Alexandria City Council Approves Retail and Housing Project in Arlandria

Alexandria City Council Approves Retail and Housing Project in Arlandria

Today the Alexandria City Council voted 6-1 to approve a plan, consistent with the Action Plan adopted in 2003 for the Arlandria neighborhood, for redevelopment of the Mt. Vernon Village Center located on the 3800 block of Mt. Vernon Avenue in Arlandria. The current retail structures will be replaced with two multi-family residential buildings, which will be constructed in two phases. The buildings will provide 450 new workforce affordable apartments, with an additional 28 units designated for lower-income affordable housing for a 30-year period. This new development will not replace or reduce any of the existing affordable housing units in the community. In making its decision, City Council expressed its continued commitment to increasing affordable housing in Alexandria.

“Alexandria has been working hard to create more dedicated affordable housing units, so it was important to lock in these 28 lower-income, new affordable housing units for this neighborhood,” said Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille.

Each building will have six floors, with retail space on the first level, and residential units on the upper floors. The redevelopment will maintain more than 50,000 square feet of retail along Mt. Vernon Avenue, with plans to keep the two anchor stores, MOM’s Organic Market and CVS Pharmacy, in place. Through a combination of two levels of underground parking and screened ground-level spaces within each building, 940 spaces will be provided for residents and shoppers.

Developers for the project will make significant streetscape improvements, including street trees and sidewalk widening along Mt. Vernon Avenue and Bruce Street and a landscaped pedestrian promenade along Four Mile Run Park. Two new bus shelters will be built, with each including a bench, lighting, and an electronic display featuring real-time bus information. The traffic signal at Russell Road will be replaced and crosswalks will be improved at the intersection. The project will be constructed to LEED Green Building standards and will include a public art element. A complete description of the project is available online atalexandriava.gov/53736.