In March 2016, the Alexandria City Council approved a master plan amendment rezoning, and development special use permit to redevelop a two-acre city block in Old Town North. The 51,000-square-foot project consisting of ground-floor retail and 232 apartments will replace the existing 1950s-era Giant grocery store and Virginia ABC store. Cathy Puskar and Amy Friedlander directed the developers, EDENS and Gables Residential, through the entitlement process. The mixed-use project will include diverse, high-quality retail storefronts and signage, two distinct ground-level public open spaces, on-site public art, nine units of on-site affordable housing, generous streetscapes, and fully internalized loading docks designed for trucks to maneuver within the building rather than on the street. The project will create the neighborhood retail anchor envisioned in the Old Town North Small Area Plan, enhance the walkability of the neighborhood, create additional jobs, and add much-needed tax revenue to the City’s coffers.
