Proposed Restaurant Clears Alexandria Planning Commission Over Objections of DRCA

It appears that a Del Ray neighborhood will be getting a new restaurant.

The Alexandria Planning Commission OK’d 7-0 a plan this week for a new restaurant on E. Howell Avenue over the objections of the Del Ray Citizens Association. The proposal next goes before the City Council at a public hearing Saturday, Oct. 18. The proposal was submitted by EMS Food Group (Erik Dorn, Michael Southard and Sean Snyder).

The restaurant will be located at 519/521 E. Howell Ave. and Route 1. It’s described as a quick-service casual restaurant serving wraps, salads, falafels and pita sandwiches, as well as beer and wine. The restaurant would be open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., with seating for 48 and an additional 10 outside using a plaza area near Jefferson Davis Highway. The restaurant would employ about 15 full-time and part-time employees. Twelve parking spaces would be available to customers.

The building will face Jefferson Davis Highway, with a driveway into the parking lot on E. Howell Avenue. The 2,956 square foot two-story brick building would feature a dining room and counter service area on the first floor and food preparation and ancillary activities on the second floor.

The DRCA laid out some conditions it could live with, in a meeting last month, that, among other things limits deliveries to 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. The restaurant owners compromised, agreeing this week to limit deliveries to 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Earlier, they had proposed deliveries until 5 p.m.)

Here are some of the other conditions the group has asked for:

1. Trucks used for delivery shall be small enough to park on site completely.
2. No delivery vehicles can be parked on Howell Ave (including vehicles with the engine left running).
3. Time of deliveries to be limited to between 9 am - 2 pm
4. No elimination of existing on-street parking on Howell Ave.
5. That the City Staff review the SUP at 6 months to ensure the applicant is meeting the terms of the SUP.

The Planning Commission said that in response to neighborhood concerns about traffic and litter, staff proposes a condition to prohibit delivery trucks from traveling further west on East Howell Avenue than this site’s location and a condition requiring the applicant to clean all area litter.

In all, the commission laid out 21 recommended conditions in its approval for the restaurant including no food delivery, no entertainment and no selling to-go alcohol.

IMAGE is rendering included in special use permit request to City