Graham Center’s days may be numbered.
The 61-year-old retail strip in West Falls Church has been targeted by the not-for-profit health system VHC Health for a future emergency department and urgent care center, according to a special exception application recently submitted to Fairfax County.
“This innovative hybrid model of a Freestanding Emergency Department combined with an Urgent Care Center (the ‘FSED-UCC’) will offer convenient and timely access for emergency patients, many of the Applicant’s scheduled outpatients, and the general public,” Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh attorney Kathryn Taylor wrote in a statement of justification for VHC Health.
Built in 1953, Graham Center was anchored for decades by Harvest Moon, a Chinese restaurant and banquet hall that became popular for wedding receptions after it opened in the mid-1980s. However, the restaurant closed permanently during the pandemic, leaving behind a mix of small shops, including eateries, a nail salon, a shoe repair outlet and a Vietnamese supermarket.
County property records show that VHC Health bought the 105,698-square-foot site at 7234 Arlington Blvd for $2.4 million in July 2023. The future of the still-operating tenants remains to be determined, but VHC Health’s application says the one-story retail building will be demolished.
VHC Health Vice President of Real Estate Acquisition and Development Adrian Stanton said in a statement to FFXnow that the organization has “maintained open and continuous communication with the tenants about plans for the site” since it purchased the property.
VHC Health chose the Graham Center location because we saw a need in the surrounding community for an important and currently unavailable care option — emergency department services co-located with urgent care services. VHC Health prides itself on offering convenient healthcare options in the communities where our patients live and work…Given the current condition of the property, the plan includes redevelopment as part of the County review and approval process. While we wait for approval from the County, we are still working to determine what other healthcare services and business development opportunities will be offered that will benefit the community most.
According to the Feb. 16 application, which was first reported by Annandale Today, the retail strip will be replaced by an approximately 24,250-square-foot, 40-foot-tall medical facility. About 14,000 square feet will be devoted to the emergency department and urgent care center, while the rest will house primary care, specialty and diagnostic imaging services.
The proposal continues VHC Health’s recent push to expand beyond its main hospital in Arlington with more community-oriented sites around Northern Virginia.
“The primary purpose of the proposed facility will be to decompress high emergency department utilization on the nearby Virginia Hospital Center campus and provide the surrounding community with an important and currently unavailable care option,” the application says. “In addition, the medical services of the FSED-UCC will be provided at a fraction of the cost for services typically furnished at conventional emergency departments or hospitals.”
A special exception is needed to allow the facility in a commercial district that limits office uses to 25% of the lot. The facility is categorized as an “office” under the county’s zoning ordinance because it won’t support overnight stays or regular ambulance usage, according to Taylor.
As part of the redevelopment, VHC Health has offered to eliminate access points to the property except for a northeastern entrance along Graham Road and a southwestern entrance along Arlington Blvd, which will be upgraded with crosswalks and ADA-compliant curb ramps. Read More
Old Keene Mill Shopping Center is marshaling a new grocery store, multiple restaurants and other retailers to fill the void left behind by Whole Foods.
The space filled by the grocer until it opened a bigger store last October just down the road in Springfield Plaza is being subdivided into six different suites, and at least four of them have been leased, according to a site plan from property owner Federal Realty.
The confirmed newcomers will be McAlister’s Deli, Crimson Coward Chicken, Zips Dry Cleaner and European Wax Center, all opening in early 2025, a Federal Realty spokesperson says.
A chain started in 1989 by a dentist in Oxford, Mississippi, McAlister’s will open a 2,925-square-foot restaurant near the Rolling Road entrance to the West Springfield shopping center (8424 Old Keene Mill Road).
The deli serves sandwiches, salads, soups, giant spuds (i.e. baked potatoes) and a specialty sweet tea. Its 500-plus locations include ones at University Mall near Fairfax City, Worldgate Centre in Herndon and Mount Vernon Plaza in Hybla Valley.
McKaye Darling, owner of the upcoming Old Keene Mill franchise, says the company is “thrilled” to expand to West Springfield.
“Our location choice was strategic, factoring in demographics, foot traffic, and neighboring restaurants in order to elevate the West Springfield food scene,” Darling said. “Our goal is to deliver the same top-notch quality and service found across all of our locations while seamlessly integrating with the West Springfield community.”
For Crimson Coward, a growing Nashville-style hot chicken chain that started in Los Angeles, California, this will be its first location in Fairfax County. The business landed on the East Coast on Jan. 9, 2023 with an opening in Woodbridge, and Stafford and Maryland restaurants are also apparently in the works, per its website.
It will occupy 1,449 square feet in a row facing Rolling Road with European Wax Center, a national hair removal company that will open a 1,200-square-foot suite, and Zips Dry Cleaner, which will have 1,397 square feet.
The bulk of the former Whole Foods space will be turned into a new, 17,186-square-foot store for “a national grocer,” Federal Realty says, but that grocer’s identity remains a bit of a mystery.
The Washington Business Journal reported in March 2023 that Trader Joe’s had executed a lease for the space, which was previously about 24,000 square feet in size. A Trader Joe’s employee told FFXnow last July that the grocer will relocate from its current location in Springfield Plaza to Old Keene Mill Shopping Center in another “year or so.”
However, when asked if the “national grocer” is Trader Joe’s, the Federal Realty spokesperson said only that details will be shared when they’re available.
On the western end of the shopping center, a Japanese restaurant called Kanji Sushi has leased 4,843 square feet adjacent to Planet Fitness. The eatery is projected to open in mid to late 2024.
“We welcome these merchants to the Springfield community,” Federal Realty Senior Vice President of Asset Management Deirdre Johnson said in a statement. “These new, innovative dining and service providers further cement Old Keene Mill Shopping Center as a popular shopping and dining destination for the Springfield and greater Fairfax County community.”
(Updated at 5 p.m.) A few new tenants are making their way to Merrifield Plaza, the H Mart and Lidl-anchored shopping center at Route 29 and Gallows Road.
The newcomers will include a franchise of Shi Miao Dao, a Chinese noodle shop that can also be found in Rockville, Maryland, among other locations. The Merrifield restaurant is part of the same brand, but the operator isn’t affiliated with the one in Rockville, says a broker for TSCG, which manages and leases Merrifield Plaza.
Specializing in cuisine from the southwestern province of Yunnan, Shi Miao Dao originated in China, where it has more than 750 restaurants, before expanding in recent years to North America, according to Eater San Diego, where a franchise opened last year.
Translating roughly to “ready in 10 seconds,” the name refers to the time it takes to dump the ingredients of the restaurant’s signature, DIY noodle soup into the accompanying pork broth, the Washington Post said in a review of the Rockville location that calls the dish “exquisite.”
Shi Miao Dao will occupy 1,200 square feet at 2833 Gallows Road, per TSCG.
Also coming to Merrifield Plaza is La Mexicana, an expansion of the bakery and taqueria that has operated at 2907 Arlington Drive in Hybla Valley since 2002.
According to its website, the eatery was started by a couple who wanted to “share our Mexican heritage and love for baking” and specializes in traditional Mexican dishes, like tacos and tamales. Washingtonian designated it as one of the D.C. area’s best cheap eats in 2017 and 2018.
“From mouthwatering tacos to traditional enchiladas, La Mexicana promises to be a haven for lovers of Mexican cuisine,” TSCG said.
La Mexicana’s second location will be at a 2,000-square-foot space at 2855 Gallows Road next to Lidl. Owner Carlos Benitez estimates that it’ll be four to five months before the restaurant opens, since they’re waiting for Fairfax County to approve the necessary permits to start construction.
Finally, Merrifield Plaza will add Sou the Spa, a South Korean beauty and skin care clinic that can currently be found in Annandale. The spa has leased 1,200 square feet at 2851 Gallows Road.
TSCG says Shi Miao Dao is expected to open sometime in March, but there’s no estimated opening date for Sou the Spa yet.
“We are thrilled to welcome La Mexicana, Sou the Spa, and Shi Mao Noodles to Merrifield Plaza Shopping Center,” TSCG Executive Vice President Billy Orlove said. “These establishments add a unique and diverse dimension to our current offerings, providing something for everyone in the community. We know that Merrifield Shopping Center will continue to be a great source of retail stores.”
(Updated at 8:45 p.m.) An explosion occurred while Fairfax County firefighters were addressing “a utility emergency” at Build America Plaza in Bailey’s Crossroads earlier this evening (Monday).
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department personnel, including an investigator, were dispatched to the shopping center at 3819 South George Mason Drive around 4:30 p.m., according to scanner traffic on Open MHz.
At 4:33 p.m., a firefighter in the electrical room reported “smoke coming from the sidewalk” but no active fire, per the scanner.
A firefighter said at 4:39 p.m. that a “power explosion” occurred in an exterior structure that’s attached to the building. Scanner traffic indicates that gas to the building was shut off.
At 4:51 p.m., a battalion commander reported that “we just had some sort of explosion underground over here,” adding that power will also need to be shut off. A video shared later by the FCFRD shows a firefighter tugging open a door, releasing smoke, followed by a ball of fire.
This evening #FCFRD responded to a utility emergency in the 3800 blk of S George Mason Dr. An explosion occurred while crews were working. Thankfully, our firefighter is okay. FCFRD FFs put their lives on the line everyday to protect the lives & property of @fairfaxcounty. pic.twitter.com/Odp5tBGz9C
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) November 8, 2023
The firefighter is “thankfully” okay, the department said in a tweet shortly after 8:30 p.m. No injuries have been reported from the incident, though the exact nature of the utility issue remains unclear.
“The utility companies will determine what the issue is,” Ashley Hildebrandt, a fire department spokesperson, told FFXnow.
Businesses in the affected two-story building include a 7-Eleven, Stone Hot Pizza and several Ethiopian establishments, including restaurants, markets and a butcher shop.
#FCFRD units are on scene of a utility emergency at a shopping center in the 3800 blk of South George Mason Drive in the Bailey’s Crossroads area. Utility companies are en route. The building has been evacuated. No reported civilian or firefighter injuries. pic.twitter.com/9SDeEja8yy
— Fairfax County Fire/Rescue (@ffxfirerescue) November 7, 2023
Annandale’s Eastgate Shopping Center is closer to getting an apartment building.
During a meeting on Tuesday (Oct. 24), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved a plan from developer Eastgate JV LLC to allow residential development on the 11.8-acre property at the corner of Little River Turnpike and John Marr Drive.
The new building will be six stories tall and include 280 multifamily units, along with 11,220 square feet of commercial retail on the ground floor. The application also proposed adding 23,858 square feet of new, on-site urban park spaces.
There were no public comments on the plan, but Scott Adams, a lawyer representing the project developer, told the Board of Supervisors they think the development will be an asset to the community.
“It’s also something where we think it’s going to spur additional revitalization in the area,” he said.
The construction will take over the space currently occupied by The Block, a popular food hall. Adams said at an Oct. 11 planning commission public hearing that there are plans to retain The Block in some form.
The Board of Supervisors also approved the developer’s request to reduce parking requirements to 1.34 spaces per apartment unit — a 16% reduction from the county’s current requirement of 1.6 spaces per unit.
Adams said the redevelopment has a focus on creating “a safe and inviting pedestrian environment.”
“So we’ve removed a turn lane on John Marr Drive [and] provided wildlife landscape amenity panels on both sides of the 10-foot mixed-use trail,” he said.
A nearby bus stop on John Marr Drive will also be upgraded with a bus shelter and ADA-accessible pad.
Anchored until 2018 by K-Mart, which got replaced by K Market International, the Eastgate Shopping Center is home to several restaurants and grocery stores. Although the planning commission recommended the board approve the plan earlier this month, some members warned against the gentrification of the area’s retail and restaurants.
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross said she was happy to see the plans becoming a reality.
“The original idea was a mixed-use town center in phases and now, 15 years later, the first phase is coming to fruition,” Gross said.
An apartment building is one step closer to construction in Annandale’s Eastgate Shopping Center.
At a public hearing yesterday (Wednesday), the Fairfax County Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve a plan from developer Eastgate JV LLC. The finished building would have up to 280 residential units — 8% of them workforce dwelling units — and up to 11,200 square feet of ground-floor retail.
There were no public comments on the proposal, which also proposes 23,858 square feet of publicly accessible urban park space in the form of a civic plaza and linear park.
The new development would take over space occupied by The Block food hall, and requires rezoning. Scott Adams, a lawyer representing the project developer, said there were plans to retain The Block in some form, in collaboration with Eastgate Shopping Center ownership.
“We’re working with [The Block] on a new concept that’s going to go into the remaining shopping center, so we’re not losing that user,” Adams said.
The planning commission also recommended that the Board of Supervisors permit the developer to build 1.34 parking spaces per apartment unit — fewer than the 1.6 spaces per unit required by the county’s zoning ordinances.
Concerns about parking resulted in a narrow 5-4 approval of the Eastgate development plan by the Mason District Land Use Advisory Committee, according to Mason District Commissioner Daren Shumate.
At that meeting, the committee also discussed Parking Reimagined, which rewrote the county’s parking requirements, Adams noted. The initiative was approved last month and will take effect on Jan. 1.
Adams said the parking request came from looking at a variety of factors, including utilization rates for other projects in Fairfax County and standards from the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
The Eastgate Shopping Center features a number of businesses, including grocery store K Market International, thrift store B-thrifty, and restaurants including SB Han’s Korean Food and Dragon Mochi Donuts & Drinks.
Adams said the shopping center is “a pretty vibrant environment,” but he didn’t rule out the possibility that the rest of the center could “eventually” get turned into housing.
“We would anticipate that the remainder of the center would redevelop with probably residential,” he said.
The Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan encourages “appropriate revitalization and selected redevelopment” of the Annandale Community Business Center (CBC), where the proposed development is located. In particular, the plan looks to boost the mostly commercial area’s residential population and pedestrian accessibility.
According to a county staff report, the developer has agreed to provide a trail and remove an existing right-turn lane along John Marr Drive as part of the project.
“Staff believes both improvements will enhance the pedestrian experience along John Marr Drive,” staff wrote.
A nearby bus stop on southbound John Marr Drive south of Columbia Pike will also be upgraded with a bus shelter and ADA-accessible pad.
Even as they supported the project, Franconia District Commissioner Dan Lagana and Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina cautioned against gentrification of the area’s retail and restaurants.
“It has good bones, and it could be something really great, and it is good to get people within the CBC area,” Cortina said, noting that the area remains mostly retail. “But the gentrification of retail and of the restaurants would be a real shame, and we don’t want to lose that in Annandale.”
A Board of Supervisors hearing on the application is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 24.
Woodland Park Crossing, a shopping center near the Herndon Metro station, is slated to welcome a new tenant.
Massage Envy, a national franchise that offers massage, stretch and skin care services, is set to open in the shopping center at 2328 Woodland Crossing Drive, according to Fairfax County permits.
While the company did not return multiple requests for comment, county permits show that it will take over Suite C in the same building as Kumo Sushi.
Woodland Park Crossing is home to other tenants like Harris Teeter, Manhattan Pizza, Visionworks, Hotworx and Moby Dick House of Kabob.
The shopping center has 11 open spaces, according to its website.
Massage Envy has another location nearby in Reston at North Point Village Center. A location on John Milton Drive in Herndon is temporary closed, according to the company’s website.
The new signs planned for Chesterbrook Shopping Center in McLean won’t point to their corresponding businesses with big, flashing arrows, but that’s essentially the effect property owner Federal Realty hopes to achieve.
The developer got the Fairfax County Planning Commission’s support on Sept. 14 for a special exception that would allow more signage space at the shopping center on Old Dominion Drive.
Specifically, Federal Realty hopes to add signs on the back of the building at 6242 Old Dominion Drive that’s occupied by the recently opened South Block, Chesterbrook Barber, Chesterbrook Cleaners, Kosmo Nail Bar and Potomac Pilates.
“The application is to create better identification for the tenants of this building and ultimately supporting the enhanced viability of those buildings,” McGuireWoods land use planner Mike Van Atta told the planning commission as the developer’s representative.
Located at the western corner of the shopping center, the building currently only has signage across its front, facing the parking lot. Its rear facade faces Old Dominion Drive, backing up against an elevated drive-thru for the TD Bank in neighboring Chesterbrook Plaza.
That elevation puts tenants in the building at a “disadvantage,” making it difficult for passersby to see their signage, county staff said.
The waiver requested by Federal Realty would double the amount of space permitted for signage from just under 202 square feet to almost 404 square feet.
“There’s limited visibility for the subject building, given that it’s located on the curve of Old Dominion Drive and because the building is oriented with the front of the building facing away from the street and below the grade of the main right-of-way,” Van Atta said. “So, these collective circumstances create a special and unique challenge for the tenants of this building.”
He added that the property owner worked with county staff to ensure the proposed building-mounted signs are “appropriately located, sized and lighted to not have any adverse impacts on adjacent uses.”
The special exception application will go to the Board of Supervisors for a public hearing and vote on Oct. 24.
More tenants on the way?
The sign revisions are part of an $8.5 million renovation of Chesterbrook Shopping Center that has been underway since last fall. Storefront and facade updates are expected to finish this year, and new outdoor amenity spaces will be completed in 2024, according to Federal Realty.
After emptying in the lead-up to the renovation, the shopping center has been gradually filling its tenant roster back up. Recent additions include the clothing store J. McLaughlin, home decor outlet Le Village Marché and a food truck from the popular deli Call Your Mother.
The only confirmed upcoming tenant right now is a Small Door Veterinary clinic, but a merchandising plan on the shopping center’s website suggests a leasing deal is in the works with Bluemercury.
According to the brochure, the cosmetics company has a letter of intent to lease 2,236 square feet in between the Tutoring Club of McLean and a 1,405-square-foot, brick-and-mortar storefront for Call Your Mother. Bluemercury didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The merchandising plan also shows several vacant spaces being designated for restaurants, a salon and an apparel store. The building where Call Your Mother’s truck is currently parked appears to be destined for a bank.
The property owner didn’t comment on the merchandising plan, but it confirmed Starbucks is renovating its coffee shop. Starbucks didn’t return an inquiry from FFXnow by press time.
“Federal Realty is actively transforming Chesterbrook and will have additional new store announcements over the upcoming months,” Senior Vice President of Asset Management Deirdre Johnson said. “The positive response from the community as it frequents our newly opened stores is amazing. Look for Starbucks to complete an in store renovation the first of 2024.”
Hat tip to Mike Whatley
Fairfax County has opened the door for mixed-use development at the Pan Am Shopping Center in Merrifield.
The county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an amendment to its comprehensive plan yesterday (Tuesday) that will allow housing and additional retail to supplement the existing strip mall at 3089 Nutley Street SW.
Endorsed last month by the Fairfax County Planning Commission, the amended plan will permit up to 585 multifamily residential units and 140,000 to 187,000 square feet of retail uses on the 25-acre site, paving the way for a redevelopment proposed by property owner Federal Realty.
“It is not Mosaic. It is not a large development,” Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said of the envisioned changes. “But it is…thinking very thoughtfully about how you make that place that benefits residents who are there, those who will be moving there and those who will continue to work in this area.”
Federal Realty still needs to get separate county approvals for its submitted development plan, which calls for three multifamily apartment buildings supported by ground-floor retail and parking garages. The buildings will be located on the southern side of the lot and range in height from four stories, or 70 feet, to five stories, or 85 feet.
The apartments would replace the building that currently houses MicroCenter and Michael’s, though the developer has indicated that it hopes to relocate those popular tenants.
In addition to incorporating retail space in the residential buildings, the application proposes expanding the existing, Safeway-anchored shopping center by 10,900 square feet, including 400 square feet to accommodate a drive-thru pharmacy window.
The Safeway gas station and a drive-through bank currently filled by Wells Fargo will also be retained, according to the application.
“The Applicant’s objective is to work with the County and the community to evolve the center into a more vibrant mixed-use space that will prevent further decline and ensure the Center can remain a source of convenient retail for the community, and also serve as a place for gathering and general community identity,” McGuireWoods land use lawyer Greg Riegle wrote in a May 5 statement of justification on Federal Realty’s behalf.
To make the shopping center more accessible, Federal Realty has proposed adding a 10-foot-wide shared-use path on the east side of Nutley Street.
The approved plan amendment also recommends an internal “network of parks and plazas” to draw people into the property and break up the expansive parking lot, as well as improvements to Nutley and Route 29, including future road widenings and new pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
Despite those recommendations, some community members remain skeptical of the county and developer’s vision of a less car-dependent Pan Am Shopping Center, fearing that adding housing will only create more traffic and lead to overflow parking in their neighborhoods.
“Nutley is a nightmare for traffic. I don’t care what time of day it is. It’s a nightmare,” a resident representing the neighboring Hampton Court Homeowners Association said at a public hearing before the board’s vote yesterday.
While the proposed redevelopment is projected to generate 803 more vehicle trips per day than what the shopping center sees today, that will still be 4,271 fewer trips than what was previously allowed under the comprehensive plan, according to county transportation staff.
FCDOT senior transportation planner Thomas Burke noted that a district limiting parking on Covington Street to residents could be explored if “there’s truly an issue where people living in Covington are having issues parking on Covington.”
Federal Realty’s rezoning application is slated to go to the planning commission for a public hearing on Feb. 28, 2024.
Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk is asking the owner of Rose Hill Plaza to lower the number of residential units and increase retail space in its next redevelopment proposal.
The six-decade-old shopping center located off Franconia Road is slated for significant redevelopment but has met some community opposition in terms of how exactly that will be done and what the new center will include.
In response, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted in April to essentially defer the proposed plans to allow owner Combined Properties to “further engage” with the community.
The developer’s preliminary proposal submitted on Oct. 25, 2022 envisioned adding a six-story, mixed-use residential building with 56,000 square feet of retail and green space to the shopping center.
Now, Lusk is asking for specific changes to that initial plan based on “community feedback” after meeting with Combined Properties twice since April, he said in a recent newsletter. Lusk said he was set to meet with the developer again shortly.
“My message to them will be the same as it has been in the previous two meetings,” Lusk wrote. “My expectation, based on community feedback, is that the next version of their proposal should significantly lower the amount of proposed residential units and significantly increase the proposed amount of retail space.”
Lusk said he believes Combined Properties will follow this request, but if not, the proposal will be deferred once again until “I believe [it’s] ready for public consideration.”
He anticipates the new proposal to be ready by the fall or early winter. If so, the Board of Supervisors could then approve a review by staff and remove it from Tier 3 of the county’s 2023 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Work Program.
Eventually, public hearings will be scheduled, sending the plan to the board for approval — potentially by the end of the year, Lusk noted.
However, some residents oppose reducing the amount of housing proposed at Rose Hill Plaza. The YIMBYs of Northern Virginia — a budding regional group that advocates for “more and denser housing” to make housing more affordable, per its website — said it is “disappointed” in Lusk’s request in a statement to FFXnow.
Rose Hill faces the same crisis that most of NoVA faces: working class residents – including essential workers like teachers, nurses, and government employees – cannot afford to live in the area. We remain excited by plans to upzone and develop the Rose Hill development with newer retail, more green space, and hundreds of new residential units. We are disappointed to hear that Supervisor Lusk has recommended deferring the project until the plans include more retail and less housing. The two need not be mutually exclusive: by building up, there’s plenty of space for more retail and more housing.
The group said that while a “vocal subset” of locals may oppose more housing, the idea has support from plenty of others who don’t have time to speak up, use English as a second language or are currently “priced out” of living in Rose Hill.
“Building a place people want to live and linger in is more important than an arbitrary amount of square footage assigned to retail,” local resident Alexis Glenn said. “Retail space will remain empty if we continue to scale back the housing needed to support it. Rose Hill will never be able to support the kind of high-quality retail and services the community desires if there isn’t a significant increase in housing.”
On the other side of the argument is the Rose Hill Coalition, a group of private citizens fighting against reducing retail at the shopping center. Founder Sharada Gilkey says the group is “neither encouraged nor discouraged” by Lusk’s statement, which she says came after she and the Rose Hill Civic Association talked to the supervisor last month. Read More
