The massive renovation of the Calvert apartment building is scheduled to begin early next year and construction work is expected to be completed in late 2013.

Attorney Duncan Blair, who represents complex owners UDR, Inc., briefed the Land Use Committee of the Del Ray Citizens Association on the project timeline Thursday night at Mount Vernon Recreation Center.

“This will transfer a very unusual iconic building into a nice-looking iconic building connecting Del Ray with Arlandria,” Blair said.

Plans call for major design updates to the building's facade and rooftop, replacement of the existing parking lot and retail strip with street-level shops and a five-story apartment building, as well as construction of an underground parking garage.

The number of residential units in the building will jump from 187 to 332 and a three-story parking garage with 501 spaces would be built on the north side of the tower.

The total area available for retail space will decrease from 16,000 square feet to nearly 11,000 square feet.

According to Blair, the current tenants are in a 60-day move-out period.

A hoist was installed last month on the exterior of the building to aid in the removal of furniture from the 16-story complex.

Business owners in the building’s retail strip and apartment residents received notice of the renovation more than a year ago. Many businesses have already cleared out, including Mia’s Market, Calvert Cleaners, Pizzaiolo Cafe and Bar and Del Merei Grille.

Bombay Curry Company is closing on Dec. 20. Its owner hopes to a move to a new location on Mt. Vernon Avenue.

Pho King will reportedly move to Eden Center in Seven Corners.

Donohue Construction Company is the general contractor for the project.

Company representatives said there will be about 40 days of extensive piledriving work to prepare for the construction of a new parking garage.

Construction will take place between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays, though Donohue representatives said they’d like to keep the Saturday work at a minimum. No work will be performed on Sundays. 

The Alexandria City Council signed off on the Calvert redevelopment in September 2010. Del Ray Patch ran a three-part series about the project prior to council’s decision.

"I hope this serves as a catalyst for more of this redevelopment in Arlandria," Vice Mayor Kerry Donley said last year when council approved the redevelopment. "We're not a suburb anymore. We're more of the urban corridor, urban fabric of the Washington region. And this is an exciting project."

A proposal to demolish Arlandria's Mount Vernon Village Center, which contains MOM’s Organic Market, and construct a new 53,200 square foot mixed-use development is scheduled to go before the Alexandria Planning Commission on Dec. 6.