Suburban DC Development Adds Pub to Its Mix

Alexandria, Va.—Modera Tempo, a mixed-use community in Virginia featuring 492 apartment units in the city of Alexandria’s Landmark/Van Dorn Small Area Plan, has opened a brewpub as a new component. Portner Brewhouse joins Starbucks, Smashburger, Jimmy Johns and other food and beverage establishments on site at Modera Tempo.

Modera Tempo, which was developed by Mill Creek Residential, consists of studios and one- and two-bedroom apartment units featuring 44 floor plans. The rental property’s common amenities, besides the retail components, include a dog spa, yoga studio, social kitchen, wine lockers and bike storage.

The residential portion of the property opened in 2015. One of its more distinctive features, a 10-foot outdoor sculpture by Alexandria artist Larry Moriss, was dedicated to the memory of Michael McGuire, a member of the Pinkard Group instrumental in acquiring, planning and rezoning the site in the 2000s. Mill Creek Residential took over the development in 2010.

Portner Brewhouse, located at the intersection of South Van Dorn and South Pickett Sts. on the front-facing side of the community, is inspired by the South’s largest pre-Prohibition brewpub, the Robert Portner Brewing Co. The new brewpub is the creation of two of Portner’s great-great granddaughters, who wanted an Alexandria location to coincide with the history of the original, since it was headquartered in Old Town Alexandria from 1869 until Prohibition.

“The brewhouse’s history adds substantial value to both Modera Tempo and the reviving West Alexandria neighborhood,” said Sean Caldwell, senior managing director of the Mid-Atlantic region for Mill Creek Residential. “Portner Brewhouse creates an engaging vibe.”