After a long dry period — mostly attributable to the beleaguered economy — there's suddenly a lot of development activity going on in our neighborhood that will bring permanent change to our community.
EYA and ARHA say that nearly 20 townhouse units in the first stage of the Bland redevelopment project are under contract or sold, and they are now proposing to change the sequencing of the project so that all of the blocks closest to our neighborhood are done first.
In addition, ARHA and EYA are proposing a significant change in the troublesome layout of the multi-family buildings on N. Patrick Street. Instead of configuring these buildings with two lower floors of public housing and two upper floors of market-rate units with separate entrances, EYA has found that for financing reasons it would be better to break up the two groups and keep the market rate units and subsidized units in separate buildings. The Growler's philosophy? Whatever it takes to ensure those market rate units sell is acceptable.
A few blocks away, the walls of Jericho are going down at the Payne Street warehouse, and we can soon expect the jolt of pile driving. The Madison project, too, is back with a new financing partner and is going to Planning Commission and Council next month to propose some revisions in its previously approved site plan. Hopefully that project will get started in 2011 as well.
However, there's some news related to the Madison that may sadden those who still cherish forlorn hopes for quality retail in our neighborhood.
While strolling through the new model homes at the Bland redevelopment project, the Growler heard that a new Harris Teeter would be coming soon ... but east of N. Washington Street, not here.
The Cranky One later confirmed with Planning & Zoning staff that they have indeed received a concept for a new project on the block surrounded by St. Asaph, Pitt, and Madison in Old Town North that would include a Harris Teeter grocery store that would be approximately 54,000 square feet in size, with 166 residential units on four floors above the grocery store and underground parking below.
Readers may remember that five years ago when the Madison project was first under discussion, it was slated to include a Harris Teeter. This would have been the first full-fledged grocery store in our neighborhood in many years.
Debate still rages in the neighborhood about whether Harris Teeter was sincere in its interest in the site or just fishing, and whether P&Z staff under a previous regime scared off the chain during micromanagement of the site plan details.
Nevertheless, to the Growler it seeems that if a Harris Teeter goes in on St. Asaph Street it will be unlikely we will have our own grocery. (It will probably also sound the death knell for the small Giant store a few blocks away.)
Other sad but not unanticipated news: the revised Madison site plan will include less retail space, dropping from 23,620 sf in the original site plan to 9,672 sf. The project consists of two buildings, and the retail space in the northernmost building will be repurposed for a leasing office, a gym, and more residential units.
The Growler is not surprised at the reduction in retail, given that there are still huge unleased gaps at the Monarch just a few blocks away. Two years ago when the Madison developers obtained their approvals from Planning Commission and Council, they mentioned that CVS was interested in the space. But apparently the drug chain bowed out during the recession. (It surely didn't help either that the day before a CVS vice president's visit to the site a pair of murdered bodies were dumped in the middle of N. Patrick Street a block away.)
There's no doubt that mixed-use as a concept has been grossly oversold in Alexandria. But what is most embittering is that the second team of consultants who developed the final and most notorious Braddock Road Neighborhood Plan three years ago clearly spun fantasy tales about what was achievable in terms of retail in our community. The first retail consultant had always seemed quite sensible to the Growler in the way she discussed the chilling effect of competition from nearby establishments on King Street and in Potomac Yard and how this made it potentially difficult to recruit retail businesses for our neck of the woods.
What will happen is that many of the residents closer to N. Washington Street will walk to the new Harris Teeter as they do now to Trader Joe's, and those of us closer to the King Street Metro will continue to walk to Whole Foods. And of course many of us will continue to drive to the huge Duke Street Giant or the Shoppers Food Warehouse at Potomac Yard.
39 comments:
"a new Harris Teeter would be coming soon ... but east of N. Washington Street, not here"
So the rest of Alexandria marches forward with improvements while those of us in Parker Gray who "are just not ready to have their kids in an integrated environment" are left with Jefferson-Houston, Bland, crime, the neighborhood 7-11 and litter.
If Euille, Miller, Englin and the rest of the screamers were truly interested in improving the lives of people in Parker Gray, particularly for those in public housing, the lack of a grocery store would be an actual issue to work on.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/nyregion/24super.html
I guess doing actual work to make real ,tangible and measurable improvements is harder and doesn't garner as many votes as grandstanding, making bigoted, uninformed and inflammatory comments and pushing for ridiculous "reforms" to trespassing laws because you can't trust the police.
I am excited about the Harris Teeter!! And will not shed a tear when that skanky giant closes...
Any chance we can get more public housing units offsited in the new Bland proposal?? The number of units in this area is still outrageous.
" And of course many of us will continue to drive to the huge Duke Street Giant or the Shoppers Food Warehouse at Potomac Yard."
That drive is already a nightmare. BRT should make it more of a blast (sarcasm intended)
"
The Growler is not surprised at the reduction in retail, given that there are still huge unleased gaps at the Monarch just a few blocks away. "
Would you open a store in this neighborhood? I cant imagine myself making the investment with all the issues with property crime the area still has.
"Any chance we can get more public housing units offsited in the new Bland proposal??"
First ask the city if it has purchased the land to offsite the additional 16. Betcha the answer remains no.
Let's hope Farrol doesn't fuck up this Harris Teeter, too. Everytime I pass by the Monarch (original site of the Harris Teeter) and the Madison (second site of the Harris Teeter), I am reminded of the ineptitude of P&Z. Third time's a charm?
Are you listening City Council?? This neighborhood WANTS this grocery store. Don't let your staff screw it up. We can't vote against P&Z, but we can vote against you.
Just to clarify, Ms. Hamer was not at the helm at P&Z when Harris Teeter pulled out of the Monarch. There's also a different new development director in P&Z, Gwen Wright, who is working on the St. Asaph Street proposal.
"Just to clarify, Ms. Hamer was not at the helm at P&Z when Harris Teeter pulled out of the Monarch."
Growler we in part disagree. During the Braddock planning process Hamer and her consultants repeatedly assured those present that a grocery store would be a neighborhood priority. If not P&Z then shall we criticize AEDP?
My wife and I have been very surprised at the lack of street level retail that is planned/was planned for either Bland or Payne St. warehouse projects. Don't get me wrong - we're glad to see the ARHA homes gone and something going into what was a vacant (or mostly unused) warehouse. But are mostly new residences the best use of these spaces? I saw "no".
We would love some neighborhood pubs and restaurants that aren't part of King Street or aren't far enough away that driving is needed. How about some small offices for small businesses? How about a little bit of nightlife in the area? Or a coffee shop (not a chain) to sit out in front of and talk to neighbors?
Instead we are just going to get a lot more people and a lot more vehicular traffic. It's too bad that the city has the opportunity to work with a blank slate, so to speak, and they aren't demanding such things. The neighborhood happiness level needs more than fancy new $500k+ homes to make it go up.
As for Harris Teeter - I doubt it will hurt Trader Joes, but it will definitely shut down Giant. Not that any of us will miss that. I wonder what the traffic study predicts traffic will be like going in and out of the underground garage.
Thank you for the update Growler. Would the shift with the Harris Teeter be related to traffic? Just curious, the RT 1 corridor in the middle does make it challenging sometimes to get to Shanghai Peking for me (I live in NE). More retail in the Monarch would be great but I have to agree with others...I am not sad to see the Giant go.
Thanks again!
Do we know any details about the Harris Teeter? Will they knock down the old piano store or just build it on the half of that block which is parking lot/warehouse?
Regardless, I am so excited. I love Trader Joe's but since it is the only decent grocery store in the neighborhood, it's always MOBBED. Can't wait. It will be a good compliment to TJ's.
Any word on the bus barn? Seems like another good spot for a Harris Teeter.
I understand Mayor Euille was pushing for redevelopment of the bus barn. Obviously, not very effectively.
It is with sadness that we note the death of Mary Moore Much Moore catering. She died of a brain hemorhage. Mary was an early neighborhood entrepreneur. A hug and a wag to her beloved Emma.
I strongly belive that once The Aspen and Madison go up, demand for retail will finally be there in our neighborhood. It's good that they are keeping the tall heights in the residential units that are replacing some of the retail stores. Maybe at some point down the road they can be converted to retail.
The real problem with Harris Teeter going on the other side of Washington is that it's one less chain that could set up shop in our area. The last remaining parcel for a grocery would be either Tony's Auto or the Jaguar. But unless Safeway, Bloom, or Giant start doing smaller format stores, what's left to possibly go in?
Now that a park for the Post Office block is for sure, it's tragic that more retail isn't going in on the Fayette side of The Aspen. The park could be a great anchor, a gathering place, that would promote retail patronage. With the park being right on busy Route 1, I envision it being more of an urban plaza rather than a quiet park where kids are running around. I guess I stil think it's an odd location for a park and I guess I'm having trouble figuring out what its use will be.
And it really is remarkable to think how long the Monarch retail has stood empty. It's just going to take one popular restaurant sit-down restaurant to bring the people.
"Now that a park for the Post Office block is for sure"
Huh, when was that for use? did the USPS sell?
"And it really is remarkable to think how long the Monarch retail has stood empty. It's just going to take one popular restaurant sit-down restaurant to bring the people."
Should we start a neighborhood email campaign to get a business to locate there? Let's pick a target and flood them with emails.
Parents magazine recently rated the top 10 best casual places for families - it included area restaurants like Cosi, Panera, ZPizza, and Corner Bakery. Or we could pick a locally owned smaller chain. Any thoughts? I know people don't like chains, but it would be nice to have an inexpensive place to meet friends, use wireless, etc.
"Now that a park for the Post Office block is for sure"
When was this announced? I thought the city and/or developers weren't able to get a hold of that land.
In general, I'm very happy that Teeter is going in east of Washington. I don't want the added traffic here in PG. I want small retail that people will walk to with only minimal to medium increase in traffic and parking in PG.
"I know people don't like chains, but it would be nice to have an inexpensive place to meet friends, use wireless, etc."
Let's not forget Shanghai Peking. The eatery was previously located in Georgetown and you have to admit the family is hardworking.
We would have a MUCH better chance of getting an eatery, chain or non-chain, to open in PG if we had offices as part of these new developments.
Carlyle is a failure because they focused too much on offices. PG is going to be a failure because they focused too much on housing. There needs to be a mix. I don't know what that magic ratio is but we need housing, street level retail and offices (even small ones).
My point is that a Corner Bakery, for example, won't open in PG because it won't have lunchtime crowds. Not enough people are around during the day to eat there. If people could walk from their offices at lunch then this could be a success.
It's not that the majority on City Council aren't listening to the people that blindly voted them into office time and again. They are.
They just don't care.
And why should they care? After all, Justin Wilson and T. Lovain put in the fix in along with the rest of the drones after losing their seats on City Council. After The Council's lame duck election reforms, the local machine is as strong as ever.
In fact, they'd prefer you to whisper from now on as, from time to time, you distract them from raising your taxes.
So be quiet, settle for less, pay higher taxes and, for goodness sake, vote them back into office.
"We would have a MUCH better chance of getting an eatery, chain or non-chain, to open in PG if we had offices as part of these new developments."
I totally disagree. In the past month, I've eaten at several Panera restaurants, all of which were nowhere near offices. And they've all been MOBBED. One was at Beacon Mall strip hell for crissakes. They were populated by a mix of shoppers, stay at home moms, people mooching free wireless, and working stiff types. Don't see why this wouldn't work in Monarch, too. I like the email blast idea.
Perhaps the Mayor & City Council can get another sex shop or a head shop in the neighborhood. It IS retail after all. And what a great way to REALLY learn about our neighbors.
It makes great sense and would assist the local street trade.
All kidding aside, its clear: The City Council doesn't give a Rat's Ass about us. Just wait until they shove their plans for mass transit through the neighborhood, just feet from your doorstep.
"All kidding aside, its clear: The City Council doesn't give a Rat's Ass about us."
Not breaking news. So let's do it ourselves. Let's pick a store to target. Panera is a good idea. Or shall we have it the old way? We could all just continue the woe-is-me whining, if everyone likes that better.
Speaking of the Post Office....hmmmm
The U.S. Postal Service plays two roles in America: an agency that keeps rural areas linked to the rest of the nation, and one that loses a lot of money.
Now, with the red ink showing no sign of stopping, the postal service is hoping to ramp up a cost-cutting program that is already eliciting yelps of pain around the country. Beginning in March, the agency will start the process of closing as many as 2,000 post offices, on top of the 491 it said it would close starting at the end of last year. In addition, it is reviewing another 16,000—half of the nation's existing post offices—that are operating at a deficit, and lobbying Congress to allow it to change the law so it can close the most unprofitable among them. The law currently allows the postal service to close post offices only for maintenance problems, lease expirations or other reasons that don't include profitability.
Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) says the agency should instead cut waste in its ranks. Although the postal service has cut its work force through attrition in recent years, it is still weighed down by overly generous employee benefits, she says.
Lot's of talk about needed new retail...but Are you guys going to Cafe Nicoles? What about Grassroots - the new place in Colecroft?
"Not breaking news. So let's do it ourselves. Let's pick a store to target. Panera is a good idea. Or shall we have it the old way? We could all just continue the woe-is-me whining, if everyone likes that better."
I agree with you, however, I believe it would be more effective to picket one or more of the following (with advance notice provided to the media, assuming a minimum of 20 participants):
1. A City Council Meeting
2. The home of a sitting City Council Member (I understand Rob K.'s home would make a nice backdrop.)
3. A fundraiser held by each of the local parties (do both to be nonpartisan) I believe both of them will be having their big annual events shortly.
Suggest a minimum of 20 participants, well made, spell checked signs, and what ever permits, etc, to keep it legal and to be civl, as hard as that may be.
Alternatively, participate in one of the local parades. We'll be on the front of the local newspapers. Again, you have to plan in advance.
"Lot's of talk about needed new retail...but Are you guys going to Cafe Nicoles? What about Grassroots - the new place in Colecroft?"
What does that have to do with trying to fill vacant retail spaces? Spare us your sanctimonious localism. We have empty retail now and would like them to be filled with something useful. That's it.
It's always going to be tough finding out the magic ratio between the different types of buildings. However, whenever there is changes, there is always a chance the the changes will be an improvement. Let's hope that at least some of the proposed changes will improve on all the empty retail space.
"EYA has found that for financing reasons it would be better to break up the two groups and keep the market rate units and subsidized units in separate buildings."
Even at this micro-level, segregating the block-and-mortar public housing from marketable areas is what Alexandria does best!
"I guess doing actual work to make real, tangible and measurable improvements is harder and doesn't garner as many votes as grandstanding, [etc.]"
There's no incentive to do so since maintaining the status quo keeps the other neighborhoods free from their fair share of the city's over-inflated pbulic housing role, while also keeping the screamers from weeping to the Post about people being forced out of their homes by the cruel city.
The fact that minor tweaks and some tenmporary howls of discontent can dramatically improve the lives of all involved in this neighborhood doesn't enter into it.
"I totally disagree. In the past month, I've eaten at several Panera restaurants, all of which were nowhere near offices. And they've all been MOBBED. One was at Beacon Mall strip hell for crissakes."
You're comparing a strip mall to a residential area? That makes zero sense.
And to the other poster - I do stop into Nicole's from time to time. And LOTS more people would as well if they store fronts around there were cleaned up and filled with other friendly businesses.
"Any word on the bus barn? Seems like another good spot for a Harris Teeter.
I understand Mayor Euille was pushing for redevelopment of the bus barn. Obviously, not very effectively."
The Royal Street bus barn will be replaced by a new garage in Fairfax County (Newington). See links below. The land for the new garage is being purchased this year and the new garage is scheduled for opening in late 2012. I assume that the Royal Street barn will be closed at that time, but it's possible that it may be closed earlier. A side benefit is that this could lead to the newer, quieter buses being run on routes through Alexandria (the new buses are too big to fit at Royal St and need a natural gas fueling station, which Royal St doesn't have).
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/news/PressReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=4690
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/board_of_directors/board_docs/011410_3CCinderBedRoad.pdf
Agreed that the land would be a great location for new development including retail. So would any number of places in PG, though. Hope to see some street level retail along with the new residential developments.
Growler, can you post links to the most current plans/renderings for the Payne St development and any other developments that you are tracking?
The besteay to attract more retail is to commit to using what is already here. Businesses pay attention to what works and nohing will and stronger signals to developers and brokers is a window full of customers at Nicoles, Grassroots and other local spots. Support local retail and we will get more of it.
"Support local retail and we will get more of it."
I do. Am a frequent patron of both Shanghai Peking and Starbucks, and both seems to be doing well. There are people in them every time I go by. For Shanghai, I think part of the reason is that they have good food at reasonable prices and they are quick. Although I can't say I think Starbucks prices are particularly good, they are quick.
I thought the building next to the post office was sold to the city for a park and that was a done deal. The USPS piece is still being worked on.
In re the Post Office: it is the only Post Office with any parking and serves the businesses of the greater Old Town area (including all of you, gentle readers); two, do you seriously want to drive out to Merrifield to mail packages and letters? A local post office, along with a library, a grocery store, and a pharmacy are the things most valuable to have in a neighborhood. You have a post office and a library close enough to call your own.
work on bringing on the other two instead of trying to get rid of a neighborhood asset.
@Anonymous at 12:51 a.m.
The proposal was never to get rid of the retail Post Office but to redevelop the site with offices and/or mixed use development along N. Henry Street. The retail PO could be located there and the distribution site (which takes up the most space with all its vehicles) could be moved elsewhere.
FYI, one of the sites discussed for relocating the distribution center was the USPS's Duke Street facility.
"do you seriously want to drive out to Merrifield to mail packages and letters?"
Why in the world would I drive to Merrifield to mail packages and letters when I can walk to a full service post office at Cameron and N. Washington?
If you can't live without the thought of giant parking lots surrounding every place you want to go, maybe you should move to Ashburn.
If that empty space in the Monarch would just move, that would start some momentum. Come on, Chuck Langdon...stop waiting for people to call you!
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