Mixed-Use Townhouse, Apartment Development Set to Begin Construction in Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- A meeting is planned for Monday night for those interested in hearing more about the building of a new mixed-use townhouse and apartment development going up soon at 2901 Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Springhill Suites at 2950 Eisenhower Ave. Representatives from the builder, Rushmark Eisenhower LLC, will be on hand.

The new community is expected to feature 67 townhomes and 535 apartment homes. The project is also expected to include 9,000 square feet of retail located on the ground floor of the southernmost residential tower. Construction is expected to begin soon. See the City staff report and site plan here, from the City of Alexandria.

More details about the project were revealed earlier this spring after it was approved by the City Council; some of those details are here, from the Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh newsletter, by Amy Friedlander:

"In 1998, VDOT acquired the vacant nine-acre property located on Eisenhower Avenue adjacent to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority switching facilities for use as a construction staging yard for the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project,

The property remained off the City’s tax rolls for almost 17 years until Rushmark Properties purchased it from the Commonwealth. For almost 30 years, major development of the property has been envisioned in the City’s Master Plan, yet nothing materialized.

This time, however, with Cathy’s [Cathy Puskar, a land use and zoning attorney] assistance, the project will come to fruition and, when completed, will contribute to the City’s economic development efforts by providing much-needed tax revenue and additional housing in proximity to the highly anticipated relocation of the National Science Foundation new headquarters across from the Eisenhower Avenue Metro Station."

Other amenities of the development include, according to the Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh newsletter:

• Bonus density in exchange for the provision of 21 dedicated affordable housing units at 60 percent of area median income for 40 years
• Flexibility to develop the southern residential tower as either residential or a hotel 3.7 acres of open space, including a publicly accessible central green for residents and neighbors
• Contemporary architectural design
• New traffic signal and improved streetscape along Eisenhower Avenue

The project contains more than 1 million square feet.

Location of future townhouse/apartment development, 2901 Eisenhower Ave.:

PHOTO: Rendering of 2901 Eisenhower Ave., new townhome and apartment development, courtesy of City.