Multifamily Units On King Street, Vola's Expansion Proposed

ALEXANDRIA, VA — After Labor Day weekend, City of Alexandria meetings will start to resume in September. First up is an Alexandria Planning Commission meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday with several notable Old Town proposals.

One of the items on the agenda is an application from the Silverman Group for a 24-unit multifamily building on King Street with retail use on the ground floor. The location is 615 to 621 King Street, which are unused spaces that formerly hosted Walgreens and Burke & Herbert Bank, respectively. The 619 King Street space above the former Walgreens continues to be occupied by Georgie's Pilates Loft.

The project will be called The Mansly, named after Edith Mansly who inherited 615 King Street in 1970 and passed it on to her daughters, one of whom is associated with the Silverman Group. According to a city staff report, the project would renovate the two historic buildings into one mixed-use building. The 24 multifamily units will occupy 18,908 square feet above 6,414 square feet of ground floor commercial space.

Another proposal on the agenda concerns the waterfront Vola's Dockside Grill. Alexandria Restaurant Partners proposes expanding the Vola's indoor dining area to adjacent tenant spaces and incorporating the Riverside Taco outdoor dining and temporary trailer into Vola's.

Vola's 127-seat indoor dining and kitchen are located at 101 N. Union Street and 7 King Street, and 68-seat outdoor dining is on the City Marina at 107 N. Union Street.

The additional 78-seat indoor dining would be in two tenant spaces at 101 N. Union Street, which are separated from the existing Vola's space by a public breezeway. The Riverside Taco area, proposed to become 90 seats for Vola's, is at 105 and 107 N. Union Street in front of the Torpedo Factory Arts Center.

Riverside Taco opened in 2019 as an outdoor food and crafts market featuring Torpedo Factory Art Center artists and seating for dining. According to a city staff report, Alexandria Restaurant Partners found the area could be better suited for expanded Vola's outdoor dining as demand grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the market experienced difficulty booking artists consistently.

Approval of the new request would make the Riverside Taco special use permit inactive, according to a city staff report.

If approved by the Planning Commission, the proposals would go to City Council on Sept. 17.

The Planning Commission meets in City Council Chamber at City Hall at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Residents may attend or tune in through Zoom. See the full agenda here.