A planned face-lift for midtown Springfield could be under way by late2007, according to the attorney for the project.
Developer KSI is seeking to overhaul a 9.5-acre cluster of properties at the heart of the Fairfax County community with a mix of apartments, condos, shops and offices, as well as a hotel, said attorney Greg Riegle.
“This is an area of Springfield that the citizens and the community have earmarked for redevelopment for the better part of two decades,” he said.
The project, called Midtown Springfield, is slated for a hearing with the Fairfax County Planning Commission on Sept. 24. It would sit off Interstate 95 and include parcels on Commerce Street, Old Keene Mill Road and Brandon Avenue.
“Certainly it has the potential to be one of the sparks to revitalize greater Springfield,” said Lee District Supervisor Dana Kauffman.
A performing arts center would accompany the development, Riegle said. The developer now has the land under contract, contingent on the outcome of a rezoning vote that would allow the mix of uses, he said.
Some traffic issues still are being worked out for the development, Kauffman said.
Midtown Springfield is expected to help “urbanize” the area, according to Bob Stockton, a member of the Central Springfield Area Revitalization Council who owns a nearby barber sh op. He hopes it will create a more pedestrian environment.
“It’s going to put feet on the street, it’s just that simple,” Stockton said.
Midtown Springfield would include:
» 800 residential units, divided between condos and apartments
» 40,000 square feet of office space
» 80,000 to 100,000 square feet of retail space
» A 10- to 14-story hotel
Source: Attorney David R. Gill
