Image courtesy of Wesley Housing
Despite controversy, an affordable housing project will move forward in Alexandria’s Holmes Run neighborhood.
At Saturday’s City Council meeting, council members voted to approve Planning Commission’s recommendation to rezone a 3-acre lot to allow the construction a multifamily apartment building with an underground parking garage next to the existing ParcView apartment building at 5380 Holmes Run Pkwy. The existing ParcView will be renovated and connected to the new building.
The project has faced extensive criticism from the Holmes Run Civic Association for its potential to cause structural instability of surrounding high rise structures in the area. Claridge House, a low-income senior living high rise located close to the proposed project filed a protest petition prior to the meeting which means the proposal would require a favorable vote from 6 out of 7 council members to be approved.
Licensed professional geologist Anthony H. Fleming prepared and sent a report to City Council that highlighted potential geological hazards on the project sight including slope instability, landslides and flooding of the parking garage. Fleming noted that no on-site fieldwork was done as part of the report which was based on regional geographical data.
Ten residents, some of whom represented civic associations, spoke in opposition to the project for a variety of safety, parking, traffic and density concerns. Four residents spoke in support of the project because of the creation of hundreds of affordable housing units in the city.
Attorney Cathy Puskar who represents project applicant, Wesley Housing, argued that the project is compatible with the area site plan, the city master plan and the city’s zoning ordinance.
Puskar cited a traffic study and public transportation accessibility to address resident concerns over parking and vehicular congestion in the heavily populated area. She sought to reassure residents that pile driving will last approximately one month and construction will include seismic monitoring, dewatering and that geotechnical engineers will be consulted on the project. She suggested that residents of adjacent high rises hire their own engineers to evaluate the structural integrity of their buildings prior to construction, arguing that the Surfside condo building collapse in Florida was due to existing structural problems, not development.
The applicant and city staff answered a number of questions on the project’s potential community impacts from council members. Mayor Justin Wilson thanked community members for their input, but emphasized the importance of providing housing opportunities to hundreds of families. He and the rest of the council members voted unanimously to approve the project.
