I heard about Walgreens wanting to get into that location for way over a year now. And I saw Phil Hochberg, who I've known for a long time, on Tuesday afternoon, who said "Hi!" to me as he drove by Al's on his way to the parking lot on his property, across the street, at Monroe and Mount Vernon Avenues. With a CVS on Monroe within walking distance of that corner, Walgreens just doesn't seem like it's going to be a good fit for Del Ray.

A national chain isn't a fit? What about Shell? And Audi? And Hyundai? And that decrepit plumbing operation that has an entire lot full of trash right on Mt Vernon? Bizarre. Those are OK but Walgreens isn't?

I'm excited for Walgreens to takeover. It's a much better fit than a laundrymat and those two filthy little stores with bars on the windows.

I do not want a Walgreens on Mt Vernon. I love the two antique stores and think they add character and bring people to the neighborhood, The laundrymat serves many in our community. Many folks around here wish that the car dealerships were not located in Del Ray, but they have been here a long time--it is different to having a new chain store move in.

I am deeply troubled that Walgreens is moving into Del Ray and displacing so many businesses. We have CVS down the street, a wonderfully accommodating pharmacy in Del Ray Pharmacy and a need for a laundromat for people who live in apartments that don't provide that option. It is a service that many lower income neighbors really need. I have lived in Del Ray since 1985 and so many of the changes that have come to the Avenue have enriched the lives of all of us but this is not one that would.

I'm horrified by this. Norges is a wonderful asset, as are the charming antique stores. I live on E. Nelson and I do not want a Walgreens. I think it is exactly the wrong fit for our neighborhood and I will write letters to anyone it takes to put a stop to this.

Tweet. Write Walgreens. Protest. Can't stand the thought of another chain replacing independent and unique businesses on the Avenue.

The DRCA Land Use Committee is working on an online petition and will have something ready this afternoon. We'll make sure to let everyone know when it is ready to live.

I have been using the laundromat there for since I moved here for years. I am friends with the owner and his family, this is both aggravating and disheartening as Del Ray has stated since I have been here that they like the small town feel. It seems that if this is allowed to happen the people here are just looking to be a little McLean. Del Ray has a WONDERFUL local drug store RIGHT on the Avenue. WHY does it need another BIG BOX store???

Sure wish Mr. Hochberg had sold the building to someone else. Seems to me that a buyer other than a national chain offering services that we already have in the neighborhood could have been found. Perhaps even someone who lives in Alexandria.

I think it has a right to be here but it would be a shame and I would not use it. The laundry and the antique stores add a lot of value to the neighborhood as well as giving people from outside the neighborhood reason to be here instead of just eat.I use those businesses monthly if not weekly.It's hard to be proud of a Walgreens.

This is not needed--it will help displace the local pharmacy a few blocks away, and will ruin any charm that corner has. I have only lived in Alexandria for a year, but it's evident how little "planning" the city planners do. Anyone with a check is allowed to build whatever---on the waterfront, the Potomac Yard nightmare, etc. I can't wait to move out of this place!!!!!

I have also heard that Giant and CVS have plans to leave and go further into Potomac Yard down Route 1. Any merit to this rumour? It would be a shame to lose the antique shops and there is not enough parking for Walgreens on that corner. The traffic in and out will really mess up that major intersection and probably bring more traffic into the residential blocks just behind Mount Vernon and the store. This does not seem like a good move for the City. It will change the character of Del Ray. If CVS really plans to leave, then Walgreens should look to purchase that building.

Wags is coming not because they need to be there but because CVS is and they are not. The American battle of pharmacies has landed in Del Ray. Expect a request for a drive-thru window. There must be another location that would make them salivate equally that wouldn't displace five local businesses. I too live on Nelson and frequent the antiques stores and Universal Mart regularly.

John Severson has been operating Al's Steak House (www.alssteak.com) almost across from Phil Hochberg's property for almost 50 years. John said he knew Phil's father, who originally owned the building. How many people remember Pep Boys near Nelson and Mount Vernon, close to the property? Times change, but Walgreens wouldn't be a welcome change.

I welcome the added services and competition a national chain like Walgreen's would bring. Both chain and independent stores can address the needs of a vibrant community like Del Ray. Let the market decide which stays and which goes, not the town council.

I am flying into a rage of indignation over the fact that some person is able to just go and sell their private property. This apparently can occur willy-nilly, without the approval of a paternal committee of some sort, to an unsavory retail operation like Walgreen's. And this owner doesn't even have to take personal responsibility for the impacts, real or imagined, on every other private enterprise on Mount Vernon Avenue?! That's not my America. It must be unconstitutional or something.

Also, despite whatever supposed "market research" this large, clumsy corporation has spent millions on, we have told them right here that it simply isn't a profitable strategy to continue locating their stores near CVS! Cant they read? This competition can't be good for anyone.

I, for one, fellow citizens am resolved to keep the quaint automobile dealerships, laundromat, gas stations, and pile-o-rubble HVAC place that make Del Ray the charming gem that it is today. And I will do this by asking the local government to bully Walgreen's with sundry permits and other bureaucratic hurdles. Unite Del Ray!

I think that Phil Hochberg has the absolute right to sell his property to anyone he chooses to negotiate an agreed to price that works out for him and his family, and the buyer, as well. No one person, or group, should be able to block the sale of Phil's property, which he inherited from his father, and has been the landlord for many years. While Walgreens might not potentially be a 'good fit' for Del Ray, it is coming, so despite all of the collective grousing about that fact, change on the corner of Monroe and Mount Vernon is going to happen soon. Let's hope that some company, or business, wants to by the south east corner of East Bellefonte and Mount Vernon Avenues (Kesterson Plumbing & Heating) in the near future, too.

Good posts Dave and Fred. It's still stunning to me how clueless people are about basic economics. And Art's dig at planners, as if they have soviet style powers that can just decree what can and cannot be built, and where. Not the way things work. I am cautiously optimistic that some good could come of this. So far it sounds like the building is being retained, so there are opportunities to upgrade the appearance. I've seen good looking drug stores in older buildings in older communities that add character. If they were doing a tear down and building a typical store model, I'd howl too but that seems not the case. I'm not crazy about two gas stations on a prominent corner. Something better could replace those, and eventually will, but again just because I personally want something doesn't mean thats the way the world works.

"where are they supposed to go? Can they come to your house and do their laundry??"

what a ridiculous comment. they can move if they find it intolerable. do you shout at the mansions in the Palisades demanding to live there?

gotta love all these newcomers trying to close the door on del ray after they got here. talk about hypocrisy.

I can't add a foot to the elevation of the third floor of my house for another bedroom for my growing family, but 1.5 blocks away Walgreens can torpedo a whole block to satisfy their paranoid competition with CVS. Nothing wrong with national chains trying to expand...plenty wrong with zoning officials allowing this. Can't wait for the Wal-Mart. Who elects these people?

Saturday Morning Funnies- thanks all!
As i've posted before, if you dont like it, buy it and then you can control its fate...DRCA and the NIMBY posters can pool their $$$ and make an offer. Unless you want me or someone else dictating the fate of your land, dont dictate what others can do with there property.

Tom, you would be absolutely correct, except for this little thing called zoning. Nobody, (except apparently Walgreens) can just "do what they want" with their property in Del Ray.

LKB - yes, absolutely... And the article states reusing existing building. And that building is zoned commercial.. So why the arbitrary hatred for Walgreens? But not shouting to kick out CVS? Market forces and property rights are ok for some, not others? I state this while never visiting CVS, but getting my scripts filled by Stacy at Neighborhood Pharmacy. Shop where you want and vote with your wallets, but dont apply rules willy-nilly.

OK...I'm sorry for continuing to use myself as an example...but I want to make improvemennts to MY existing home of 19 years...but cannot due to zoning ordinance. Wanna bet Walgreens does far more to that property than I would do to mine? This is where we disagree...apparently property rights in Del Ray are reserved for Walgreens, but not me.

Maybe I could sell my House to Walgreens, let THEM add a garage, then buy it back from them? No, by the time I tried to do that there would be a CVS across the street (not because the neighborhood NEEDS another CVS, because CVS wants to put one there). It is not unheard of to have planning commisions consider the value to a neighborhood of a new busines application. Not saying Del Ray should do that, but at least treat the residents with the same open arms as the corporations are being extended.

Link to City Charter and Codes http://alexandriava.gov/
An informed mind is a less petty mind.

I am still waitnig for somebody to blame the recent election of all Democrats to the city council for this...

Sorry to see a big box coming to little old Del Ray. It is the end of an era.

I do not want a big store on the Avenue. I would like the car dealers to go too, but they have been there as long as I have been here, 20 years. It is very shortsighted to take out 5 businesses that are successful to build one big store we do not need. I will never, ever shop there if it comes. What can we do to try to stop it? We successfully stopped the football stadium from building on the old rail yard, we must be able to organize against this.

Here are Walgreen's requirements for a piece of property (from their site):
http://www.walgreens.com/topic/help/companyhelp/real_estate.jsp
Walgreen Drug Store Location Information

As the nation's leading pharmacy retailer, Walgreens is experiencing of one of the most dramatic growth rates in the industry.

A new Walgreen Drug Store location with the highest probability for approval by the Real Estate Committee will have the following characteristics:

Freestanding location at signalized intersection of two main streets with significant traffic counts.
Direct access to service the site.
60,000 square feet +/- of land to accommodate parking for 50+ cars and a pharmacy drive thru.

Building criteria:
114' x 130' = 14,820 square feet.
Trade area population of 20,000.
LED Readerboard pylon sign.

Walgreens will also consider Walgreen anchored strip centers, central business districts and outlots of shopping centers.
Please contact us for more information.

If you don't want them in the neighborhood, send them a message and them how you feel:
https://webapp.walgreens.com/WalgreensSurplusProperty/servlet/walgreens.storesurplus.proxy.StoreSurplusProxy/SubmitPropertyInquiry

This is not going to be a "big box store", they are going to use the existing building. I'm all for it.

I won't patronize it. We already have the Neighborhood Pharmacy and those are some of the nicest people around. I will remain loyal to them

I hope a starbucks opens up to give much needed competition to st. Elmo's and a dairy queen so Dairy Godmother gets off her high horse. Perhaps an olive garden could replace the recently closed la strada. Im sure their prices would be more competitive, isn't that what matters. And when they've all moved in as they have the right to do we can rename Delray The New Fairfax County, where DC comes to buy things at a reasonably competitive price.

I expect that Walgreen's will be forced to comply with a variety of requirements. I will miss the laundromat. I've used it a lot over the years and value their laundry drop-off service.

Before so many of us get all spun-up over this, we may want to learn the details first.

"We successfully stopped the football stadium from building on the old rail yard, "

Funny how that's worked out. Now with the monstosity that is PY, we'll have dramatically increased population and insane traffic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year instead of for 4 hours every other Sunday for three months of the year.

Hindsight and all that.

As for Starbucks, well, I'd love one. People mainly patronize Elmos because it's the only option. There is no where else to go. The worst kept secret in DR is how horrible their coffee is.

Wow. That petition is seeking donations. WTF? It's wrong for Walgreens to make a buck but it's OK for their opposition?!!!

You have to leave a comment. Then, on exit, there's a suggestion for donation ranging from $2- $500. Pretty nuts.

Ohsnap I loved your coffee comment! I totally agree. St Elmo's stinks and I'd love a Starbucks. But you know Del Ray is too good for a Starbucks....

Will reduce the uniqueness of Del Ray. Will make us more like Lyon Village. More like Sterling. More like Manassas. Audi is leaving... that's an opportunity to continue to drive what makes Del Ray a special destination (both to visit and to live) forward. Walgreens will set us back, and will add zero value to the neighborhood. Adds nothing at all. Really worth opposing this, in my opinion.

Redundancy replaces Diversity. There is already a drug store up the street which offers easier access, more parking and a nearby grocery store for multi-tasking. Unfortunately, these chains are more credit worthy and bankable and can sign longer lease terms than small independent businesses. In Sarasota Florida, residents recently were able to appeal approval of a Walmart Supercenter and get the site plan overturned by the Commission based on the inappropriateness of a large store approved on a site zoned for a shopping center.

I would be terribly sad to see these local businesses replaced with a big ugly walgreens right on the avenue. It's not consistent with the character of our community. And there's a CVS within a couple if blocks, so I see absolutely no need for it. I for one will be voting with my wallet if this happens, and pass on shopping there. Petition signed, letter sent to walgreens, what next? Del Ray has to watch out or the tag line will change to "where main street looks like every other suburb"

Wow, I had no idea that the coin-op laundromat was held in such high esteem by the people of Del Ray. As a result I'm pleased to announce that, if and when the current one is forced to close, I plan to open a new coin-op laundromat! This one will be in the heart of Del Ray (somewhere in the 2200-2400 blocks) rather than on the outskirts. Very happy to know that none of the same people currently complaining about Walgreens will be objecting to my new venture.

I'm sure that someone will build a really HUGE, 'always open', 24-hour, laundromat, right in the heart of Del Ray, once the one closes at Monroe and Mount Vernon Avenues closes.

Mayor Euille said yesterday at City Hall he will encourage Walgreens "to look elsewhere." More news on the situation here: http://patch.com/A-2PwP

A massive Walgreen store at the corner of Monroe and Mt. Vernon is a true calamity - it will destroy the character of Del Ray's main street neigborhood. And it is totally superfluous with CVS just around the corner.

I do not want Walgreens on Mount Vernon Avenue. I want to keep Del Ray for independent businesses. The success of Del Ray is due in large part to the small business owners who have worked tirelessly for over 15 years to promote its community spirit. They are the heart of Del Ray. Do not harm this healthy dynamic by bringing in a big national retailer.

no walgreens on mt vernon ave

Really? A Walgreens - why?? I am happy with CVS do NOT need a Walgreens which I never frequent - losing the 2 antique stores would be a great loss to a funky neighborhood. After all, its up to the owner of the property - sure he would love to sell to maximize his profits.

If I had property on mt Vernon Ave, and I was over 70 yrs old and done with the rat race, I would sell to the highest bidder. Case closed.

I love Walgreens and will be writing them letters of support and attending every planning meeting to offer my support.

Also- it's pretty ironic that Euille is working to dissuade change in his neighborhood (Del Ray) while he does his best to destroy Old Town and ignore the pleas from lifelong residents there.

Hyopcrite anyone?

I like Walgreens, but why not the corner of Mt Vernon & Glebe (where the old Safeway used to be, across from Foodway)? The corner of Mt Vernon & Monroe is congested, the parking there is limited, the laundromat is heavily used by folks in the neighborhood (both those who live in nearby apartments and those whose laundry machines are out of commission), and the antique stores are a nice shops. I strongly oppose a Walgreens at that location.

If I am not correct, I believe the CVS that had been on Monroe Avenue and the Blockbusters, have both closed, and may or may not be filled with something else now, but if they are still vacant, why not put the Walgreen's in where the CVS was? There is ample parking for such a store at that location, but not at Mt. Vernon and Monroe Streets.

Maybe those stores you all mentioned in arlandria, aren't for sale, and this one in del ray was. Timing and pricing is everything. Walgreens does their homework, this project must have been studied and they thought feasible to move forward with an offer. Both CVS and Giant will probably leave the hood, once PY is fully developed. Walgreens sees an opportunity. I can't imagine how successful they will be, because I just don't see the traffic, but what do I know?

....and if they get rid of those smaller storefronts, where will the next pilates/yoga/massage therapy business set up shop?

If the new Walgreens is anything like this one, I am all for it.
http://dcist.com/2013/03/walgreens_upgrades_from_drug_store.php

Be careful what you wish for.

Dave is my new favorite troll. He's way better than McBrinn.

@Dave....yum....Mancini's has good chicken salad.....do you think it's in jeopardy?

Good morning! Here’s a quick update on the status of the proposed Walgreens project at the corner of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Monroe Avenue.
 
City staff has been in touch and a meeting is being set up for next week with the developer. The Mayor, AEDP and City staff are actively looking to address this important community issue.
 
To date, the online petition has received 625 signatures. Thank you for your support! A strong signal has been sent to the City that Del Ray citizens support locally-owned businesses. If you have not had a chance to sign the petition, please consider signing it in the next few days. Here is the link to the online petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/del-ray-walgreens-opposition-to-national/

As new information arises, updates will be provided. Hope this helps.

I remember when Jack Taylor moved from Mt Vernon to Rt 1. He wanted to sell to Hyundi, but it was contrary to zoning law.
At a large, loud hearing there were backers of the " freedom of business to do what they wanted", who were near violent. City council quickly backed down and allowed Hyundi to move in.
Don't discount the power of business to get what they want in Alexandria

625 signatures in a City of 145,000? Hmm, whats that about vocal minority?

Walgreens is coming. Deal with it.

That petition is a joke. Approximately 30% of the first three pages are anonymous signatures without any comment. I.E- they're spam. The remaining 70% feature a good chunk of signatures from people who actually welcome Walgreens to the avenue. And a handful of signatures are from someone named "doody pants."

I'm sure Walgreens is shaking in their pants.

My beef with this place is that it's terribly unnecessary. A perfectly usable and friendly CVS is a block away. Also the traffic on Mt. Vernon has already become a nuisance. Delray has long been a real estate hotspot and it's location ensures commercial development. I wish it weren't.