ALEXANDRIA, VA — The Mill, a southern kitchen and market, gained approval to open in a historic Alexandria warehouse at 10 Duke Street on the waterfront. City Council voted on Nov. 16 to approve the special use permit and encroachment into the public right-of-way on Duke Street for a balcony, steps and signage.
Council approved the proposal with one new condition. The approval allows an increase to the area of encroachment for an ADA accessible entrance on Duke Street. Duncan Blair, the attorney representing the builder, told council the project will comply with ADA requirements and building code.
“This is bringing life to the Waterfront Plan and an adaptive reuse of a building, so I think this is going to be a great addition to the neighborhood, said Mayor Justin Wilson.
The project, led by Murray Bonitt of Bonitt Builders, has an estimated completion date of fall 2021. The Mill will have a market serving coffee, pastries, prepared foods, beer and wine as well as a casual tavern on the first floor. The second level will feature an indoor fire pit with a sofa lounge, an open kitchen with seating, communal tables, a bar, and balcony with outdoor seating. Leading the restaurant concept will be James Beard Award-winning Chef John Currence, known for his restaurants in Oxford, Mississippi.
Proposed hours are 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. indoors and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. outdoors.
Bonitt purchased the warehouse from EYA, LLC, which is developing Robinson Landing on the waterfront. The Mill will be one of Robinson Landing’s dining selections. The mixed-use development is slated to get a pier dining concept, full-service restaurant and a cafe to serve its townhouse and condominium residents. Some of Robinson Landing’s townhouses have been completed, while the entire project could be finished in 2020.
The warehouse at 10 Duke Street is one of the last remaining ones on the Alexandria waterfront. It used to be a coopers shop to make wooden barrels for the Alexandria Flour Company and served as a mess house and commissary for the Union Army during the Civil War.
