Alexandria Advances First Phase of Old Town North Power Plant Project

Alexandria City Council has approved the first phase of a $135 million plan to move redevelopment of the former power plant site in Old Town North into a more detailed design stage.

The June 15 action advances a prominent waterfront industrial-site redevelopment proposal that envisions housing, restaurants and new parks. It does not amount to approval of completed construction or final build-out of the broader project.

WTOP reported that the council’s approval of the first phase was unanimous and that Phase 1 is expected to be completed by 2030.

What the council action advances

The City of Alexandria’s legislative record describes the authorization as modified Phase 1 services. Under the city’s plan, that work will advance the design to 70%.

Reaching that milestone is a defined next step rather than the end of the city’s decision-making process. After the design work reaches 70%, the project team is expected to develop a guaranteed-maximum-price proposal for final design and construction.

That means the council action establishes a path toward obtaining a more developed construction price and moving into final design. The available city record does not establish a construction start date, a final project cost or a final number of housing units.

A large mixed-use concept, still phased

The broader redevelopment concept is planned at approximately 2.5 million square feet at the former Old Town North power plant. WTOP described the concept as mixed use, including housing, restaurants and parks.

Those elements describe the proposal’s intended mix of uses, not a declaration that every component has received final construction approval. The project is proceeding in phases, and the current council action concerns the first phase of the funding plan and associated planning and design work.

The distinction matters for Old Town North because the site’s future is tied to several public-interest questions at once: the potential for housing, the creation of public open space and the infrastructure needed to support redevelopment. The council authorization moves those questions into a more advanced design stage while leaving later pricing and construction decisions ahead.

What comes next

City staff’s memo identifies two immediate markers for the next stage: advancing the Phase 1 design to 70% and developing a guaranteed-maximum-price proposal. That proposal is intended to inform final design and construction.

Residents should view the $135 million action as a first-phase authorization, not as confirmation of the total cost of the full 2.5 million-square-foot concept. The available records also do not establish how the $135 million will be financed.

For Alexandria, the practical result of the June 15 vote is that planning for redevelopment of the former power plant site can proceed toward a defined design threshold and a more specific construction-price proposal. Phase 1 completion is expected in 2030, according to WTOP.