This is great news...

Good, too many car dealers!!!!!

Does this mean that cars will no longer be allowed to park on the sidewalk at the dealership?

not good if this is just going to be another empty store front...thats a big space and needs to be utilized. Hope another nice dealership moves in or it gets redeveloped quickly (which never happens in this city)

Any updates on when the Audi dealership will move - it can't be soon enough!

I've heard some rumors. Trying to get a concrete answer from someone.

Oh no! I'll really miss the chain-smoking thug/salesmen blocking the sidewalk!

Why is losing the Audi dealership a good thing? In all seriousness, what am I missing? I have not heard complaints about them in the past.

Good riddance. I've almost been hit by one of their employees conducting their never ending parking spot juggle at Mt. Vernon and East Mason. They FLY through that intersection daily.

Oh, and what will become of that spot? Another dealer? Perhaps a much needed grocer? Whole Foods please?

To answer KM: I live on East Mason Ave., and these guys test drive their cars down our street - at very high speeds! We have tons of kids on the block and it's an accident waiting to happen. I've called to complain on multiple occasions and the manager always says he tells the dealers not to drive down our street, but sure enough, a few days later I hear the roar of tires and another Audi speeds by.

I hope our city leaders won't allow for another dealership in that location - but unfortunately I don't hold out much hope.

Why wouldn't Whole Foods fit? There's a car dealership there now!

Moms is horrible. No deli, bakery, or seafood. Their produce section would fit in my garage.

Whole Foods in the Audi dealership would be great, but there's already one located less that 2 miles away. I'd rather see a Trader Joes, but same story applies. Any grocer would be welcomed in that location, but don't hold your breath. I remember when Jack Taylor left and everyone was all excited about such a possibility, and another car dealership moved in instead; that's what it's zoned for.

Any city officials out there willing to advocate for a better use of that site?!?

The city does get 0.2% of sales revenue from the Audi dealership. Not sure how that would balance out with the tax revenue the city would get from a small-ish grocery store.

And there is no WAY a decent sized whole foods with a halfway decent sized parking lot would fit in that space. Keep dreaming, people.

"The Mount Vernon Avenue Business Area Plan" (April 2005)
[pdf: http://alexandriava.gov/WorkArea/showcontent.aspx?id=7018
on this City page: http://alexandriava.gov/planning/info/default.aspx?id=7032]

"Two automobile dealerships, Alexandria Hyundai and Audi of Alexandria, currently operate in the 1600 and 1700 blocks of Mt. Vernon Avenue. These uses are inconsistent with the Potomac West Small Area Plan and with the existing zoning that does not allow automobile-oriented uses such as automobile dealerships. Although it is unlikely that either dealership property will redevelop in the foreseeable future, mixed-use buildings, with ground floor retail and residences or offices above would be compatible with adjacent residences and would complement the Historic Core and the nearby retail area at Mt. Vernon and Monroe Avenues. On-site parking should be provided below grade, and access to the sites should be provided via a side street and not directly from the Avenue. Any new construction activity should seek to define and develop the street wall in these blocks, while providing building breaks with publically visible open space and landscape areas.
Recommended interim improvements to the properties include new, pedestrian-oriented signage, replacement of pavement adjacent to the sidewalk with pavers that complete the streetscape, landscaping to screen parked cars, and other similar improvements designed to enhance the appearance of the property and streetscape."

Didn't Hyundai just sign a 15 year lease?

How can that be if the existing zoning "does not allow automobile-oriented uses such as automobile dealerships." How do these things happen? And if Audi goes, will the public have any say on what might go in that location?

I'll miss the Audi dealership. I just hope it doesn't site vacant for years on end, that would be the worst.

That is a HUGE space. Who owns the property now? From Google Maps I count ~75 parking spaces on either side of the building. There's no way that I could see the existing structure being used without quite a bit of improvements. But it could be something pretty awesome.

I agree. And we need to make that clear to whoever has a hand in deciding what comes next...and not just let it become another car dealership.

It last changed hands at the absolute peak of the market- June of 2005- for 5.4 million. That's hugely underwater. Like, bottom of the ocean underwater. The lot is only 26,000 sqf. The owner will have to be able to take a huge hit to sell it or be prepared to carry the note while shopping for a new tenant. This will be interesting but I'll bet it sits vacant for 6 months at least.

I think fellow DR residents should keep in mind the dealerships bring in a lot of outside folks that would otherwise never discover Del Ray. I've had multiple acquaintances come for a test drive or what not and then come back time after time to spend their money on local business' on the strip. So while I understand the instinct to just make it our own little paradise, car dealerships actually do a nice job of bringing folks in that otherwise might not know what DR has to offer. Just a thought, of course there are other possible attractions that are more pleasing that could serve a similar function, but just saying.

Here's a suggestion: if the owner is going to drown anyway, why not sell it to the city for $1, rip out all of the concrete and turn it into a park. We could even name it after that person! What a beautiful gift that would be to the kids who were put in danger by speeding test drivers.

I'd like some of what Neal is smoking.

And the south end of Mt. Vernon isn't even remotely developed yet. This a huge opportunity for someone. Honestly, how long do you think that Laundromat will occupy prime real estate? That disgusting little conveinance store? That hair salon that hasn't been open in a year? If you had the capital to invest in redoing any of those places you'd print money.

One can dream -- and if Potomac Yards has a few zillion dollars to build an entirely new city less than a mile away, then someone must have some money (and hopefully intelligence) to redevelop our little section of DR.

Well, the land that the dealership occupies seems to be comprised of at least two separate parcels. The first is a small square parcel on the corner of mason and mt vernon, which is just 2/3 of the southern parking lot. It was assessed at $465,000. The other parcel covers the other 1/3 of the lot (the lot is a rectangle), the building, and half of the lot to the north. It was valued at $1.25M. The building itself is valued at $1.935M, so I would be really interested to learn 1) who would back away from such a valuable building? and 2) who could make enough money to justify the mortgage there? Subdivisions, here we come?

Have to agree with Eric, luxery high priced condo's is where the smart money is with some shops on the bottom.

The building is over assessed and, a wash, I'd say. Unlikely it would be the motivator in any future interest. Joseph- the owner of the former dry cleaners, now the bridal shop/bank, asked $5500 TRIPLE NET. Ludicrous in the last two years. That's Dupont Circle rent. I actually took perverse pleasure knowing he was paying a note every month on vacant space. He bled himself to death. Tough nuggies.

Well someone bought the building and land for almost $5.5M in 2005. Hard to say that it was over assessed. Although it's hard to make out what was actually purchased.

I'd say it's most certainly over assessed. It was estimated at 1.7 in 2004. Eight years later it's doubled? Purchase price in 2005 isn't a great barometer. Plenty of those buyers wish to god they hadn't signed the line.

No more auto dealerships