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Springfield Mall construction to begin this summer
Construction on a portion of the planned expansion and redevelopment of the Springfield Mall property will begin in late summer, most likely in August, a spokesman for the mall owner said.
Still in the initial development stages, mall tenants are being moved away from eventual reconstruction locations. Development of all retail businesses on the mall site can be done by-right by mall owner Vornado, meaning that county approval is not required for that part of the construction.
Vornado is allowed to virtually double the size of the mall's retail space.
One of the first projects on Vornado's list will be the demolition of the two-level Target, putting the rebuilt Target on pillars, allowing for parking below. The current movie theater will also be demolished and rebuilt on a third level, just above the newly finished food court.
At this time the mall is about 50 percent empty, said Mark Looney, with Cooley Godward Kronish, the lawyer for Vornado.
Plans for a mixed-use development on the mall property will be going to the planning commission this September, followed by a probable final determination by the Board of Supervisors at the end of the year or early 2009. In all, the redeveloped property could include 5.5 million square feet of retail, residential and office space.
Plans call for new interior roads to run through the property, with drivers eventually passing by cafes and shops that will have outdoor entrances.
The interior of the mall is planned to be centralized, with well-lit, easily navigable corridors in place of the confusing collection of darkly lit hallways that exist now.
Plans for the mixed-use development include 1 million square feet of office space and 2 million square feet of residential buildings.
Construction on the retail portion of the mall is expected to be finished by fall 2010, but it will take between 10 and 20 years to finish all construction on the site, Looney said. Putting the development in context, he added, “The Reston Town Center was rezoned in 1989. It's 2008 and it still isn't complete.”
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