In Alexandria, Virginia, Old Town does not have a monopoly on historic charm.
The Del Ray neighborhood next door has claims to the mantle, too.
鈥淎 lot of what contributed to the appeal of the Del Ray neighborhood, and what has frankly made it so popular, is the fact that you get the benefits of a suburban sense of place, a historic main street and proximity to downtown Alexandria, Old Town Alexandria, Arlington or the District or whatnot,” said Nate Hurto, co-founder of .
The grassroots neighborhood preservation group was founded a few years ago in response to zoning changes proposed by the City of Alexandria.
More recently, Hurto said he has been engaging with city leaders on the topic of their Housing 2040 plan, an effort to create a policy framework for addressing Alexandria’s housing needs.
aims to “establish new affordability and preservation targets for the next 15 years.”
“That project is just kicking off, so we’ve kept an eye on what is in that package, there’s some things in there that I think are fantastic,” Hurto told 海角精品黑料.
The first of Housing 2040’s listed goals is to “EXPAND housing supply to meet the city鈥檚 current and future housing needs.”
The second goal is to preserve existing affordability. Del Ray has several older apartment buildings that fit that description, Hurto said.
“They may lack like the modern amenities, like a rooftop deck and a dog walk washing station, but they have, you know, character. They have people that are longtime residents there, and that they’re affordable,” Hurto said.
Save Del Ray would also like to see more on preservation in the general sense.
“I think that probably the most critical thing for the sense of place of Del Ray is preserving the scale and the architecture around Mount Vernon Avenue,鈥� he said.
The group’s tracks home teardowns and other real estate changes, and keeps other residents informed about City Council discussions.
“It would really be a shame to try to continue a push to make the same built environment that exists in Clarendon exist in Del Ray, right? Like, we already have Clarendon, we already have Crystal City, we already have a Potomac Yard,” Hurto said.
鈥淒el Ray is one of Alexandria’s most distinctive and beloved neighborhoods; preserving the qualities that make it special is an important priority,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins in a statement to 海角精品黑料.
“The city is committed to maintaining Del Ray’s unique character, walkability, local businesses and strong sense of community while ensuring it remains accessible to future generations,鈥� she said.
海角精品黑料’s Tracy Johnke contributed to this report.
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