At its January 3, 2019 public hearing, the Alexandria Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of a rezoning and development special use permit for the Craddock Site, 1201 North Royal Street. The present location of MetroStage (and original location of the restaurant Bastille) will be redeveloped by Carr City Centers into a 90-unit multifamily residential building with a ground floor arts cultural anchor.
Tentative plans call for The Art League to move its printmaking and graphics, fiber and textile, jewelry, and crafts studios to 5,700 square feet on the ground floor of the new building. The Art League will also program an outdoor “arts walk” on the ground floor of the development. The developer will offer space to the non-profit organization rent-free for a 30-year period in exchange for bonus density.
To foster the arts district proposed in the 2017 Old Town North Small Area Plan, developers are incentivized to provide space for arts tenants, including bonus density of up to 30 percent for arts anchors. The Craddock project is the second in the plan area to host an arts anchor: Redevelopment of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 901 North Fairfax Street will include a new home for the MetroStage theater.
To accommodate the Craddock redevelopment, the site is proposed to be rezoned to CRMU-X, a commercial-residential-mixed use zone. The proposed rezoning is consistent with the small area plan.
Benefits of the project in addition to the arts anchor include a high-quality building design; streetscape improvements; traffic safety improvements; LEED Certified (or equivalent) green building design; a $486,000 contribution to the Old Town North Open Space Fund; and smaller contributions toward tree canopy and a Capital Bikeshare station.
Postscript
City Council approved the case on a 7-0 vote at its January 12, 2019 public hearing.
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