A tightly packed array of shops, offices and living space would sprout around the Springfield Mall, according to details of a proposed enhancement project on file with Fairfax County.
A partnership that includes Vornado Realty Trust is seeking to add 323,200 square feet of exterior retail, more than 1 million square feet of office space, a 300-room hotel and 2,000 new dwellings, as well as upgrades to the existing mall. It is hoped the long-awaited proposal will convert one of the region’s least-heralded shopping malls into a revitalized mixed-used center.
“The area, currently a tired blend of older buildings and drab features resting upon a concrete and asphalt surface, will be replaced with a modern, urbanized development” called the Springfield Town Center, writes Frank Stearns, an attorney representing the partnership, in a statement justifying the group’s request for rezoning.
Neither Stearns nor Vornado returned calls for comment on Wednesday.
Fairfax County Supervisor Dana Kauffman, who represents the district that encompasses the mall, said the proposal has “a long way to go,” but spoke positively about the project.
“The key thing is that we finally have someone ready to give us our town center back,” he said. “Springfield Mall for years has been where folks wanted to go to take their families. Now for far too many in our community, it’s a place to be avoided.”
The project, however, adds a new complication to an expected traffic nightmare in southern Fairfax County. The mall is close to the Franconia-Springfield Metro station, but does not share the same railside location as the expected overhaul of the Tysons Corner Center. The number of new cars the mall puts on the road will likely be the leading issue in upcoming rezoning discussions. Congestion could be severe with 22,000 new military workers set to descend on nearby Fort Belvoir by 2011.
