City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: OCTOBER 16, 2013
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
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Consideration of Granting Conditional Approval of a Change in Use of the Property Located at 711 Wilkes Street in Order to Satisfy a Covenant to Which the Property is Currently Subjected.
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ISSUE: The current owner of the property located at 711 Wilkes Street would like to change the use of the property from its current parking lot and a small carry out restaurant to a residential development of six townhomes with onsite parking as allowed pursuant to current zoning of the property. While this change does not require a change in how the property is zoned, the property is subject to a recorded covenant that requires the owner to obtain City Council's approval before proceeding with changing the use from the current use. The owner is therefore requesting this approval in order to satisfy the terms of the restrictive covenant.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council grant a conditional approval for the change of use, contingent upon Planning Commission approval of a development site plan consistent with the concept plan dated August 23, 2013 and the Old and Historic Alexandria Board of Architectural Review approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the new construction.
BACKGROUND: On October 15, 1981 the then-owners and the then-lessors of the property located at 711 Wilkes Street entered into a covenant with the City of Alexandria in exchange for the City's agreement to remove the property from the DIP urban renewal program. The covenant, which was recorded in the land records and runs with the land, requires that neither the owners nor the lessors will change the current use or intensity of use of the property without the approval of the City C...
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