A 14-building apartment complex next door to the former Landmark Mall property recently sold for $225 million, the Washington Business Journal first reported.
The City’s Office of Real Estate Assessments confirmed the March 28 sale and the amount, which have not yet been posted online.
The property was purchased by Bridge WF II VA Mason Van Dorn LLC, a partnership between Florida-based Shoreham Capital and Utah-based Bridge Investment Group Holdings LLC, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Bridge Property Management is now managing the property, according to the Mason at Van Dorn website.
The 25-acre, 1,180-unit apartment complex was built in 1972, and was acquired by California-based CIM Group in 2017, according to a March 29 release. At the time it bought the property, Landmark Mall was about five years away from being demolished to make way for the 52-acre WestEnd and the Inova at Landmark developments.
CIM Group confirmed the sale of the property, but did not mention the price or buyer in the release. CIM Group also owns another large Alexandria property — the Southern Towers apartment complex near the intersection of Seminary Road and N. Beauregard Street.
CIM Group says it made a number of improvements to the Mason at Van Dorn Apartments property, including upgrades to communal areas, building a residential club house near one of the property’s two large swimming pools, as well as a playground with a grilling area. CIM Group also said they built a new business center, fitness center, theater room and kids room.
Images via Google Maps and Facebook
Inova Alexandria Hospital has run out of space and needs a temporary trailer for surgical equipment in the hospital loading area.
Inova is asking the city to approve a special use permit to use the 906-square-foot temporary trailer until Alexandria Hospital moves to Inova at Landmark in 2028.
The 10.4-acre Inova at Landmark development is located on the 52-acre WestEnd property that was formerly home to Landmark Mall.
In its SUP application to the Planning Commission, Inova said it’s in the process of upgrading an operating room with upgraded equipment and needs an exterior storage container to support the upgrades.
According to Inova’s request:
The proposed improvements will enable Inova to continue its commitment to quality care for its patients by providing an upgraded operating room within the existing hospital while also providing space for storage of materials necessary for the hospital to function.
The matter will go before the Planning Commission on May 7.
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.
Donnelly hasn’t sold any yet, but says the shipping containers — one 40-by-8-feet-long and two 20-by-8-foot containers — are now integral to his business. They cost him upward of $30,000 apiece, completely empty, and he says they are convenient for creating “portable architecture.” The containers are also water-tight when locked up, and are currently full of modern furniture.
“All you have to do is haul it on a tractor trailer and take it wherever you want,” Donnelly said of the shipping containers. “We’re adding beautiful treatments to them, like heating and flooring. They’re fully insulated with an eco-sustainably harvested plywood.”
Donnelly has been in business in the city since 1986, and with a small staff has created the furniture for a number of Hollywood hits, like in Richard Gere’s office in “Runaway Bride” and Steve Martin’s desk in “The Spanish Prisoner.” He also credits his firm for creating the furniture in Saturday Night Live‘s green room, as well as the furniture in Seth Meyers’ personal office.
“I did the furniture in his office,” Donnelly said. “When he opens up his desk drawer he can see my name.”
Nothing punctuates your feelings like throwing an ax, and now there’s a new place to do it while drinking a beer in Alexandria’s West End.
Bad Axe Throwing opened at 617 S. Pickett Street in October, offering walk-in and appointments for customers to hone their axe and knife-throwing skills. After signing a waiver, it costs between $30 and $40 per-person to hurl the sharp objects at the wooden targets.
Staff joke that the experience is cheaper than getting therapy, but just as rejuvenating. The business also serves alcohol and some food.
“We’re all about getting people out of the house, the office, and having fun together,” said Skylar Mills, Bad Axe’s operations manager. “We’ve got team games, mini tournaments, and even a reoccurring league to get those competitive juices flowing. More chill and laid back? Our trained staff will always show you the ropes, make sure everyone’s throwing safely, and will gladly serve you some drinks and food on-site.”
Manager Alissa Henkel and her staff teach customers one and two-handed throwing techniques.
“It’s all about finding your throw, your technique,” she said. “Once you get it’s a lot of fun, and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is awesome.'”
The Canadian-based company has more than 40 locations, with 21 locations in the U.S. The nearest to Alexandria is the Fairfax location, which opened in 2019.
Alexandria’s location has seven lanes and 14 wooden targets.
Bad Axe Throwing is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m., on Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. It is closed Monday.
A 30-year-old man is being held without bond for allegedly stealing juice drinks and assaulting an employee from a West End 7-Eleven.
On Feb. 7, the employee at the store at 6120 Lincolnia Road called 911 to report the incident, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. The victim told police that the suspect walked into the store, took three-to-four juice bottles and then walked out without paying and sat across the street at a bus stop.
“The victim followed the unknown suspect outside the store to the bus stop across from the 7-Eleven,” police said in the search warrant affidavit. “The victim demanded the suspect return the merchandise. The suspect put the bottles down on a nearby parked vehicle. As the victim leaned forward to grab the bottles the suspect punched him several times in the face. The suspect then took the bottles and fled the scene.”
The victim sustained a broken nose, a hematoma on his forehead and lacerations near his left eye and nose, according to the search warrant affidavit.
Churchill Oluwole Hamid was arrested on Feb. 15 for the incident and is being held without bond. He was charged with malicious wounding and petit larceny and goes to court on April 3.
With major developments rolling out in Alexandria’s West End before the end of the decade, residents have until the end of the month to provide opinions on a draft plan that would recommend park and open space expansions.
After months of community meetings, the city’s Alex West Plan is available for public comment until March 31. Once finalized and approved by City Council, the package of documents will guide the city government in land use, transportation and other areas.
With the massive WestEnd mixed use development is expected to unveil several new buildings next year, and Inova at Landmark is poised to open in 2028, the plan is recommending A significant expansion of Dora Kelley Nature Park, a new public park adjacent to the Winkler Botanical Preserve, and a new park at the corner of Seminary Road and N. Beauregard Street.
The plan would comprehensively update the 1992 Alexandria West Small Area Plan with an update and combining it with the 2012 Beauregard Small Area Plan, according to the city.
“Creating an updated community vision allows us to proactively plan for change and prepare for challenges and opportunities in the years to come,” the city said on its website.
Residents can provide feedback through the project webpage, or to city urban planner Christian Brandt via phone at 703-746-3895 or email at [email protected].
The final draft plan is expected to be released this summer.
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) A man was arrested this morning after a fight at the Covanta Waste-to-Energy Facility that resulted in a handgun allegedly brandished and man getting pepper-sprayed.
The incident occurred at around 8:15 a.m., according to Alexandria Police Department dispatches. An employee of the facility at 53001 Eisenhower Avenue reported to APD that trash truck drivers were arguing with each other, and that one sprayed the victim with pepper spray and that another suspect brandished a handgun.
Three suspects were located nearby in a trash truck, held at gunpoint and then apprehended, according to dispatch.
APD said that one man, Chaka Cook, was arrested and charged with felony assault with a caustic substance. No weapons charge was made.
The victim refused medical attention, according to dispatch reports.
A 29-year-old Washington, D.C. man was arrested last month for allegedly stealing a $1,300 necklace from the First Cash Pawn shop in Alexandria’s West End and then trying to resell it the following day at the pawn shop’s Arlington location.
The 14-karat gold necklace was reported stolen from the shop at 516-C S. Van Dorn Street on August 19, 2023, and the suspect allegedly pawned it the following day at the First Cash Pawn at 89 N. Glebe Road in Arlington, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The suspect and his girlfriend were videotaped at the Alexandria location waiting to be served. The male suspect is seen showing a clerk the functionality of a television that he wanted to sell, while the female suspect then allegedly took an envelope that contained the necklace from the counter, according to the search warrant affidavit.
The female suspect was not arrested. The male suspect was arrested on Jan. 19 and released the following day on a $2,000 secured bond. He was charged with three felonies — receiving more than $1,000 in stolen goods, selling more than $1,000 in stolen property and conspiracy to commit larceny. Each count is a Class 5 felony punishable by one-to-10 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.
The suspect goes to court on March 1.
Sanger Avenue, a West End road that runs from William Ramsay Elementary School to I-395, could be getting some safety and cycling upgrades.
A memo (page 12) from Department of Transportation Deputy Director Hillary Orr to the Transportation Commission included a note that the street could receive some improvements as part of an upcoming paving project.
“City staff is working on providing safety and cycling mobility improvements along Sanger Avenue as part of the upcoming paving project,” Orr wrote. “The focus is on providing additional and safer pedestrian crossings, daylighting intersections due to pedestrian crashes and vehicular angle crashes and providing more buffer space for pedestrians and cyclists under the I-395 bridge near Van Dorn Street.”
Orr said that more information will be shared with the community and a presentation will go to the Traffic and Parking Board sometime this spring.
Image via Google Maps
Four people are in stable condition after being injured in an electrical incident at a construction site in the West End on Monday, according to the Alexandria Police Department (APD).
APD said that at around 11 a.m. they responded to 6336 Stevenson Avenue for a “reported industrial incident involving four males who were working at the construction site.”
“Three victims were transported for medical treatment, two with life-threatening injuries and one with non-life-threatening injuries,” APD said in a news release. “A fourth victim was treated and released on-site. All are currently stable.”
Police at the scene told a dispatcher that the injured workers were erecting scaffolding that hit power lines, resulting in the high-voltage exposures.
APD said that the power was shut off for the entire block to investigate the incident. No official cause has been disclosed.
APD officers are on scene in the 6300 block of Stevenson Ave. conducting an investigation at a construction site where three people have been electrocuted. The adult victims are being transported to a hospital, two with life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/gLmfoR7Ic0
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 19, 2024
Update: There were a total of four victims who sustained injury. The fourth was treated on-site and released. All are stable. Please see attached. pic.twitter.com/64drVx7EwP
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 19, 2024
