Alexandria's plan for what gets built along Duke Street over the next 20 years is nearing the finish line. City Council reviewed the draft Duke Street Land Use Plan on Oct. 27, and Planning Commission and City Council public hearings are expected in December, the city said Nov. 2 (via City of Alexandria). Comments received by Nov. 13 will shape the version that goes to those hearings.
It's the first comprehensive update to land use guidance for the corridor since 1992. The plan area runs generally along Duke Street from Alexandria Union Station, by the King Street Metro, west to Van Dorn Street near the WestEnd development on the old Landmark Mall site, according to the city's plan page. The city says more than 4,000 community members weighed in along the way.
The draft lays out a 20-year framework for new development, keeping and adding affordable housing, supporting local businesses, and making the street safer for people walking, biking and driving. It calls for about 8 acres of new public open space and nearly 4 miles of new bike facilities.
Growth is aimed mostly at what the plan calls Opportunity Areas, largely commercial sites near transit such as shopping centers, according to a city FAQ. Alexandria Commons and the Shoppes at Foxchase would keep their commercial uses but could redevelop as mixed-use with housing. The plan will also help guide the roughly 2,100-unit Foxchase development. City staff expect the pace to average about one new building a year in Opportunity Areas over the life of the plan. The corridor is home to about 600 small businesses.
Affordable housing is built into the deal. Under the draft, residential development above existing zoning would have to set aside 10% of the added residential floor area as on-site committed affordable units. In areas the plan labels Affordability and Growth Areas, existing committed affordable units would have to be kept or replaced, and extra height and density there would be worked out project by project in development review. A city presentation to its affordable housing committee in May counted more than 11,000 existing homes in the corridor, including 1,277 committed affordable units and about 3,300 market-rate units that rent at affordable levels.
On height, local news site Patch reported in September that the draft generally caps buildings at 85 feet on Duke Street, with extra height at Foxchase and at Mason at Van Dorn tied to affordable housing (Patch). Some spots along Holmes Run Parkway and Duke Street already allow up to 150 feet.
The plan works alongside Duke Street in Motion, the city's bus rapid transit project from the West End to the King Street Metro, which has $87 million from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. The city's project page puts final design in spring 2027, with permits in mid-2027 and construction after that.
"We think the streets should be more for city residents and local trips versus the regional trips," city urban planner Christian Brandt told ALXnow when the draft came out in September (ALXnow).
The draft is posted at alexandriava.gov/DukeStreetPlan, and comments can be left through the city's online engagement hub. Staff are holding virtual office hours on Nov. 4 at noon and Nov. 10 at 4 p.m., and civic groups and HOA or condo boards can request a staff presentation. Brandt is the contact at 703-746-3859 or Christian.brandt@alexandriava.gov. Comments will still be accepted after Nov. 13, through the hearings.
Why it matters for Contractors
Plans like this one set the rules for which sites can redevelop and how big they can get, so they shape the pipeline of work for a generation. For bigger builders and developers, the Opportunity Areas and the 10% affordable set-aside are the numbers to study before December. For smaller shops, a plan that expects roughly one new building a year means a steady trickle of mid-size jobs and a long run of tenant fit-outs, not a boom, along with the transitway construction starting after 2027.
If you build, remodel or own property along the corridor, read the district that covers your area and get comments in by Nov. 13, when they'll carry the most weight. The office hours are a quick way to ask staff how the rules would apply to a specific site.