Hi Everyone!
I just attended a meeting at the Springfield Golf and Country Club about the update on Springfield Town Center.
For those of you that don't know about it, Springfield Town Center is a proposed development project that will totally revitalize the Springfield Mall. The company Vornado purchased the Springfield mall a couple of years ago. Since then, they have been busy getting approvals from the County Boards and the like to go forward with the project. It looks as if the first approvals will start happening in the fall/winter of 2008, with construction beginning sometime in 2009-2010.
Included in the plans are several mixed-use sections along the -acre site. The plans focus on turning the mall outward through the use of clever architectural features, lots of glass and natural light. The "anchor" stores, JC Penney, Macy's and Target will remain part of the development.
There are plans to add a "Village Drive" that will retail and food establishments, cafe seating, and pedestrian walkways. The design will allow the area to be closed off for concerts, farmer's markets, and other special events.
There will be areas of greenery as well, including a possible dog park and several other areas that may be opened to the public. There are also proposed plans for a "green" garage roof, complete with tiered landscaping, tennis courts, and a park, all surrounded by adjacent residential units.
These plans come at a time when revitilization of this area is badly needed. The mall's movie theaters have been closed and 50% of the retail space is vacant. There has been reported gang activity and some isolated violent incidents as well.
The developers hope to make Springfield Mall a place that people want to come to and stay. The proximity of Metro provides ample opportunity for patrons from across the metro area to enjoy the new restaurants and shops.
The website for the new development is www.springfieldtowncenter.com. It is not live as of this writing, but it is expected to be up and running in the coming weeks.
And of course you can always check back here for updates. In addition, I will be happy to help anyone who is interested in purchasing a residential unit in the development.
UPDATE: 8-18-08. I have been told that the structure currently being built next to the Bridge in Springfield is a new Marriot Hotel! While this is not part of the Vornado/Springfield Mall project, it does bode well for the revitalization of the area, probably in part, thanks to BRAC.
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Thanks so much for posting this. I've been looking high and low online for any information on the Springfield Mall renovations, and this is the only current thing I've found so far.
I guess my biggest question is, why has it taken "several years" to get the approval to renovate the mall? In the time it's taken, the mall has become practically useless. Even my teenage daughter has no interest in going there--and when a teenager turns up her nose at going to the mall, you know it must be pretty bad.
It feels like the mall is in a "holding pattern" till the plans are approved and that nothing will be done to attract new tenants or replace those who leave in the meantime. This ends up being worse in the short haul than if the mall had not been sold at all. It wouldn't be so bad if the "approval process" hadn't dragged on for several years.
I live 5 minutes from the mall, but when I need to shop, I often end up driving to Fair Oaks. Even with the high price of gas. What a shame that that's necessary.
Do you think that construction is really likely to begin in 2009-2010? If so, which year?