Image courtesy of the City of Alexandria
Lindsay Motor Car Company may close its Alexandria Cadillac dealership and build new Volvo and Lexus facilities in its place.
Lindsay Motor Car Company, which has operated car dealerships in Alexandria since 1963, submitted an application to the City requesting the redevelopment of an almost 7 acre site at 1511 North Quaker Ln., 1707 Osage St. and 1525 Kenwood Ave. In their report, City staff recommended approval of the application subject to codes and recommendations saying, “the proposal provides many benefits for the City and surrounding community.”
Members of the City’s Planning and Zoning and Transportation and Environmental Services departments are recommending that the Planning Commission and City Council approve the redevelopment of the Lindsay Cadillac dealership located at 1525 Kenwood Ave. In its place, new Lexus and Volvo dealerships will be built.
The application requests the demolition of the existing Cadillac dealership and a 1967 office building located at the site and requests approval to build a new Volvo automobile sales/service facility building, a Lexus sales facility building and a Lexus service facility building with above grade and under-ground parking facilities.
Image courtesy of the City of Alexandria
The new buildings will meet the City’s sustainability and green building policies as well as be more aesthetically pleasing. Improved streetscapes, pedestrian experiences and landscaping will be included in the redevelopment. The changes are not expected to increase the density, traffic or light and noise in the area.
In addition to the new buildings and improvements, the applicant has volunteered to provide additional benefits to the City as part of the plan. These benefits include a $20,000 contribution to the bike share facility on Radford Street, a $309,697 contribution to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and either a contribution to the public arts fund or the creation of public art displays on site.
The demolition of the Lindsay Cadillac dealership comes at a time when Cadillac has become General Motors' leader in its electric vehicle initiative. In a recent article, The Wall Street Journal reported that 150 of Cadillac’s 880 U.S. dealerships have taken buyouts ranging from $300,000 to more than $1 million instead of making the updates necessary to make the shift to electric vehicles. There is no confirmation that Lindsay Cadillac is one of these dealerships.
The application will be reviewed by the Planning Commission at their Jan. 5 meeting before the City Council meeting on Jan. 23.
