At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Planning Commission, 42 public speakers signed up to present their opinion on the redevelopment of the Heritage at Old Town apartments.
The project calls for the demolition of existing 1970s brick, garden-style apartments located on three blocks between Route 1 and Washington Street at the southern entrance to Old Town. In place of the existing 244 units, applicants would like to construct three multifamily buildings totaling 750 units and reaching a heights of up to 7 stories.
The project has garnered strong opinions among many residents of the southwest quadrant of Old Town, who have formed their own citizen’s organization in opposition to the project.
Many of these residents spoke against the project at the meeting, urging the Planning Commission to send the project back to the drawing board, arguing that the scale, height and architecture were inappropriate for the historic nature of Old Town. They said that they were not against affordable housing, but were concerned about their home values in the neighborhood, traffic increases and displacement of current residents at the Heritage.
More than a dozen people spoke in favor of the project, including a resident of the Heritage. The resident pointed out the problems of the aging buildings currently on site, including flooding issues. Other speakers spoke about the importance of preserving and increasing affordable housing in the City, particularly in light of the City’s recent commitment to racial and social equity. The new project will not only preserve the 140 affordable units currently on site but also create 55 additional affordable units.
In a report written by City staff, a number of other benefits of the project were listed including open space, improved streetscapes, compatibility with City’s 2019 Green Building Policy, stormwater infrastructure, a $60,000 donation to the City’s Capital Bikeshare Fund and public art or a contribution of at least $198,458. Staff recommended approval of the redevelopment.
The applicants summarized their efforts to work within the 2018 South Patrick Street Affordable Housing Strategy and to consider the input of current tenants, neighbors and the Board of Architectural Review which reviewed the project at four separate meetings. Heritage owner Jim Simmons emphasized the importance of affordable housing in Alexandria which allows the people who work essential jobs in Alexandria to continue to be able to afford to live there.
“What the City of Alexandria has done in this instance has been prescient. Hopefully this will be a model for the preservation of affordable housing going forward,” Simmons said.
After some discussion and acknowledging many points raised by citizens on both sides of the issue, staff and the applicant, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve the application.
