640-Unit Mixed-Use Project In Alexandria's Potomac Yard Approved By City Council

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A mixed-use development with 640 residential units is moving forward in the Potomac Yard neighborhood after Alexandria City Council approval Saturday.

Developer JBG Smith received approval for the 640 residential units, 13,000 square feet of retail and over 30,000 square feet of open space. The development will bring market-rate and affordable housing to four vacant land parcels south of the Potomac Yard Shopping Center near the Potomac Yard Metro station.

“We're grateful to the community, Alexandria City staff, and City Council for their collaboration and input, which molded this plan into the strongest possible outcome,” said Taylor Lawch, the co-head of Development at JBG SMITH. “This mixed-use development is designed to bring much needed rental, affordable, and family-friendly for-sale housing to the neighborhood, culminating a quarter century of development in the southern portion of Potomac Yard.”

City Council had to give approval to each of three landbay proposals. The 432 units of market-rate apartments with ground floor retail and public town green by JBG Smith will be located in a seven-story building at 2901 Main Line Boulevard and 2900 Potomac Avenue. The 88 units of affordable housing by Wesley Housing will be located in a six-story building at 601 E. Glebe Road. The 120 townhouses by Toll Brothers will be located at 2601 Main Line Boulevard.

"We're getting [640] housing units, a variety of affordability levels, variety of types," said Councilmember Kirk McPike. "We talked a lot about trying to provide housing in different forms in the city, and this is going to do that."

"For the affordable housing building, it's not only great that we're getting the affordable housing units, but also within those units they will have washers and dryers," said Councilmember Canek Aguirre. "There will be a community room, which to me is very essential for folks to be able to come and congregate, meet each other, utilize it for birthdays, for other events. There's going to be a gym and potentially another piece of retail."

The retail component has not yet been announced but could have up to four Metro-facing tenants, said Cathy Puskar, an attorney representing the applicant. There is also a small space in the affordable housing building that Wesley Housing could look to fill with a selected tenant.

Potomac Yard has seen significant development in recent years, including the Virginia Tech campus' first academic building that opened in 2025 and the Metro station that opened in 2023. A massive proposal to bring an entertainment complex with a new home for the Washington Capitals and Wizards plus owner Monumental Sports & Entertainment's headquarters did not advance in 2024.