The new owners of an existing office building are proposing converting it to 136 residential units.
The building at 1201 E. Abingdon Dr. was the home to Pyraton, Cypress International and Housing Alexandria, which has moved. The Class A office building just east of the George Washington Memorial Parkway is about 95,000 sq. ft.
The owners want to convert the building to residential use, with a penthouse and a wing addition.
The existing building was built in the 1980s and has both surface and underground parking.
"Due to the on-going, diminished office market and current high vacancy rate, the applicant seeks residential use to repurpose the building," according to the special use permit application. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that office vacancy in the United States is the highest it has been since the 1970s.
"In addition to introducing residential units at the penthouse level, the Applicant seeks to add a building wing at the south of the property on the existing surface parking lot. Other changes include the installation of residential window, lobby improvements, ground level amenity courtyard, and other building and site features consistent with residential use," according to the application.
