EYA is Building a New Project in Old Town Alexandria

Developer EYA is going to build Old Town, a mixed use community, on the site of one of Old Town's subsidized housing projects. EYA reports that demolition will begin in March on the James Bland Additions community on the northern edge of Old Town Alexandria.

Old Town Commons will add 245 market-rate and 134 affordable homes, renovating five full blocks of Old Town, replacing the existing 194 units of affordable housing built in 1954 and owned by the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority (ARHA). Current residents will be able to relocate to other properties on site or move to other available ARHA housing in the community.

The EYA project will be built in phases, one phase per block, allowing for many residents to remain in their homes until new space becomes available, though public housing residents are not guaranteed a space in the new project. As part of the agreement with the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the developer will buy the land beneath the market-rate units, money which ARHA will then put toward funding the public housing units.

  EYA plans to build 159 market-rate townhomes, 86 market-rate condos and 134 subsidized apartments on the existing five blocks - or essentially two thirds market rate to one third subsidized apartments. The first phase units should complete by the end of 2011.

The homes will be a mixture of architectural styles. According to EYA, the primary streets, such as Madison and Wythe, will have "very traditional Old Town" designs, while the new secondary streets "will feature a more modern architectural style."   The subsidized and market housing will be mixed together, with the exteriors ensuring that the overall community has a consistent look  Both type of units will be built to LEED for community standards, like their Capitol Quarters project in D.C.