U.S. 1 corridor sees surge in redevelopment
New hotels, apartments and retail centers open, more in the pipeline
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140221/NEWS/140229773/1117/us-1-corridor-sees-surge-in-redevelopment&template=fairfaxTimes

For the first time in years, the Richmond Highway corridor is seeing a building boom.

Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D), whose district includes a portion of the U.S. 1 corridor, said it is the most development activity he can recall during his tenure on the Board of Supervisors, which dates to the late 1980s.

“From a location standpoint, it is an area that has been crying to be redeveloped,” Hyland said.

It offers easy access to Interstate 495, the city of Alexandria, Maryland and Washington, D.C, he said, and offers transit service via the Huntington Avenue Metro Station and bus service along U.S. 1.

As one of the first areas of Fairfax County to be developed, many existing properties have reached the end of their life cycle. The county’s comprehensive plan was recently updated allowing more dense development in certain areas, there has been an increase in the workforce at Fort Belvoir because of the base realignment process, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital is expanding, U.S. 1 is being widened and there is a study underway about adding more transit options to the corridor.

“You put all those things together and I think there is a synergy that has appealed to developers,” Hyland said.

There have also been smaller changes, such as new wayfinding signs, said Edythe Kelleher, executive director of the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation, an economic development organization.

The redevelopment has already brought new hotels, several new or revamped retail centers and new apartments. Construction is under way on two new apartment buildings, with hundreds more apartments in the pipeline, as well as more retail, office space and hotels as part of mixed-use projects already approved by the county for future development throughout the 7.5-mile stretch of Richmond Highway between the Beltway and Fort Belvoir.

Kelleher said the new retail options are already starting to change the feel of the corridor. For example, she said. “within a year we went from zero frozen yogurt shops to four on the highway.”

Some of the newer shopping centers are designed to have more of a city street feeling than a traditional strip mall, she said.

“I think in general the economy improved a little bit, and this area was really primed for it,” Kelleher said.
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Look at all the rennovation they're doing. I'll be curious to see how good it looks when they're done.

Anything to push the locusts further on out.

Dawn of a new day
http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20140221/OPINION/140229766/1065/dawn-of-a-new-day&template=fairfaxTimes

Among urban planners in Northern Virginia, the U.S. Route 1 corridor in southeast Fairfax has long been viewed as a cautionary tale — a once-thriving community that’s been laid low by decades of neglect, short-sighted zoning decisions and some bad luck. The arrival of Interstate 95 in 1952 also hurt U.S. 1, turning one of the region’s busiest arteries into an afterthought for many drivers.

Since the mid 1970s, the area has become better known for body shops, check-cashing businesses and auto title loan companies than for a rich history that dates back to George Washington and colonial times. Before losing its luster, Route 1 served as Fairfax County’s primary gateway to Alexandria and Washington, D.C., for nearly 200 years.

Fortunately, things are changing for the better. Investment is being made, a vision is being created, and new constructions springing up along the corridor.

A big chunk of the recent activity can be traced to the BRAC-related expansion of Fort Belvoir. Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded $180 million to VDOT and Fairfax County to widen a 3.5-mile stretch of Richmond Highway (U.S. 1) between Va. 235 and Telegraph Road from four to six lanes. In addition to the road widening, accommodations were made for transit, bicycle and pedestrian access — critical elements that will rebrand U.S. 1 as a multimodal community that understands the needs of its residents and is capable of attracting dynamic new businesses.

While transit and transportation upgrades are critical to U.S. 1’s future viability, they are just one piece in a complex puzzle. Creating viable, self-sustaining communities requires a well-honed strategy that works for both residents and retailers. Many communities across our region have attempted to remake themselves, and a large number have failed. Positive change requires more than securing a pile of developer money and erecting a bunch of shiny new apartment buildings, restaurants and shopping malls.

Yes, all of those elements are helpful in establishing a vibrant community. People need places to eat, sleep, play and work.

That said, the characteristic most successful redevelopment projects share is a long-term plan that addresses key issues at the 5-, 10-, 20- and even 50-year mark. That plan should include a healthy amount of community engagement and establish the proper balance between supply and demand. There is such a thing as too much retail space. Same goes for housing. Are you set up for families that own four cars or single professionals who rely on transit?

Several areas around Fairfax County are undergoing — or about to undergo — major transformations. Tysons Corner has received most of the county’s attention, but the list also includes Merrifield and future Silver Line destinations Reston and Herndon. Each of those places has a different set of challenges. Along U.S. 1, it begins with changing perceptions. For 30-plus years, the corridor has been viewed as an endless line of strip malls with blighted buildings, traffic-choked roads and higher than average crime rates.

Local leaders and county officials have begun chipping away at that image. Revamping the area’s transportation network got the ball rolling and a slow but steady stream of construction projects have added to the momentum.

Some of the issues inherent to U.S. 1 — aging infrastructure, crowded schools, crime—will require more time, money and creativity to fix themselves, but it’s safe to say the arrow is finally pointing in the right direction.

If it’s true that every county is only as good as its weakest link, the recent headlines coming out of U.S. 1 are good news for every Fairfax resident.

Now if we could only exterminate the racists.

Wow!!!!!! Yogurt shops??? How fuckin cool is that???? And four of them???

They have almost as many yogurt shops as Quicken Loans, Todos', and Dollar Tree's.

Anyway, how many of these new apartments are set aside for Section 8 housing?

Highlander Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow!!!!!! Yogurt shops??? How fuckin cool is
> that???? And four of them???
>
> They have almost as many yogurt shops as Quicken
> Loans, Todos', and Dollar Tree's.
>
> Anyway, how many of these new apartments are set
> aside for Section 8 housing?

Not enough Gringo!

Lets call it what it is. This area is screwed until the section 8 is gone. That's not being racist, that's being objective. The new beacon grove is filled with as many Blacks and Hispanics as it is Whites. And it's great! Fact remains, further south on Richmond highway you have these nasty apartment buildings and giant trailer parks and shocker, a corresponding increased crime rate, people hanging out in the middle of the street with oncoming traffic, laundry mats that scare one to even look at. Seriously, who amongst us would let their child, much less their spouse, go for an evening stroll down Richmond hwy south of 495? I don't mean to imply that all who dwell in such accommodations are bad, rotten, etc.; they're not. Some of them are simply in a crap position and I wish on all I have there were a solution beyond a government subsidized life. Good people deserve, but don't always get, the good things life has to offer. Unfortunately, we don't live in a utopia. That's a whole different philosophic discussion.

But the bottom line remains unchanged: We may be seeing the dawn of the new day, but the sun will never rise as long as the blight remains. Drive by the new costco at 6 pm any given friday afternoon and you'll see what I'm talking about. Frankly, it's gangster, ghetto, of all colors, shapes and sizes. There is no 'one size / race / gender fits all' category. White, Black, Hispanic, purple, you'll find all there, and it's just straight up ghetto and so incredibly far from anything resembling economic revitalization.

If we are seeing the dawn of a new day, I'm very skeptical whether we'll see high noon any time soon. Maybe 15 years, maybe....?

Now, bring on all the comments calling me a racist for speaking the truth....

that's actually a paper mache decoy

to make google corporate think their investment for tehir future move is safe.. damn building was never built !

it takes special plannign to put one window under another. usually they have to be staggered for building wall stability.

but you know. if it's a hung wall (has iron beams) then all the surface is just a dressing to keep the weather out - which has to be able to move a few inches without breaking ...

Mixed use development. Mixed use development. The magic words to send the local government into orgasmic spasms.

I has always been my dream to live over a retail store.

nXVPU Wrote:
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> Mixed use development. Mixed use development.
> The magic words to send the local government into
> orgasmic spasms.
>
> I has always been my dream to live over a retail
> store.

lol. but sadly, you've pegged the municipal mindset of the day.