Alexandria City Building Height/ Hyundai SUP Approval.
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Anonymous
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So, the city is attempting to address its role in the housing crisis by allowing certain older areas of the city (Old Town and Del Ray) to raise their permitted building height from 45 feet to 70 feet (or thereabouts). The idea is it will allow larger apartments that will attract developers to build housing.
But last week they gave a 45-year continued use approval to a Hyundai dealership that fronts 3 straight blocks of prim residential land on Mt. Veron Ave in the heart of Del Ray. Can someone explain why a car dealership should be saved while a historic area gets ruined? |
Anonymous
| Perhaps I missed your explanation, but how is a historic area going to be ruined by an additional 25 foot height allowance? |
Anonymous
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Today in Alexandria, builders building in areas zoned for 50+ feet can apply for an additional 25 feet of height (up to 75 feet) if they are also addressing low income housing needs in those proposals (it's not by right, just an option to apply for that has to go through a whole exception process). This Bonus height text amendment (BHTA - which is currently deferred) would lower it to 45 feet - which potentially brings parts of Del Ray and Old Town into that program.
The hyundai thing makes no sense to me in the context of the city's goals, master plan, or the del ray area plan. But I think the logic behind the scenes is this (I'm much more familiar with del ray than old town so focusing there). It is still difficult to develop here - mainly because our lots are strangely shaped, and because homes are right off the avenue. So that hyundai lot...the right thing for the city (and I think the neighborhood too) is for it to end up as dense mixed use, but within the current restrictions it could also just end up empty. I think this outcome was the city balancing those two concerns (with a heavy dose of we also LOVE the owner) In 10 years, I suspect (and hope) that a fair number of Del Ray's NIMBY contingent will have... uh... died out. And the new neighbors will be much more amenable to that kind of density (especially under the BHTA, assuming it passes, these types of projects get much more economically viable). But we shall see.... |
Anonymous
Nothing is dying out. People are dropping 1.5 million dollars on a house. They don't want 300 poors looking down on them from the tower next door. Alexandria is botching this. Imagine if they allowed this in Old Town in the 70s; it wouldn't exist as it is now. There would be no reason to visit. Del Ray can be charming, quaint, and "where main street still exists" or it can be Harlem. It can't be both. |
Anonymous
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People need to stop smoking so much weed if they actually believe that any for profit developer will ever take a SHF rezoned lot and make it into several affordable housing units. Just look at what they've done right around the corner from the dealership on Duncan. Torn down 1 house and put up 4 townhomes that sold around $1.5million EACH. 205 Duncan. How are any of those "affordable"?
"Darden Towns, brand new luxury construction in the heart of Del Ray,... is a small subdivision (?) only half a block away from Mt. Vernon." https://www.zillow.com/homes/205-e-duncan-22301_rb/2062400905_zpid/ |
Anonymous
Developers lobbying for upzoning use low income housing in their arguments, but actually having it as a requirement to build denser on a given lot would horrify them |
Anonymous
| I can't believe a low rent used car dealership is the largest retail on the second biggest tourist spot in the entire city. What a joke. |
Anonymous
You're making the point of why bonus height (and things like Accessory dwelling units, or missing middle approaches like they are discussing in Arlington) is needed... 205 Duncan was three lots - redeveloped into the only thing you really can build in Del Ray today... SFHs. I guess it's a small win that instead of 3 McMansions that would have naturally gone here, we get 4 townhomes instead - and yes, as much as 1.5M sounds like a lot, it actually is "affordable" compared to the SFH alternatives that end up here otherwise. The true path to affordability requires building more densely than townhomes, which is exactly what the bonus height amendment would allow. The only way to build more is to build up. Which...with a metro station on either end of the neighborhood is exactly what Alexandria should be encouraging. |
Anonymous
I tell myself that these people live in Arlington. |
Anonymous
| The parking situation in that area is already terrible. I'm fine with adding affordable housing, but not with making it considerably more dense. Townhomes or low rise apartments are fine. |
Anonymous
It truly isn't - I live inches off the avenue and street parking is EASY unless it's Art on the Ave or something. Honestly it's way too easy to park in Alexandria right now - we should be making it harder (at least, after PY metro opens and the yellow line is back) |
Anonymous
| Clicked and was immediately disappointed that this was not about some new multi-level standup paddleboarding facility. |
Anonymous
I disagree. I live in Rosemont, and go over to Del Ray all the time to eat, take my kids to music lessons etc. I don't go to Art on the Avenue or other large events. And many people don't live near a metro (among others, those in West Alexandria). |
Anonymous
| Oh well by all means, let’s fill Del ray with parking lots so the rosemont folks don’t have to walk a block when they visit. |
Anonymous
NP here. So if that was three lots, made into 4 huge townhomes, why wasn't the pressure to take that large of a parcel and make affordable housing?It seems like there was a significant opportunity to make several units. If the talk is about taking 1 SFH lot any putting 4+ units on it, here were 3 lots. No uproar over it. Plus there are apartments just a block away from this, seems like it would have fit in. But no, gigantic townhomes were put in its place. And Braddock Road metro is pretty close to most of Del Ray, closer IMO than where the PY metro will be. That neighborhood is accessible by metro. And parking is about to get worse, there is push to add blocks for pay parking, and to make it for only 1-2 hour increments as residents have complained that it is hard for them to find parking. I found myself in one of those parking board meetings when I thought I was in a meeting for something else in city hall. It's coming. |