APA Virginia is pleased to present the Alexandria Symposium, happening Sunday and Monday, October 20-21, at the Embassy Suites in Old Town Alexandria. This day and a half symposium will dive into housing affordability and partnerships with a focus on implementation in Alexandria.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
5-630pm - Walking Tours
Old Town Architectural Tour - Explore the history of Alexandria as reflected through its architecture and urban design, from colonial times through today.
Manumission Black History Tour - Travel the streets of historic Old Town Alexandria and hear the little-known stories of Africans and African-Americans, both enslaved and freemen, at a time when Alexandria, Virginia was one of early American's main centers for the international and domestic slave trade.
6:30-8pm - Networking reception
Riverside Taco Company at the Torpedo Factory
105 North Union Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Monday, October 21, 2019
Embassy Suites Hotel, Old Town Alexandria
7:30-8:30am - Networking and Breakfast
8:45-9:45am - Opening Session - Welcome to Alexandria
Earl W. Anderson, AICP, President, APA Virginia
Karl Moritz - Director of Planning & Zoning, Alexandria
Mark Jinks - City Manager, Alexandria
10-11:15am - Breakout Sessions
Preserving Housing Opportunity through Density - Learn how the 2018 South Patrick Street Housing Affordability Strategy development framework is working to preserve housing affordability and diversity, enhance quality of life, and improve pedestrian/bike safety through redevelopment along the Route 1 South Corridor. Panelists will discuss key partnerships and the lessons learned from this and the Beauregard planning and engagement process, and hear how key implementation efforts are progressing, including conducting tenant outreach, completing a comprehensive housing needs assessment, pursuing- short and mid-term transportation improvements, and developing a new zoning tool.
Modernizing Parking Standards - Alexandria has recently made important changes to the parking requirements for residential and commercial uses. This session will cover the changes that were approved and implementation of the new requirements.
11:15-11:45am - Break & grab your box lunch for the Lunch & Learn Panel!
11:45am-1pm - Lunch & Learn Panel - Amazon is Coming to Town!
Learn about the state and local partnerships and background work that were built to bring Amazon to Northern Virginia including the proposed development in Arlington County and the forthcoming Virginia Tech Innovation Campus planned for the North Potomac Yard section of Alexandria. The panel discussion will include local and regional initiatives that have been undertaken and furthered since the announcement.
1:15-2:30pm - Breakout Sessions
Building Conversions - Many regions are facing a surplus of dated office buildings which have outlived their useful life. How do communities encourage a financially feasible and resilient approach to repurposing buildings? How can jurisdictions apply urban principles of connectivity, walkability and sustainability to create a financially feasible project? How can outdated suburban locations become urbanized spaces full of amenities and regionally competitive destinations? Representatives from local government, the public sector and attorneys discuss case studies in northern Virginia on the conversion of existing office buildings into other uses. Panel discussion will focus on emerging trends in redevelopment and how to align those trends with local objectives and values, such as creating a connected and equitable community, balancing the tax base and encouraging sustainable development. Case studies will include office conversions to schools and residential uses to illustrate lessons learned and best practices on developing a collaborative approach to redevelopment. Lessons learned from this session will be applicable to jurisdictions seeking opportunities to better understand the challenges and opportunities of the conversion process, planners seeking best practices to guide a conversion process, and key insights on ways municipalities can support the private sector and unlock development potential. The Ferdinand T Day Elementary School walking tour will allow participants to see one of the successful conversion sites which is highlighted in the panel discussion.
Rebuilding Together Alexandria & Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities - Panelists from Alexandria's Rebuilding Together Alexandria and the Alexandria Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities Department discuss the unusual partnership that a housing non-profit and parks department have formed with the shared goal of holistic community building. Through five capital projects, the two have shown that public spaces are communal outdoor “living rooms and, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, the need for these spaces is an extension of the need for housing. Case studies would include a community garden, playground, and teen center.
2:45-5pm - Walk Tours
Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School - Come tour the Ferdinand T Day School, an office to elementary school conversion located in Alexandria’s West End neighborhood. A former six-story office building and adjacent parking garage from the 1990s were holistically repurposed to create one of the City’s newest elementary schools. Educational and classroom uses span four floors of the office building and a new skybridge connects to the adjacent playground on the garage rooftop. See how a collaborative and creative design approach has become a successful STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) school which promotes active and collaborative learning among students and staff. Tour session will cover a brief procedural background of what it took to locate the school in an existing office park, an overview of the construction process and a tour of the school and playground.
Alexandria Waterfront - Explore Alexandria’s Waterfront and see how the city is working to activate the edge of the Potomac River into a recreational community resource with shops, restaurants, parks, and other activities. The Alexandria Waterfront project is a 20-year vision for a 1.2 mile stretch of riverfront that has been disconnected from the city and compromised by past industrial use. The City worked collaboratively with the community to shape a plan that is designed by and for Alexandrians and is deeply rooted in history and culture of the city. The waterfront plan creates a variety of unique outdoor rooms along the Potomac River, for both passive and active use, linked by a continuous pedestrian promenade. The design integrates flood mitigation infrastructure that also serves as park amenity space. The re-imagined waterfront meets the recreational and civic needs of a diverse population, restores natural habitat for native flora and fauna, and offers a vision that is economically viable, maintainable and implementable in phases over time.
Braddock Neighborhood - Take a walking tour of the Braddock neighborhood and experience first-hand the decades-long evolution of a residential neighborhood into a dense transit-oriented community. View the outcomes of different zoning tools, public-partnerships and approaches to preserving and expanding housing opportunity in the area, including the transformation of public housing as mixed-income development. Learn about the City’s long-standing joint commitment with the housing authority to replace deeply affordable units on a 1:1 basis, as well as how the neighborhood’s rich history has shaped development, how recreation facilities and the open space network have been integrated into the urban fabric, and how retail has evolved along Route 1
Please contact Martina James Nalley at or 540-809-7505 with any questions, concerns, comments or issues. Be sure to check back at for updates and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! #VirginiaIsForPlanners
Please make checks out to APA Virginia Chapter and mail to:
APA Virginia Chapter
24 E. Cary St.
Suite 100
Richmond, VA 23219
*Please mail payments by Friday, October 13 or let us know if you would prefer to pay via electronic invoice. Request an electronic invoice by emailing martina@apavirginia.com*
Cancelation Policy:
Registrations can be refunded with a $15 processing fee until 10/7/19.
Registrations can be transferred (free) to another attendee until 10/17/19. A change in sessions selections will be dependent on availability.
