Developer Details Plans for Delaney Development

The upcoming Delaney mixed-use development on South Pickett Street will be designed to encourage use of public transit and cycling, the development’s property owner said Thursday night.

Owner Steve Bannister told members of the Holmes Run Park Committee that he hopes to work with Cameron Station residents to share Metro shuttle resources but that if that plan falls through, the Delaney will offer its own shuttle services. The development will be 1.5 miles away from the Van Dorn Street Metro Station.

“The goal is to get 40 percent ridership,” Bannister said. “I don’t know if that’s possible, but that is the goal.”

The Delaney will include 250 underground parking spaces for 189 rental units. Bannister and the development’s attorney, Duncan Blair of Alexandria, are working with Cameron Station members to construct a trail that would connect the two properties and could be used by cyclists. Bannister said he has offered to pay for the trail section on Cameron Station property.

“If they consent to it, we will build it,” he said.

Committee Chairwoman Elizabeth Wright asked if the Delaney could include a Capital Bikeshare station in the future, if warranted.

“I think we could accommodate that without any trouble,” Bannister said, adding that the development will also include room for residents to store bikes.

Other Delaney amenities

The development will begin construction following the demolition of U.S. Bowling at 100 S. Pickett St. It includes approximately 9,000 square feet of ground-level retail space and a mix of one- and two-bedroom units and studios. The development includes 23 units set aside for workforce housing, Blair said.

“We now have a transit project with affordable housing with great architecture and hopefully, with the retail, some neighborhood-serving retail,” he said. Blair speculated that a restaurant or small grocery store could fill the retail space.

“Our goal would be a neighborhood restaurant, a deli, a nice bakery or something like that,” Bannister said.

Bannister said the development would include some traffic calming measures on Pickett Street, including a pedestrian walkway. The entrance to the underground garage is in the rear of the property, along with a heavily landscaped area with a paved trail, where residents could enjoy the outdoors or walk dogs.

The bottom floors of the five-story structure will have a brick facade, and the upper floor exteriors will have a metal appearance, Bannister said. The development also includes a grass courtyard in center of building, a fitness center, a library with fireplace and reading area, a movie room, an outdoor recreation area, two grilling areas and a organically-landscaped rooftop deck. It does not include a pool.

Inside, the apartments will have stainless steel kitchens, granite countertops and washers and dryers. The workforce housing is identical to the other units except for the rent amount. The average unit will be 800 square feet in size with an open floor plan.

“We focus a lot on the openness and the light,” Bannister said. “That’s one of our things.”

Bannister said he did not expect many families with children to live in the development, which is geared toward young professionals, singles and seniors.

There is not yet an estimated completion date. “If things go the way we hope, we could break ground in late spring and begin the demolition,” Bannister said.

Attending Thursday’s presentation was Jake Jakubek, a cyclist who lives at Windsor at Arbors on Duke Street, about 400 meters from the Delaney site.

“I think it’ll be a nice change,” he said. “The neighborhood is changing for the better. It’ll be a little more pleasant, a little more walkable.”

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