Developer EYA is offering new riverfront condominiums in Old Town Alexandria in the building formerly organization.
Plans for The Oronoco at 601 N. Fairfax St. include 60 single-level units ranging from 1,600 square feet to 3,500 square feet, plus private patios and terraces.
Homes are priced from approximately $1 million to $4 million.
Unlike some other development projects throughout the city, this conversion from office to residential is "by right" and does not require review and approval by the Planning Commission or City Council, according to the city’s Planning and Zoning Department.
However, the building’s transformation requires city staff administrative approval of a grading plan and building permits. City staff plans to allow landscaping alterations and grading changes for creating street-level access to the lobby.
“The city’s ability to require additional public benefits envisioned in the Waterfront Small Area Plan, such as improvements to Oronoco Bay Park and an art wall, is limited because of the administrative process,” according to an email from Planning and Zoning. “However, the applicant may wish to volunteer some of these improvements.”
The building permit process will include demolition and replacement of the exterior skin of the building and interior removal of walls and some other changes. The city has not yet received building permits for exterior demolition work and new construction. A demolition permit has been approved for some interior work.
Construction is planned to begin in August and take approximately 16 months. EYA expects the Oronoco’s first residents to move in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to EYA Vice President Preston Innerst.
The company is holding a grand opening event on Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oronoco Sales Center, 119 Oronoco St., in Alexandria.
Innerst's EYA, which also developed the Old Town Commons project, said The Oronoco fills a need many prospective residents asked for—one-level living.
Innerst noted that most Old Town residences are multi-level and this new project “provides something that’s been missing” in Old Town.
Additionally, “the Oronoco is the only new condominium that has the combination of views and direct access from your back door to a park on the Alexandria waterfront,” Innerst said.
Building amenities include underground parking, a fitness room/yoga center, pool and pool house, outdoor cooking center, meeting room, playroom and dog washing station. The building will be staffed with a concierge, porter and a 24-hour attended lobby.
EYA on July 24 at 5:30 p.m. plans to host a community meeting at its Oronoco Street sales center to introduce the construction team, discuss the construction schedule and address questions.
The city has invited EYA to attend a Waterfront Commission meeting to share additional information in August or September, after construction has started.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect that the condos' first residents are expected to move in during the fourth quarter of 2013.
I applaud EYA for being such a proactive company in reshaping our Alexandrian landscape and continuing to offer modern and innovative architecture in this old town. Affordable prices, too!!
A. Affordable housing.
It was really smart for EYA to purchase this entire block outside of the purview of the BAR - that way they can proceed with demolition and construction quickly and don't have those rediculous design constraints (old town is so matchy-matchy).
This will be priced at about 3x the cost of Del Ray per square foot. Bottom-line is that some places are naturally expensive. All the more reason to leverage the developers and get a waterfront that's open to all [that shouldn't include a ODBC parking lot at the foot of King Street].
My initial point was that residents who want or need one-floor living might not be the same ones who want to spend millions on a home. It seems like every time our home values increase even the slightest bit, developers go over the top to make Old Town an even more exclusive enclave of the city. If some of the amenities could be reduced (no dog-washing station, a gym when there is a fantastic health club just down the street) maybe the prices could come down a bit and make the new development more affordable; the $900,000-2,750,000 range. I would love to see more developers create one-floor housing options. For now, I will be waiting to see if my three-level duplex in DelRay can be outfitted to accommodate motorized stairwell chairs when I need them in the next 12-15 years.
Hotel rooms are, what, 500 square feet typically? The existing Sheet Metals Workers building isn't small either: Google street view: http://goo.gl/maps/a4X8