The owners of 105-107 North Alfred St. are asking the city for permission to create an 11-suite “apartment hotel” at the property that would welcome up to 24 guests per night.
Owners Bruce and Thelma MacGregor, who operate several Airbnb properties in the region, noted in their Special Use Permit application that unlike a traditional hotel, the apartment hotel would operate with no front desk or on-site staff. Guests would check themselves in and out of the hotel, and a cleaning service would turn over rooms between guests. Management would be available on call as needed.
The property currently has ground floor space that was occupied by the St. George Gallery, which showcased Ethiopian art and furniture, and has eight small rental units in the building.
The special use application asks for permission to build “a two-story addition over a ground level drive-through immediately to the north of the original 1790 period house block that will include one-bedroom units at the second and third floors,” according to the application. In addition, the owners would like to convert current attic space into more units and use the below-ground space as well. In all, the owners would build 11 one-bedroom units with kitchenettes and bathrooms.
The Special Use Permit request appears on the Dec. 7 docket for the Alexandria Planning Commission.
