Housing Authority Seeks To Rebuild Ladrey High Rise With More Units

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority will pursue plans to rebuild the Ladrey public housing community to increase the number of units.

The proposal will replace the current 11-story, 170-unit Ladrey High Rise located at 300 Wythe Street in Alexandria, which largely serves seniors and people with disabilities. The Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority also owns an adjoining property and will combine the two properties to rebuild the housing. The authority envisions the new housing to be a mid-rise building with more units.

"This is the next big step in our plan for improving housing and the quality of life for all residents in our city," said Keith Pettigrew, CEO of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority. "When completed, the units in the Ladrey High Rise will rival other modern housing developments in Alexandria. We look forward to hitting the ground running so that we can get these longtime residents into their brand-new homes as soon as possible."

The authority announced last week it chose a development team of WinnCompanies and minority-owned developer IBF Development to assist with the proposed redevelopment of Ladrey High Rise.

The Ladrey building is at full occupancy. When construction would begin, Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority will have a relocation plan to temporarily move current residents.

According to the authority, the site plan was developed with input from residents. The redeveloped housing is envisioned to have underground parking, meeting space, exercise and services rooms, a community plaza, rooftop amenity space and improved accessibility throughout the community. The authority did not share how many units are sought for the rebuilt community.

Kenneth Burton, a power wheelchair user who has lived at Ladrey for 20 years, noted the current building is not easy for him to get around.

“We are the ones who are going to live here, who will utilize the building day in day out, so it’sgood to have a voice in the process," said Burton in a statement. "We have been told Ladrey would be renovated and upgraded many times before, but it hasn’t happened yet. But now this time, I believe it will."

Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority and its development team will submit concept and preliminary design plans for city approval. A timeline for the project has not yet been announced, but the authority expects it will take several years for approvals and leasing on new units.

The announcement about Ladrey comes as the authority announced in 2021 it seeks to turn the Samuel Madden public housing site into a mixed-use, mixed-income rental community. As reported by ALX Now, the 66-unit community would become two buildings with 500 units. The revised proposal heads back to the Board of Architectural Review after previous concerns.