhouse — $2,500/month
- 2121 Jamieson Avenue #1404 — 1 BD/1 BA condo — $2,000/month
- 1107 N. Pitt Street #2A — 1 BD/1 BA condo (fully furnished) — $1,750/month
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
Image via Google Maps
Looking for a place to rent in Alexandria? You’ve got plenty of options — from luxury condos to historical Old Town gems to high-rises with a view.
According to Homesnap, there are nearly 170 homes for rent in the area. We took a look at a few most recently listed rentals:
- 1020 Oronoco Street — 4 BD/3.5 BA townhouse — $4,500/month
- 2181 Jamieson Avenue #710 — 3 BD/3.5 BA condo — $4,000/month
- 908 W. Glebe Road — 3 BD/2.5+ BA townhouse — $3,500/month
- 7 W. Bellefonte Avenue — 2 BD/1 BA single-family home — $3,100/month
- 322 S. Washington Street #UPPER — 2 BD/2 BA apartment — $2,995/month
- 5388 Taney Avenue — 3 BD/1.5 BA duplex — $2,500/month
- 301 N. Beauregard Street #1218 — 2 BD/2.5 BA condo — $2,150/month
- 906 S. Washington Street #308 — 1 BD/1 BA condo — $1,600/month
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
Image via Google Maps
Looking for a place to rent in Alexandria? You’ve got plenty of options — from luxury condos to historical Old Town gems to high-rises with a view.
According to Homesnap, there are nearly 185 homes for rent in the area. We took a look at a few most recently listed rentals:
- 310 Strand Street #503 — 2 BD/2.5 BA condo — $12,000/month
- 8 W. Alexandria Avenue — 2 BD/1 BA single-family home (short-term, furnished) — $3,950/month
- 912 Princess Street — 2 BD/2 BA townhouse — $2,950/month
- 5650 Gary Avenue — 3 BD/2 BA single-family home — $2,500/month
- 801 N. Pitt Street #1506 — 1 BD/1 BA condo (furnished) — $2,200/month
- 422 N. Armistead Street #103 — 2 BD/1 BA condo — $1,800/month
- 1700 W. Abingdon Drive #201 — 1 BD/1 BA condo — $1,400/month
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
Image via Google Maps
Looking for a place to rent in Alexandria? You’ve got plenty of options — from luxury condos to historical Old Town gems to high-rises with a view.
According to Homesnap, there are nearly 180 homes for rent in the area. We took a look at a few most recently listed rentals:
- 716 E. Howell Avenue — 3 BD/4.5 BA townhouse — $5,500/month
- 404 Prince Street — 3 BD/2 BA townhouse — $3,600/month
- 407 Hume Avenue — 3 BD/1 BA detached home — $2,950/month
- 673 S. Columbus Street — 2 BD/1 BA condo — $2,700/month
- 1718 W. Abingdon Drive #203 — 2 BD/1.5 BA condo — $2,200/month
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
Image via Google Maps
This week in Alexandria, there are more than 180 properties available to rent, according to Homesnap, including 45 rentals listed in the past week.
Below are a few recently listed rentals:
- 320 S. Union Street — 3 BD/3.5 BA townhome — $8,750/month
- 18 W. Del Ray Avenue — 4 BD/3 BA single-family home — $4,500/month
- 2107 Main Line Blvd #101 — 3 BD/2.5 BA townhome — $3,500/month
- 5807 Pearson Lane — 4 BD/2.5 BA townhome — $2,995/month
- 400 Cameron Station Boulevard #315 — 2 BD/2 BA condo — $2,400/month
- 1800 Mount Vernon Avenue #309 — 1 BD/1 BA condo — $1,950/month
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
Photo via Tierra Mallorca/Unsplash
This week in Alexandria, there are nearly 200 properties available to rent, according to Homesnap, including 114 rentals listed in the past month.
These range from a $6K/month four-bedroom home in Old Town to a 1 BD/1 BA conveniently located condo for $1.5K/month.
Below are a few recently listed rentals:
- 200 E. Glebe Road — 6 BD/4 BA single-family home — $4,800/month
- 615 N. Saint Asaph Street — 2 BD/2 BA townhome — $3,300/month
- 910 Powhatan Street #201N — 2 BD/2 BA condo — $2,900/month
- 915 N. Patrick Street #304 — 2 BD/2 BA condo — $2,600/month
- 146 N. French Street — 3 BD/2 BA single-family home — $2,295/month
- 1718 Preston Road — 1 BD/1 BA townhome — $1,700/month
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
Photo via Tierra Mallorca/Unsplash
This week in Alexandria, there are more than 250 properties available to rent, according to Homesnap, including 97 rentals listed in the past month.
These range from a $6.9K/month two-bedroom fully furnished penthouse in The Oronoco to a $1.4K/month “junior” one-bedroom apartment across from Holmes Run Creek.
Below are seven recently listed rentals:
- 601 N. Fairfax Street #605 — 2 BD/2.5 BA penthouse — $6,900/mo
- 1693 Hunting Creek Drive — 5 BD/4.5 BA townhome — $4,400/mo
- 428 N. Henry Street #A — 2 BD/4 BA townhome — $3,000/mo
- 1327 Wythe Street #A — 3 BD/2 BA duplex — $2,700/mo
- 4555 Seminary Road — 3 BD/2 BA single-family home (main level) — $2,300/mo
- 1227 N. Van Dorn Street — 1 BD/1 BA condo — $1,700/mo
- 5340 Holmes Run Parkway #108 — 1 BD/1 BA apartment — $1,375/mo
In the market? Check out just listed properties in Alexandria.
