A 32-year-old man was shot and seriously injured at a West End apartment complex on Saturday morning, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
The man was shot in the upper body at around 10:30 a.m. in the 400 block of N. Armistead Street.
Police were dispatched to the area in response to a man who was reportedly shot in the neck.
No arrests have been made, and the incident remains under investigation, according to police.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Detective Edmund Dougherty at 703-746-6679 or Edmund.Doughertyaalexandriava.gov. Callers can remain anonymous.
Notification:: There is a moderate police presence in the 400 block of North Armistead Street, this is in response to a shots fired incident. One person was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. APD is on scene and investigating the incident.
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 18, 2023
News Release:: At approximately 10:26 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, 2023, the Alexandria Police Department responded to a call for shots fired in the 400 block of North Armistead Street.
Read more: https://t.co/LUNbbwGJTK pic.twitter.com/cl6N1NM78c
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 19, 2023
The 1.1 million-square-foot Inova at Landmark project got unanimous approval by the Alexandria City Council on Saturday, giving the hospital system the green light to build the future home of Alexandria Hospital.
Inova wants to start construction on the former Landmark Mall site in 2024 and have the four-building hospital campus finished by 2028. The hospital building is designed to face I-395, making it a gateway for drivers traveling north.
After years of stagnation, Alexandria started working with Inova on the site about three years ago — while the City was starting to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“To be at this point at this time is really transformational, and this is a big deal,” Mayor Justin Wilson said. “I do think this is really important and it’s gonna be really a gateway for our community for a long time to come.”
Inova at Landmark includes a 569,000 square-foot hospital center, a 111,000 square-foot cancer center, an 83,000 square-foot specialty care center and a retrofitted 550-space parking garage. A 1,488-space below-grade parking garage is also planned with at least 19 parking spaces set aside for electric vehicle charging.
“It is our duty to ensure that our new hospital is not only a state-of-the-art facility, but also a place where compassion, excellence, and innovation come together to provide the best possible care for our community” said J. Stephen Jones, president and CEO of Inova in a statement. “We are thrilled with Council’s action and are excited to make this vision come to life.”
Inova can build up to 250 feet, or 23 stories, for the tallest structures, the main hospital building and the cancer center, although the latter is proposed to be only 77 feet tall.
Inova currently plans to build a 184-foot tall main hospital building (nearly 17 stories) with a two story glass atrium at its entrance, above which would be a six-story Z-shaped inpatient tower. Inova anticipates that the building will be 184 feet tall to hide hospital mechanical equipment inside a “mechanical penthouse.”
“As one of the individuals who was born in the now soon-to-be old Alexandria Hospital, I look forward to having new generations of Alexandrians have quality care and to be born in a state-of-the-art facility,” said City Council Member John Taylor Chapman.
Each building will be constructed under LEED Silver guidelines. According to a city staff report:
The campus buildings will feature window glazing and building design to minimize heat gains, low-flow faucets and fixtures, high indoor environmental air quality, and will participate in Dominion’s Renewable Power Program with a goal to achieve a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030.
Inova will also dedicate 64,000 square feet to open space on the site, in addition to building a 14,810-square-foot central plaza in Block Q. Inova must also submit a “consolidated and coordinated” public art plan for the hospital campus.
Landmark Mall first opened in 1965, and was the first mall in the region to feature three anchor department stores (Sears, Woodward & Lothrop, and Hecht’s). By 2010, the mall had nearly no tenants and in 2021, the city bought the 11-acre parcel of land for $54 million from The Howard Hughes Corporation. Inova signed a 99-year ground lease for the property that same year.
Stephanie Landrum, president and CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, said that the project makes Inova Alexandria Hospital an anchor that “redefines one of our largest neighborhoods and is a tangible and visible signal of the strength of the Alexandria economy.”
“This helps us attract additional investments, employers, and residents that will bring the WestEnd project to life,” Landrum said.
The project takes up a fifth of the total land use on the 52-acre West End Alexandria development. It was designed by Ballinger and Ennead Architects and is managed by Inova.
City Council is back for our March Public Hearing.
Today we are considering the final approval of our new Alexandria Hospital at the site of the former Landmark Mall. pic.twitter.com/voMQXaEt4j
— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) March 18, 2023
Three West End neighborhood associations say that a proposed residential development at 1900 N. Beauregard Street will create too much density.
The Seminary West Civic Association (SWCA), Seminary Heights Condominium Association and the Seminary Park Home Owners Association wrote City Council discouraging the proposal by Monday Properties.
The developer wants to replace a three-story 1970’s-era medical office building with a six-to-seven-story multifamily residential building with 340-to-350 apartments, a parking garage and a swimming pool.
“The Seminary West Civic Association (SWCA), a community of approximately 600 townhouses and detached homes in the immediately adjacent neighborhood, urges the City to reject this proposal,” wrote Owen Curtis, SWCA president. “Trying to turn North Beauregard into something that resembles Crystal City or the Carlyle or any other dense urban neighborhood is wholly inappropriate.”
Monday Properties submitted a concept plan last month for an apartment complex with 343 apartments — 36 studios, 180 one-bedroom apartments, 121 two-bedroom apartments and six three-bedroom apartments. The company also wants a 110-foot height allowance (10 stories) and construction of a public roadway between the property and its neighbors. That new parallel roadway is drawing the ire of neighbors, who are calling it a dealbreaker after residents successfully lobbied for its removal from the Beauregard Small Area Plan.
Seminary Heights Condominium Board President Dodi Baker said that his community “vehemently opposes the newly proposed redevelopment,” and Seminary Park President Les Jackson wrote that his neighborhood’s board of directors voted against it.
“This proposal seeks to break promises made to our community by inserting a parallel road we fought to have removed from future city planning,” Baker said.
Monday Properties wants to remove the existing 57,600-square-foot office building, which is the home of the Alexandria Workforce Development Center. The development is also next door to The Blake, a 300-unit residential apartment complex that Monday Properties opened last year. Neighbors say that, if the plan is approved, the area would be too crowded with more than 600 residential units within two blocks.
According to the three citizen groups:
In addition, across the street from The Blake and 1900 North Beauregard developments on Seminary Road, more than 95 additional residential units have been approved to be built in the “Upland Park” development. Nearly directly across from North Beauregard Street and adjacent to the Alexandria Hilton, 367 more residential units have been approved for construction as part of “The Rutherford” building. And only a few more blocks away on Seminary Road, an office building was recently converted from office space to 212 residential units. When combined these developments total over 1300 new residential units within several short blocks and developed within a shared compressed time period.
The neighborhood associations are also supported by Bud Jackson, a member of the Beauregard Urban Design Advisory Committee, which reviews many land use applications in the West End. Jackson says the development goes against Alexandria’s Beauregard Small Area Plan, which calls for less density and more roadway development.
“This proposed development seeks to avoid key provisions established by the Beauregard Small Area Plan (BSAP) and, if allowed to proceed, goes back on promises made to the Seminary Heights community – including promises made that are now memorialized within the BSAP,” Jackson wrote in a letter to City Manager Jim Parajon. “For me, this plan is dead on arrival and should not even be presented to BDAC in its current form. It asks our city to hand out special use permits like candy without regard to the neighborhood, abutting neighbors, and the loss of benefits our city should expect in return for the privileges being granted.”
A public meeting on the proposal is scheduled for Thursday, March 23, at 6:30 p.m. at 1800 N. Beauregard Street.
A national 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital chain is looking to open a location in the Shoppes at Foxchase in the West End.
New York City-based Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) filed a special use permit (SUP) application to open at 4525 Duke Street, which is the current home of Mattress Firm. VEG wants to transform the 5,279-square-foot space into an animal clinic that would be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“The proposed use is a veterinary hospital operating 24 hours a day,” VEG wrote in its special use permit (SUP) application. “The veterinary hospital will not include boarding.”
The SUP was filed on Feb. 27, and the last day for public comments is March 23 before it goes to the Planning Commission and City Council for final approval. A public notification was also posted on the front door of the business and city planners have confirmed that the address is correct.
VEG has dozens of clinics around the country, and the Alexandria proposal would make it the first location in Virginia.
The proposal includes a complete renovation of the interior of the store with examination rooms, an operating room for surgeries, a lab/pharmacy, workstations, seating nooks for customers, a staff break room, a laundry room and storage areas.
“Emergency is all we do, and that’s why we do it best,” VEG said on its website. “VEG is a true partner with your primary vet, acting as an extension of their practice for after-hours emergency care.”
In its application, VEG anticipates accommodating 15-to-20 customers a day.
Representatives with Mattress Firm did not respond to calls for comment, and aside from the SUP request there is no official notification of whether the store is closing. The property manager for the shopping center’s owner, Global Retail Investors LLC, also did not respond to calls for comment.
Mattress Firm filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and closed hundreds of stores. There are reportedly 2,400 Mattress Firm locations around the country, and other stores in Alexandria are located at 3925 A Richmond Highway in Potomac Yard and at 821 S. Washington Street in Old Town.
No arrests have been made since a man was fatally shot in the Landmark area on Friday night.
The Alexandria Police Department was dispatched to the 200 block of S. Reynolds Street at around 11:30 p.m. for reports of a man shot in the upper body. Multiple callers reported to police that a black SUV fled the area after the incident.
“Officers discovered a man with trauma to his upper body and rendered first aid until rescue personnel arrived,” APD said in a release. “The victim was then transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.”
The man has not been identified, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy.
This is the third shooting death of 2023 in the city, following the death of a teenager in the West End in January and a homicide in Arlandria last month.
Anyone with information on this incident can call Detective Michael Whelan at 703-746-6228, via email at [email protected], or through the APD non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
Map via Google Maps
News Release: The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred in the 200 block of South Reynolds Street.
Read more: https://t.co/mRZ6Z0N54B pic.twitter.com/XSYnZTjl5O
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 4, 2023
Notification:: There is a moderate police presence in the 300 block of South Reynolds Street, this is in response to a shots fired incident. One person was transported to the hospital with serious injuries. APD is on scene and investigating the incident. pic.twitter.com/QngXKuOBSx
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) March 4, 2023
A new senior living community in the West End has hit a construction milestone and has targeted a 2024 opening.
The project recently “topped out” — meaning the superstructure of the building was finished. Benchmark at Alexandria will include 89 assisted living apartments and 26 memory care units with personalized care for those who need it once it launches sometime next year.
Benchmark at Alexandria is Benchmark Senior Living’s first outing in the Washington region.
“We’ve always thought of ourselves as a New England to Washington company, but we think of Washington as a natural extension of our geographic footprint,” said Benchmark Senior Living CEO Tom Grape.
Benchmark is coming to an area of the West End — near the intersection of N. Beauregard Street and King Street at the northwest tip of Alexandria — that’s become another development hotspot. While it hasn’t gotten the same attention as Landmark or Potomac Yard, that area’s seen significant new development, including affordable housing and a Harris Teeter.
“It’s an exciting area with lots of things happening,” Grape said. “We’re at a prime intersection in a mixed-use development with other activities, including retail uses and other residential uses. It’s a happening, vibrant spot.”
Grape said the notion of senior living as isolated communities is an outdated one.
“Our residents want to be able to access the things they’ve accessed for many years,” Grape said. “It will be a terrific convenience to go downstairs or go to the diner, and it will be convenient for adult children to visit. There’s a childcare center in the development to help with intergenerational activities.”
Grape said the new development will feature rooftop space and community amenities, like a club room and bistro.
The project is scheduled to launch in 2024. Grape said prices for units in the development have not been finalized yet.
The conversion of a high-rise West End office building into a 212-unit apartment tower has been completed, according to developer PRP.
Washington, D.C.-based firm PRP bought the 12-story, 209,000-square-foot property at 4900 Seminary Road in 2018. The property is named Sinclaire on Seminary, and average apartments are 850 square feet in size with ceilings up to 10-feet-tall.
The conversion is the latest in a trend that’s seen Alexandria’s office uses increasingly being turned into residential space. A study last year found that Alexandria took the fourth spot in a national ranking of cities experiencing office-to-residential conversions.
“Find your place to land in sun-filled studio, 1, & 2 bedroom residences,” PRP says on its website. “Stunning kitchens and baths with sleek and modern finishes balance with energy-efficient washers, dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers by General Electric. Sinclaire’s responsibly repurposed apartments come complete with high 9′-6″ ceilings, large operable windows, oversized closets, and smart-lock entries.”
The building is next to the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center and the Seminary Road exit off Interstate 395.
Kettler is managing the property, and amenities include more than 4,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, indoor parking and outdoor lounge areas with fire pits.
Photo via Google Maps
(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) An Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly carjacking a DASH bus in the West End last Thursday night.
Lorenzo Johnson, 33, was arrested after allegedly carjacking the bus near the intersection of Duke Street and Quaker Road. The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. No weapons were used and no one was injured in the incident, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
“Police immediately responded to the area to find the vehicle (the bus) stopped after hitting one vehicle in the roadway,” APD said in a release.
DASH said in a statement that the bus in question was out of service at the time of the carjacking.
“At the time of the incident, the vehicle was unoccupied and had no passengers on board,” Josh Baker, General Manager and CEO of the Alexandria Transit Company said in the statement.
Johnson was charged with grand larceny auto, drunk in public, driving while intoxicated, accident hit and run property damage, and other traffic offenses. He goes to court on March 28.
On February 9, Johnson was also arrested for allegedly trespassing and being drunk in public, and goes to court for those offenses on March 10.
Baker said in the statement:
One of our DASH employees was the victim of the theft of a DASH bus while on an authorized break. The vehicle was out of service and had no passengers on board. Our driver acted swiftly to notify authorities and was able to overpower the perpetrator, safely stopping the vehicle after a minor collision without any injuries or further property damage. We are grateful and proud of his heroic actions ensuring there were no injuries as a result of this crime.
Map via Google Maps
Notification:: There is a moderate police presence near the intersection of Duke Street and Quaker Lane. This is in response to a carjacking. No weapon(s) or injuries were reported in connection with this incident. The vehicle has been recovered and a suspect is in custody. pic.twitter.com/KuVz3vJtk7
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 24, 2023
News Release:: APD makes arrest in a carjacking incident.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a carjacking of a DASH vehicle that occurred Thursday, February 23, 2023.
Read more:: https://t.co/okZ0dNMZa3 pic.twitter.com/HMuejZJWR0
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 27, 2023
Healthcare non-profit Neighborhood Health is hitching its wagon to the great West End migration as it joins several city services in a new ‘West End City Hall‘ at the Mark Center.
The building at 4850 Mark Center Drive, officially the Redella S. “Del” Pepper Community Resource Center, will be a new hub for offices like the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) and the Alexandria Health Department.
A lease for Neighborhood Health’s 11,424 square foot wing of the new location is heading to the City Council at the meeting (docket item 11) tomorrow (Saturday). Dr. Basim Khan, executive director of Neighborhood Health, told ALXnow the move will help position Neighborhood Health closer to some of the residents most reliant on the non-profit’s services.
“We’re excited to be part of this move because a lot of residents who need our services are located in and around the West End,” Khan said. “One [of our clinics] is in the DCHS St. Asaph Street building, the other is in the Alexandria Health Department King Street building. Given that those buildings are closing, we’re happy we’ll have space in the Mark Center.”
Khan said Neighborhood Health’s mental illness and dental programs will be moving to the Mark Center location. The new Mark Center location, Khan said, will also allow Neighborhood Health to be a little less constrained. While Neighborhood Health’s other clinics in Alexandria will remain open, Khan said the new locations will let Neighborhood Health expand somewhat and relieve some of the pressure on the overcrowded clinics.
“Over the last several years, we’ve struggled with high demand but limited space,” Khan said. “This gives us a chance to decompress a little bit. That additional space will be helpful to help us provide services.”
Khan said another advantage of the West End location is being adjacent to many other city programs Neighborhood Health patients utilize.
“Many of our patients access DCHS and Health Department services, so my hope with being located is that it improves access to those services and vice versa,” Khan said.
The West End is one of the most densely populated sections of Alexandria and many residences like Southern Towers act as some of the city’s last bastions of market rate affordable housing.
“We do have a lot of demand from patients who live around the Mark Center,” Khan said. “We have a lot of patients from those zip codes and having a site in the West End should be a great benefit.”
An Alexandria man is being held without bond for an alleged carjacking in the West End on Saturday night (Feb. 18).
At around 8 p.m, the 32-year-old male victim was allegedly held at gunpoint and carjacked in the 300 block of N. Ripley Street in the West End. Police were dispatched to a fight outside of an apartment complex, and were advised that the suspect had a firearm.
Anthony Jermainte Harris, 36, was arrested at the scene and charged with was charged with robbery, weapon possession by a felon, illegal discharge of a weapon, carjacking and attempted abduction.
No one was injured in the incident, and a firearm was allegedly found on Harris when he was arrested.
Harris goes to court on April 14.
Map via Google Maps
