The long-delayed redevelopment of the Rappahannock Coffee property may be pushed a little further.
Rendering of 2400 Columbia Pike development
This is after developer B.M. Smith sent a request to the County Board to push the expiration date of its already-approved use permit back from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2023. The project will involve demolishing the existing, low-slung commercial buildings on the site and replacing them with a six-story apartment building with ground-floor retail and an underground 140-space parking garage.
“This is a request to renew the use permit for the 2400 Columbia Pike project that will include 105 multi-family dwelling units and retail uses ranging from approximately 14,562 to 14,736 square feet,” the county staff report notes. “The property is currently developed with three, one-story buildings and a surface parking lot. The buildings contain approximately 11,700 square feet of retail uses which includes Rappahannock Coffee, L.A. Nails, Laptop Repair, and Morris Van’s Hair Design.”
The new development will preserve the “historic facades” of the two existing buildings.
The approval for this project was initially won in 2016 by B.M. Smith, which was also behind the Penrose Square development across the street.
The Board is also set to consider an ordinance to give up its claim to a 20-foot section of the driveway on the property that the county discovered in land records after the project was approved.
Charity W. is a professional and skilled writer with a diploma in Mass Communication. When she is not glued to her computer screen, Charity spends her time reading, traveling, and watching movies. She is an expert on Arlington Virginia and keeps current with local events and occurrences.
