held September 4th & 6th, 2018
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Last week, the Planning Commission extended their September docket items over two evenings (9/4 & 9/6). They considered Special Use Permits (SUP) for Doyle’s Outpost– an amusement enterprise featuring laser tag, arcade games, and a virtual reality attraction- at 4620A Kenmore Avenue, outdoor rooftop dining seats at Misha’s Coffee House at 6 Prince Street, adding outdoor seating and extending the hours of operation at Charlie’s on the Avenue- at 1501, 1503, & 1505 Mount Vernon Avenue, adding indoor and outdoor seating, outdoor live entertainment, extending the hours of operation, and deleting a condition requiring 15 off-street parking spaces for Augie’s Mussel House and Patio- at 1106 & 1108 King Street, and adding an outdoor carry-out service window to Urbano 116 – at 116 King Street; as well as a Development SUP to allow supply deliveries and loading and unloading activities between 4am and 11pm at Dunkin’ Donuts at 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, and a variety of Development and Plan approvals for a new multifamily residential building with ground floor retail and day care on a portion of the first and second floors at 1200 & 1230 North Henry Street.
Details on these items can be found below.
Item: 4620A Kenmore Avenue- Doyle’s Outpost- Laser Tag
Action: 6-0 vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Request for a Special Use Permit for an amusement enterprise featuring laser tag, arcade games, and a virtual reality attraction.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Property was historically a bowling alley amusement center- has been vacant since 2005
– Hours of operation – 11 AM – 11 PM (Sun – Thurs); 11 AM – 1 AM (Fri – Sat)
– Anticipated 200 attendees/day: Sun – Thurs; 300 attendees/day: Fri – Sat
– Planning Commission amended the staff recommendation to expand hours of operation from 11:00 AM start to 7:00 AM opening through 1:00 AM daily to provide flexibility for special events or future changes in business model
– There were no speakers on this item
Item: Misha’s Coffee House SUP at 6 Prince Street
Action: 6-0 vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Request for a Special Use Permit amendment to add outdoor rooftop dining seats at an existing restaurant.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Popular Old Town coffee shop Misha’s will open a new restaurant, selling coffee, beverages and baked goods; no coffee roasting or baking on site
– Hours of operation- 6 AM – 8 PM (Sun – Thurs) and 6 AM- 10 PM (Fri – Sat)
– Planning Commission amended the staff recommendation to limit total seats at one time to 48, allowing for flexibility to add indoor and outdoor, based on weather and demand
– There were no speakers on this item
Item: Dunkin’ Donuts at 2415 Eisenhower Avenue
Action: Approved by unanimous consent from the consent agenda
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Amendment to the previous DSUP approval to allow for extended delivery hours for the ground floor retail tenant.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Extension of the morning delivery hours to accommodate the needs of the new tenant, Dunkin’ Donuts, a retail amenity for the larger building tenant, the National Science Foundation
– Will allow for loading and unloading & supply deliveries between 4 AM – 11 PM
– There were no speakers on this item
Item: Charlie’s on the Avenue – 1501, 1503 & 1505 Mount Vernon Avenue
Action: 6-0 vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Request for Special Use Permit amendment to add outdoor seating and extend the hours of operation at an existing restaurant.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Charlie’s on the Avenue was previously approved for the corner lot at 1501 Mt. Vernon Avenue- the application proposes expanding outdoor dining, as well as a staff review of accessory outdoor games, outdoor cooking, and the need for off-site parking arrangements, at two adjacent lots- 1503 and 1505 Mt. Vernon Avenue.
– Planning Commission supported the applicant’s requested hours of operation: Indoor: 7 AM to 1 AM, daily; Outdoor: 7 AM to 11 PM, daily
– Proposed seating: 76 indoor, 124 outdoor (200 total)
– Proposed entertainment: Indoor limited live entertainment; Limited outdoor games (ex. cornhole)
– Planning Commission’s recommendation removed restrictions on number of outdoor games, replacing condition language with “outdoor games shall be ancillary to the primary use as a restaurant”
– Nine speakers provided testimony, ranging from full support to concerns about noise and parking
Item: Augie’s Mussel House & Patio – 1106 & 1108 King Street
Action: 6-0 vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Request for Special Use Permit amendment to add indoor and outdoor seating, add outdoor live entertainment, extend hours of operation, and delete a condition requiring 15 off-street parking spaces at an existing restaurant.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Augie’s Mussel House & Patio was previously approved through an administrative change of ownership SUP
– Planning Commission supported the staff recommendation to expand indoor hours of operation: 7 AM to 2 AM, daily
– Planning Commission recommended compromised hours (more than staff, less than applicant requested) for outdoor seating: 7 AM – 11 PM, Sun-Weds; 7 AM -1 AM Thurs-Sat, with seating cleared at closing time
– Planning Commission recommended the increase of both indoor and outdoor seats for a total of 226
– Proposed entertainment: Indoor limited live entertainment; Limited outdoor games (ex. cornhole), speakers and live music- not supported by staff
– Planning Commission’s recommendation removed restrictions on number of outdoor games, replacing condition language with “outdoor games shall be ancillary to the primary use as a restaurant”
– Planning Commission supported the staff recommendation to remove the off-street parking space requirement
– Eight speakers provided testimony, ranging from full support to concerns about noise and hours of operation
Item: Two Nineteen Restaurant – 219 King Street
Action: 5-0 vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Request for Special Use Permit amendment to intensify a grandfathered use to extend hours, add indoor and outdoor seats, and add live entertainment to an existing restaurant.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– The amendments to the SUP will allow for:
– the expansion of the Bayou Bar in the basement
– enclosure of the covered open first floor dining area
– addition of second-floor outdoor dining with a retractable awning on the west side of the property fronting on King Street
– live music, such as blues and jazz bands, would be featured on the second floor and DJs at the basement level
– sound proofing measures, such as replacement of the windows with double-glazed windows with maximum STC values, to mitigate noise from the live entertainment and to comply with the City’s noise ordinance.
– Hours will remain as currently allowed: 10 AM – 2 AM, Saturday & Sunday; 11 AM – 2 AM, Monday-Friday
– Planning Commission recommended the increase of both indoor and outdoor seats for a total of 284
– Planning Commission supported the staff recommendation to recommend approval of the changes, and added additional screening to outdoor trash receptacles
– Two speakers provided testimony with concerns about trash removal and ventilation of cigar smoke, followed by the applicant’s architect
Item: Urbano 116 – 116 King Street
Action: 5-0 vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Request for Special Use Permit amendment to add outdoor carry-out service to an existing restaurant.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Urbano 116 was previously approved through an SUP to operate as a full service restaurant
– The amendment will add an outdoor carry-out service window and an encroachment into the right-of-way for the carry-out window service line on King Street
– The applicant proposes to sell a limited menu of quick-service food items from a partially retractable storefront window which would be accessed from the sidewalk
– Planning Commission recommended the applicant’s requested hours for the window: 11 AM to 12 AM, Sunday – Wednesday; 11 AM to 2 AM, Thursday – Saturday
– One speaker, the applicant, provided testimony
Item: 1200 North Henry Street Development Approvals
Action: 5-0 vote to approve the resolution for a master plan amendment and to recommend approval of the rezoning and related approvals to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, September 15, 2018 public hearing
Description: Proposal to construct a 7-story mixed use building with 115 residential apartment units, ground floor retail and daycare uses in the Braddock Metro neighborhood, on a site currently home to low-rise warehouse buildings.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– The new 7-story mixed-use building will include:
– 115 multifamily residential apartment units (including 11 affordable units)
– 17,000 square feet of ground floor retail
– 10,000 square foot day care facility
– The development includes 2 levels of below-grade parking and one off-street loading space internal to the building.
– Both the parking garage and loading space will have access from the future N. Fayette Street extension to be completed with future development of the adjacent property to the west, Braddock Gateway Phase III.
– The proposal also includes open space in the form of a publicly accessible, ground level park/plaza and a private rooftop amenity space to serve the residents of the building.
– The Commission spent significant time discussing two outstanding issues, and ultimately decided to forward a statement to City Council indicating that their recommendations did not endorse these items- leaving them to City Council to resolve:
– contribution for public benefits tied to bonus density- applicant argued contributions were not required, staff argued that they are
– contribution based on gross SF or net SF; staff argued for the former, applicant for the latter
– Four speakers, including a representative of the applicant provided testimony ranging from full support to concerns about building height and the need for park improvements to existing open space across N Henry Street
Land use items we are tracking in October:
– Development SUP & related approvals for the conversion of 699 Prince Street and 114 South Washington Street into a boutique hotel
– Rezoning of 1, 11, 44, 66 and 99 Canal Center Plaza
– Development SUP for the Parker-Gray Stadium Modernization at T.C. Williams High School
– Master Plan Amendment & CDD Amendment for 2000 North Beauregard Street residential building
Weigh in on these issues!
Contact the Planning Commission – PlanComm@alexandriava.gov
Contact the City Council – Call.Click.Connect.