Fairfax County General :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Posted by:
Mall Rat
()
Date: October 08, 2011 07:50PM
Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Many frustrated with long, unexplained wait
by Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20111007/NEWS/710079741/1076/1117/Springfield-Mall-renovations-yet-to-begin&template=fairfaxTimes
Despite owning Springfield Mall outright for nearly a year, owner Vornado Realty Trust has yet to begin physical renovations, according to Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee).
“A 10-year redevelopment of the mall, split into four phases, was supposed to begin at the end of last year,” McKay said, “But we are still waiting.”
Phase one of the plan, according to a 2009 county staff report prepared for the county Board of Supervisors, consists of an interior renovation of the mall, including an improved food court and construction of a new movie theater.
Vornado eventually hopes to add as many as 2,700 apartments, 450 hotel rooms and 1 million square feet of office space to the 78-acre site, while expanding the retail component of the area to 2 million square feet of shopping and dining.
The town center vision also includes improved pedestrian and bicycle connections to the Franconia-Springfield Metro and Virginia Railway Express stations, and a circulator bus service that serves the transit station, the mall area and the rest of the Springfield revitalization district.
The developer's plans also include construction of a central plaza, ground-floor retail in the apartment buildings, a grocery store, cafes with outdoor seating, a health club, and basketball and tennis courts on top of a parking garage, according to the 2009 county staff report.
Vornado did not return calls seeking comment, but McKay, who said he keeps in close contact with the company, said that although renovations are not visible, Vornado is not sitting idly by, doing nothing.
“It is just as frustrating to me as anyone that renovations haven’t started yet,” he said. “But I have regular meetings with Vornado and they are completing an extensive rebranding analysis that will determine a new look for the mall that will distinguish it from any other mall. People are just going to have to hold tight for a few more months before they start to see physical renovations.”
But some Springfield residents say they have waited long enough.
“It’s been years,” said Brian Feldman, who lives near the mall. “The posters have been taken down and there is no construction surveyor, dumpsters or construction equipment there. There are no visible signs that construction will start anytime soon.”
“The lack of action is frustrating to us, too,” said Nancy Jo Manney of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. “I was last told by Vornado in December 2010 that the financial aspect of the project was approved and we were just waiting for the starting gun. Well, we are still waiting to hear that shot.”
But despite the wait and lack of visible action, McKay remains optimistic that the project will eventually move forward.
“Vornado is now the outright owner of the property and has complete say about everything,” he said.
“I meet with them once a month in person and even more frequently by phone. I can tell you that they are going to do this project. There is no doubt in my mind about that.”
Many frustrated with long, unexplained wait
by Gregg MacDonald, Staff Writer
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20111007/NEWS/710079741/1076/1117/Springfield-Mall-renovations-yet-to-begin&template=fairfaxTimes
Despite owning Springfield Mall outright for nearly a year, owner Vornado Realty Trust has yet to begin physical renovations, according to Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay (D-Lee).
“A 10-year redevelopment of the mall, split into four phases, was supposed to begin at the end of last year,” McKay said, “But we are still waiting.”
Phase one of the plan, according to a 2009 county staff report prepared for the county Board of Supervisors, consists of an interior renovation of the mall, including an improved food court and construction of a new movie theater.
Vornado eventually hopes to add as many as 2,700 apartments, 450 hotel rooms and 1 million square feet of office space to the 78-acre site, while expanding the retail component of the area to 2 million square feet of shopping and dining.
The town center vision also includes improved pedestrian and bicycle connections to the Franconia-Springfield Metro and Virginia Railway Express stations, and a circulator bus service that serves the transit station, the mall area and the rest of the Springfield revitalization district.
The developer's plans also include construction of a central plaza, ground-floor retail in the apartment buildings, a grocery store, cafes with outdoor seating, a health club, and basketball and tennis courts on top of a parking garage, according to the 2009 county staff report.
Vornado did not return calls seeking comment, but McKay, who said he keeps in close contact with the company, said that although renovations are not visible, Vornado is not sitting idly by, doing nothing.
“It is just as frustrating to me as anyone that renovations haven’t started yet,” he said. “But I have regular meetings with Vornado and they are completing an extensive rebranding analysis that will determine a new look for the mall that will distinguish it from any other mall. People are just going to have to hold tight for a few more months before they start to see physical renovations.”
But some Springfield residents say they have waited long enough.
“It’s been years,” said Brian Feldman, who lives near the mall. “The posters have been taken down and there is no construction surveyor, dumpsters or construction equipment there. There are no visible signs that construction will start anytime soon.”
“The lack of action is frustrating to us, too,” said Nancy Jo Manney of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. “I was last told by Vornado in December 2010 that the financial aspect of the project was approved and we were just waiting for the starting gun. Well, we are still waiting to hear that shot.”
But despite the wait and lack of visible action, McKay remains optimistic that the project will eventually move forward.
“Vornado is now the outright owner of the property and has complete say about everything,” he said.
“I meet with them once a month in person and even more frequently by phone. I can tell you that they are going to do this project. There is no doubt in my mind about that.”
Re: Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Posted by:
Captain 20
()
Date: October 08, 2011 08:44PM
Yup...that's EXACTLY what Springfield needs...an upgraded food court and a new movie theatre. Oh...and 450 hotel rooms? Christ, we don't fill the ones already here...
Re: Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Posted by:
Mall Entrance 1
()
Date: October 09, 2011 11:47PM
Man, I can't WAIT to rent some $1500/month one bedroom apartment at Springfield Mall.
Re: Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Posted by:
peep
()
Date: October 10, 2011 10:22AM
I think they should turn it into a giant sex mall with porn store, sex toy shops, xxx movie theaters, xxx peep shows, a food court with boner flavored nachos, boob shaped burgers, a sex hotel with special guests, sex music stores, and change the name to sexfield mall
Re: Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Posted by:
alonzo413
()
Date: October 11, 2011 10:39AM
peep Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think they should turn it into a giant sex mall
> with porn store, sex toy shops, xxx movie
> theaters, xxx peep shows, a food court with boner
> flavored nachos, boob shaped burgers, a sex hotel
> with special guests, sex music stores, and change
> the name to sexfield mall
dont forget gloryholes for thugs so they can get secret blow jobs by men
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think they should turn it into a giant sex mall
> with porn store, sex toy shops, xxx movie
> theaters, xxx peep shows, a food court with boner
> flavored nachos, boob shaped burgers, a sex hotel
> with special guests, sex music stores, and change
> the name to sexfield mall
dont forget gloryholes for thugs so they can get secret blow jobs by men
Re: Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Posted by:
ROCKO MEATS
()
Date: October 11, 2011 01:23PM
Don't forget all the wanna be gang bangers, they need some new place to go!
Re: Springfield Mall renovations yet to begin
Posted by:
ruio
()
Date: October 12, 2011 03:00AM
The mall certainly has seen better days
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