News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:Friday, November 22, 1996
Contact:Tom Brannan, Assistant City Manager, (703) 838-4300

Plan for Townhouse/Public Parking Garage in Old Town Set for City Council Public Hearing on December 14;
Project Seen as Last Chance to Preserve Public Parking at Queen-Lee Site
The Alexandria City Council will hold a public hearing in Council Chambers in City Hall at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 14, on a townhouse/public parking garage proposed for the site now used as a public parking lot at Queen and North Lee Streets.
The City is currently in negotiations with Alexandria developer Lawrence Brandt to build 25 townhouses at the Queen and Lee Street site atop an underground public parking garage with 160-170 parking spaces. Mr. Brandt has indicated that unless agreement is reached with the City to build the townhouse/parking garage, he will proceed with construction of a townhouses-only project that will include no public parking.

The townhouse/underground public parking garage has the support of City Manager Vola Lawson, who approached Mr. Brandt with the proposal for a townhouse/public parking garage after learning of his intention to build townhouses on the site.

"This townhouse/parking garage project is the last chance to preserve public parking on this site," said Mrs. Lawson. "The loss of public parking at the Queen-Lee site will adversely affect both the central business district and the Old Town neighborhood. For without this public parking, business patrons and others who currently use the 129-space surface parking lot will either leave this part of the business district or they will seek on-street parking in nearby residential areas," she said.

Mr. Brandt, who last year developed the very attractive Church Square townhouse/public parking garage across from historic Christ Church, purchased the just over one-acre Queen-Lee site earlier this year from the Ellsworth-Howell partnership. It will cost the City approximately $6 million for land acquisition and construction of the underground public parking garage. The City would receive title to the parking garage and parking revenues would provide a return on the City's investment.

Additional details of the townhouse/public parking garage project will be provided by the City before the December 14 public hearing as part of the public hearing docket. Comments and questions can be directed to Assistant City Manager Tom Brannan at 838-4300.


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