West End and Landmark

The West End is the most affordable part of Alexandria and the site of its largest redevelopment. It has the city’s schools, the city’s services, a Metro station, and frequent buses — and none of Old Town’s prices.

Landmark

The former Landmark Mall site is being redeveloped into a mixed-use district including a hospital campus, with residential, retail, and public realm work alongside. It is the biggest project in the city.

For anyone buying nearby that cuts both ways: substantial long-term investment, and years of construction. Ask what is currently approved and what stage it has reached — not what the renderings show.

The areas

Around Landmark sit condominium and apartment buildings. West, the Van Dorn Street corridor and its Metro station, with Cameron Station alongside — a 1990s planned community on a former army installation, with townhouses, condominiums, single-family homes, a community center, and its own association. It is a distinct and more expensive market and is usually shopped separately.

Along Duke Street, condominium and apartment buildings include some of the most affordable homes in the city. North, Seminary West and Alexandria West hold established garden communities, running up toward Fairlington and the Arlington line.

Read the fees properly

At older buildings, the fee frequently includes utilities, along with staff, lifts, and grounds — which a newer building’s fee often does not. The headline number looks high while the total monthly cost can still compare well.

On any unit: what is covered, what the reserve study says, and whether a special assessment is planned.

Schools

Alexandria City Public Schools, with Alexandria City High School as the city’s single comprehensive high school across its campuses. Elementary and middle assignments vary by address and have been redistricted. Confirm with ACPS.

Getting around

Van Dorn Street on the Blue Line serves the western side. I-395 and the Beltway meet at the edge, and Duke Street runs east to Old Town — ten to fifteen minutes. Bus service on Duke Street and Beauregard is frequent. The Pentagon is about fifteen minutes north.

Buying or selling here

For a buyer who wants to own in Alexandria, this is usually where the arithmetic works — and the arithmetic depends on reading the fee inclusions correctly. Check what is approved near Landmark either way. Sellers should state what the fee covers and how far the redevelopment has progressed; both are worth money and both go unnoticed unless said.