Alexandria opens Duke Street plan comment period through Aug. 21

Alexandria released working draft recommendations for the Duke Street Land Use Plan on July 20, 2026, and opened a 30-day public-comment period through August 21. The city updated the project webpage on July 27.

The recommendations could guide future decisions about housing, building heights, affordable housing, street connections, transit access, parks, open space and development design along Duke Street. They are not adopted zoning, law or final development approvals, and they do not authorize construction.

What area the plan covers

The planning area generally follows Duke Street from Alexandria Union Station to Van Dorn Street near the future Landmark/West End development. The city describes the corridor boundaries as generally defined rather than fully final.

The plan is intended to establish a framework for later redevelopment decisions. Residents, renters, property owners, businesses, commuters and people who walk, bike or use transit along the corridor can review the recommendations and submit comments before the deadline.

Housing and building heights

The draft contemplates taller buildings in designated growth and opportunity areas, while calling for lower heights near surrounding residential neighborhoods. The recommendations also identify areas where additional housing and redevelopment may be appropriate.

In specified affordability and growth areas, residential development above base zoning would generally provide 10 percent of the additional residential development as committed affordable housing. The draft says the requirement would be subject to any greater amount required by city policy in effect when an application is accepted for review.

The recommendations also support preserving existing committed affordable and market-affordable housing and include anti-displacement considerations. Those provisions are part of a planning framework; they do not immediately change rents, zoning or development rights.

Streets, transit and public space

The draft calls for new streets and alleys where needed, along with pedestrian and bicycle connections, safety improvements and public-realm upgrades. It also identifies the need to preserve right-of-way for the approved Duke Street Transitway.

The land-use process is not revising the Transitway. City planning materials say the approved Transitway concept plans are separate and would be incorporated into the broader land-use framework.

Other recommendations address parks, open space, tree canopy, stormwater and heat mitigation. City planning materials identify those issues as part of an effort to improve environmental conditions and neighborhood resilience along a corridor that includes large paved areas and other development challenges.

What happens next

The city will hold a virtual overview and question-and-answer meeting on August 5, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. Residents can review the working draft and submit comments through the city’s Duke Street Land Use Plan Engagement Hub through August 21, 2026.

After the comment period, the city expects to develop a draft plan for later consideration by the Planning Commission and City Council. Those future steps will provide additional opportunities for public review and do not represent a final adoption decision at this stage.

Sources

• City of Alexandria Duke Street Land Use Plan project page
• Duke Street Land Use Plan Engagement Hub