Del Ray, Alexandria: Height Increase Ordinance

[Anonymous]

https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

Not the OP but Del Ray has several low income apartment buildings. They aren’t the main drag but a few blocks off. These are low slug garden apartments scattered around. They blend well into the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

Plus all of the development in Potomac Yard. There are more than enough places to build up, than destroy the Main Street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

So, keep "The Poors" penned into the few existing garden apartments scattered around the fringes of the neighborhood and give yourself a pat on the back for living in a socioeconomic diverse community. Sure.

And lumping Arlandria with Del Ray is misleading at best. They're two adjacent but separate neighborhoods. Do better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

So, keep "The Poors" penned into the few existing garden apartments scattered around the fringes of the neighborhood and give yourself a pat on the back for living in a socioeconomic diverse community. Sure.

And lumping Arlandria with Del Ray is misleading at best. They're two adjacent but separate neighborhoods. Do better.

Yes. Why does Alexandria need to single-handedly solve the NOVA affordable housing issues?

[Anonymous]

Look who is advocating for this - it is developers and people who make money from them. It definitely is not current City residents.

[Anonymous]

Solidly middle class people can't afford Del Ray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

So, keep "The Poors" penned into the few existing garden apartments scattered around the fringes of the neighborhood and give yourself a pat on the back for living in a socioeconomic diverse community. Sure.

And lumping Arlandria with Del Ray is misleading at best. They're two adjacent but separate neighborhoods. Do better.

Yes. Why does Alexandria need to single-handedly solve the NOVA affordable housing issues?

It’s not single-handedly solving the affordable housing crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look who is advocating for this - it is developers and people who make money from them. It definitely is not current City residents.

Look who is advocating against this - it is rich and privileged City residents who want to stuff all the people with less financial means into the West End instead of coexisting with them as an urban community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

So, keep "The Poors" penned into the few existing garden apartments scattered around the fringes of the neighborhood and give yourself a pat on the back for living in a socioeconomic diverse community. Sure.

And lumping Arlandria with Del Ray is misleading at best. They're two adjacent but separate neighborhoods. Do better.

No, they are scattered on the fringes, they are located in the neighborhood. It's clear you haven't spent much time at all in Del Ray.

You are right Arlandria and Del Ray are separate neighborhoods. There is one apartment building that is run by Alexandria City in Arlandria - the greyone behind MOMs market - the rest of the apartments are market rate and there are also houses in that area as well. They had a plan to improve Arlandria way back in 2008 or so but the real estate bubble so it never happened and it looks like they are bringing it up again. Arlandria has been built up by the community that lives there. There is no reason for you to dump on Arlandria and act like it's not as good as Del Ray. The shops and restaurants are just as good as the ones in Del Ray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

So, keep "The Poors" penned into the few existing garden apartments scattered around the fringes of the neighborhood and give yourself a pat on the back for living in a socioeconomic diverse community. Sure.

And lumping Arlandria with Del Ray is misleading at best. They're two adjacent but separate neighborhoods. Do better.

What? I work with ARHA. You have no idea what you're talking about.

There is a large number of "affordable housing" under the IRS code (do you even know what that means?) in Del Ray. And from a public policy perspective you want section 8 housing scattered in different areas vs having them concentrated in one, single area which can form a ghetto/slum area. People who need public housing do better when they are dispersed throughout the city. Del Ray has PLENTY of section 8 housing units. So educate yourself and then come back to have a mature, adult discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look who is advocating for this - it is developers and people who make money from them. It definitely is not current City residents.

All of council and these boards are city residents. Voted (and appointed) by city residents.

The mayor is brainwashed. Others are looking for advancement in the single party or are on the take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://alextimes.com/2022/05/city-holds-zone-text-amendment-community-meeting/

June 23: Planning Commission

July 5th: City Council

Additional height bonus for subsidized housing in Alexandria. Old Town was removed. Notably Mt Vernon Avenue in Del Ray is still vulnerable.

It looks like staff took anything zoned commercial, but not industrial, and anything already Multifamily Medium or High Density Residential.

Which includes Mt Vernon Avenue. Alexandria isn’t a big city. With GIS and everything parceled it should easy to exclude that street and I think Del Ray has a historic district, like Old Town and “Parker Gray”. So if the intent is to preserve Mt Vernon Avenue and the heart of Del Ray, it shouldn’t even be for consideration.

In fact I can’t think of a single site that is appropriate for a height wavier, that isn’t already designated (Potomac Yard). Again the city isn’t big.

Not sure why Del Ray is even a consideration. Without Old Town and Del Ray, Alexandria is a worse Arlington, still prohibitively expensive and failing schools.

OP, instead of verbally tripping all over yourself, just admit you don’t want lower income people to be given an opportunity to live in Del Ray.

GMAB. NP here. There are plenty of Section 8 housing apartments in Del Ray. Seriously. Do you even know anything about Del Ray? Arlandria, the corner of Commonwealth & Monroe, the area surrounding Cora Kelly, Glebe Road, north part of Commonwealth, etc. For real.

So, keep "The Poors" penned into the few existing garden apartments scattered around the fringes of the neighborhood and give yourself a pat on the back for living in a socioeconomic diverse community. Sure.

And lumping Arlandria with Del Ray is misleading at best. They're two adjacent but separate neighborhoods. Do better.

What? I work with ARHA. You have no idea what you're talking about.

There is a large number of "affordable housing" under the IRS code (do you even know what that means?) in Del Ray. And from a public policy perspective you want section 8 housing scattered in different areas vs having them concentrated in one, single area which can form a ghetto/slum area. People who need public housing do better when they are dispersed throughout the city. Del Ray has PLENTY of section 8 housing units. So educate yourself and then come back to have a mature, adult discussion.

Scattered throughout the city, perhaps, but most certainly concentrated in the West End.