On Saturday, December 15, 2018, the Alexandria City Council approved a Development Special Use Permit for the Braddock Gateway Phase 3 project at 1200 North Fayette Street. At present, the site comprises a portion of the DC Metro Church campus.
As approved, the Carmel Partners project will bring two buildings with 370 apartment units and 2,700 square feet of ground-floor community-serving retail. The buildings will feature high-quality architecture and a signature gateway feature on the building’s north facade. Two levels of below-grade parking will be constructed. Public improvements include an extension of North Fayette Street to connect to Slaters Lane, improved streetscape, enhanced bicycle and pedestrian circulation (including an off-street shared bicycle/pedestrian pathway to the Bradock Road Metrorail Station), on-site open space and contributions to off-site park improvements. The project will provide four dedicated affordable dwelling units and a $1.08 million contribution to the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. In addition, the project will contribute $154,724 to the Braddock Community Amenities Fund and $356,539 to the Braddock Open Space Fund.
Other portions of Braddock Gateway include The Dalton, now open at 1225 First Street, and Phase 2, soon to begin construction in the 1100 block of North Fayette Street. As long-planned, the buildings of phases 2 and 3 will front a large green space at approximately 1100 North Fayette Street.
The project complies with the Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan in terms of scale, design, features, and community benefits–including additional park space.
Pocket Park/Dog Park
Perhaps the only point of contention regarding the project was the extent to which adjacent city land proposed for a pocket park should serve as a dog park. At present, that area is a scrubby lot sandwiched between industrial buildings, railroad tracks, and a Slaters Lane off-ramp to Route 1.
As proposed by the developer, the project would have included development of a small dog park on an adjacent city-owned parcel. The park would address calls for additional dog facilities in the Braddock Neighborhood, which is growing into one of the most dense neighborhoods in the city, including a significant population of dog owners. The dog park was supported by the developer and the neighborhood association, the Braddock Metro Citizens Coalition (BMCC). The developer offered to construct the park and maintain it for a three-year period, at which time the city would maintain the space.
City staff recommended that the park be developed as a pocket park because it does not meet the city’s minimum standard size for a dog park of one-half acre, as defined by the City’s 18-year old Plan for Dog Parks and Dog Exercise Areas, frequently referred to as the “dog park master plan.” They noted that dog owners could still bring leashed dogs to the park, and said a smaller dog park could be unsafe and difficult to maintain.
In response to neighborhood concerns, the Planning Commission voted to amend a development condition to require the park to be gated and secured for use as an off-leash dog park. Commissioners acknowledged that the park is smaller than dog park master plan standards, but noted recent improvements to Montgomery Park in Old Town North provided a fenced dog area smaller than the half-acre requirement. The Planning Commission noted the density of the neighborhood and the demand for this amenity within easy reach, and the likelihood that no other land in the area would be suitable for a dog park. They said that given its location, this park was not likely to receive much use without a special feature like a dog park, and is likely to be used as an off-leash dog area whether permitted or not. They voted to require gated fencing to safely confine dogs within the park near busy streets.
At City Council, staff requested that a decision regarding use of the park be deferred until after the dog park master plan is updated in 2020. Council weighed public testimony by BMCC as well as the staff and Planning Commission recommendations. They acknowledged the interest in a dog park in this location, but did not want to adopt a condition binding the city (since the park land is city-owned, not private property.) Council ultimately voted to require the developer to grade and prep the site for a park and provide a $65,000 contribution toward park construction when the certificate of occupancy is issued for the latter of the two proposed buildings. The city will conduct further public outreach on the use of the park space, informed by an updated dog park master plan.
Since the developer is now conditioned to provide a contribution to the park upon certificate of occupancy (building completion) rather than open the park by that point, completion of the park may be delayed unless the city fronts other funds to provide improvements. In addition, the city will be on the hook to cover any park construction costs greater than $65,000.
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