The City Council unanimously approved a Development Special Use Permit enabling Goodwin House Alexandria (the View) to demolish an existing nursing/office building and construct a new, age‑restricted building with 257 units while retaining the existing six‑story building on the site.

Staff and the applicant described the project as continuing an existing campus of senior services and providing a continuum of care — independent living with the ability to progress to assisted living, memory care and nursing care on site. The applicant sought and received council support for bonus height and density in exchange for seven committed affordable independent‑living units with buy‑in and monthly service fees capped at 60 percent of area median income; those units would remain affordable for 40 years (or five turnovers per unit) under the proposal. Staff supported a parking reduction on the basis of the site’s transit proximity and an agreement for overflow employee parking at a nearby Northern Virginia Community College facility.

Residents and board members of Goodwin House spoke in favor of the proposal. Bart and Carolyn Goman described Goodwin House’s volunteer programs, foundation support and the campus’s role in the community; Garrett Ertle, a current board member, highlighted Goodwin House’s employee supports and community programming. Attorney Kathy Puskar spoke for the applicant and said the Goodwin House foundation provides financial backstop for residents who exhaust resources so they won’t be asked to leave.

Ending: Council adopted the DSUP by roll call (unanimous). The approved plan includes affordable unit commitments, public‑benefit contributions, and conditions staff outlined for final site plan approval.