Landmark Mall Redevelopment to Start in 2014

Alexandria City Council unanimously approved a redevelopment plan for Landmark Mall Saturday that calls for demolishing the central portion of the languishing shopping center and replacing it with an outdoor mixed-use town center.

“It’s a plan for one of the most important sites to the future and the economic sustainability of our city,” Councilman Justin Wilson said.

The Howard Hughes Corp. project calls for 317,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 400 residential units and an upscale movie theater.

The project would reflect an urban village design with a grid network of streets, while Sears and Macy’s, which each own about a third of the mall, would stay put.

A portion of the existing parking structure would be removed and replaced with mixed-use units, screening a portion of the structure. The project also includes a pedestrian plaza, naturalized green space and a transit center.

The transit center will be positioned in the rear of the site inside the existing parking garage, the location of which drew some concern from citizens. The position is expected to add an estimated four minutes of travel time to a future bus rapid transit network as opposed to locating the transit center near Duke Street.

“I think four minutes, if that’s all it is, doesn’t sound too bad,” Councilman Tim Lovain said. “It’s one of those issues where you cannot make everyone happy.”

Councilmembers underscored the importance of the site as a transportation hub, with several DASH and WMATA bus routes currently routing though the mall.

Councilwoman Del Pepper expressed hope that the mall project—which is expected to be the first phase of redeveloping the entire Landmark site—and transit improvements will invigorate the Van Dorn Street Metro station and corridor.   

“We’ve got good things planned for the West End and this is one of those pieces,” Pepper said. “We have to move as fast with [transit corridors] C and B. We have to something that’s different there to make [transit on Van Dorn Street] a productive situation.”

Howard Hughes is in line to make more than $4 million in contributions to the city for the project, including $500,000 for improved pedestrian and bike paths and $1 million for new planned bus rapid transitways in the city. There’s also a voluntary donation of more than $2 million toward the city’s affordable housing fund. The project does not plan any affordable housing on site.

Mayor Bill Euille said the project is “a catalyst” for redeveloping not just the mall but also many of the sites around the mall.

Euille mentioned that this redevelopment plan wasn’t as far-reaching as a failed plan that was presented several years ago by Chicago-based developer General Growth. Economic pressures and financing issues prevented the company to abandon the project, Euille said. He expressed hope that this project would come to fruition.

“We will build something here,” said John Simon, an executive vice president with Howard Hughes.

Work on the project is expected to begin in 2014.

Read more:

• Opinion - Landmark Mall: A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
• Opinion - Landmark Promises
• Opinion - A Failed Plan for a Failed Mall
• Landmark Mall Redevelopment: Residents Hopeful
• Landmark Mall Meeting Information Now Online
• City Receives Landmark Mall Redevelopment Plans