Revitalization, the term most often applied to development along the Route 1 corridor from the Capital Beltway to Fort Belvoir, encompassing both Mount Vernon and Lee districts, proved to be a very mixed bag in 2006. There were both shining successes and frustrating disappointments.
The success side included:
oThe completion and formal opening of the rejuvenated Mount Vernon Plaza this past summer. Created from the decaying remnants of two strip malls, this new gem of the corridor is laid out on a town center concept and encompasses both large and small retail enterprises. Some of those include Michaels, Bed Bath & Beyond, Shoppers Food Warehouse, Home Depot, Pet Smart, a Wachovia Bank branch, International House of Pancakes, Ruby Tuesdays, and a wide array of others.
oThe relocation of Del Ray Glass headquarters from its long- time home on Jefferson Davis Highway in Alexandria to Richmond Highway across from Beacon Mall. Adjoining the Del Ray Glass property is another revitalization success story in the form of a new branch of Commerce Bank. That same large site, opposite Groveton Baptist Church, is also scheduled to become home to a new Chili's Restaurant. Its construction has been delayed due to meeting certain Virginia Department of Transportation requirements. However, there have been assurances construction will commence in early 2007.
oJust across Route 1, Beacon Mall is undergoing a face lift with the demolition of the old Chi Chi's and the construction of a new TGI Friday's restaurant.
oThe IMP building, located near the intersection of Route 1 and Mount Vernon Highway (Rt.235), gained new life when the Southeast Fairfax Development Corporation moved its headquarters there from Pear Tree Village.
UNFORTUNATELY SOME of the development stories making the biggest new in 2006 were those involving disappointment, frustration, and citizen anger. These included:
oThe collapse in December of the long anticipated Kings Crossing mixed use development at the intersection of South Kings Highway and Route 1. After two years of intense negotiations between the developer and owner, JPI and Archon respectively, and the local community, County Planning, and local political leadership everything ground to a halt when a consensus could not be reached on the percentage of residential to commercial/retail units to be constructed on the 11.5 acre site. Archon, owner of the land, is now considering leasing or selling the site to a single retailer, i.e. "Big Box" store such as Costco. They can do this "by right" because the land is zoned for commercial use. The local citizenry, primarily Spring Bank Community Association, and Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerald Hyland, remain committed to bringing about a mixed use development if possible. That will be the challenge of 2007 for this location.
oMount Vernon Gateway's implosion on the Lee District side of Route 1 brought forth an array of charges and countercharges between home owners, the potential developer, Landmark Communities, and County Planning and Zoning officials. The primary cause for the acrimony was the rezoning of the 17 acre site, located between Buckman Road, Jana Lee Avenue and Route 1, from residential to PDH 30 to accommodate the planned change in land status. This occurred before settlement on the residential properties took place with the developer. This change increased the assessed value of individual homes to $1 million plus and their real estate taxes from an average $3,000 to $5,000 annually to $10,000 plus annually. Compounding the situation, many of the homeowners purchased other homes or made other high priced investments based on the assumption that settlement with the developer was set for a certain date enabling them to receive highly inflated prices for their properties. When that did not occur, due in part to the alleged collapse of the condominium market, which accounted for a large percentage of the developer's concept, homeowners found themselves in a catch 22. Finally, after two hearings before the Fairfax County Board of Equalization, homeowner assessments were reduced bringing their 2006 tax bills back to the $3,000 to $5,000 range. However, the struggle is expected to continue in 2007 with the homeowners forming a committee to fight their 2007 assessments and taxes.
oHollin Hall Village, which proved to be a classic example of the struggle between the character of a given neighborhood and the rising financial worth of land. Here, however, there was a most unusual twist. Many homes in that area of Mount Vernon District, built in the 1940's, had been situated over the center line of two adjacent lots that remained as separate lots on Fairfax County records. This made them very attractive investments for potential developers. By purchasing a particular home and demolishing it, the new owner had two lots upon which two larger homes could be built. This raised concern among homeowners, the local civic association, and Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerald Hyland who offered to introduce an ordinance to correct the situation if he received the "super majority" support of the 60 homeowners involved with the dual lots. He requested "an expression of support" from those homeowner. That did not occur. At the outset of the perceived crisis a developer had acquired four properties. By December 2006 that number had risen to 11. There is also a question of increased stormwater runoff due to more impervious surface being created by increasing the number of structures within Hollin Hall Village. By the end of 2006 both the development and stormwater situations remained alive and contentious.
Overall, 2006 proved to another year of continued improvement for the Route 1 corridor, known colloquially as "The Highway." Revitalization efforts to bring it back to its more affluent days has been making steady progress over the past decade and shows no signs of diminishing in 2007.
XXX