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Alexandria to hear housing conversion request for lot without street frontage

Alexandria to hear housing conversion request for lot without street frontage

Rule Changes Alexandria, VA local

Planning Commission public hearing set for Sept. 1 on special use permits for 911 C & D Pendleton Street

September 1st, 2026: Planning Commission hearing on Pendleton Street

Overview

Updated Aug 30

An Alexandria property owner wants to turn part of a nonresidential building at 911 C & D Pendleton Street into a home, but the lot has no public street frontage, so the conversion needs two special use permits. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the request Tuesday, Sept. 1.

The request is the latest in a series of infill housing cases Alexandria has weighed this year, including a Del Ray lot that neighbors fought over fire access and flooding. Agenda items are regularly deferred or withdrawn, so the hearing may not happen as scheduled. If it does, commissioners will weigh access and open space, then send a recommendation to the City Council, which has final say.

Why it matters

This hearing tests whether a building with no street frontage can become housing, a precedent for infill development in built-out Alexandria neighborhoods.

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Key Indicators

2
Special use permits requested
One for residential conversion with yard and open-space reductions; one for a lot without public street frontage.
Sept. 1, 2026
Public hearing date
Planning Commission hearing scheduled two days after the agenda was published.
RB/Townhouse
Zoning district
Property is zoned for townhouses; conversion needs special approval because it reduces required yards and open space.

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People Involved

Organizations Involved

Timeline

March 2026 September 2026

5 events Latest: September 1st, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. Planning Commission hearing on Pendleton Street

    Latest Public Hearing

    Applicant Eric Olson seeks permits for residential conversion and no-frontage lot.

  2. Pendleton Street SUP added to agenda

    Agenda

    Special Use Permit #2026-00022 for 911 C & D Pendleton Street is scheduled for Sept. 1.

  3. Similar no-frontage lot case heard

    Hearing

    Planning Commission holds public hearing on 404-A East Alexandria Avenue; neighbors petition against it, citing fire access and flooding.

  4. Commission takes up frontage waiver requests

    Hearing

    Commission takes up zoning text amendment and townhomes without street frontage.

  5. Planning Commission hears housing reform docket

    Hearing

    Dockets include affordable housing cases and a zoning text amendment.

Scenarios

1

Council approves Pendleton Street housing conversion

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: No public forecast yet; city staff reports in similar no-frontage cases have recommended approval.

The Planning Commission recommends approval and the City Council grants both special use permits, allowing the building at 911 C & D Pendleton Street to be converted to residential use. Approval could come with conditions on access, yard reductions, and open space.

2

Council denies Pendleton Street conversion

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: No public forecast yet; neighbors opposing similar cases cite the council's repeated denials at 404-A East Alexandria Avenue.

The Planning Commission or City Council rejects the request, citing access problems, reduced open space, or neighborhood opposition. A denial would extend the pattern set by the 404-A East Alexandria Avenue case, where council members unanimously rejected repeated applications.

3

Pendleton Street item deferred or withdrawn

Possible Resolves by Sep 15, 2026

Discussed by: City of Alexandria agenda notice, which warns items are regularly deferred, withdrawn, or moved.

The Planning Commission defers the item at the Sept. 1 hearing, or the applicant withdraws before a vote. This is common in Alexandria; dockets shift as applicants revise plans or negotiate with staff.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

June 1982

New York Loft Law (1982)

New York State passed a law allowing residential use of former manufacturing and commercial lofts in parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The law required landlords to bring buildings up to fire and safety codes while protecting tenants from eviction.

Then

Many loft dwellers gained legal status and code protection.

Now

Established the template for adaptive reuse of nonresidential buildings in cities nationwide.

Why this matters now

The Pendleton Street request is a smaller version of that trade-off: convert nonresidential space to housing, then relax the normal rules to make it work.

2017–2021

California accessory dwelling unit laws (2017–2021)

California passed a series of laws limiting local zoning control over accessory dwelling units, allowing extra homes on single-family lots without the usual frontage, parking, and open-space requirements.

Then

ADU construction rose sharply as the rules took effect.

Now

The laws showed that relaxing frontage and open-space rules can unlock housing in already built-out neighborhoods.

Why this matters now

Alexandria still handles such requests through discretionary special use permits; the Pendleton Street hearing tests how much flexibility the city is willing to grant.

1880s–1940s

Washington, D.C., alley dwellings (late 1800s–1940s)

D.C. allowed small houses to be built in alleys behind main streets, often on lots with no street frontage. Reformers and health officials campaigned against them, and Congress funded demolition programs in the 1930s and 1940s.

Then

Most alley dwellings were demolished; a few remain as historic structures.

Now

Their legacy is a lasting assumption that housing should touch a public street, which is why frontage rules exist.

Why this matters now

Alexandria's lot-without-frontage special permit lets the city decide case by case whether that assumption can be relaxed.

Sources

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