Planning Commission Approves Prince Street Hotel

The Alexandria Planning Commission approved plans Tuesday to build a six-story hotel at the corner of Prince Street and Daingerfield Road.

The proposal will go before City Council later this month.

Applicant Carr Hospitality is proposing to remove the existing parking lot at the site and replace it with a 54,013 square-foot hotel with 109 rooms and a small on-site restaurant. The building will have a five-story wing along Prince Street and a six-story wing along Daingerfield Road. The hotel will also have a rooftop pool, sundeck and green space.

The room count would put the hotel on par with The Lorien Hotel on King Street.

The new building will include one level of below-grade parking with 45 spaces that will be exclusively valet controlled. Carr Hospitality has secured 12 nearby off-site parking spots for overflow parking. A loading bay is planned for the Daingerfield Road side of the building and it will be deep enough to permit trucks to pull completely within the structure.

Planning commissioners praised the architectural design of the hotel, which will follow the city’s Green Building guidelines and utilize yellowish brick, metal panels, glass and louvers on its facade. The triangular shape of the building, dictated by the lot shape, will also give the building a distinct look. An illuminated sign for the hotel is also planned.

“I think this is a good proposal,” said Planning Commissioner Eric Wagner. “I like the architecture. I like the fact it’s a little different than what we have seen.”

The lot sits below the flood plain, which limited redevelopment options for the site. Federal Emergency Management Agency restrictions do not permit below grade parking for residential buildings and most mixed-use projects, according to the project memo.

Along with streetscape enhancements—including Gatsby lights and a new brick sidewalk—Carr Hospitality will work new public art into building plans. Carr Hospitality also made a voluntary contribution to the city’s affordable housing fund, a contribution to the King Street Improvement District and a $20,000 donation to expand Capital Bikeshare at King Street Metro Station. The Metro station is just a quarter-mile from the hotel site.  

The proposal includes combining two lots, specifically the site containing the parking lot at 1620 Prince St. with the adjoining lot at 200 Daingerfield Rd. The Daingerfield site is occupied by an office building owned by HF Sewer, LLC, which will remain. The combining of the two lots allows Carr Hospitality to utilize the unused floor area ratio available at the Daingerfield site to provide more floor area to construct the hotel.