Del Ray Residences to Open Soon

Alexandria's newest residential building is almost complete, as the developer puts the final touches on Mt. Vernon Commons, a 141-unit apartment building in Del Ray. By April, developer Mount Vernon Commons, LLC hopes to finish the "neo-contemporary" building at the intersection of Mt. Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues for a spring opening.

The apartments replaced 11 commercial

spaces, for which it will partially atone by adding a small retail space to the ground floor. Though originally conceived as green condominium, the developer is not pursuing LEED certification for the project, which will consist of leased apartments rather than for-sale condos. The three to four-story wood-framed superstructure will sit on top of a two-level parking garage. To enhance the design, the developer is also planning a public art piece at the intersection.

According to architect Jim Heffner of Heffner Architects, "the biggest challenge of the project was the site itself," sitting on a narrow wedge of land with a 20-foot change in elevation, peaking at 100 feet in width, that had to accommodate a triangular cut-out in the middle. A townhouse design will help the project transition away from the adjacent single family residences, and the facade will incorporate "metal skin components unique to wood framed buildings."

The residences were devised by Carr Homes, which later sold the project to its current owner, a process which entailed significant delay in its delivery. Heffner is also the architect of Penrose Square and Rhodes Hill Square, both now under construction. Clark Builders Group is the general contractor.

Alexandria Virginia real estate development news

New Condos Complete in Arlington

The first 14 of 89 new condos in Arlington's Courthouse section have finished construction, with the remaining units expected by the end of 2009. With neighbors like the Iwo Jima Memorial and views of the National Mall, Reston-based Waterford Development's Rhodes Hill Square condos may retail for up to $1 million.

Designed by Heffner Architects PC, the units are all large, ranging in size from 1,100 s.f. to over 2,000 s.f. The three wood-framed, 4-story buildings stand over concrete underground parking garages. Most units, 73 of the 89 total, are two stories. All first-level condos private terraces while the upper units provide private rooftop terraces, with standardized finishes like oak floors and granite counters.

The condos cover the area surrounded by N. Rhodes St., 14th St N., N. Rolfe St., and 16th St. North, about three blocks from the Courthouse Metro. WCS Construction managed the project. Construction began in June of 2008, replacing what was largely a vacant field. Waterford has also developed several condominiums in Fairfax, VA.

Columbia Pike Construction Commences

With big changes ever promised for Columbia Pike, evidence of actual progress is worthy of comment, especially when that progress is on schedule. Such is the case of Penrose Square. The only remnant of the former tenants at 2405 and 2501 Columbia Pike is the sad Giant Food sign surrounded by trailers, fences and barbed wire, but the project is on track for its scheduled delivery of late 2011.

Back in March, Foulger-Pratt Contracting won the $79 million construction contract for the building, and construction is now underway; Heffner Architects of Alexandria, Virginia have designed the project. There is little else new on the nearby strip, but Arlington continues to see the slow transformation of Columbia Pike with future plans for a street car with a stop at Penrose.

Carbon Thompson and B.M. Smith Associates will complete Penrose Square as a mixed-use development to include 325 rental apartments, 97,000 s.f. of retail space, and three levels of below-grade parking. Included in the retail space is a rebuilt, 57,000 s.f. Giant supermarket, with the residential units built above. The developers have also donated a parcel of land in front of the development for a new town square for pikers, also called Penrose Square, though right now it's all just one big hole.

The property is bordered by Columbia Pike to the south, Adams Street to the east, 9th Street to the North. Despite the new density, the height will remain low; 6 to 7 stories along Columbia Pike tapering to 3 1/2 stories along 9th Street.

Apartments for the Commonwealth

Northern Virginia’s Del Ray neighborhood is set to lose 11 primarily vacant storefronts in the coming months, as the Mount Vernon Commons, LLC begins work on their so-named project at the intersection of Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues in Alexandria.

The Mount Vernon Commons development aims to deliver 141 one and two-bedroom residential units, along with 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail to what is currently 3015-3111 Mount Vernon Avenue and 3026 Commonwealth Avenue. Once planned as a new condo development for Alexandria, project managers are naturally pursuing rental apartments – with a possibility that units “may revert condominiums at a later time.” Alexandria affordable housing guidelines require that six of the one bedroom units and three of two-bedroom units be available below market rate.

Once completed, the LEED-certified Mount Vernon Commons will consist of two buildings, ranging from three to four stories, for a gross of 146,605 square feet of new development. The traditional apartment units will be accented by painted brick “townhouse-style” units fronting Commonwealth Avenue, atop two-stories of underground parking. Additionally, the southern end of the development will sport 3,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space with seating and an undetermined art element.

The project was initially under the stewardship of Fairfax-based Carr Homes, which, after receiving approval from the Alexandria City Council in December of 2006, sold both the site and plans to the Mount Vernon Commons, LLC. After the change of hands, the new owner moved for a one year extension on their 2008 construction deadline, a move backed by the Del Ray Citizens Association. In accordance with the Planning Commission’s approval of the extension, the development must now break ground by June 21, 2009, or begin the approval process anew. The project is being designed by Heffner Architects, PC and built by Clark Construction.